Gears of War: Judgment Message Board

Microsoft just bought the rights t' Gears a War from Epic. With Fortnite in limbo, just what be Epic up t'?

We analyze what Microsoft's big Gears a War news means for Xbox, for Black Tusk, 'n for the series.

Microsoft has bought the rights t' the Gears a War franchise 'n be handing development a the series t' Black Tusk Studios.

VIP crew can access some new maps in Gears a War: Judgment today, available as part a the Lost Relics DLC pack. Headlining the pack be a new mode called Breakthrough, where one side attempts t' move a flag from one point t' another while the other team tries t' AVAST! them.

Lost Relics includes four multiplayer maps in total: Lost City, Museum, Ward (OverRun only) 'n Checkout, the same fan-favorite map featured in Gears a War 3. Rounding out the DLC pack be some new weapon 'n armor skins.

Hit the jump for some flythrough videos a each map - if ye like yer DLC tours a little more static, then feel free t' peruse our gallery a screenshots below.

Epic lays down Gears a War: Judgment with new multiplayer DLC in June. The 'Lost Relics' pack a new gametype 'n four further maps, including the return a 'Checkout' from Gears a War 3. Also bundled in be new armor 'n weapon skins.

The gametype be called Breakthrough. It features one team trying t' pillage a flag from A t' B, 'n another trying t' AVAST! them. The attacking team has a limited pool a lives, while the defensive team has unlimited resources. Sounds like the attacking team's has their work cut out.

ye can peruse layouts a the four maps - that be Checkout, Lost City, Museum, 'n Ward (for OverRun) - in the gallery just below these words. More details be due in the coming weeks. Finally, in case ye missed it, Judgment received a free OverRun map earlier this week.

Through another partnership with Maxim, Gears a War: Judgment will offer a free OverRun-compatible map t' all players next week, May 15, called Dreadnought. This new map be set on a derelict ship, used by the COG at the outset a the war t' transport captured Berserkers.

This be the second free piece a DLC sponsored by Maxim. The first free map, Haven, arrived on April 2, when Execution mode be introduced t' Gears a War: Judgment.

