Gears of War 3

Three more Xbox 360 classics will be enhanced for Xbox One X including Skate 3, Mirror's Edge, and Gears of War 3, Microsoft has announced.

The Gears of War movie is still trundling forward and it's even secured a screenwriter.

Remember when Epic Games flew the Xbox 360 flag with Gears of War? Those were the days. Now we get Paragon (open beta), a not-bad MOBA; Fortnite (alpha), a base-building survival game in development for six years now; and a new, somewhat openly developed Unreal Tournament (pre-alpha).

Oh, and one other game, just announced: Battle Breakers. A turn-based tactical role-playing game for mobiles and PC, with cross-platform play.

Battle Breakers looks like typical mobile fare, with your team's heroes stood on hex grids on your side, facing off against enemies standing on hex grids on their side. There's an anime style and tone to the whole thing, with loud noises and flashy abilities. Do I sound old yet?

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Former American football player and wrestler Lenwood "Hard Rock" Hamilton is suing the devs behind Gears of War, claiming that his likeness was stolen in the creation of the character Augustus Cole, aka the Cole Train.

The Gears of War movie is back from the gutter, this time with Universal Studios producing.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition comes with all the Gears of War games, Microsoft has announced.

Whatever your stance on the humble moustache, mutton chops, beard or goatee, facial hair can be found growing with reckless abandon on a number of gaming's most memorable protagonists (and a few forgettable ones to boot). Once you delve a bit deeper, however, a pattern starts to emerge from among the bristles; facial hair is, basically, game developer shorthand for emotional development.

The FBI has indicted four folks who it claims stole between $100 - $200 million in intellectual property from a handful of video game studios and the US Army.

Microsoft studio Black Tusk is hard at work on the next Gears of War game for Xbox One - but don't expect it to release any time soon.

Ex-Epic design chief Cliff Bleszinski has had it with disc-based games.

UPDATE: Gears of War creator Clifford Bleszinski has confirmed that he will not be working on the next Gears game in any capacity.

"I'm not going to move to Vancouver and work on it," Bleszinski said on his Clifford Unchained blog. "I'm not going to consult on it."

This isn't so say that he's bitter about the change. In fact, he's looking forward to this new take on the series given how well Microsoft handled the Halo property after giving it to newcomers 343. "343 knocked it out of the park with Halo and I think Black Tusk will do a fantastic job with Gears," Bleszinski stated.

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With the Xbox One on the horizon, what next for Gears of War, the Microsoft exclusive series that helped define HD gaming on Xbox 360?

Sci-fi author and former writer and story consultant for Microsoft Game Studios, Eric Nylund, has joined up with Amazon Game Studios as its new director of narrative design.

A senior Scottish policeman has called for a second look into the prevention of children playing adult-rated games online after a 13-year-old boy slashed a friend's throat with a knife following a Gears of War 3 session.

The Gears of War movie adaptation is moving ahead with Battleship and Ted producer Scott Stuber helming the long-delayed project.

Doors open in the video games industry for someone like Cliff Bleszinski. He's famous in these parts. He left Epic Games in October and got away from it all, put some trunks on, went on holiday and spent time with his wife. Now he's had his break, what does he plan to do?

New copies of Gears of War: Judgement will include a download code for the original Gears of War, publisher Microsoft has announced.

Epic Games president Mike Capps has retired.

Microsoft has sold 70 million Xbox 360s since its November 2005 launch, it announced last night.

There is renewed interest in the thought dead Gears of War movie, according to a new report.

Cliff Bleszinski came across very well in an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit at the weekend.

UPDATE: Epic executive Mark Rein has tweeted to clarify that Infinity Blade is Epic's most profitable game "in terms of man years invested versus revenue only, not total profit".

Epic Games producer Rod Fergusson sought storytelling advice from Pixar for the upcoming Gears of War: Judgment.

Chinese web giant Tencent has bought a minority stake in Unreal Engine and Gears of War maker Epic Games.

Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly is working on the new Gears of War title teased last night.

Epic has unveiled Unreal Engine 4 with stunning screenshots that showcase what will hopefully be possible with the next generation of consoles.

In a Wired article, Epic staff discussed the tech, which was shown behind closed doors and under NDA at the Game Developers Conference earlier this year.

