After years of lamenting that they see no kickback from the extremely lucrative used game market, game makers have launched a counter-attack by packing new games with one-use codes for extra content.

New copies of Epic's Gears of War 2 (360) will include a one-use download code that will rewards with 5 additional multiplayer maps, all pulled from the original Gears of War. According to GamePro, these maps will not be available for purchase through the Xbox Live Marketplace, with Epic claiming they are "special gifts [for] our loyal fans."

EA Canada's NBA Live 09 utilizes a similar strategy. The game's much-touted 365 functionality, which brings daily roster and stat updates to the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions, will only be free for those that buy a new copy and redeem the included code. Without the code, that feature will cost $19.99.

"This information and data is very valuable and it wasn't free for us," an... Read more

The fourth Gears of War 2 video documentary has arrived courtesy publisher Microsoft and developer Epic, casting light on the game's underground-dwelling Horde enemies. An Xbox 360 exclusive, Gears of War 2 arrives November 7.

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Epic's upcoming 360-exclusive Gears of War 2 will get five DLC remakes of popular multiplayer maps from the original via a voucher in the sequel's package--if a post on the Evil Avatar forums are to be believed.

"There will be release day DLC that will contain [Gridlock, Subway], Canals, Mansion, and Tyro Station. These five maps will be free of charge but the only way to get them is if you receive a voucher, which every NEW copy of the game will have," says a user who claims to have received that information--and mountains more--from an exclusive preview in a coming issue of GamePro magazine.

If true, the trick would be the latest in a string of quiet moves by developers encouraging players to buy new, not used, copies of games. A used copy of Gears of War 2 would presumably already have its voucher used by the game's first buyer. Used game sales generate massive profits for retailers like GameStop but none of those profits go to game studios, inspiring companies including Electronic Arts and Bungie to publicly criticize the practice.

Shacknews contacted Epic's Cliff Bleszinski and received a "no comment."

Outspoken game designer Cliff Bleszinski, currently wrapping up Epic's Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2, had a lot to say about the PC and PlayStation 3--namely, that they're unsuitable for the return of the gore-filled yet casual shooter.

"The person who is savvy enough to want to have a good PC, to upgrade their video card, is a person who is savvy enough to know BitTorrent, to know all the elements so they can pirate software. Therefore, high-end videogames are suffering very much on the PC," commented Bleszinski to TVG.

Once again shooting down chances of a PC version of Gears of War 2, he added, "Right now, it makes sense for us to focus on Xbox 360 for a number of reasons. Not least PCs with multiple configurations and piracy." After shooting those chances, he then curb-stomped them: "No," he said in response to a direct question about a PC port.

"Definitely not?" asked his interviewer. "No."

Meanwhile, on Videogaming247 the Gears director slammed the PlayStation 3--a part of it, anyway. "I hate the fucking controller," he said. "I'm sorry, I can't stand the PS3 controller. I love the Blu-ray player."

A new batch of screenshots from Epic's Gears of War 2 has found its way onto the internet, showing protagonist Marcus Fenix getting himself into a variety of dicey situations. Included are battles with bosses, other large monsters, and exploring environments ranging from buildings to underground caves.

Sporting a newfound love for casual gamers along with the usual "jock, fratboy, macho bullshit," the Xbox 360 exclusive shooter will reload and dive back into action on November 7.

Gears of War 2 (X360) director Cliff Bleszinski is unafraid of casual gamers--in fact, he welcomes them with open arms in what may be the most hardcore, violent game of 2008 outside Grand Theft Auto 4.

"Thankfully I'm in a position where I'm just trying to make the best game possible, but at the same time make sure that Casual [difficulty] is truly, truly easy, as well as having a little bit of heart in the story," Bleszinski told GamesIndustry. "Yes, it's about monsters, yes, it's about chainsaws and blood, but it's also about a guy who's looking for his wife," he added.

Continuing, the Epic designer known by fans as "CliffyB" elaborated on how else the game is to appeal to a more casual audience. "There's still a fair amount of jock, fratboy, macho bullshit in the game--I'm not going to lie. But at the same time, there's a little bit more personal elements in there, and some of the themes in the game with loss, retribution and the sadness of war, I think they're coming through a lot more in this game," he explained.