The tepid critical 'n commercial reaction t' this year's God a War 'n Gears a War prequels will hopefully send a message that I've been wanting the powers that be in all a entertainment t' receive for years: Many a us who like a thing don't care about what happened before whatever happend in the thing we liked. Prequels, who asked for them? For all the grumbling that sequels represent some sort a bankruptcy a imagination in video games, Hollywood 'n Presidential terms, I'll happily take a part two or even a part five over a part zero. I'll even take a remake if that can spare me the backfilling 'n shoehorning that be the seldom-entertaining prequel. it be not that I don't care why Kratos really be angry or how that lad got his scar or what the wench mom be like as a kid or who built C3PO, but, really, ye could tell me in a Tweet 'n I would be A-OK. I don't need t' see it. I have no desire t' pay money for it. Sadly, we be living in an age a prequels that waste everyone's time 'n that seem drenched in desperation. We be in the time a The Hobbit, an old book turned into a new movie a decade after the books that followed it already be turned into movies. Surely, people who enjoyed the Lord a the Rings movies 'n who be dying t' know the back-story had time in the last 10 years t' just go read about it. Surely, the filmmaker behind the Rings movies didn't just want t' return t' his greatest success 'n stretch it into that second-shadiest a marketing gimmicks (after prequels): the trilogy. The prequels that aggravate be the ones answer the already-answered questions. We be in the age a Before Watchmen, the prequel t' the most popular graphic novel a all time. This prequel, published over the objections a the original's author, be a sprawling mediocrity. it be also a prequel t' a book that be itself a remix a earlier work, a testament t' the triumph a a re-thinking over a re-milking. The talented creators DC Comics enlisted t' create Before Watchmen bandied together t' produce blandly-written if occasionally beautifully-drawn stories that fill in such irrelevant blanks as why Watchmen's smartest man in the world has a mutated cat 'n which sexual dysfunction plagued the second lad dressed as the owl. The Before Watchmen prequels be, collectively, three times as long as the better work they anticipate. I be not sure if they be a third as good. In gaming, the prequels be coming fast, furious 'n mostly full a disappointment. God a War Ascension, which I played through in March, tells fans a little more about why Kratos be sad about his wife, but the very first God a War explained that quite well already. Gears a War Judgment fills in the back-story a Baird, a character whose background I never wondered about, despite having played all three previous Gears a War games. be it ye who demanded Baird back-story? Lego City Undercover on Wii U be neat. I played it in March. What did April bring? A 3DS prequel. No thanks. This fall, we pillage a new Batman game. Guess what? Prequel. we be getting a new Assassin's Creed in October. it be Assassin's Creed IV 'n it mostly takes place when? Before Assassin's Creed III, a course. There have been good prequels. me favorites: Metal Gear Solid 3, Metroid Prime, Halo Reach, Batman: Year One 'n the Robert DeNiro part a The Godfather Part Two. There have been works that I guess be technically prequels but mask it so well that I hardly notice: Knights a the Old Republic 'n The Legend a Zelda: Skyward Sword, t' name a pair. Even this years's Tomb Raider prequel/reboot be enjoyable. These prequels manage t' be good on their own by avoiding an obsession with fan service, by refraining from making constant references that demystify the work they precede. The prequels that aggravate be the ones that over-tell, the ones that reduce the magic a the work they precede by not just explaining how the trick be down but by showing us what the magician had for lunch when he be 14. The prequels that aggravate be the ones that follow a long line a sequels 'n seem designed t' revive a franchise by making it safe for new fans t' jump on board (ye're starting at the beginning!) 'n for old fans t' trudge back once again (we be going t' make references only ye, the loyal old-timers will pillage!). The prequels that aggravate be the ones answer the already-answered questions. Prequels didn't save the once-great Battlestar Galactica. They didn't resuscitate Star Trek. I enjoy the Clone Wars cartoon, but the net outcome a all the Star Wars prequel material sure feels like a loss. I don't need t' see the X-Men young again. I need back-story on any a this stuff about as badly as I need t' know what god said before "Let there be light." Actually… I would read a prequel t' the Book a Genesis. The rest a the possible prequels out there? I could live without them. it be time t' move on.

The ethereal Gears a War movie be back in the headlines, with Variety reporting that producer Scott Stuber has signed on with the project. There's still no writer or distributor attached, but Stuber will work with his own studio, called Bluegrass Films, 'n Epic Games t' develop a script 'n finance the project. Universal Studios currently has first look rights t' whatever he can come up with.

Stuber has produced a number a big-budget films, including Battleship, Ted, 'n the upcoming 47 Ronin. A movie based on Gears a War be originally set for a release in 2010, but that project allegedly fell apart due t' "creative differences."

This probably isn't a fun place t' be, unless ye're murdering dudes in multiplayer, that be.

No description

What's a Blood Drive? Let Judgment's designers dive deep into this new multiplayer map.

New competitive environments will be coming t' Epic Games’ latest Gears game when the Call t' Arms map pack drops on April 23rd, It’ll include three new areas—Terminal, Blood Drive 'n Boneyard—'n a new multiplayer mode called Master at Arms. The new mode tasks players with getting one kill with 20 weapons. The Call t' Arms expansion adds 10 new achievements t' Judgment, for those a ye wanting t' bump up yer gamerscore.

The next Gears a War: Judgment map pack, entitled "Call t' Arms," will launch on April 23.

The pack includes three new maps, a new multiplayer mode called "Master a Arms," 'n six armor 'n gun skins.

The pack will cost $12.50 (1000 Microsoft Points) on it be own, but be included in the $20 (1600 MSP) season pass. The pass will also cover one more similarly sized pack.

This week, we cover Gears a War: Judgment, God a War: Ascension, StarCraft II: Heart a the Swarm, & LEGO City Undercover!