The screenshots above are taken from the 153 second Unreal Engine 4 real-time demo powered by the Nvidia Kepler GTX 680. It shows an armoured demon knight in a mountain fortress. Lava flows as the knight wields a huge hammer as he enters a metal corridor before looking out at mountain peaks. It's designed to show lens flare, distortion, environmental destruction and other fancy graphics techniques.

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Demon Knight showcase built by 14 engineers in three months.

Gear of War creator Cliff Bleszinski has spoken out against Japanese game developers for ignoring multiplayer options.

Outspoken Dead Space story producer Chuck Beaver has defended his critique of Gears of War, claiming his remarks were taken out of context.

The story producer of the Dead Space franchise believes Gears of War has "literally the worst writing in games".

Epic Games has acknowledged that Gears of War: Exile, a franchise spin-off first rumoured back in 2010, once existed but has since been cancelled.

Design director Cliff Bleszinski broke the studio's silence in an interview with GameSpot over the weekend.

"Let's just bury the hatchet now," he said. "Gears of War: Exile was an unannounced game that I can't give any details about that has since been cancelled."

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The next Xbox requires an always-on internet connection, according to a VG247 report.

Epic's Cliff Bleszinski wants future Gears of War games to be more like the Christopher Nolan Batman films and less like the Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher ones.

Title Update 4 will be rolled out today for Gears of War 3.

Epic Games announced the roll-out time as 2am PT (9am GMT) on its website. So it should be out. Can you see it?

Improvements

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Epic Games has called on Microsoft and Sony to make the next Xbox and PlayStation 4 as powerful as "economically possible".

The next Xbox won't have a disc drive, according to a new report.

GAME and Gamestation are having a "firesale" on pre-owned stock.

Epic Games shows off the latest version of its Unreal Engine at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco next week, the company has announced.

Epic has announced Gears of War 3 DLC Forces of Nature, due out on 27th March.

Forces of Nature is a collection of three new maps, each set during a natural disaster, and two remakes from previous Gears games. The new maps are Aftermath, Artillery and Cover. The remakes are Jacinto (Gears of War 2) and Raven Down (Gears of War 1).

Gears executive producer Rod Fergusson announced the DLC on GameTrailers, explaining how they work.

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A day when graphics can't get any better is "within sight", according to bright old Epic Games boffin Tim Sweeney.

The next Xbox may have a controller with a touch-screen area on.

Five new maps now on Xbox Live, priced 800 Points.

The most pirated PC game of 2011 wasn't Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 or Skyrim - it was Crysis 2.

Microsoft and Epic Games have announced new DLC for Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3.

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Gears of War 3 Season Pass owners are currently unable to get the Raam's Shadow DLC for free - as they should.

If Epic makes another game in the Gears of War franchise - highly likely give its success - the developer will make sure it feels "fresh and new".

Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney is to be the newest member of the notable AIAS (Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences) Hall of Fame.

The new IP from Gears of War developer Epic Games to be announced at the Spike Video Game Awards this weekend will be "radically different" and is intended to be a "departure" for the US studio, it has said.

Epic Games' design director Cliff Bleszinski will this weekend unveil a new title incoming from the Gears of War developer.

As teased in a Spike video today, Bleszinksi will take to the stage at the annual VGA event in Los Angeles to formally unveil the new project.

That's all we know for now, other than that it's in development at Epic's North Carolina HQ, unlike recent releases Infinity Blade and Bulletstorm which were farmed out to Chair Entertainment and People Can Fly, respectively.

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UPDATE: And we're done! Thanks to everyone who entered and thanks to Microsoft for providing so many amazing prizes. We have notified 11 out of 12 winners as of Wednesday 22nd December and will be speaking to yesterday's victor this morning. Congratulations if you won and watch out for more massive giveaways on this scale in the future!

Epic-owned Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly will develop the next Gears of War trilogy, according to a rumour in the latest US Offical Xbox Magazine.

A free Gears of War 3 Booster Map Pack add-on has been released on Xbox Live Marketplace.

Kryll streak.

DLC not only brings in more money, it also helps "actively fight" pre-owned sales, Epic Games' director of production Rod Fergusson has said.

Epic Games has released the second title update for Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3.

It combats a number of exploits, fixes lost progress and profile issues, and adds a spectator mode.

Microsoft is rolling out the title update today, which means the game's dedicated servers will not be available. When it is live in your region, you will be prompted to download the update if you are connected to Xbox Live.