Microsoft is seen as walking a difficult line by courting the hardcore (Gears) and non-hardcore (Lips) audiences at the same time. Bleszinski, however, is unphased. "We say anybody playing videogames in our opinion is a very, very good thing."

Publisher Microsoft and developer Epic Games continue their series of Gears of War 2 documentaries, this one focusing on the characters and exploits of Delta Squad.

An Xbox 360 exclusive, the cover-centric action game sequel arrives November 7.

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The latest Gears of War 2 (360) documentary provided by publisher Microsoft examines the various weapons that will be found in the Epic-developed action game sequel when it arrives on November 7.

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Developer Epic Games and publisher Microsoft have provided us with a new look at the Nov. 7-due action game sequel Gears of War 2 (360), which discusses the title's "meaty" and "crunchy" sound design while offering up some gameplay footage.

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Developers could soon hit the limits of the Xbox 360's graphics hardware, guessed senior Epic employee Rod Fergusson.

"I think we're certainly approaching the upper end of it, as far as what developers are able to do with it," Fergusson told Gamasutra. In the near term, gamers are covered: "There will be games in development that won't ship until 2010, and I'm sure they'll look killer," he assured.

Epic Games' Gears of War 2

But 2010 releases leave two years before the Gears of War developer's own projections on the release of its next-generation graphics technology. Epic plans to deliver a console-focused Unreal Engine 4 in 2012. Crytek, the studio behind graphical powerhouses Far Cry and Crysis, also plans to deliver its next step forward in 2012.

Fergusson, for his part, is unsure of what's in store for the end of this console generation. "Just looking at all the demos we saw [at last week's Games Convention]--ours and others--it's clear that all the games just keep improving, and keep pushing that bar."

Gears of War lead designer Cliff Bleszinski has revealed that there will not be a PC version of Epic Games' upcoming shooter sequel Gears of War 2.

"Gears of War is a great franchise first and foremost for Xbox 360, and therefore we're focusing on that platform for Gears of War 2. We've decided we're not going to do a PC version this time around," Bleszinski revealed to IGN.

The original Gears of War debuted on Xbox 360 in 2006 followed by a PC version a year later. The PC port was handled by People Can Fly, of which Epic holds a majority stake.

Online retailer Amazon.com today began listing a $139.99 special edition bundle that packs Epic's cover-heavy action title Gears of War 2 (360) and a life-size, non-functioning replica of the game's Lancer chainsaw-gun.

The replica, pictured left with series creator Cliff Bleszinski, is billed as an Amazon.com exclusive, and is said to feature a removable clip, a folding and sliding side handle, and trigger-activated chainsaw sound and vibration features powered by 3 C-size batteries.

At $139.99, the Replica Bundle includes a regular edition copy of Gears of War 2, though buyers can opt for the Limited Edition by chipping in another $10. Both the game and the NECA-produced replica are currently expected to ship out on November 7.

The bundle marks Amazon's second highly-priced exclusive special edition of an upcoming game, with the retailer currently selling a $120+ "Survival Edition" of Bethesda's Fallout 3 (PC, PS3, 360), complete with a life-size Pip-Boy 3000.

Epic Games' upcoming third-person shooter sequel Gears of War 2 (360) will feature optional filters for both on-screen violence and language to make the game more appropriate for younger players.

Said to feature more brutal violence than its predecessor, Gears of War 2's optional filters "turns the blood into sparks" and "takes out all the swear words," Microsoft informed parental gaming resource What They Play.

In addition to series mainstays such as the chainsaw-equipped Lancer rifle, the game was recently revealed to feature new gameplay elements including deathblows to crush downed enemies and the ability to use wounded foes for use as meat shields.

It remains to be seen whether any of these elements will be modified or removed in the presence of an applied gore filter, or if the option is limited strictly to replacing blood with sparks.

The feature film adaptation of Epic's cover-heavy action series Gears of War has gained the financial support of Legendary Pictures, Variety has revealed.

Legendary will now co-finance and co-produce the project alongside New Line Cinema, which secured the rights for the adaptation in 2007. It marks the latest game-related project for Legendary, which is also involved with Blizzard's Warcraft and Diablo flicks.

Helmed by Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman, the movie is now using a script drafted by Chris Morgan, instead of Stuart Beattle's original version. Gears of War lead designer Cliff Bleszinski is serving as both executive producer and consultant.

