Gears PC: XP yes, cross-play no

By Tom Bramwell Published 17 July, 2007

Extras unlikely to appear on 360.

Microsoft has confirmed that while Gears of War will not support cross-platform play between the 360 and recently announced PC versions, anybody buying the latter will be able to play it on Windows XP as well as Vista.

As in, without having to wait for the hackers to sort it out.

"It's also worth noting," says old pal the Gamerscoreblog, "that the PC version of Gears of War achievements are separate from the Xbox 360 version. That means you can get 1250 Gamerscore from the Xbox 360 Gears of War, and an additional 1000 Gamerscore from the PC version!" Yes! Buy it again!

New features of the PC Gears include additional multiplayer maps and game modes, a game editor and five new single-player chapters. A demonstration at Microsoft's E3 conference revealed a showdown with a Brumak.

Unfortunately, Xbox 360 owners probably won't get to experience the new content, with Epic's Mark Rein telling one E3 interviewer that to do so would require a patch so massive that it would dwarf the five downloads made available for 360 to date.

The full thing's due out later this year.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (38) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #1 5 years ago

    They could let us download each chapter one at a time, couldn't they?

    /doesn't want to have to buy the same game twice

  • JayeM #2 5 years ago

    Release it on PS3! :p

  • alimokrane #3 5 years ago

    What a lame excuse. release the damn expansion as a stand alone thing and price accordingly ... problem solved!

  • S.J.Rogers #4 5 years ago

    + 1

  • Xerx3s #5 5 years ago

    If bethesda can release an entire island as a expansion pack on xbl I seriously see no problem with them releasing the extra chapters. You know, the ones that where scrapped in order to make the deadline (but where at one point intended to be in there).

    GoW was your chance to fix your failings epic, your only half way there so don't screw up. >:/

  • neuroniky #6 5 years ago

    I want those new chapters. And I would gladly buy them as a separate expansion... Epic, can you hear me?

  • Darren #7 5 years ago

    The Xbox 360's proprietory DVD format only has 7 GB of useable space for games from what I understand, the rest is used by system files, etc., and the game used 6 GB of that space. The PC version will allow the use of all 9 GB and since it installs to an HDD in the first place, it'll likely use up far more than that due to heavy compression. It may be that the PC version will ship on two DVDs but the HDD installation means this isn't a problem like it might be for some on the consoles. I suspect that the new levels will share a lot of assets from the original five chapters and will squeeze onto a 9 GB dual-layer DVD myself.

    My main gripe with Gears of War on the 360 was the shortness of the single player/co-op campaign so it's a bit of a kick in the balls to hear that the PC version might be twice as long. I guess Microsoft forced Epic to rush the game out for last Christmas or the limitations of the DVD format prevented us 360 owners getting the full game. Still for PC owners, it means they are at least getting something extra for the year long wait which is more than can be said for the awful port of Halo 2!

  • brooza #8 5 years ago

    So, XP yes, XP no

  • LeD #9 5 years ago

    I'd be willing to bet this will find its way somehow to a 360 near you. Of course they're not going to tell you now, that would certainly hurt the sales of the PC version, wouldn't it?

  • Cannibal #10 5 years ago

    They won't stick to this.

    Expect GoW: Bigger, Longer, Uncut as a stand alone release sometime before Christmas 08 on the 360.

    Kind of like what Oblivion will be doing with its Game of the Year edition.

  • UncleLou #11 5 years ago

    Yeah, can't quite imagine they will release extra content for arguably their biggest killer app yet only on another platform. Just makes no sense.

  • afghan_jones #12 5 years ago

    oh, just release the extras for 360 please. I need more macho-man-love in my life.

  • Birchy #13 5 years ago

    @ the X box hunter

    Its not twice the game

    GoW on the 360 had 5 acts each made up of smaller chapters - The PC is getting 5 extra chapters not 5 extra acts (I think).