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Gears of War 3 will not be released on PC, Epic Games has told Eurogamer.

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A new complimentary DLC pack is on its way to Gears of War 3 later this month, developer Epic has announced.

UPDATE: The Horde Command Pack is now ready for download, according to a Tweet from Epic exec Mark Rein.

Gears of War 3 will expand again on 13th December with Raam's Shadow, Epic has announced.

Gears of War 3 senior gameplay designer Lee Perry has waded into the Xbox 360 exclusive's weapon balance debate.

Charting your favourite weaponry.

Gears of War 3's first slice of add-on content will launch 1st November, Microsoft has announced.

Horde game.

EA Sports' annual footie fiesta FIFA 12 has stuck the boot in to last week's number one Gears of War 3, landing top of the chart.

Gears of War 3 has failed to usurp perennial chart hog Call of Duty: Black Ops as the most played title on Xbox Live.

Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski wants to "evolve" the series away from accusations that it's too camp.

Xbox 360 exclusive shooter Gears of War 3 has sold over three million copies worldwide during its first week on sale,

http://majornelson.com/2011/09/29/gears-of-war-3-sells-three-million-copies-in-first-week-sales/">Microsoft has announced.

Microsoft said today the Epic-developed title is the biggest game of 2011 so far.

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Dark Souls roared to the top of the Japanese software chart in its debut week, shifting a very impressive 279,567 copies.

The next version of video game engine Unreal will probably launch in 2014, Epic has said.

Gears of War 3 campaign downloadable content will feature spin-off character Michael Barrick, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski has confirmed.

Microsoft has revealed a new transfer cable that allows Xbox 360 S to Xbox 360 S data transfer.

Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3 has surged to the top of the UK charts. It's the biggest launch of the year so far.

This week, you get your third chance to experience one of the most thrilling and absorbing templates for a single-player campaign this generation. Yep - Capybara's wonderful Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes has been released on PC!

Those looking for all the various strands of the Gears of War story to be neatly tied up in the latest installment of Epic's franchise might come away disappointed.

End of trilogy set in stone.

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A spoiler-free chunk of the first act.

Gargantuan Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3 launches today, and developer Epic Games has promised to release substantial downloadable content.

It's here, the Eurogamer Expo 2011, our fourth and biggest year so far. We've taken all your feedback from the past three years, and our experience, and come up with a show we want to go to. Tickets have basically gone (there are scraps so be quick), and we're all wibbly-wobbly at the knees to see first hordes trample through the doors. You'll get extra marks for spotting me at the show and I may even kiss you.

The cheapest place to buy Gears of War 3 is BestBuy, where the game costs £32.99.

The smart money says we're nine months away from the reveal of brand-new Xbox hardware, that major advances in visual technology are being held back by the hardware limitations of six-year-old architecture. Gears of War 3 begs to differ. Developed in parallel with the hugely popular Unreal Engine 3 technology, the game looks absolutely remarkable: put it side-by-side with the last game, or even up against Epic's own Bulletstorm, and it's clear that the current gen is still capable of some genuine surprises.

Phenomenal lighting and VFX work demonstrated.

Gears 3's TriOviz implementation tested.

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So where do you go after "bigger, better and more badass"? The guiding principle for Gears of War 2 produced a masterclass in sequel design, taking a monstrously successful concept, ironing out the kinks and delivering one of the most thrillingly memorable blockbusters of this generation.

Back still further, as Halo had with the original Xbox, Gears of War's debut defined not just a platform, but also expectations for a new era of high-definition console gaming with a stunning demonstration of technical prowess.

In triple-A action, Cliff Bleszinksi and his team could not unreasonably argue that they were always one step ahead of their rivals in terms of raw spectacle with the first two Gears titles. But, of course, someone would always come along to match and then surpass that step.

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Game and Gamestation will host the official UK midnight launch of Gears of War 3 at midnight on Monday, 19th September.

Game on Oxford Street will be midnight launch HQ. Special guest Carlos Ferro, the voice of game character Dom Santiago, will be in attendance.

Limited piles of memorabilia signed by the Gears 3 team - t-shirts, posters, other goodies - will be dished out on the night.

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Platform-holder Microsoft is bringing this autumn's biggest Xbox 360 exclusives to the Eurogamer Expo 2011.

Gears story told explosively.

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Gears of War 3 gets a DLC season pass offering customers a 33 per cent saving on the forthcoming shooter's first four add-ons, publisher Microsoft has announced.

