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Last week Frag Reel Friday took a look at some of the most classic pieces of music from some of your favourite games, including Contra, Red Alert, Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Mega Man 2.

Of course, there was one game from the 90s that I deliberately didn’t cover, simply because its franchise has spanned the course of the last two decades.

Final Fantasy games have been gracing a variety of platforms, including the Super Nintendo system, Game Boy Advance all the way to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and smartphones, since 1987. the most recent iteration – Final Fantasy Type-0 – was released last week for the PlayStation Portable.

But when most people think of music in Final Fantasy, chances are it’s Final Fantasy VIII – and Eyes on me – that comes to mind.

The turn of the century allowed developers access to even more storage and power than the golden age of the mid-to-late 90s. that allowed for more room to manoeuvre with music, with some going down the route of films and using already-released tracks to pump up their game.

Thankfully, not all developers outsourced their music. Shadow of the Colossus was one of the sleeper hits of the last decade. everyone who has played it has done nothing but rave about what an amazing game it is, yet it often gets overlooked by critics on “best game” lists.

With the games as art debate experiencing a revival over the last year or so, hopefully Shadow of the Colossus will get a little more acclaim, especially for its fantastic soundtrack.

Having already mentioned Final Fantasy as a series that has spanned generations, it would be remiss to neglect to mention Metal Gear Solid. the franchise is probably the most famous video game series to use stealth as a mechanic. Like Final Fantasy, the original Metal Gear was first released in 1987. since then, a volley of sequels, spin-offs and fan-fiction have hit the market.

Gamers come in all shapes and sizes, but there are some favourites that traverse boundaries the world over. whenever people complain about the degradation of good storylines in modern games, the conversation typically wanders back to games with proper campaigns.

Silent Hill 2 is a big favourite among fans for creating a terrifying atmosphere in a video game without relying on easy thrills or scares used by other developers. But the music composed by Akira Yamaoka is just as notable.

Another franchise that has become a colossus over the last few years is the Assassin’s Creed series, focusing on the exploits of past assassins’ through the genetic memories of Desmond Miles. the following song is also a good example, compared with the earlier Final Fantasy tracks, of how far music has come in video games over the last two decades.

But perhaps the best indication of how far music in gaming has come was the formation of Video Games Live in 2005, a concert series that travels around the world performing music from some of the most classic tunes of all-time.

Video Games Live is set to tour Australia next year, although dates are yet to be confirmed. when they are announced, you’ll be able to find out when, and book tickets, through their website.

What are your favourite pieces of music from the last decade – and will you buy a ticket to VGL when it comes to Australia? Let us know in the comments below.

Editor’s addendum. Here’s my favourite from FF7. when it first kicked in (at 7.05), after such an epic journey, I had hairs standing up on the back of my neck (at the time). Oh to have it performed by the LSO.

Alex Walker is ABC Tech + Games’ regular gaming columnist. you can follow him on Twitter at @thedippaeffect.

The franchise has long been known for offering a true ambience of horror.With the amazing Resident Evil 4 having raised the bar for the series, Resident Evil 5 is still a solid game for fans of the series, the action-adventure genre, and good games in general. And with the release of Gold Edition version, which packs all of the DLC into the game, you’d be hard-pressed to find more bang for your buck elsewhere.

The story takes the series back to its origins, focusing on the now-defunct Umbrella Corporation and Albert Wesker. It turns out many of Umbrella’s creations are still being utilized by terrorist organizations, so Chris Redfield, begins eliminating the threats as a member of the B.S.A.A.While on assignment in Africa, Chris meets Sheva Alomar, a local B.S.A.A. employee and African native. the duo set out to eliminate the threat,and seek answers.

It may not be the scariest-looking Resident Evil game around, but it certainly does look amazing. Environments are richly detailed, enemies look like true monstrosities, and small details in the atmosphere such as ruined abodes.

If you played Resident Evil 4, chances are you’re familiar with the flow of the latest game. You are constantly assaulted by hordes of enemies, restricted to standing in place while shooting, and forced to make do with the limited ammo and health you find scattered throughout the levels. It’s a tense gameplay design that literally backs you into a corner, often making you question whether you have it in you to survive or not.