  • neil_likes_bums #14 5 years ago

    I've never played past the first bit of the game, but I did like it online. Personally I would like to avoid cross PC/360 multiplayer games as much as possible, there is no substitute for a mouse/keyboard combo. I play console games from choice but remember getting schooled on Quake when I first started playing without a mouse all those years ago ;-)
    Edited by 1 at 17/07/07 @ 10:23

  • MARKIV #15 5 years ago

    Just give us a massive download then, we don't care. I bet your only talking about 1.5gb anyhow for 1 new act, i.e 5 chapters.

  • GamesConnoisseur #16 5 years ago

    Bit disappointed that Gear of War on X360 is not really an exclusive thing, as the PC version will be getting thrice the game and thus far superior one. 5 more chapters and an editor as well as the main game and all the multiplayer maps.

    I would then term Gear of War as leading game on PC and that it only appeared on X360 as a prelude to the 'real thing'. Still would be probably getting it on PC.

  • Steroyd #17 5 years ago

    If epic doesn't put extra stuff in the PC version, then how on earth are MS going to promote games for windows?

    ¬_¬

    Yeah and the PC version will be a cheaper game as well, so even if they sell the extra chapters over XBLM it doesn't add up nevertheless.

    Unless MS *gasp* gives them away for free over XBLM.

  • Mr-Brett #18 5 years ago

    I personally don't really care, I only have Gears because it came with the console.

    I'd much rather play Halo 2, yes that's right I admitted I like Halo 2!

  • smoothn00dle #19 5 years ago

    Can Eurogamer.net please remove those video advertisement? They start to play and use my bandwidth and my processing power without even asking me! On firefox it suck up 30mb of memory and use 33% cpu power(show on Task Manager).

  • RickHard #20 5 years ago

    would it be possible to play the game in first person perspective ?

  • dave06 #21 5 years ago

    guarantee that this will come to an xbox 360 after christmas. as soon as everyone has bought the pc version they'll release as either separate disc or magically find a way to make it a downloadable. people say that epic are different that they care about the community but at the end of the day they re a business and this is a typical way of making money. and whats funny is everyone can see it but they will get away with it because the gears fan boys will lap up anything just like any fan boy on any format

  • UncleLou #22 5 years ago

    Yeah and the PC version will be a cheaper game as well,

    That argument doesn't count. PC games are always cheaper because there's no need for a platform holder to make money from each game. If that bothers you, you chose the wrong platform.

    What I do understand is if people want the extra content on the 360. What I don't understand is if people bemoan a lack of exclusivity - or if you do, you have to consider that if all former PC franchises had stayed PC-exclusive, the Xbox release schedule wouldn't look too good...

  • FuZion #23 5 years ago

    Some people live to moan their tits off

  • Caimbeul #24 5 years ago

    Will be cheaper than the 360 version and better looking!

    Wonder what it will look like in DX9 vs DX10 or are MS simply going to give in and release DX10 for WinXP?

  • huxathon #25 5 years ago

    this is actually kinda amusing. consoles have a lot of benefits over the venerable pc, but here we have proof of at least some advantages.

    Games such as GOW take up a lot of space if installed on a hard drive, 20 gig+, so a download for the 360 of a 100% increase in size compared to the original will definitely be out of the question.

    xp yes, xp no: just got it.

  • Birchy #26 5 years ago

    @ Huxathon

    Are you saying a direct install of GoW would take up 20+ gb of space? DVD only has 9 gb available and that was what the first game shipped on (See Darrens post above for more detail).

    Also the game is not doubling in size - GoW 360 has 5 acts made up of chapters - The PC version is getting 5 chapters not 5 more acts (Which would double the size the game).
    Edited by 1 at 17/07/07 @ 11:34

  • Skeletor #27 5 years ago

    Will Gears PC use Windows Live for multiplayer? I thought Live is exclusive to Vista which would mean no multiplayer on XP! Why is such an important information not included in the article?!

  • Penguinzoot #28 5 years ago

    Sounds like PC Gears has had significant engine/architecture overhaul, not just some trivial added tweaks or additional level (chapter) data. Maybe there is no reasonable way of making this available to 360 owners. Still sucks though.
    Edited by 1 at 17/07/07 @ 11:58

  • Xerx3s #29 5 years ago

    Unless MS *gasp* gives them away for free over XBLM.