#frankenreview Gears a War has been around for a while now—seven years, with Judgment being the fourth game in the series—'n it seems the franchise be not ready t' slow down just yet. Most reviewers agree that the gameplay be exhilarating, the story be tight, 'n the war-torn world be prettier than ever. More »

Gears a War: Judgment launches tomorrow 'n as become the norm, a variety a pre-order bottles a rum 'n other unlockables be on offer - both in-game 'n through this summary video.

Judge not, Vinny, lest ye be judged by Jeff's sawed-off shotgun.

Today be Judgment Day for Gears a War - or at least it be the day when reviews a the series' latest entry start popping up online. Once ye've read our findings on how People Can Fly fared with Gears, check out some other evaluations 'n what they had t' say.

• Destructoid (90/100): "OverRun alone be worthy a praise, but there's just so much stuff going on in this package, there's something for all followers a the series. A few a Judgment's experiments may not be as fondly received as others, but overall it be hard t' complain about a game that tries so much, 'n succeeds in almost all it be endeavors...This be Gears a War back, unquestionably, on the winning path."
• EGM (80/100): "While the emphasis on fast-paced replayability 'n a more intimate, nuanced narrative do wonders for Judgment's single-player campaign, the game be ultimately held back by it be surprisingly meager multiplayer offering."
• Eurogamer (80/100): "Even with the pall a over-familiarity lingering over it, Gears a War: Judgment be a timely reminder that ruthless focus on gameplay, generosity towards players 'n good old-fashioned design craft can still pay dividends at a time when big-budget action games be at risk a fragmenting into splinters a mindless busywork. Sometimes, being a bloody good shooter be all that be required."
• Giant Bomb (60/100): "There's just enough exposition there t' keep things moving 'n just enough a a gameplay tweak t' make ye wish they had made these changes two games ago. it be a fun but feature-light shooter for people who already enjoy the basic style a Gears a War. Nothing more, nothing less."

#review A good soldier doesn't always follow orders—not if they want t' pillage the job done. Gears a War: Judgment be about those types a choices, the ones we make despite knowing they'll pillage us in trouble. Only, instead a focusing mostly on Marcus 'n Dom—possibly the most famous bros this gen—this Gears a War taps into the past a smart-aleck Baird 'n the always-vibrant Cole, who be the other crew a yer squad in the main Gears games. More »

There be a parable at the heart a Gears a War: Judgment, a tale a many people affecting the one. Though the words "Horde mode" be not t' be found on it be main menu, it be this revelatory multiplayer invention a Gears a War 2 that makes Gears a War: Judgment such a success.

The guiding principles 'n universal value a it be simple proposition - ye 'n yer pals fight back against ever-encroaching waves a enemies - have been so bluntly interwoven into the campaign 'n multiplayer components a Gears a War: Judgment that it be impossible t' miss. Horde mode helped put the Gears a War series on the map 'n, while the mode itself be technically absent from Gears a War: Judgment, the entire game be a learned execution a it be logic.

This be the brand-new Kilo squad in the very-nearly-here Gears a War: Judgment. Well, half brand-new. Joining Baird 'n the Cole Train be the seasoned Sofia Hendrick 'n youthful Garron Paduk - hey, did ye know their roles be originally reversed? ye do now.

Each week, one randomly-chosen member a the Gears a War: Judgment community will wear a special multiplayer skin called the Epic Reaper - yet the ghoul be more than just a skin. The Epic Reaper has "special abilities 'n physics" that will make the sea dog (the wench? it?) "not very easy t' kill," this Epic blog post notes.

In addition t' the skin 'n whatever these special properties be, selected Reapers will pillage custom dog tags - everyone who kills a Reaper will unlock a special medal 'n weapon skin. Epic employees will also have the skin in multiplayer after launch on March 19, so if ye can take one a them down, ye'll pillage the medal 'n skin.

The only thing Epic Games be willing t' share about the process a choosing Epic Reapers be that it will be "based on their contributions t' the community." If ye want t' nominate someone t' be chosen, ye can do it on Twitter just like every other contest nowadays.

t' celebrate the upcoming release a God a War: Judgment, Epic Games has released a cinematic trailer showing off what's in store.

