RipTen Videogame Blog » Epic-Games

Epic Games Has Equally Epic Schedule For 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit

Curt Hutson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:30:14 +0000

Epic Games is in the mood for some celebrating and has decided to kick off the festivities at the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit with all of its all-star, game industry buddies. Let the jealous feelings commence.

What are they celebrating exactly? Well, most don’t realize this, but Epic Games has been around for (drumroll, please) 20 freaking years! Founded by Mr. Tim Sweeney, Epic had released a myriad of games, many of which no one has ever heard of, way before Gears of War and Infinity Blade entered the scene — an admirable achievement.

Epic is starting with a lecture titled, “Technology and Gaming in the Next 20 Years”, then Epic president and AIAS board member Mike Capps will lead the panel, “Staying Around, Playing Around.” Here he will be joined by Blizzard Entertainment EVP of product development, Frank Pearce, and Insomniac Games founder and CEO, Ted Price, where they’ll give some solid advice on how to be successful, something they obviously have experience with.

Sweeney will be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame and Epic Games will most likely sweep most of the awards their games are being nominated for. The awards gala will proceed the ceremony, but, let’s be honest, everyone will be waiting for Epic Games’ after-party — which, with so much to celebrate, could last a fortnite.

It seems the the Epic Games crew will be heading to the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas next week carrying bags packed with extra swagger… but they’ll leave some room for those awards.

Gears of War 3 Toy Line Debut in New York, Set to Hit Stores in August

Ben Nanke — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:10:51 +0000

So you’re sitting on the couch with your buddies playing Gears of War and drinking beers. Somebody rips apart a Locust from the nuts up with a chainsaw, and everybody starts laughing. You down the beer, and as you dial up the Hammer of Dawn to blow the shit out of a crowd of Drones, you think, “Hey. I’d like to see my kids playing with something like this.”

Right? …No?

Well, apparently the folks at toy company Meccano, best known in the US for making the Erector sets, thought Gears branded toys would be great for kids. Debuting at the New York Toy Fair recently, the Gears line of children’s toys features a darling little Centaur Tank, a kooky King Raven Helicopter, and even the Armadillo APC. Kids love the Armadillo APC!

Just for reference, I’d like to provide you with a link to the New York Toy Fair website. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

WOW THAT TOTALLY SCREAMS ALIEN MURDER!

Regardless, if these toys are something you want for Little Billy’s next birthday party, swing on by the New York Toy Fair in August when they are expected to launch and pick one up. Sounds like father-son bonding to me.

[Source: GameBandits]

Gears 4? Epic Hiring Technical Artist to Prototype for Next-Gen Hardware

Catherine Cai — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:00:33 +0000

According to an Epic Games job posting on LinkedIn, the studio best known for their Unreal Engine and a little thing called Gears of War you may or may not have heard of is prepping, as expected, for the next generation of consoles. The job listing, calling for a technical artist, states:

“Your goal will be to attack the more complex issues that arise when we push the technology envelope, both in production on current hardware, and prototyping for next-generation hardware.”

The Wii U (or whatever it ends up being called) is due to launch sometime between E3 and the end of this year, and new hardware announcements will probably come pouring in come end of 2012, so it’s not a surprise that Epic’s already prepping for its move onto new consoles. After all, fans will be expecting Gears of War 4 to look as lifelike as possible.

Epic Games Announces “Fortnite” With First Trailer

Chris Carlson — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 03:12:52 +0000

When you’re done chainsawing people in half in Gears of War 3, you might just want to check out Epic Games newest project entitled Fortnite. Apparently you build stuff, build more stuff, and ummmmmm……build stuff. Zombies?

Check it out!

Get More: GameTrailers.com, Fortnite – VGA 2011: Exclusive Debut Trailer, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Cliffy B Will Reveal a New Epic Games IP at the VGAs

Catherine Cai — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:00:17 +0000

In the following VGA teaser, Cliffy B tells you to tune into the VGAs… so you should n stuff. Oh, and since 2011 is the 20th anniversary for Epic Games, they’re going to reward VGA watchers with info about a new IP that’s been in the works. Huzzah.

Tune into Spike TV on Saturday, December 10th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET to check it out

Gears of War 3 Title Update 2 Drops – What it Fixed

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:04 +0000

Epic Games has delivered the second major title update for Gears of War 3 in as many months. While some gamers have complained about the online exprience as too ‘noob friendly’ there is no denying that online matches have run much more smoothly when compared to the disappointing Gears of War 2 debacle.

Accompanying this update are exciting new fixes and improvements. A new spectator mode has been added, a few exploits fixed, and quite a few general issues are addressed.

Here are the full patch notes below courtesy of the Epic Forums:

Improvements

A spectator mode option has been added to private versus matches for broadcasting by gaming leagues.
- One player on each team will be able to choose spectator mode during match set up.
- The matches will be 4v4 with two spectators
The Leader and Vengeful medals are now easier to acquire.
The mutators Roadie Comet and Regen Enemies are now easier to acquire.
Added an option to disable the HUD during multiplayer games for machinima and video creators
Added a visual indicator of the next ring’s location during the last 10 ring points in KOTH.