Available from the game's 20th September launch priced at 2400 Points, the virtual voucher lets you download the first four packs on the day they release and also throws in access to the exclusive Liquid Metal Weapon Set.

The first DLC pack for the game lands in November, though there's no word yet on what form it will take.

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Gridlock, the revamped fan-favourite map from Gears of War and Gears of War 2, is in Gears of War 3, Epic has announced.

While Sony strutted its stuff at Gamescom through the power of a press conference, Microsoft walked a more modest path with a Play Day event, with hands-on opportunities of a raft of Xbox 360 exclusive games including Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Gears of War 3 and Forza 4.

The bloody story so far.

Epic Games is working on five new games that have nothing to do with Gears of War, president Mike Capps has revealed.

Epic reveals more campaign bloodshed.

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Gears gang have a heart-to-heart.

More meaty campaign images.

You won't be given the choice between a gloss or a matte Xbox 360 250GB - all future Xbox 360 S consoles will be matte only.

Those who shared Gears of War 3 campaign spoiler videos online may be banned from playing the game, Epic has said.

Upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3 includes the option to play in stereoscopic 3D, Epic Games has announced.

"We asked, could we do it?" executive producer Rod Fergusson told Eurogamer at a Gears of War 3 event in London.

"It felt like something we wanted to have. It was a feature we didn't want to be deficient in. When you look at Gears 1, it was what people used to demo HD at the time.

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Gears of War developer Epic is in development on a "new unannounced IP", according to a recent job listing.

As spotted by French site Xboxygen, a recruitment call on its website states, "Epic Games is looking for Gameplay Programmers to join the team currently working on Gears of War 3, as well as a new unannounced IP in development."

The studio currently has no announced projects past Gears of War 3, which is due to ship for Xbox 360 on 20th September.

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The Xbox Live Enforcement team is "moving into a realm where we're applying more automation to the process" of policing gamers.

Gears of War Xbox model spotted.

Epic is keeping track of those who shared videos of Gears of War 3 ahead of release - and promised "repercussions".

Dead Fenix.

Gears of War 3 features a casual mode designed to help newcomers ease into the third-person shooter's multiplayer portion.

Campaign mode busted open.

The chances of Gears of War continuing past trilogy-ending instalment number three are high, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski has revealed.

What's inside the £99 box?

Epic Games, creator of the Gears of War series and the Unreal Engine, will never become a publisher, despite some believing it is the next natural step for the company.

Microsoft can publish Gears of War 3 in Germany with no restrictions - a first for Epic Games' brutal shooter series.

The Xbox 360 320GB Gears of War 3 Limited Edition console announced at E3 is exclusive to Game and Gamestation in the UK.

Online pre-orders went live this morning on Game.co.uk.

Game told Eurogamer this morning you'll be able to walk into one of the UK retailer's shops and pre-order it from next week.

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Epic Games is investigating the leak of an unfinished version of Gears of War 3 onto the internet.

Lights up when you're downed in battle.

Epic Games PR tweets sneak peek.

Achievements earned in old Gears of War games unlock new things like skins in Gears of War 3, Epic has revealed.

Cog of War.

Gears of War 3 will sell "definitely over six million" copies when released in September. Cliff Bleszinski knows that. But can it go as high as ten million sales?

Gears of War maker Epic will invite all Unreal developers and those interested in developing to a creative hot pot called the Epic Developer Day.

What are the chances of Gears of War coming to PS3? It's a round number, according to creative director Cliff Bleszinski.

Hackers have been dangling their 'phishing' rods over the European Nintendo website and the Epic Games website.

It seems that the rumoured Gears of War Kinect spin-off was just that – a rumour.

Microsoft has announced plans to release an Xbox 360 bundle with a Gears of War 3 theme.

Gears of War design director Cliff Bleszinski has hit out at the negative reaction to Microsoft's Kinect-focused E3 press conference – and slagged off Sony's motion-sensing rival PlayStation Move.

E3 trailer shows meaty boss fight.

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Full reveal after Champions League final.

Third-person shooter Gears of War 3 has been pre-ordered more than one million times – and hit the milestone faster than any previous Xbox exclusive.

A workshop reveal documentary.

Epic Games has unravelled the Collector's Edition and Epic Edition of upcoming Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3.

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You'll be amazed how much better the new game looks.

