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3 CommentsGears of War: Judgment's second Maxim-sponsored DLC map, Dreadnought, hits May 15
By Samit Sarkar on May 10, 2013 05.10.13
Gears of War: Judgment players will be able to download the game's second Maxim-sponsored multiplayer map, Dreadnought, on May 15 for free, co-developer Epic Games announced today. Maxim previously brought Judgment players a new map and mode in late March. Dreadnought will be playable only in the game's Overrun mode. It takes place on the CNV Pomeroy, a beached ship that had been sailing on the underground rivers of the Hollow. Locust hordes storm the vessel in an attempt to rescue captured Berserkers that the COG are transporting to a research facility. According to Epic, the DLC will only be free "for a limited time." The first Maxim-sponsored content remains free at this time.
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2 CommentsXbox Live Gold free in the UK this weekend
By Emily Gera on Apr 30, 2013 04.30.13
Xbox Live Gold will be free this weekend for users across the U.K., Xbox U.K. officials announced today. The event is slated to begin a 12 p.m. BST on May 3 until 23:59 p.m. BST on May 5. This will unlock multiplayer functionality on games over the weekend for those who are not already Xbox Live Gold members. A number of offers are also scheduled to run alongside the upcoming free weekend, including double XP events for Gears of War: Judgment, Assassin's Creed 3 and Far Cry 3. Netflix and Lovefilm subscribers will also be able to access the service through their Xbox.
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0 CommentsGears of War: Judgment's Call to Arms Map Pack adds new mode, three maps this month for 1,000 MS Points
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 19, 2013 04.19.13
Gears of War: Judgment will receive its second infusion of multiplayer content this month with the Call to Arms Map Pack, which will be released starting next week on Xbox Live, publisher Microsoft Studios announced today. The map pack features a new mode and three new maps. The mode, Master at Arms, is a game type that asks players to score a kill with each of the game's 20 weapons — without using grenades or melee attacks. Blood Drive is set in a hospital, Terminal takes place in a train terminal and Boneyard is a grim site full of hasty burials for the casualties of the war against the Locust. The map pack also comes with six armor and gun skins. Call to Arms, which adds 10 Achievements worth 250 Gamerscore to Judgment, will be available April 23 to owners of the game's VIP...
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44 CommentsMore than a third of BioShock Infinite, Gears of War: Judgment customers at GameStop bought season passes
By Samit Sarkar on Mar 28, 2013 03.28.13
GameStop sold DLC season passes for BioShock Infinite and Gears of War: Judgment to more than a third of customers for each game, the company said during an investor call today. "In the last two weeks, we've launched two games that had season passes, both for $20 each — BioShock Infinite and Gears of War: Judgment," said GameStop president Tony Bartel. "And both of those, we sold DLC to more than a third of all the people that bought it at midnight and on the day of launch." Gears of War: Judgment launched March 19 on Xbox 360, while BioShock Infinite came out March 26 on Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Judgment's season pass grants players permanent double XP, as well as access to upcoming maps, modes and other content. The season pass for BioShock Infinite offers a...
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2 CommentsHalo 4 and Gears of War map packs, XBLA titles playable at PAX East
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 20, 2013 03.20.13
Upcoming add-on multiplayer map packs for Halo 4 and Gears of War: Judgment and handful of Xbox Live Arcade and mobile titles will be playable at Microsoft's Xbox 360 booth at PAX East this weekend, according to a post by Major Nelson. Attendees can stop by booth #524 on the main show floor for the first public opportunities to play Halo 4's Castle Map Pack and Gears' Maxim Map Pack. Castle adds three expansive maps with new environments and nine new achievements. The Maxim pack adds two free Maxim-sponsored maps, "Haven" and "Capitol," and a new "Execution" mode. Gamers can also get their hands on real-time strategy title Age of Empires 2: HD Edition ahead of its April 9 release on Steam, as well as XBLA titles including zombie survival-horror game State of Decay, physics-based...