Exploit Fixes

The Onyx Field Engineer medal can no longer be prestiged.
In Capture the Leader, the overhead Beams on DryDock are no longer accessible.
While affected by the Smoke Grenade stun, players will no longer be able to take hostages, pick up weapons or revive teammates.

General Fixes

If there is a host migration during Horde, the match will resume at the same wave.
Also during Horde, the Combat Engineer ribbon can now be achieved once per wave instead of once per game.
The Ranked Disconnect stat will no longer increase when quitting a standard Horde or Beast game.
The cringe from the Mortar will no longer cause players to drop their primary weapon.
The Hail Mary ribbon is now correctly awarded for long distance Boomshot headshots.
Maps will no longer be immediately repeated when choosing random map selection.
If the host pauses during a private versus match the game will continue for other players.

The game will still pause in the Campaign, Beast and Horde.

Potential fix for the rare lost progress issue.
Potential fix for the rare profile freezing issue.
Beast leaderboard screen no longer refreshes while sending challenges

Free Gears of War 3 Versus Booster Map Pack DLC Drops November 25

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:40:14 +0000

Epic Games has announced a free piece of Gears of War 3 DLC called the Versus Booster Map Pack which should be available on November 25th. Yesterday, the Horde Command DLC pack was released after delayed for several hours.

This pack will add the Horde Command DLC’s three maps — Azura, Rustlung and Blood Drive, to public matchmaking playlists in Versus multiplayer along with two newly remastered vintage maps, Swamp and Clocktower.

The release of Horde Command and Versus Booster packs this month will come are part of the planned three Gears 3 DLC releases for 2011, the final being RAAM’s Shadow Campaign DLC scheduled for December 13.

Gears of War 3 Horde Command Pack Now Available After Delay for “Technical Issues”

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:30:50 +0000

The Gears of War 3 Horde Command Pack DLC is available now after being delayed earlier today due to technical issues delayed at the last minute due to “technical issues”.

Earlier today in the Epic Forums the community manager posted this:

The scheduled Horde Command Pack release for Gears of War 3 is temporarily delayed due to a technical issue. We apologize to those of you who are anxiously awaiting to play. We know this is disappointing news as we’ve seen a lot of posts today showing excitement for this content. We have folks working around the clock to resolve this issue ASAP so you can all play and enjoy the Command Pack. The Epic Games Community team will stick around and keep you posted with any further information. Stay tuned for updates!

Now, thanks to a tweet from Mark Rein, we now it is available for download.

“Good News! The Horde Command Pack is now available on the marketplace! Restart your Xbox to get the latest changes.”

The Horde Command Pack is the first Gears of War 3 DLC that Gears 3 Season Pass holders will gain access to for no additional charge. It adds three new maps, three new characters, four new fortification upgrades and two weapon skins.

Source: Forums Epic Games

Gears of War 3 Horde Command Pack DLC Deploys Nov 1st

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:30:53 +0000

Epic Games and Microsoft have announced an upcoming DLC Pack for Gears of War 3 scheduled to launch on November 1st.

The Horde Command Pack contains three additional maps, three new playable characters, two new weapon skins, additional achievements worth 250 Gamerscore points, and new fortification upgrades.

It will be available for 800 MSP as a download.

Here are the details courtesy of Major Nelson:

Maps

Blood Drive – The Jacinto Medical Plaza was overwhelmed by evacuated citizens after the government-sanctioned Hammer Strikes, and the ensuing riots quickly turned this safe haven into a dangerous inferno. An abundance of high ground and funneled choke points make this map a returning favorite to Horde.
Rustlung – Once the pride of the Royal Tyran Navy, the foredecks of this decommissioned battleship are now riddled with bullet holes. Any team with the fortitude to hold the exposed central torpedo bay will find that the ship’s Loader has been replaced with a battle-ready Silverback mech suit.
Azura– This island resort was once the exclusive domain of Sera’s educated elite, but the tranquil water gardens and lush foliage have become a hotly contested combat zone. Dual snipers overlook a powerful explosive weapon, while the defensive central platform may be your last resort of retreat.

Fortification upgrades

Command Center – A brand new type of fortification that allows you to call in fire support from sniper teams, mortar strikes and even multiple Hammers of Dawn.
Decoy Upgrade – A new fortification level that turns your decoy into an Onyx Guard bot that will fight in your defense.
Sentry Upgrade – This upgrade adds a fire bolt sentry that deals much more damage and is very effective against Berserkers.
Silverback Upgrade – This advancement allows you to upgrade your Silverback exo-suit with devastating rockets and extra levels of repair cost reduction.

Characters

Onyx Guard
Big Rig Dizzy
Bernie

Weapon Skins

Team Plasma
Jungle Camo

The Horde Command Pack will also be playable in Beast mode and privately hosted vs matches.

