Gears in 2007! In case you haven't noticed, it is no longer 2006. The previous calendar year has been well and truly usurped by a new pretender known as "2007".
As we finally beat General Raam on Insane mode and get to grips with the ins and outs of every multiplayer map, we'll have more Gears of War bonus content to look forward to from Epic. Stay right here in 2007 for all your Gears goodness. More >
Interview & Weapon Guide Don't forget to check out our Gears weapon guide, as well as our interview with Mark & Cliff of Epic. More >
Vanguard Beta Begins! FilePlanet Subscribers can be among the first to explore this expansive new MMO world.
December Mailbag Pt. 2 We answer your Gears of War-related questions in the last PGoW mailbag of 2006.
Answer to the Gamers' Manifesto New Planet Gears of War writer Poenas_Dare takes a look at how Gears of War answers David Wong's Gamers' Manifesto.
Artist Emilio J. Lopez has created a Marcus Fenix "Munny" for his cousin, who is a big fan of Gears of War. A Munny is a seven-inch blank toy from Kid Robot that enables do-it-yourself creations. Lopez used a black Munny, which can be purchased at Kid Robot's store here, and it took him three weeks to design it and get all the supplies.
The result is a Munny that could easily be sold on eBay for fifty bucks or more. Looking at this creation make us wonder when an official Gears of War toy line-up will arrive. Soon after Emergence Day, Epic Games’ Mark Rein confirmed that the company is working in a Gears of War action figures line, although he said it was "too early to give details."
Gears Online Multiplayer Guide 16:05 PST | RaptoR | Print News | Mail News If, like me, you regularly get your ass handed to you in multiplayer Gears of War, help may be at hand. GamerHelp.com has posted an extensive multiplayer strategy guide that should - at the very least - help you avoid getting chainsawed in the face by that bastard who always hides behind the pillar by the sniper rifle in "Gridlock".
FiringSquad: What was the best single game you played in 2006 (console, handheld, or PC) and why?
Derek Smart: Oh, thats easy. Gears Of War. The game is a fine example of why the industry is going right into the dumpster with so many me-too titles littering the shelves. It has zero innovation, zero replay value (no, multiplayer doesn't count) and nothing to write home about. Even the graphics aren't that ground breaking. It just happens to be a tight, well designed and very well executed game. It just goes to show that you can always turn crap into Gold if you know what you're doing. A game like Gears Of War from any other developer, would be relegated to being just another shooter. You know, the kind you take one look at and know that its just 'me too' crap.
Direct your internet machine here for more from Dr. Derek Smart himself (thanks BU).
More important, Gears of War (Microsoft, $60 and $70 for a collector's edition with an art book and DVD) provided a boost for Microsoft's game system at a time when much of the industry attention was focused on the launch of the competing Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii systems.
"It's no doubt sold a lot of Xbox 360s and has made existing 360 owners feel very good about their investment," says John Davison, editorial director of Ziff Davis Media's game group, including Electronic Gaming Monthly.
Send us your crap 7:38 PST | RaptoR | Print News | Mail News We'll be posting our first January mailbag this weekend. If you've got any Gears-related comments or questions, send your stuff over here!
Welcome to 2007! 7:34 PST | RaptoR | Print News | Mail News Welcome back to Planet Gears of War in 2007 after the holiday break! We hope you all had a great Christmas, and here's hoping 2007 will bring just as much Gears-based awesomeness as the last year!
The past (relatively quiet) week of gaming news saw reflection on the best games of 2006, and of course Gears of War was to be found atopmanyaGOTYlist.
For Gears fans, 2007 promises to bring bonus content for our favorite game, as well as hints of what's to come next for the Gears of War franchise. And there's also the release of Halo 3 to look forward to.
2007 also sees the release of Gears of War's sister title, the long-awaited Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 2007 on PC and PS3! Head over to PlanetUnreal for all the UT2007 goodness.
So stay right here in 2007 for all the Gears of War crap you can handle!
Sunday, 31 December, 2006 – Gears of War News
More Gears GotY 19:20 PST | redef | Print News | Mail News Just in case you’re looking for more of those fancy Game of the Year awards, do be sure to check out WorthPlaying and ShackNews. Both sites awarded Gears with top honors in their categories, as you would no doubt expect.