With the current generation of HD consoles nowhere near their sell-by date, the recent release of the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta is noteworthy for several reasons. Not only is this the first opportunity we have had to get hands-on with the game - an event in itself - but it also serves to give us a preview of the kind of technological enhancements we will find as standard in future games using Epic's highly popular Unreal Engine 3 technology.

But let's kick off by saying that this is far from the definitive word on what must surely be the most important Xbox 360 exclusive of the year. Not only does the studio still have months of development time left, but the sample code only covers a significantly cut-down portion of the multiplayer offering. In the single-player campaign, we can expect to see the UE3 rendering tech being tested in significantly more strenuous circumstances, with larger levels, more enemies and of course mammoth bosses to factor into the equation.

That's not to say that this beta isn't content-rich though - with four maps, three gameplay modes and a large array of unlockables, the Gears 3 beta offers many hours of action before all its secrets are revealed, and across the course of this feature you'll find bespoke performance analysis videos for each of the game's quartet of stages, but to cut a long story short, frame-rate is just one a series of improvements that characterises the enhancements made to the core Unreal Engine 3 technology.

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Been enjoying the Gears of War 3 beta? Got jealous chums who want in? Well, Microsoft has just announced a scheme that will let beta key holders invite friends to share the fun.

Everyone who has played at least one game in the beta will receive a "buddy token" which will grant an Xbox Live friend access to the trial run.

US users will then be offered further opportunities to rope in friends. Performing any one of the following actions will net you a further token:

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Epic asked Microsoft to allow Halo hero Master Chief to cameo in Gears of War 3, lead designer Cliff Bleszinksi has revealed.

Many customers who were expecting to receive Gears of War 3 beta keys this week thanks to their GAME pre-order have been left disappointed, with the UK retailer running out of access codes.

A number of customers have received an email from GAME explaining that Microsoft had been unable to send them enough keys to distribute.

"We are currently awaiting the next shipment of codes which is due to arrive early next week. As soon as they arrive we will dispatch them to you. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused," it read.

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Gamers take Gears of War 3's graphics "for granted".

Today the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta kicks off for those who bought the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm. Epic reckons a million gamers will take part, enjoy the carnage and unlock special items for use in the full game.

It's impossible to play Gears of War 3's multiplayer beta without hearing an internal narration from Cliff Bleszinski. Roadie-running from our spawn, shotgun cocked, the first thing we see is a chicken. "That's no chicken, that's a mother****ing Gears chicken!"

You shoot; the bird explodes with a comical blast. Blood and feathers coat the screen. "Ka-boooom, right!?!"

Right. Gears 3 is a triple-quarter pounder: all the cover-dancing gib fireworks you know and love, smothered in an overhauled progression system with more weapons, characters, unlockables and screen-filling stattage. Gears of War 2 had its own progression system but this is in a different league. After every game ribbons and medals cascade onto the screen, thousands of points pour into the experience bank and progression towards other goals is soberly noted.

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Cliffy B counts down to the game's beta.

Panic ye not, for Microsoft shall make more Fable and more Halo and more Forza and more Gears of War.

Epic Games is in theory up for following in BioWare and Ubisoft's footsteps with the release of a Facebook game designed to tie-in with a triple-A game.

Raw and bloody beta gameplay.

The Gears of War series is known for its blockbuster action and buckets of gore, but developer Epic reckons it spins a decent yarn, too.

Epic has described the exclusive items unlocked by playing the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta as "carrots" designed to entice gamers to play it long enough for the development team to gain proper feedback.

Players will receive unlockables including a Beta Tester Medal, Thrasball Cole playable character and a Gold-Plater Retro Lancer by playing many matches in the beta.

The medal is awarded for completing one match in the beta. You get Thrasball Cole character variant for playing 50 matches, but to unlock him for use in the main game you need to play 10 matches as him during the beta. And the exclusive Gold-Plated Retro Lancer skin, which Epic says allows gamers to show their "ultimate Gears of War fandom", is unlocked after completion of 90 matches in the beta. To unlock it in the full game, you need to score 100 kills with it.

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It is possible that Epic's impressive Samaritan Unreal Engine 3 tech demo, showcased at the Game Developers Conference last week and designed to offer a glimpse at what next-generation visuals may look like, will spawn an actual game.

Buying Bulletstorm isn't the only door to the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta - a public test runs from 25th April to 15th May.