Gears of War 3 First Week Sales Hit Three Million Units

Sam Naylor — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:04:15 +0000

Cliffy B’s pockets have started to overflow with money so much that it is contributing to rising sea levels. Gears 3 sold more than 3 million in its first week.

Major Nelson reports that with the huge sales figures for Gears of War 3 the franchise is now “beyond one billion dollars in lifetime sales”.

Whoever made that little gif of Miyamoto and Iwata shouting “It prints money!” needs to make a new one, I think. Congrats to Epic on making such a fantastic series. They deserve sales figures like these.

Gears of War 3 Takes DLC To a New Low

Chris Carlson — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:30:39 +0000

Epic Games have finally brought Gears of War 3 before us, but their attempt at DLC is the most pathetic approach I’ve seen this console generation. Before I dig into this issue, I want to clear a few things up. I’ve purchased every Gears of War title at midnight, including Gears of War 3.

I absolutely adore the series. In fact, if you were to have me select only one new IP this generation not to miss out on, and skip the rest, it would be Gears of War. I’m not telling you these things to make you believe my claims are legitimate. I’m telling you these things because I’m utterly disgusted as a fan, and I’m disappointed in Epic’s decision on how to handle Gears of War 3‘s DLC.

Normally when a company chooses to provide DLC that’s a blatant rip-off, I tend to ignore it and not purchase it. In fact, I’d make jokes about it and laugh it off. The difference is, Epic Games is known for listening to their fans, giving them what they want, and being very loyal. However, their decision to make their fans pay to unlock content already on the disc is a disgrace to their community. Paying for on-disc content isn’t something that hasn’t been done before, but Epic Games took it a step further.

You remember when you beta tested Gears of War 3 back in April and got to use that sexy urban camo? Did you realize that five months later, in order to use that camo again you would have to pay $3? Not only were you participating in a beta to make the overall product better, you were also “testing” paid DLC that had been completed nearly half a year before release. Take a look at this screenshot captured from Gears of War 3 multiplayer.

Pink Lancer Day 1!! Fuck Yeah!!! Oh wait, I need Microsoft Points.

Notice the pink lancer? Yeah, the one you can purchase for $3. This screenshot was taken from gameplay footage shown back in January of 2011. Nearly 10 months ago, Epic Games has shown off the pink lancer and even boasted about how players can choose a pink lancer if they wanted too. Not only was that a partial lie -since you must purchase it separately-, we were looking at screenshots from DLC nearly a year before release.

It only gets worse from here. Have you played a match with all bots yet? Manage to see characters like “Big Red Dizzy” and wonder how to unlock them? Too bad, you can’t. That’s even more on-disc DLC in which you’ll have to purchase at a later date. The most pathetic part of all of this, is Gears of War 3 offered $75 worth of DLC before the game was even out. More than the actual game cost, but for less content than the actual game we purchased.

Epic Games also took the approach of “pre-ordering” DLC before it becomes available. Paying $30 for the season pass will grant you the first four pieces of DLC at no additional charge. As long as that specific content isn’t locked on my disc, I’m perfectly fine with that. Do your thing Epic. But locking away multiple characters, 20+ weapon skins and god knows what else, is just wrong. If the game shipped with more than 4-5 weapon skins (disregarding the beta unlocks) and offered more at a later date that wasn’t included on the disc, I probably would have purchased all of them. Sadly, that’s not the case.

Want all these purty weapon skins? $45 please.

Lets take it further than that. Have you happened to look at the leaderboards? Specifically for Horde or Beast Mode? Try it, then hit left once on the D-pad and look at what pops up. Oh, what’s that you ask? A map that’s not even playable yet, like Blood Drive for example, or Azura. Now, I’m not going to harp too much on this, mostly due to the fact I have no physical proof these maps are already on the disc and awaiting “activation”. I have however, seen “leaked” footage of these maps being perfectly playable. So it’s indeed possible these three maps are already on the copy you paid for, but it’s not definite.

This may not mean much, but I’m glad to see the Xbox Live community rate these “weapon skins” down to one and two stars on the marketplace. I’m sure a bunch of silly stars with a number planted next to it means nothing to Epic, but to me though, that’s saying I’m not alone, and many others agree with such juvenile behavior from such a well respected company. Surely, this isn’t the first article you’ve seen written on this subject.

I love Gears of War, and I still love the work Epic has done and they will not lose me as a fan. They have however, lost a lot of my respect and have me on a thin line between not purchasing future Gears of War 3 DLC and supporting such behavior. I’ve seen some damn pathetic attempts to rip gamers off (Resident Evil 5 “Multiplayer”), but Epic has gone too far to the point where they disrespected their fans, and ultimately embarrassed themselves. I can’t express how frustrated and angry I was on September 20th around 12:30AM launching Gears of War 3; selecting my weapons, then going to choose a weapon skin and see nothing but a bunch of dollar signs with locked content. I was downright furious.