Gears: Top Live! Game of 2006 19:15 PST | redef | Print News | Mail News Gears is now officially the most popular Xbox 360 Live! game for all of 2006. In second place came Hexic HD, and in third was Call of Duty 2. Check out Major Nelson for the full list. Here's to 2007!
One of the most popular gaming-related articles on the series of tubes is written by David Wong, over at Pointless Waste of Time: The Gamer's Manifesto- a list of twenty things gamers want. If you've read it, you know what a good article it is, as well as how entertaining it is. If you've not, then go here and do so, or else this article won't make any sense at all. If you're here, I'm now assuming that you've read the article, and possibly have it open in another window, or tab, or printed out. That will make this a bit more coherent.
Generally speaking, Mr. Wong paints a rather pessimistic picture of the future of gaming- one I shared. When it was published in late 2005, it was one of the most accurate portrayal of the state of the art of game design. However, a recent game has changed this, answering the calls of the Manifesto. And since this is Planet Gears of War, I think you can guess what that game is.
Bears of War 5:39 PST | RaptoR | Print News | Mail News Ever wondered what Marcus Fenix would look like if he were a bear? No, us neither, but these guys have, and they've created some sort of comic-blog featuring the adventures of Furgus Fenix & Co.
IGN's Game of the Year Awards 19:42 PST | redef | Print News | Mail News To continue with game of the year awards, IGN has also posted their Best of 2006 awards. They haven’t quite got to the point where they’re ready to proclaim their overall game of the year, but Gears was chosen as the best Xbox 360 action game and best graphics technology. Additionally, Epic was chosen as the best Xbox 360 developer. Here’s a little of what IGN said about Epic:
But it was Epic Games and its massive hit Gears of War that stood on the top of the development hill and roared the loudest. Epic has led this next-generation with its omnipresent Unreal 3 engine, but it was Tim Sweeney and his crew of top-notch programmers who showed us what truly can be done with the software -- and the Xbox 360 hardware. Never have so many IGN editors agreed that one game was so damn good looking -- and by such a large margin over other games on the system.
GameSpy's Games of the Year 19:33 PST | redef | Print News | Mail News GameSpy has published their 2006 Game of the Year awards. There are a wide variety of categories, including the gamer’s choice. Gears took home numerous awards, which include awards for its multiplayer components and was chosen as the gamer’s choice best Xbox 360 game. Here’s a little of what is said:
Gears of War's competitive play over Xbox Live is so clean and refined that it holds your attention as though it were forged out of some strange new substance called Addictium. The cover system, variety of weapons and the raw joy of chewing through a steel chestplate with a chainsaw all combine into a profoundly violent and enjoyable experience.
Gears, Game of the Year 19:17 PST | redef | Print News | Mail News It’s getting to the point where numerous sites will begin publishing their picks for 2006’s games of the year. GameSpot has continued their tradition and, as many of you will no doubt have guessed, has chosen Gears as their game of the year. Here’s a little bit of what GameSpot has to say:
Gears of War is the game that actually fulfills those outlandish promises we've been hearing from the likes of Microsoft and Sony about how earth-shattering the so-called next-generation games will be. OK, OK, we believe it. It's easy and tempting to call this the best-looking game ever made; but Gears of War is a complete package, offering much, much more than pretty visuals. It's a game that takes one of the most basic concepts in gaming--the shooter--and pushes that concept further than any other game has done before.
Cheating Bans Incoming? 23:49 PST | redef | Print News | Mail News Some hints in the official Gears forums suggest that bans may be incoming for those players who choose to exploit. It’s suggested that Microsoft may be less than willing to enact bans, but Epic might take up the responsibility on their own accord (although this is little more than speculation at this point). Check out this forum thread for Epic’s comments in context, but here are Joe Graf's
Rumor has it that Bungie created BanHammer because MS refused to ban people from Live for cheating in Halo. It is unlikely that we will be able to get someone banned by MS.
and Flak's comments:
If you see cheating report the Gamertag to Microsoft. You can also email abuse@epicgames.com if you see any links regarding cheating.