Your survival relies on how well you manage the items in your inventory.There are also plenty of quick time events that will surprise you throughout the game, and your reaction time will determine whether you progress or start over from a checkpoint. Luckily, checkpoints are spaced out fairly in the game to ensure that you don’t get too frustrated.

You’re bound to get through the main adventure in about 10 to 12 hours. Luckily, with multiple difficulties and optional co-op, you’ll want to squeeze out more life out of this title. Additionally, this version of the game includes all the DLC of the original, which adds a few extra hours of play time.

In the end, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition is easily the definitive version of the game for obvious reasons. It includes all of the features of the original and throws in all the DLC plus Move support for the Ps3 version, so you can experience the game in a different way. if you already own the standard version of the game, there’s not much here to justify purchasing the Gold Edition outside of Move compatibility because all of the add-on content is available for practically the same price.

With the release of one of the most anticipated movies of the year 2008, the Indian Jones franchise has a renewed since of meaning as well as want. It is not wonder that action figure and toy manufactures are jumping on board to cash in on the fanfare of the moment, making large amounts of Indiana Jones figures to satisfy the market. Millions of people have just locked away a special place in their heart for the trilogy of movies including Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Temple of Doom and the Last Crusade.

Even though the movies were so successful, the action figures including the trucks and movie merchandise was not so lucky. the toy industry suffered from low sales and large overstocked items when the first movies were doing so well. Not many Indiana Jones figures in the movies were made and as a result, most of this merchandise went unsold or was put on clearance racks for cheap sales. back in the 1980 people were just not buying Indiana Jones Figures.

Jump into today’s time, Indiana Jones Figures are hot. and collectors are especially looking for those Indiana Jones Figures from the 1980′s, mainly because they are so rare at this present time. as I said before, not many characters were made and because they were reduced they were cheap toys that a majority were destroyed. But because many were destroyed or unsold these 1980 Indiana Jones Figures are selling for extraordinary prices. and these are the action figures that collectors are looking for.

What Should you look for if you want to start collecting these figures?

Well, the adventures of Indiana Jones action figures were manufactured by Kenner. these action figures are 3-3/4 inches tall (same standard as today). the basic figures included Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Toht, the Cairo Swordsman, Belloq, Sallah, the German Mechanic, and Indiana Jones dressed as a German Soldier. Two other figures, Indiana Jones from the Map Room scene and Monkey Man, were offered in the Map Room and Streets of Cairo playsets. All of these figures are highly prized by collectors. But the big daddy and most prized of the bunch are Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood.

Indiana Jones action figure is usually found with conditioning problems and missing pistol and fagile string whip accessories with the thumb most of the time broken. If you find a Indiana Jones action figure with all of these accessories and is in good shape, snatch it up quick.

Ubisoft launched its own social network, Uplay with the release of Assassin’s Creed II. It’s a layer that runs over the likes of Xbox Live and PSN, and offers players of Ubi titles the chance to use achievements to unlock in-game freebies.

Uplay has been a relatively quiet part of the Ubisoft online offering so far. But as it enters its third year the longer term plan is becoming apparent. and the system is definitely coming into its own, says digital games VP Chris Early.

“we find that people who use Uplay almost invariably do so to unlock more content,” he says. “I don’t want to say it’s addictive but it’s highly utilised.”

Has it helped sell more games, or is it just a bonus for players?

“I think it gives players a better experience of a brand that they like and they’re gonna continue to consume that brand. That might be the next Ghost Recon game that comes out on console. That might be the next Facebook game that you can spend a little money in. That might be the next free-to-play game.

“But it’s going keep you engaged with the franchise which is why it’s important to build that customer base because the more people you get into that connection with the IP that they love then the longer, the more loyal they’re gonna be.”

The Game Blender, back in action after a brief break! another week, another infestation of news has dug a complex series of underground tunnels, burrowed to the surface, declared war on humanity, and been subsequently crushed by a few overly masculine soldiers with gravelly voices… journalistically speaking. Obin with the show!