The worst part of it all, I defended Epic Games before I was aware of the weapon skin announcement. They made the announcement shortly after I finished my writing for that day, and some random person in my XBL party was talking about them having $45 worth of weapon skin DLC. I actually told the guy whoever informed him of this false information was a damn moron because, “Epic Games would never do something like that!”

I was so quick to defend a company I had much respect for that I made myself look like a total ass. Not only do I now feel like a complete dick for doing so, I feel ashamed that I stuck up for a company that was stabbing me -and its fans- in the back as I was praising them. Never in a million years would I have guessed Epic Games of all developers would do something so shady. So my question to you Epic is;

“Why?” Did Microsoft have something to do with this? Did you wake up one day and decide Gears of War wasn’t making you enough money? I can not see one legitimate reason to charge forty-five dollars for some damn weapon skins and locking multiple types of DLC on the disc I’ve already purchased. I feel betrayed and used, taken advantage of, by a company that I never thought would stoop this low.

We gave Gears of War 3 a 10/10 in our RipTen Review… but between a Rip and a Ten? This DLC plan gets buried.

To conclude my rant, I have created what I believe is one of the most awesome weapon skins of all time… for free of course.

Gears of War 3 – Epic Secrets and Easter Eggs Guide

Garrett Hartman — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 06:04:32 +0000

Ah, the Epic conclusion to one of the greatest gaming series of this generation has arrived! Read our Gears Of War 3 review. If you are looking for the secrets and Easter eggs found in Gears of War 3, we’ve got the guide for you.

Guide will be updated if more secrets are discovered. If you have found some we don’t have, feel free to share in the comment section.

Other Ripten Gears of War 3 Guides

Secrets and Easter Eggs:

Talking Cole Train Thrashball Table

You can find a few of these arcade tables throughout the game. The first one is in Act 1 Chapter 1 in the lounge. Simply press the X button to hear the Cole Train Yell a few of his more famous quotes. Wooooo!

Free Candy

After walking past the Thrashball machine, a cut-scene will introduce Jace. The scene shows Jace hitting a vending machine, trying to get the final chocolate bar to fall out.
When play resumes, simply walk up to the machine and press X to kick it. The candy drops out and Marcus will say “Mine now.”

Dancing Pimp Wretch Easter Egg and Fire Extinguisher
Follow these Steps:

Initiate a private match with two players on Checkout. (Note, one player must commit to holding the Extinguisher while the other does all the shooting. If the extinguisher is put down it disappears)
Pull one of the 3 fire Alarms – Opens gate to electronics section
There is debris blocking door. You will need to shoot the other side of the door (please watch video).
Grab Fire Extinguisher that appears. Doing this sets the fire alarm in pharmacy on fire.
Put the buring fire Alarm Out. Doing so makes a cart with a red pimp hat appear outside the bars.
Shoot the red pimp hat in cart and the hat explodes then suddenly appears behind a window.
Shoot pimp hat behind the window until it explodes and a car near the ‘Closing Down Sale Everything Must Go’ sign catches on fire. Griffin’s cane appears near the exit .
Extiguish the car fire and the cane now appears in the bathroom. Shoot it until it disappears and bleeds.
Go to electronics area and extinguish an electrical box which is on fire. This will burst open a door in the section where you first grab the extinguisher. Look and you will see a Pimped out wretch dancing while wearing the red hat and holding the cane.

Slide Down the Playground Slide as Cole

On Act 1 Chapter 3, Cole Train can use the slide in the children’s playground. Wooo!

Cole Train Hanover Cougar Hat and Talking Cereal Display

Cole’s Cougar hat can be found in two places both during Act 1 Ch 3 (You can only wear one and only Cole can wear it). The two locations are shown in the two videos after the descriptions.

One is found before right before the playground in the back of a pick-up truck. You can wear the hat backwards or forwards.
The second is after you have passed the checkout section in the grocery store area, you will find some sports goods on the right side and see the smaller Cole Train Cereal display between two vending machines. You Can make the Cole display say his cereal advertisement and after a few times it will say his intercom message to the Locusts from Gears 2.

Ticker Fight Hidden Cutscene

On Act 2 Chapter 4, Trench Run, when you enter the area with all of the Tickers in cages (the ‘Pet Store’) clear out all of the enemies and then look for a boarded up area with a Ticker painted on it by the entrance door.
Near this is a yellow light. Approach it and hit X when prompted to see a hidden cutscene.

Gridlock Pigroast

Head up the stairs in the tower area and look through the boards and chains and you’ll see a fire.
Shoot the Ash People in the foreground and the fire will be revealed — it’s a pig roast! Shoot the handle to rotate the spit.

“Mad World” Song on Gridlock

Load up a Game of Execution or Warzone (The Game mode does not matter as long as it is a Multiplayer varient) with one A.I Bot
Kill the Bot without any of the Ash statues being destroyed
NOTE: Destroying any of the ash statues will stop this Easter Egg from triggering
Enjoy.