    Actually, ms has a good history of making their FP & inner circle dev content free (after a while).

  • Machiavellian #30 5 years ago

    I am with the crowd that this is Epic was of getting people who bought the 360 version to buy the PC version if you have the money to get the complete experience. 6 months after the PC version hits, those chapters will be released for the 360 at a price. Hell, they can blame it on MS and still look good to the fanboys. Expect to see Epic release the new chapters when they release UT3 for the 360.
    Edited by 1 at 17/07/07 @ 12:11

  • MrBiggles #31 5 years ago

    No extra levels for 360... do not buy there next game in protest until we do get it.

    Simple.

  • Whizzo #32 5 years ago

    Will Gears PC use Windows Live for multiplayer? I thought Live is exclusive to Vista which would mean no multiplayer on XP! Why is such an important information not included in the article?!

    Windows Live is being brought to XP, Vista only has been a complete failure and future GFWL titles will run on either OS.

    Now MS just has to realise that charging for Gold on PC is a bit daft.

  • Jas315 #33 5 years ago

    Lol, protest against Epic?

    You people get GoW a year early, boosting the sales of your console... and you people want to protest?!

    Just remember lil ones.

    Halo was a PC game.

    Har.

  • WickedDeeJ #34 5 years ago

    That's a bit of a rip, adding the game's full length once again and then not offering it to those who bought it on 360, innit? If it were one or two levels, fine; but five chapters is essentially doubling the length of the singleplayer game.

    But oh well; just goes to show what I've been saying: Don't buy 360 "exclusives" wait a year or so and get the "full" game in PC instead. And at a lower price, too.

  • Skeletor #35 5 years ago

    @Whizzo
    According to German press Gamestar there'll be NO multiplayer on XP!
    [link url=http://www.gamesta r.de/news/pc/spiele/action/egoshooter/gears_of_war/1472029/g ears_of_war.html
    ]http://ww w.gamestar.de/news/pc/spiele/ac...[/link]
    I find it kinda funny that the article gives you all the info about achievements and what not and then completely fails to answer the question that is most obvious...

  • skillian #36 5 years ago

    ^ I don't know how much I'd trust that page - it says MP only through Windows Live which is currently Vista exclusive, but I reckon Windows Live will be on XP before Gears is out.

    But oh well; just goes to show what I've been saying: Don't buy 360 "exclusives" wait a year or so and get the "full" game in PC instead. And at a lower price, too.

    People say the same thing about PC gaming on here - "Don't bother buying the best PC games, they'll be on Xbox soon and won't require a £600 GFX card to run".

    It's all fanboy bullshit, just buy the games for your system, and don't feel aggrieved when they come out for another machine too.

  • Pablo2k5 #37 5 years ago

    GamesConnoisseur said...
    "Bit disappointed that Gear of War on X360 is not really an exclusive thing..."

    Why begrudge anyone else having the game ffs? Why should 360 owners have exclusive games???

    It's only the manufactures of the consoles that would want exclusives to boost sales of their machines but NOT the gamers themselves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The gamers have nothing to gain except bragging rights, stupid fanboys.

    PS - Most of you 360 whingers probably haven't even got a decent enough PC to play GEARS on anyway!!!
    Edited by 3 at 17/07/07 @ 18:03

  • WickedDeeJ #38 5 years ago

    "People say the same thing about PC gaming on here - "Don't bother buying the best PC games, they'll be on Xbox soon and won't require a £600 GFX card to run".

    It's all fanboy bullshit, just buy the games for your system, and don't feel aggrieved when they come out for another machine too."

    The point I wanted to make was that MS does seem to have a system for how to handle the big Xbox/Xbox360 titles. Bioware's Jade Empire got a similar treatment; despite vehement denials by both Microsoft and Bioware, the game eventually made it's way to the PC. One could go out on a limb here and say that the same thing will probably happen with Mass Effect when that game's a year old. But that's pure speculation.
    I'm just glad that I didn't get my 360 for just one game, then this would have been a hard one to accept.