That's a lot of Gears (Source: Microsoft)

Microsoft's ballyhooed franchise released its saga finale, Gears of War 3, two weeks ago with much fanfare. With a slew of reviewers giving near perfect to perfect scores for the shooter and Microsoft marketing the hell out of it, people were expecting big numbers and, true to form, the Gears delivered.

Gears of War 3 sold over 3 million copies in its first week of release, scoring over a billion dollars in sales and putting GOW3 squarely in first place as 2011's best-selling game.

an ecstatic Larry Hyrb (Xbox LIVE Director of Programming) announced "In just one week, Gears 3 has already grossed more than any 2011 video game to date."

Kudos to the good folks behind the franchise for creating a truly "Epic" title.

Vita revelations (Source: Sony)

Sony's next major foray into the handheld market will come December 17th when their PlayStation Vita will release in Japan, with a subsequent release stateside to follow shortly. It appears Sony is taking all of Nintendo's latest follies and learning from them with their launch. Here's what they are doing right:

First: a reasonable price point – The PS Vita with Wi-Fi only will be priced at $249, while the 3G version is priced at $299 once available. 

second: Availability – Sony is shooting for a worldwide release near the same date. this will allow developers to get on board around the globe creating content right away.

third: Content – Sony is promising 26 titles available at launch with a total of over 100 titles in the pipeline.

After the relative failure of the PSP, Sony has really done everything right the second time around, and people are noticing. The Vita has received positive buzz from developers and gamers alike, since it was first demonstrated. Still, with the success of the iPhone and the iPad, Sony will have to be nearly flawless to make themselves a player in the handheld market this late in the game.

Mortal Kombat to konsume Hollywood once more (Source: Warner Bros.)

It's been a good year for the killer kombatants of Outworld. Mortal Kombat has experienced a rebirth of sorts. The franchise got a much needed reboot that has been a critical and commercial success. Director Kevin Tancharoen created a short film that reimagined the series as a realistic premise a la Batman Begins. which developed into a 9 part web series.

The success Kevin Tancharoen has had with his shorts has given Warner Bros. enough confidence to move ahead with a feature length film on the series. Not much is known about the film, except that it will be a reboot of the original film from 1995.  

Tancharoen's short films have been surprisingly entertaining.  Still, it'll be quite a feat to overcome the video game-based movie stigma and create something that the general public will enjoy and series' fans will approve of.

Who got game?

so you went out and bought that 3DS with the recent price cut, but what are you going to do with it? well, Nintendo boasts they have the answer (which is good, because it is their system.) Nintendo announced 43 new titles to be released (in Japan at least). 33 titles will be on the 3DS, and 4 will feature a certain obese plumber (Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Paper Mario, Mario Tennis).  

Nintendo big wig Satoru Iwata proclaimed the software line-up, to be released later this year and into the next, as “unprecedented in the history of video games". Huzzah!

Despite such a claim, the announcement was greeted with yawns, eye rolls, and sighs of anger. In fact, the news was so monotonous that after it was announced, the stock price actually fell a few points. Even Reggie Fils-Aime mouthed "yeah, I got nothing… want to release the 3DS in another color?"

It's sad to see Nintendo awkwardly fumble around for footing, like that uncle who used to be a big shot but now is known for having one too many and embarrassing himself at family gatherings. By announcing "we have games!" Nintendo shows just how out of touch they are. Nintendo has got to get back to creating some content gamers actually care about, because time is running out. of course, those are just my thoughts.

It's a new…Old Republic!

Ray Muzyka made a host of ner…enthusiasts happy finally announcing the release date of the hotly anticipated MMORPG follow up to the KOTOR series. looks like another stocking stuffer, as The Old Republic will hit store shelves December 20th.  

Ringing up at $59.99, Star Wars: The Old Republic falls right in line with other MMORPGs. BioWare will give access to their servers for a free 30-day period and charging 14.99 a month following. Discounts are available if you want to pay for 3 or 6 month periods.