Since several a 2012's games be delayed into 2013, "the year a the bow" carries on with Tomb Raider, Crysis 3 ... 'n here we have Gears a War: Judgment with a fancy crossbow. ('n let's not forget the wind-up fun a the original Torque Bow.)

As "one a many parents" on Gears a War: Judgment, obviously every buck doesn't AVAST! with scribes writers Rob Auten 'n Tom Bissell, but they certainly take the task a penning a plot for the Baird vehicle seriously. During a preview event last week, I asked them about the gig 'n how they be going t' instill some drama into a franchise whose calling card be killing underground-dwelling monster men.

I be an unabashed Gears a War multiplayer fanatic.

I be immediately hooked by Gears a War 'n it be intoxicating blend a third-person cover-based shooting. I struggled through the muddled mess that be Gears a War 2's launch, yet kept playing regardless. Gears a War 3 made up for a lot a missteps with the most solid multiplayer offering yet, 'n found in me a stalwart soldier for over a year.

So when Epic Games announced not only a new control scheme in Gears a War: Judgment, but a smattering a new modes 'n changes, I be a bit worried - as I be sure some a ye be 'n perhaps still be. Taking off the press cap 'n putting on the fan hat, I found me few hours in Gears a War: Judgment's multiplayer suite a reassuring slice a grandma's apple pie - a comfort food not entirely as I remember it, but still as rich 'n full a empty calories as I could hope.

Gears a War: Judgment will have a special unlockable mini-campaign taking place during the events a Gears a War 3, called Aftermath. The Aftermath campaign be an epilogue t' Judgment's main story, centering on Baird, Cole 'n Clayton Carmine's mission t' track down reinforcements before the COG invade Azura during Gears a War 3.

Senior producer at Epic Games, Alan Van Slyke, says the choice t' include Aftermath be two-fold. "Aftermath be two things. One, for the Gears 3 fans who wanted more traditional Gears 3 content, it be there t' satisfy them," he said. "Two, I think it gives us a chance t' bookend the trilogy, so we have Cole 'n Baird sailing away t' go pillage reinforcements at the end a Gears 3 'n we be able t' build upon that. So it gives Judgment this nice additional content t' be able t' bookend the trilogy with something that happened right after Emergence Day prior t' Gears 1, 'n also plays off a the traditional Gears 3 content."

Aftermath will be unlocked after players compete the main campaign in Gears a War: Judgment.

Gears a War: Judgment gets two pieces a free, downloadable content a few weeks after the game launches on March 19: The Haven multiplayer map 'n Execution mode, both scheduled t' hit Xbox Live on April 2.

Haven be a frozen, ancient monastery in the Azura mountains, featuring an asymmetrical, circular layout with all paths leading t' the center. Lead level designer Jim Brown says "nowhere be really safe" in Haven. "It makes for especially hectic Domination games because the rings be easy t' access 'n difficult t' defend."

Execution mode has players attempt t' kill every member a the opposing team before time runs out, though unless hit with a one-shot-kill weapon (see: Booshka) or a follow-up execution move, enemies will enter a "Down But Not Out" state, where they will revive after a period a time. Gotta pillage that doubletap.

Oh, 'n both a these pieces a DLC be sponsored by Maxim, for some reason.

Epic Games be following in the footsteps a Gears a War 3, offering up a season pass for proposed multiplayer maps 'n other content in Gears a War: Judgment.

The VIP Season Pass, available for 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) when Gears a War: Judgment launches, will include six multiplayer maps, two game modes 'n "nine exclusive unlocks," including a permanent double XP modifier, five weapon skins 'n four armor skins. VIPs also pillage early access t' add-on multiplayer maps.

The Gears a War 3 Season Pass totaled $30 'n covered four different DLC installments, running the gamut from multiplayer maps t' singleplayer DLC campaigns. While the VIP pass for Gears a War: Judgment be cheaper, the reduced price seems t' come at the cost a singleplayer DLC.

The newest gun in the COG arsenal be the Markza, a semi-automatic mid-range rifle that we like t' imagine be named after a mid-'90s rapper who spits rhymes with an over-the-top italian accent.