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6 CommentsJapan Review Check: Gears of War: Judgment, Phantasy Star Online 2, PS Vita Muramasa
By Kevin Gifford on Mar 19, 2013 03.19.13
A quick look at the highlights among the games coming out in Japan this coming week, courtesy the review pages of Famitsu magazine: - Phantasy Star Online 2 (9/8/8/8, 33 points): The PS Vita version of PSO2 came out a couple weeks ago in Japan, but Famitsu published their review of the game (which is a free-to-play download, but is also available in a retail package with a wealth of gameplay bonuses) in this week's issue. "Thanks to the improved action gameplay," began editor Reona Ebihara, "the way you fight has become a lot more strategic and fun, with positioning and the correct use of skills playing a bigger role. All the technical jargon may be off-putting at first, but the touch-based controls are comfortable and well-made. The fact this is free-to-play is pretty surprising, but...
Review
49 CommentsGears of War: Judgment review: apocalypse now
By Arthur Gies on Mar 18, 2013 03.18.13
If you haven't played every Gears of War game — and possibly read some of the comics, books and other supplementary fiction — you may start Gears of War: Judgment kind of lost. The game is set years before the start of the original Gears. Amidst victory celebrations commemorating the triumph of the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) over the secessionist Union of Independent Republics centered in Gorasnaya — stay with me! — the Locust have emerged from underneath the planet Sera's surface to conquer and destroy the humans above. Judgment starts as series regulars Cole and Baird are marched in manacles to an ad-hoc military tribunal for disobeying orders. Gears of War: Judgment's main campaign unfolds as Lieutenant Baird and the rest of Kilo squad give testimony...
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3 CommentsEpic Games will choose a new Epic Reaper weekly from Gears of War: Judgment's player pool
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 12, 2013 03.12.13
Epic Games unveiled the Epic Reaper character featured in upcoming title Gears of War: Judgment at SXSW this past weekend, an enemy that will be controlled each week by a different hand-picked member of the Judgment player community, the developer announced. Each week, Epic Games will choose a different player to step into the Reaper's skin based on his or her contribution to the Gears of War community. According to a post on the Epic Games blog, the Reaper is not an easy enemy to face. The creepy creature has his own special abilities and physics — he appears to be floating — and successfully taking him down will reward players with custom weapons skins and the Reaper medal. The player who is given control of the Reaper will also receive a set of custom Gears of War: Judgment dog...
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13 CommentsGears of War: Judgment multiplayer – the explosive experience that feeds back into the campaign
By Tracey Lien on Mar 04, 2013 03.04.13
The second is the game's verticality. Environments are more interactive and players can now climb up and leap from structures to flank their enemies. Players can even climb into choppers and shoot at enemies from the air. The third, and much more nuanced element, is the way the multiplayer mode effortlessly feeds back into the single-player campaign. Multiplayer experiences are traditionally born from a game's campaign mode and are sometimes seen as unnecessary, tacked-on additions. But in the case of Gears of War: Judgment, the relationship between the two modes is different, with the former organically growing out of the latter and re-informing the campaign mode. "There was a line of dialogue that ended up in both the single-player and multiplayer mode and it was the most...
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15 CommentsGears of War: Judgment VIP Season Pass grants double XP permanently
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Feb 26, 2013 02.26.13
The Gears of War: Judgment VIP Season Pass will give buyers a permanent double XP boost and access to exclusive weapons and skins, in addition to discounts on future downloadable content. Buyers will receive a 20 percent discount on nine unlocks, six multiplayer maps and two new modes released in the months following the game's release. Additionally, pass holders will have early access to add-on multiplayer maps. Players can pick up the VIP Season Pass for $20 (1600 Microsoft Points) when Judgment launches. Epic Games is teaming up with Maxim to release two free multiplayer maps, Haven and Capitol, and a new Execution Mode April 2, following the game's release. Those who buy the pass will have access to the extra Maxim content when the game launches, Microsoft confirmed to RipTen. G...