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It seems that yet again the Call of Duty series will be adding another chapter to one of the best-selling first-person shooters games in the world. This installment of the franchise will be developed by the Infinity Ward Studios. If you haven’t noticed by now, Infinity Ward and Trearch take turns developing the Call of Duty series, and each developer has their own special features they like to apply to their perspective game.

The previous game, Call of Duty: Black Ops was produced by Trearch. they focus more on battles that have taken place all throughout history and incorporate features such as the very popular Zombie modes. While on the other side is Infinity Ward. their Modern Warfare series adds the very addicting spec-ops mode and arguably one of the best multi-player experiences on any console. Infinity Ward usually bases their battles on events at have happened more recently.

Infinity Ward has made some major changes since they finished Modern Warfare 2, mainly in their development team. they have lost some of their developers to other companies, and many of the people that play the game seem to think that this is going to effect the quality of the new game that will be coming out in early November. However, Infinity Ward always seems to deliver a top-notch game no matter what anybody else thinks or says.

The games single-player campaign takes place in many locations around the world and is said to start off right where the Modern Warfare 2 story left off. I have enjoyed the previous campaigns of the Call of Duty series and I am sure I will enjoy this one as well. But, for me and probably everyone else out there, the main attraction is the online multi-player. I’m not sure at this point what new features will be included in that game but I have read that there will be some new perks and kill streaks that will make the game play more interesting than before. another rumor that I have run across is that there will be dedicated servers for online play. Which, if true means that all of those nagging server and disconnecting issues will be almost non-existent. Which is tremendous news for all those gamers that have had their host back out of the game right before the match ends, which is one of the most aggravating issues that I have come across.

Along with these few things I have mentioned, I’m sure there will be many more updates to Modern Warfare 3 that make the playing of the game more enjoyable. I am very excited to get to play this game.

Today we’re talking about the return of Mickey Mouse and 3DS hardware.

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Disney Epic Mickey released to mixed reviews and lower-than-expected sales last year, but it sounds like that doesn’t worry Disney, as rumors are beginning to make their way around that a sequel is in the works for the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Andrew70%

When it’s all said and done, Epic Mickey still did good business for Disney, despite some disappointing sales. It was also probably one of the best-selling Wii titles last holiday, so chances of a sequel are fairly high. that being said, Disney seems to be focusing less on full retail releases lately, so if this project is happening, there is a possibility it’ll never see the light of day.Shawn75%

Mickey Mouse is still the type of franchise icon that will sell whatever he stars in. Epic Mickey wasn’t a bad game, and it racked up pretty good sales for a third-party Wii title. Now that somewhat-similar control schemes are available for the PS3 and Xbox 360, it seems a sequel should sell well enough to warrant release.Graham80%

“in the works,” huh? Yeah, I’d say that. We may not see it until Holiday 2012, but guess what? Sequels are cheap, and sequels that re-use all the assets are very cheap. We’ll get one, it’ll be mediocre and we’ll all move on with our lives.

When it was first announced, the 3DS Slide Pad add-on was thought to be yet another unwieldy, overpriced, game specific accessory for Japan. however, after the high-profile list of 3DS games that plan on using it in Japan, and the likelihood of those games coming to the US, it seems that we in the US should pay more attention to it. will it come overseas? Or were first impressions correct this time?

Andrew80%

There are some games that will support the add-on, like Metal Gear Solid 3D, which will be launching in the States, so it seems pretty likely that it’ll be released here. plus, if the next Monster Hunter requires it, it seems like a no-brainer to release it here (in a Monster Hunter 3G bundle, most likely).Shawn80%

Considering the list of big titles that are planning to use the Slide Pad, it seems to me to be a foregone conclusion that it will eventually make its way over here, especially with the fairly reasonable MSRP in Japan. hopefully it will reduce Nintendo’s inherent need to fiddle with and redesign their handhelds.Graham80%

If we get Monster Hunter, we will get this. that simple, really. It’s weird for me to want a peripheral to fizzle, but I’m hoping this goes the way of the GBA-to-GameCube cable or the Wii Zapper.