The press release mentions pre-ordering Gears of War 3 at GAME to gain access. We're checking out whether this is an exclusive offer.

Bulletstorm: Epic Edition owners can start early and play from 18th to 24th April.

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"Middle class games" that fall between AAA and indie stools don't stand a chance in the current climate, so says Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski.

Epic Games has unveiled its vision of what the next-generation will look like using Unreal Engine 3.

Epic Games would love to release a Gears of War title every year, a la Call of Duty, according to the developer's vice president Mark Rein.

Microsoft has pumped out a press release trumpeting a "blockbuster line-up" for this spring and beyond.

Epic serves the latest shots flame-grilled.

At a hands-on event in San Francisco yesterday Epic Games revealed and detailed the maps you'll be playing in the Gears of War 3 beta, set to launch this spring.

Checkout is, according to Eurogamer's man in San Fran Christian Donlan, is "cruel, claustrophobic, and daringly small: a tight collection of aisles and corridors surrounded by ruptured shelving and tills, and lit by shafts of light pouring in from the glass ceiling."

Thrashball is "a bit bigger, and not quite as open-plan as the whole sports stadium gig suggests". "Rising up out of battered team locker rooms, you'll find yourself on a pitch criss-crossed with plenty of low cover, while a lopsided Jumbotron hangs overhead."

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How do you follow a game like Gears 2? What do you need to dream up in order to compete with a weighty thrill-ride that pitched its players headfirst into frantic Brumack warfare, before sending them wriggling through the shifting guts of a giant city-sinking worm?

Gears 3's answer is - in part, at least - supermarkets. Supermarkets and a sports stadium. Strange times.

Both locations have been plucked from the still rather mysterious central campaign and spun into multiplayer arenas, forming Checkout (wonderfully, I am not making that name up) and Thrashball respectively.

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Gears of War 3 has a new and final global release date: 20th September 2011.

Microsoft community man Graeme Boyd tweeted the date moments ago. Japan, incidentally, will get Gears of War 3 two days later on 22nd September.

Gears of War 3 suffered a delay from April to autumn 2011 back in October 2010. This happened to coincide wonderfully with the Eurogamer Expo 2010, where the inventive Gears of War 3 Beast multiplayer mode was playable.

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Gaining a headstart entry to the Gears of War 3 beta via the Epic Edition of Bulletstorm requires more than the supplied code - you'll need your Bulletstorm game disc, too.

"You need the disc," tweeted Gears of War executive director Rod Fergusson. "The Epic Edition code only adds a button on the Bulletstorm main menu."

Those of you with the disc and code get to play the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta early. It also sounds as though there will be some exclusive content for the early-birds as well.

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Epic's Gears of War Kinect game is an on-rails shooter, according to a new report.

Here to kick you in the face.

Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3 won't include items unlocked by Achievements for some Epic-made games - as promised.

A range of officially branded Gear of War 3 peripherals is in the works, including controllers and headsets.

According to VG247, peripheral specialists MadCatz has teamed up with developer Epic Games to produce and market accessories for the upcoming sequel, just as it did with both prior Gears of War titles.

"We are delighted to extend our relationship with Epic Games and look forward to creating a distinctive range of accessories for the next release of one of the most successful franchises in the industry's history," explained Mad Catz CEO Darren Richardson.

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It looks like Gears of War 3 isn't the only dose of Epic's Xbox 360 franchise currently in the pipeline. A trademark for something called Gears of War: Exile has just popped up too.

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Epic Games' Jim Brown has revealed that not many people bothered to access the free downloadable content given away with Gears of War 2 at release.

Owners of past Epic Games productions will receive "special unlocks" in Gears of War 3, design director Cliff Bleszisnki has said.

Epic Games' hotly anticipated Spike Video Game Awards Gears of War announcement failed to show. Why?

Epic Games poster boy Cliffy B has promised Gears of War fans an unexpected Gears of War reveal at the Spike Video Game Awards next month.

Some form of Gears of War-related Kinect game will be revealed during next month's Video Game Awards show, according to a report.

Epic believes that it could be possible to put a game the size of Gears of War on the iPhone in as little as two years time.

Every year at the Eurogamer Expo we invite you to tell us what you thought of the games you played, and without fail every year (so far anyway) you exhibit amazing taste in huge numbers. This year's Expo line-up was our strongest and most diverse yet, so we were excited to see what would follow in the footsteps of last year's winner, God of War III, or 2008's Mirror's Edge...