Dom and Maria Photo and Audio Clip on Mercy

Set up a multiplayer game on Mercy (preferably with friends )
Head to the chapel in the south.
Along the back wall, there is a platform with a few books and unders stained glass widows. When the chapels bells ring a photo of Dom and Maria will appear.
Shoot the photo and you’ll hear Dom crying

Other Ripten Gears of War 3 Guides

Gears of War 3 – Epic COG Tag and Collectible Location Guide

Ripten Staff — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:01:21 +0000

Gears of War 3 has set the gaming world ablaze with incredible gameplay, graphics and storytelling. Read our review. If you want to better understand this final chapter of the trilogy, you need to find every collectible and COG tag to help fill in the backstory.

The videos below provide an excellent guide to help you find every collectible and tag to complete the following achievements: Collector, Pack Rat, Hoarder and Remember the Fallen.

Other RipTen Gears of War 3 Guides:

Videos courtesy of marknatan

Cog Tags and Collectibles:

Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

Act V

COG tag locations – the above videos should show where they are, but here they are in writing as well:

Prologue – Troubled Past

At the very start when you gain control of Marcus, go in the door to your right to find the first COG Tag.

Act 1: Chapter 1 – Anchored

After killing all of the Lamberts on the deck, find the metal container with the COG logo. Go behind the container, and look up to see a dead body. Shoot the body, and it will drop the COG Tag.

Act 1: Chapter 3 – Homecoming

At the end of the Grocery area, and before using the Loader Mech robot, you will have to transport some food. When you get to it, you will see the COG logo sprayed on a wall leading to a room with the COG Tag on the desk in the room.

Act 1: Chapter 4 – Helping Hand

The COG Tag is found right after you get out of the Camp’s warehouse and you are heading into the Stadium. Look for the COG logo on the brick wall. The COG Tag is on a dead man near the far right end of the area.

Act 1: Chapter 6 – Hanging By A Thread

Once you enter the Locust outpost, you will see a van on your right. Near it is a COG logo, and a ladder leading down. Go down the ladder, and follow the path to find the COG Tag.

Act 2: Chapter 1 – Shipwreck

As you are fighting the Locust and the Brumak at the beach where Chairman Prescott is, look beside where he is lying down. The COG Tag is behind the cargo.

Act 2: Chapter 3 – Forced Entry

You must kill all five guards without them sounding the alarm. If they do sound the alarm, reload the chapter. A Longshot is recommended. Once all five guards are dead, a side door will open for you to enter. Go down the lower path to find the COG Tag.

Act 2: Chapter 6 – Airborne

Once you killed the four reapers in Dizzy’s fort, go to the area across the street. You will see a destroyed building, and the COG Tag is on the second floor.

Act 3: Chapter 2 – Rescue

While fighting the Lambent Berserker, the COG Tag is near the gate on the floor.

Act 3: Chapter 4 – Ghost Town

As you try to track down the crazy guy, you will come across a Fresh Meat stand. At the backroom is a COG logo. Go outside the Fresh Meat stand to find the COG Tag covered in blood.

Act 4: Chapter 1 – Ashes To Ashes

While you are chasing the Ash Man, he will drop a container full of Polyps. Once you kill the Polyps, Sam will suggest you check it out and enter the building. Before doing so, there is a COG logo on the far left building. The COG Tag is beside a dead soldier.

Act 4: Chapter 5 – Bon Voyage

Before going to the Dockyard, look for the COG logo on one of the containers to your right. The best way to look for the COG logo is by going through the ship in the middle and looking to your right. The COG Tag is behind the COG logo.

Act 5: Chapter 2 – Black Out

You must use the Silverback. Get into it before going up the lift. When you get off the lift, go to the room with 3′s marked on both sides. Once inside, you will see the COG logo. Kick down the barricade, and go inside to find the COG Tag.

Act 5: Chapter 3 – Shattered Paradise

In the plaza area right after the white angel statue room, look in the right corner to see a COG logo. The COG Tag is near it on the ground by a dead body.

Act 5: Chapter 5 – Ascension

Once you escape from Queen Myrah, you will be on your way to find Adam Fenix. To your right is a dead end area with video game machines. At the start of the room that is dark, use your highlight ability to show some wooden crates near a COG logo. Destroy them to find the COG Tag behind them.

Other RipTen Gears of War 3 Guides:

Gears of War 3 – Epic Achievement Completion Guide with Video

Ripten Staff — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:47:05 +0000

The Gears of War series has thrilled gamers for more than five years ending on a crescendo with Gears of War 3. Read our Gears Of War 3 review. Those who wish to improve upon their gamerscore and find the hidden achievement will find everything they need in this guide.