With the introduction of the second Slide Pad add-on so early in its life in an attempt to bring a 3D action title to the 3DS, murmurs are already beginning to become commonplace that Nintendo should have included a second thumbstick on the 3DS to begin with. due to this, or perhaps due to Nintendo’s endless remodeling of their systems, there’s widespread belief that a redesign is coming next year.

Andrew25%

This might be against my better judgment at this point, considering what company we’re talking about, but I’m going to call BS on this rumor. I know it’s kind of the thing Nintendo does with handhelds, but I don’t think they’ll resort to redesigning the 3DS for at least another couple of years. If they release a redesign of the 3DS, they are just screwing themselves out of more potential sales. the DS could get away with the constant redesigns, it was such a significant and successful handheld; the 3DS is not, at least not yet. So yeah, Nintendo would be absolutely crazy to do this so soon. At the same time, this is Nintendo we’re talking about, so at the end of the day I wouldn’t be surprised if it still happens.Shawn30%

With the add-on released for what seems like a reasonable price, I don’t think Nintendo will redesign the 3DS to have 2 Slide Pads. (At least not yet.) however, I wouldn’t put it past them to release a 3DS XL next Christmas. like Andrew, I’m torn on this one… I’ll also vote against my gut and say it won’t happen.Graham50%

I’m firmly against those rumors that a redesign is coming soon. that said, Holiday 2012? Not that soon. We could definitely see a tweaked 3DS launched alongside the Wii U, sporting a similar aesthetic and enhanced battery life. (And maybe more buttons, but I’m hoping beyond all hope that it doesn’t have ‘em.)

Press Release Source: Electronic Arts Inc. on Tuesday September 27, 2011, 2:54 pm EDT

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS – News) announced today that EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 12 — the number one selling sports videogame franchise on the planet* — is in retail stores now throughout North America, and will be available in the rest of the world beginning Sept. 30. Launching on 12 different platforms — including Mac for the first time ever — anticipation for FIFA Soccer 12 has reached record levels. Fans have already pre-ordered 800,000** copies of FIFA Soccer 12 — an EA SPORTS all-time high and a 108% increase year over year — while the FIFA Soccer 12 demo for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, received a record 3.49 million downloads*** through the first seven days of release — the most ever for an EA SPORTS game***.

FIFA Soccer 12 is launching to global critical acclaim. It is currently the highest rated sports videogame ever^ on PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 with an average review score of 92 on the PlayStation3, and 91 on Xbox 360. In addition, FIFA Soccer 12 was chosen “Best Console Game” at gamescom 2011, winner of the prestigious E3 Game Critics award for “Best Sports Game” at E3 2011, and 23 other awards to date.

FIFA Soccer 12 brings to the pitch the game-changing new Player Impact Engine, and revolutionary gameplay innovations inspired by the real-world game, including all-new Precision Dribbling, Tactical Defending, and Pro Player Intelligence. plus, new live services and breakthrough social experiences like EA SPORTS Football Club, and FIFA Ultimate Team, will deepen fans’ connection to the real-world game, their favorite club, and their friends, rivals and millions of other players around the world in the massive FIFA online community. FIFA Soccer 12 on Mac has the same revolutionary core gameplay features as the HD consoles, and for the first time ever, Mac and PC gamers can play with and against each other in online head-to-head matches.

for the first time ever, FIFA Soccer 12 in North America is launching with a dedicated broadcast and digital advertising creative campaign with an all-star cast of celebrities. created by the advertising agency Heat, ‘Join the United States of FIFA’ campaign features U.S. Men’s National Team and LA Galaxy star Landon Donovan, U.S. Women’s National Team star Hope Solo, San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, Phoenix Suns basketball star Steve Nash, and others. the video featuring Donovan and Lincecum can be viewed here youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=Fe1EPpgw81k while the video featuring Nash and Solo can be viewed here youtube.com/watch?v=CmOuegK-6Gw.