The Gears of War movie has no concrete release date, though producer Wyck Godfrey expects it to arrive in the summer 2010. The next entry in the game series, Gears of War 2, hits Xbox 360 on November 7, complete with a five-person online co-op mode.

Microsoft has announced details and a packshot of the limited edition version of Epic Games' upcoming shooter sequel Gears of War 2 (360).

The limited edition includes a 48-page hardbound book entitled "Beneath The Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2," which contains character profiles, concept art, and a foreword by lead designer Cliff Bleszinski.

A bonus DVD packed with making-of video footage, design galleries with commentary by developer Epic Games and promotional videos including the E3 2008 trailer is also included, along with a code granting players a gold-plated Lancer rifle for the game's online multiplayer modes.

All the bonus content is packed in the standard SteelBook collectible DVD case, planned at a $69.99 price point--a $10 premium over the $59.99 standard version. Both the editions of Gears of War 2 will hit store shelves on November 7.

Some of my favorite multiplayer modes are those that pit a team of humans against "the computer," that ominously named adversary that even Kasparov couldn't best. I'm all for a competitive, expletive-laden deathmatch, but nothing spurns real hatred like a war of man vs. machine.

Gears of War 2's Horde mode is a continuation of that struggle. First, let's not get too carried away: at its core, this is simply a survival mode, something we've played in any number of other games. It's just not something we've seen in Gears, or with five online players. And after extensive hands-on time with the mode, I found Horde to be a very welcome addition to the Gears multiplayer lineup.

Each round of Horde challenges players with a wave of AI-controlled enemies, which naturally increase in difficulty. To the benefit of the mode, the variety of enemies in Gears 2 has been noticeably improved; players will face tiny suicide bombers ... Read more

In advance of our impressions from Gears of War 2's new Horde multiplayer mode--which allows five online players to face off against an ever-increasing horde of locusts--check out this campaign co-op footage from today's Microsoft press event. Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

An Xbox 360 exclusive, Epic's Gears of War 2 hits on November 7.

In accordance with today's outpouring of announcements, demonstrations and big reveals at Microsoft's E3 press conference, the company has released several new screenshots of the titles included in today's presentation.

Gears of War 2

New Xbox 360 3D Dashboard

Fable 2

More new images from titles including Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2, Lips, and several others are viewable below... Read more

Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski today announced that Gears of War 2 hit Xbox 360 on November 7.

Bleszinski also revealed that the game will sport a new "Horde" mode, which will feature five players combining for online action against an ever-increasing wave of Locus foes.

Highlights:

• Excellent background effects, with the human home city shown crumbling in the distance.
• Strange crawling creature that ran along the ground on its two arms.
• An enemy that used a flamethrower. Cliff then picked up the flamethrower and used it himself.
• The floo fell out from underneath them at one point, giving way to a new section of the level.
• An enemy was shown diving left and right to avoid fire.
• Brumak battle was shown, with the giant monster firing on a building from outside, swarms of smaller enemies at its feet.
• At one point Dom jumped onto an elevator that moved sideways along a crumbled building.
• At the end, Dom and Macrus decided to ride the Brumak in order to move faster.

The 2008 Electronic Entertainment Expo officially starts this Tuesday, but a large portion of the exciting news will be hitting tomorrow.

Microsoft and Electronic Arts are both holding their lengthy press conferences, and Square Enix is putting together a last-minute event of their own. We'll also be getting hands-on time with Epic's Gears of War 2.

Inbetween iPhone lightsaber battles and trips to the local Wokcano, the Shacknews crew will be covering all of the events with up-to-the-minute postings. In preparation, we've put together a short list of our expectations and speculative nonsense for tomorrow's big events.

Microsoft Press Conference, 10:30 AM PST

Expectations:

• Release dates for:
  • Fable 2
  • Halo Wars
  • Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
  • Gears of War 2.
• Motion controller announcement.
• Announcement of Lips, the karaoke/dancing Xbox 360 game by Elite Beat Agent creators iNiS.
• Xbox Live Arcade announcements of some kind. More details on the Xbox Live community games.
• New Games for Windows initiative--perhaps digital distribution, which the team has hinted at.

... Read more