Other Ripten Gears of War 3 Guides:

Achievements:

Marcus, It’s Your Father ( 5G) - Story Progression in Prologue (Standard or Arcade).
Swimmin’ in Glowie Gravy (10G) - Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 2 (Standard or Arcade).
We Struck Gold, Son! (10G) - Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 3 (Standard or Arcade).
My Turf! Cougars Territory! (10G) - Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 5 (Standard or Arcade).
Putting it Scientifically… (10G) - Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 6 (Standard or Arcade).
Okay, Now We Find Hoffman (10G) - Story Progression in Act 2 Chapter 1 (Standard or Arcade).
Oh Yeah, It’s Pirate Time (10G) - Story Progression in Act 2 Chapter 5 (Standard or Arcade).
Thanks For Flying GasBag Airways (10G) - Story Progression in Act 2 Chapter 7 (Standard or Arcade).
Anvil Gate’s Last Resort (10G) - Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 1 (Standard or Arcade).
Was it Good For You? (10G) - Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 2 (Standard or Arcade).
Lost Your Good Driver Discount (10G) - Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 3 (Standard or Arcade).
Brothers to the End (10G) - Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 5 (Standard or Arcade).
Think You Can Handle That? (10G) - Story Progression in Act 4 Chapter 3 (Standard or Arcade).
Baird’s Favorite Kind of Toy (10G) - Story Progression in Act 4 Chapter 5 (Standard or Arcade).
Welcome To -redacted- (10G) - Story Progression in Act 4 Chapter 6 (Standard or Arcade).
Look at That, Instant Summer. (10G) - Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 2 (Standard or Arcade).
Ok. Faith. Yeah. Got It. (10G) - Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 5 (Standard or Arcade).
You’re Dead! Now Stay Dead! (10G) - Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 6 (Standard or Arcade).
Ready for More (50G) - Complete all campaign Acts on Casual or Normal Difficulty (Standard or Arcade).
Ain’t My First Rodeo (50G) - Complete all campaign Acts on Hardcore Difficulty (Standard or Arcade).
That’s Just Crazy (75G) - Complete all campaign Acts on Insane Difficulty (Standard or Arcade).
Collector (5G) - Recover 5 Campaign Collectibles (any difficulty, Standard or Arcade).
Pack Rat (10G) - Recover 20 Campaign Collectibles (any difficulty, Standard or Arcade).
Hoarder (15G) - Recover all 42 Campaign Collectibles (any difficulty, Standard or Arcade). In our Gears of War 3 – COG tag and Collectibles Location Guide
Remember the Fallen (15G) - Recover all 15 COG Tags during the Campaign (any difficulty, Standard or Arcade). In our Gears of War 3 – COG tag and Collectibles Location Guide
My Fellow Gears (50G) - Complete all Campaign Acts in Co-op (any difficulty, Standard or Arcade).
We Few, We Happy Few… (50G) - Complete all Campaign Acts in 4 player Co-op (any difficulty, Standard or Arcade).
Level 5 (5G) - Reach Experience level 5.
Level 10 (10G) - Reach Experience level 10.
Level 15 (15G) - Reach Experience level 15.
Level 25 (25G) – Reach Experience level 25.
Level 50 (50G) – Reach level 50.
Judge, Jury and Executioner (10G) - Get a kill with every possible execution finishing move (any mode).
Wreaking Locust Vengence (10G) - Get a kill with every Locust monster in Beast mode (any difficulty).
Enriched and Fortified (10G) - Complete all 50 waves of Horde mode (any difficulty, any map).
It’s All About the Loot! (25G) - Earn the Bronze “Loot Courtesan” medal.
All for One, One for All (10G) – Earn the Bronze “Force Multiplier” medal.
First Among Equals (25G) - Earn the Silver “Number 1″ medal. – Need to achieve the highest score in Arcade Mode 60 times. It can be done with two controllers. From Video: This is a great way to earn progress towards most of the Arcade medals in Gears of War 3, plug in a 2nd controller and play split-screen to get credit for beating the other player. I did the video solo so it will be easier to see but I always farm this with a 2nd controller plugged in.
Award Winning Tactics (25G) - Earn at least one Onyx medal.
Seriously 3.0 (100G) Reach level 100 and earn every Onyx medal.
Welcome to Versus (10G) - Kill 10 enemies in Team Deathmatch (Standard or Casual).
The Versus Sampler Platter (10G) Complete one match of all six Versus game modes (Standard or Casual).
Welcome to Horde Mode (10G) – Survive the first 10 waves of Horde mode (any difficulty, any map).
Welcome to Beast Mode (10G) - Survive all 12 waves of Beast mode (any difficulty, any map).
Welcome to Arcade Mode (10G) – Complete 5 Arcade Campaign chapters in co-op (any difficulty).
Welcome to the Big Leagues (0G) – Demonstrate your skill in Casual Versus multiplayer.
Wait, What Time is it? (10G) – Earn the maximum Consecutive Match Bonus in Versus multiplayer (Standard or Casual).
Lambency (50G) – Execute an Epic employee, or someone who already has Lambency, in Versus multiplayer (any mode). – This is easy because you just hasve to execute someone who executed someone who executed an Epic employee.
Socialite (70G) – Earn the Onyx “War Supporter” medal. – Achievement requires you to participate in 30 events, that will be coming up in the gears of war 3 event calender.