Gears of War 3 will have dedicated online servers - something Halo and Call of Duty have been without for years on console. How? Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski said Microsoft was "helping us out".

Wild cogs.

Gears of War 3 fans will get to try out the recently-delayed third-person shooter for free months before it's released with a multiplayer beta, Epic Games has announced.

It's due to run some time in early 2011, Shacknews reports.

Epic also revealed that Gears of War 3 will use dedicated servers for its ranked and social matchmaking games, which should delight fans of the series and eliminate host advantage complaints.

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Epic Games boss Mark Rein reckons future Xbox and PlayStation consoles could be portable.

UPDATE: Epic Games has just sent over this statement from executive producer Rod Fergusson on the delay:

Eurogamer is delighted to announce that legendary British game developer Peter Molyneux will be kicking off the Eurogamer Expo developer sessions this year with a talk on Fable III, giving behind the scenes detail and revealing his inspiration for the series.

Cliff Bleszinksi has explained that the Gears of War screenplay needed rethinking because it was too expensive, rated R and "contained no love story".

Gamers will get the chance to decide whether videogame character Clayton Carmine lives or dies in upcoming shooter Gears of War 3.

Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski reckons that gamers are increasingly suspicious of games that try to set themselves up as trilogies.

On story, pacing, DLC, Kinect, iPad and the press.

Epic Games' vice president Mark Rein has told an audience at GameHorizon in Gateshead that blockbuster games will not be consigned to history by the rise of formats like iPhone, but will thrive on them instead.

Epic Games has shown off the new Beast mode for Gears of War 3 that Cliff Bleszinski announced at Microsoft's E3 conference on Monday.

First things first: this isn't a hands-on with or any kind of preview of the Gears of War 3 campaign. The gameplay footage from the Microsoft conference is as much as you, me or anyone else is getting. Might as well watch it one more time, eh?

Cliff Bleszinski has revealed his regret in hyping Gears of War 2 with the infamous words "bigger, better and more badass" - arguing that the phrase "ultimately backfired in my face".

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We're on our way to the conference... Not long now!

Microsoft and Epic have announced that hip hop musician Drake will voice a new playable character in Gears of War 3.

Check yourself before you mech yourself.

Nutty old rapper Ice-T is set to star in the next Gears of War game - or is he?

In Gears of War 3 you'll be able to perform flying-kick take-downs directly from cover, and there'll be a new Arcade mode with a HUD that tracks score, multipliers and your teammate's location.

Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski has said that Gears of War 3 will include minor RPG elements.

Details on Gears of War 3's weapons, dynamic environments and additional combat systems have tumbled out in a new translation of the Russian preview that Cliff Bleszinski was grumpy about the other day.

Thanks to a Russian friend of Digital Foundry editor Rich Leadbetter, we know a number of additional details. For example, Gears 3 features a new grenade launcher with grenades that burrow underground and emerge on the other side of cover to strike enemies even when they're protected.

There's also a double-barrel shotgun that fires both shells simultaneously, and a single-shot rifle that does increasing damage when you achieve consecutive hits on the same target.

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Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinski has urged gamers not to take leaked information about Gears of War 3 too seriously.

Epic Games has revealed that Gears of War novelist Karen Traviss is now writing the story for Gears of War 3, along with two more novels.

The next instalment in the Gears of War series will feature a co-operative campaign for up to four players.

Marcus' last stand?

The locust swarm again.

Update: Microsoft has just issued a press release confirming the 8th April 2011 release date for Europe.

Original story: Epic Games lead designer Cliff Bleszinski made his delayed appearance on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tonight to reveal what Bleszinski called "the worst-kept secret in the video game industry, that we're working on Gears of War 3."

The highlight of the appearance, of course, was what Fallon referred to as "the world-premiere trailer for a game that's going to blow your pants off".

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"BOOM!" Epic Games designer Cliff Bleszinkski has tweeted, with typical exuberance, that he'll make not one but two game announcements on his delayed TV appearance tonight.

"NEWSFLASH: Two announcements about two upcoming games on Monday. BOOM!" said the artist formerly known as CliffyB.

The extra announcement is presumably to make up for the fact that Xbox Live accidentally spilled the beans on an April 2011 launch for Gears of War 3 last week.

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