Today also marks the official start of the FIFA Soccer 12 Takeover Tour, a 40-city, six-week long program that showcases FIFA Soccer 12 on the PlayStation3. throughout six weeks, two vehicles outfitted with 15 TVs along with 15 PS3™ systems will travel to cities throughout the United States. at each Tour stop, fans will have the opportunity to play FIFA Soccer 12, receive free prizes and the chance to win a PS3. for more information about the EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 12 Takeover Tour, including specific Tour stop details, visit the Facebook Fan Page at ea.com/soccer/news/fifa-12-takeover-tour-1 or via the Tour’s Twitter Feed at twitter.com/EAFIFA12Tour.

FIFA Soccer 12 is localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. It is available for the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360®, PC, Mac, Wii™, PlayStation®2, Nintendo 3DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, iPhone®, iPad™, iPod® touch and iOS mobile devices. the game is available for digital download on PC at orgin.com. FIFA Soccer 12 on Mac is available for digital download in North America via Amazon, Gametree (Transgaming), Direct2Drive, and Gamersgate.

FIFA Soccer 12 is rated E for everyone by the ESRB and Pegi 3+. Screenshots are available at info.ea.com. For the latest news on FIFA Soccer 12 join more than six million fans in the EA SPORTS FIFA community at facebook.com/easportsfifa or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/easportsfifa.

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA JAM basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit easports.com to connect, share and compete.

* Based on units sold world-wide as of July 25, 2011 (via NPD, Chart-track, GFK & Famitsu Marketing Data Service)** according to internal sales data as of September 16, 2011*** data provided by Microsoft and Sony^ Source metacritic.com as of Sept. 27, 2011

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS – News) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. the Company’s game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as the Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass Effect™. more information about EA is available at info.ea.com.

EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Active, the Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. John Madden, NFL, NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. “PlayStation” and the “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox 360 is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii and Nintendo 3DS are trademarks of Nintendo. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc. iPod and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery available: businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50009788&lang=en

MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50009788〈=en

The LittleBigPlanet 2 move Pack DLC (which is suitably, adorably subtitled Rise of the Cakeling ) is the franchise’s most gargantuan expansion, and could make a run for the most ambitious DLC release for any game ever released. Just as the core game sought to allow the use of a DualShock 3 for virtually any purpose, this expansion hopes to give players the same freedom with the PlayStation move. Media Molecule was successful in achieving that initial, lofty goal — and once again, the Guildford-based studio has created an engine of infinite possibility for the move controller.

Read this article:LittleBigPlanet 2 move Pack review: A brand new toy box

Tags: a-friend-via, Games

An online multiplayer beta is something that the first two Gears of War games lacked, and something that fans of the franchise have been asking for for years now. The first two games, and especially Gears of War 2, were plagued with glitches that could have been ironed out during a beta. instead, Epic Games ironed out the glitches based on people’s feedback after the release of the game. The problem was that by the time these glitches were fixed, the community had already become fed up with them and moved on to other games.

That will not be an issue with Gears of War 3. Gears 3 was originally slated to be released in April of 2011, but Microsoft delayed the game in holiday of 2011 to spread out their big releases a bit, and assure that they had a big game ready for the holiday season. what this meant is that Epic was given five extra months to work on the game that they did not originally need, so they chose to spend that time by implementing a multiplayer beta and changing the game based on the feedback from that beta prior to the game’s holiday release.

So how do I join the beta?

In order to get into the Gears 3 beta, you must purchase the Bulletstorm: Epic Edition game (also made by Epic Games). it will come with a code to use for entry into the Gears 3 beta.

Bulletstorm is actually a very similar looking game to Gears of War, and Gears players will feel right at home. It’s big difference is that it focuses on more arcade style gameplay with gory skillshots that you get points for. It’s a game that is made for leaderboard gamers who want to replay a level over and over again in order to get a higher score than their friends.

When does the Gears of War 3 beta start?

The Gears 3 beta will begin in April of 2011, which is when the full game was initially supposed to be released. no one knows how long it will last yet, but our best guess is that it will last a couple of weeks, after which Epic will take all of the user’s feedback from the beta and make changes to the full game.