Secret Achievements:

Respect for the Dead (5G) -Your respect for the dead earned you access to Griffin’s special weapons stash.In Act 4 chapter 1 (Ashes to Ashes) do not destroy (touch or shoot) any dead ashes people along the way to griffin’s building. It’s ok if it broke up by ashman traps or polyps explode.This is just after you get permission to see Griffin on your right side. The room is blocked by a barred fence. When you move close enough and have shown respect for the dead, the women in the room will open it for you. Inside are some good weapons.

Blockbuster Will Give You One Month of Unlimited Rentals If You Purchase Gears 3

Chris Carlson — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:30:28 +0000

Blockbuster announced today that anyone who purchases Gears of War 3 between now and Oct 7, 2011, will receive a pass for free unlimited in-store rentals of games and movies for a month.

Blockbuster’s Senior Buyer of Video Games, Randall Baker, made the announcement earlier today:

“We want to get back on gamers’ radars with a promo that packs a punch. Gears of War 3 is certainly one of the biggest games of the year, but players may want to take a breather from fighting alongside Delta Squad every now and then. We’re giving them nearly unlimited entertainment options for those spare minutes.”

Be sure to read our Epic (pun intended) review of Gears of War 3!

RipTen Review: Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:00:25 +0000

As I prepared to dig into Epic Games‘ third and final installment of the Gears of War franchise a few days ago, I couldn’t help but feel as if it had been forever since I reviewed Gears of War 2. In fact, it seems like forever since I’ve done much of anything these days besides prepare for my upcoming wedding, gather paperwork for my banker to help close on my house, and count down the final days of bachelorhood (T-minus 19 days and counting).

The original Gears of War hit store shelves just about five years ago. That’s roughly six months before I launched RipTen.com and nearly one year after I met my soon to be wife. My relationship with her, the site, and the game itself have all evolved since then.

Diligence drove me (literally) to pick it up the moment it became available, and the rest was history. Marcus, Dom, Cole, and the cover-based combat, quickly became as familiar to me as a basement full of childhood toys. Like a cardboard box, Gears of War 3 metaphorically tucks the franchise away, keeping it safe and dry up on a shelf between my He-Man action figures and my treasured comic book collection.

As far as sequels go, Gears 3 is more of a gradual change from Gears 2 – refined not reinvented. It’s got enough new features to help it feel fresh without all the unnecessary alterations that would otherwise leave it feeling foreign. While there are a slew of new weapons, playable characters, and levels to blast your way through, story is king in the the third and final installment, thus ensuring that the Gears trilogy wraps up with a gratifying and fitting ending that fans will be proud to replay for years to come.

In breaking the game down, one aspect at a time (spoilers aside), I’d have to say that outside of the plot evolution, the addition of four-player co-op makes Gears 3 the perfect game for your man cave … especially if your man cave is equipped with four 60 inch flat screens and just as many 360 consoles. It adds diversity along with my personal favorite, “strategery” to the campaign, boosting its replay value when paired with the multiplayer component. It’s like multiplayer for the guy that doesn’t want to get sniped by the same eleven year old kid over and over again.

Regardless of your age and/or skill level, Gears 3 multiplayer doesn’t disappoint. All of the traditional mutliplayer versus modes are back and ready for camping. The addition of barbed-wire defenses and decoys spice up the return of Horde Mode, helping you divert and slow the opposition in order to stay alive just a little bit longer.

If speed is your thing, you can try your hand at the new Beast Mode, which puts you behind the wheels of various Locust characters in a race to kill as many COGs as you can before the clock hits zero. Your gameplay experience and bottom line contribution in Beast mode varies drastically based on the type of Locust you pick. Familiar entities such as the Ticker gnaw through defensive roadblocks, while newer additions such as the Serapede quickly slither around the level like Barry Sanders in his prime.

The voice acting in Gears 3 is top notch as far as video games go, and the cast behind the Delta Squad once again does an amazing job delivering the sometimes cheesy yet always funny one liners that make Gears the third person gold standard experience that it is. From Cole’s child-like charm to Fenix’s grizzled focus — the cinematic dialogue and in-game call outs are always character appropriate and on point. One scene in particular (which I won’t spoil) features a very fitting musical tribute that adds just the right amount of emphasis to the moment without going overboard.

The overall graphics, gameplay experience and presentation of Gears 3 is what we’ve come to expect, with a few enhancements spliced in to keep things on the up and up. The addition of ammo swapping proves that giving is not always better than receiving, as I often found myself ignoring the “I’m out” calls echoed by my squad members. Campaign level design and transition from one area to the next is no doubt fun and fast paced, with more than enough variety to keep you busy, though I personally give a slight edge to Gears 2 in this department.

New toys like the Digger Launcher and Incendiary Grenade are thrown into the mix of more than already sufficient artillery options, and while I did use them from time to time (mostly situational), I shamelessly admit to sticking to the combination of Lancer and Shotgun whenever possible. Then again, I fell in love with my turkey sub being made a particular way at seventeen, and I’m still eating it the same way nearly sixteen years later. Sporadic? No. But it tastes good.

From a purely visual standpoint, the contrast between the rich detail you experience in third person perspective and the pixelation you see when the in-game cinematic bring you up close and personal (as they seem to do more often than ever before in the dramatic conclusion) work against each other. It’s not broken by any means, it’s just a far better experience visually from a third-person perspective. At the end of the day, if Gears 3 was a girl, you wouldn’t kick her graphics out of bed in the morning, but you might roll over once in the opposite direction to distance yourself from the morning breath.

Gears 3 also introduces playable female characters, as well as a few new strapping young lads to gaze upon. Unfortunately, while the pacing and focus of the third installment gets us to a fitting end with no shortage of memorable and sometimes moving moments along the way, the writers could have added a little more back-story to flesh out and familiarize us with the newer faces without straying too far off the main course. That said, I applaud the team for not going with the “let’s have them all meet up in a metaphorical church” type ending (see LOST if you’re lost.)

Considering how much I loved Gears 2, there was one aspect of the second installment that left me feeling a little jipped in the end. As noted in my review at the time, I felt that the final encounter between you and the primary villain could have benefited from a slightly clearer establishing shot. That said, Gears 3 does a far better job of making sure there is no doubt in your mind that the battle you are about to take part in is epic in relevance and proportion. In fact, all of the boss battles are extremely gratifying.

Minor nitpicks (and I do mean minor) aside, I absolutely loved Gears of War 3 from start to finish, and will most certainly be playing through it again once I am settled into my new home, and the craziness that is my life at the moment settles down in a few short weeks.

If you are a long time fan of the franchise like myself, or a newcomer on the market looking for an action packed third-person shooter, rest assured that Gears of War 3 will meet or exceed your expectations, and maybe even leave you reaching for a Kleenex when it’s all said and done.

Here’s the Rundown:

+ Fitting conclusion
+ More of the same ‘can’ be a good thing
+ Extremely gratifying Boss Battles
+ Jam packed with love for the Cole Train
- Not so jam packed with love for the Jace …Train?
– When did we start hating pre-rendered cinematics?

Learn more about the RipTen scoring system and what this score means. Visit our review scoring page

Gears of War 3 was developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft. It was released on September 20th, 2011 for $59.99 exclusively for the Xbox 360. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review. The campaign was played to completion and multiplayer was played with developers who were much better than Chad. He shed a tear as the credits rolled and he’ll continue to weep until another Gears project is announced.

The ‘Guns’ in Gears 3 Get DLC That You Have to Buy. Seriously.

Justin Carter — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:15:10 +0000

Gears of War 3 curb stomps its way onto the 360 tomorrow, and there’s been a lot of buzz about its DLC. We know of the Season Pass that gives you the first four DLC packs for 2400 MSP, but what about your guns? Do you want to see them in different colors, such as a rainbow or inverted? Maybe something like in Red Faction: Armageddon, where you could unlock a unicorn that shits deadly rainbows?

Epic Games’ Rod Fergusson spoke on a vodcast recently regarding the matter. The game’s five main weapons–the Lancer, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Gnasher, and Sawed-Off Shotgun–will have 21 skins each. The price of these will range from 240 MSP for the static skins and 320 MSP for the animated skins. Fergusson also confirmed that you can buy them in packs, either a specific weapon for 1200 MSP each, or all the weapons for 3600 MSP. The aforementioned season pass doesn’t cover the gun DLC, save for the Liquid Metal Weapon set.

I can’t imagine anyone paying up just for some dinky weapon skins. But then again, I also thought a network like the PSN was completely safe, or that cosplay was simple as hell to do. I’ve been wrong before.

Gears of War 3 Install Size Revealed

Chris Carlson — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:00:28 +0000

Gears of War 3 is almost upon us, but in preparation for the trilogies end, you may want to clear some room on your HDD. Gears of War 3 will take up a whopping 7.5GB if you wish to fully install the game reports Vgarabia.

Previous Xbox 360 titles only had a max storage of 6.5GB, so it appears Gears of War 3 takes full advantage of the new disc format Microsoft beta tested a few months ago.

Gears of War 3 revs up exclusively on Xbox 360 on September 20th.

Gears of War 3 Season Pass Gets Hefty Price Tag

Chris Carlson — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:45:57 +0000

Epic Games seem to be taking the pre-order DLC route with their upcoming major release, Gears of War 3. The Gears of War 3 “Season Pass” will give gamers access to the first four installments of DLC “over the course of the next year”, with November being aimed for the first release.

The Season Pass will be available upon the games release for 2400 MSP ($30). Microsoft says the the Seasons Pass is a 33 precent discount on the regular price of the four add-ons if bought separately.

The DLC will offer both single player and multiplayer, and as a bonus, all gamers who purchase the Seasons Pass will be an exclusive “Liquid Metal Weapon Set” for free.

Gears of War 3 is set to release September 20th exclusively on Xbox 360

[Source: Shacknews]

New Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Screens Look Spectacular

Chris Carlson — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:00:59 +0000

Following the announcement of the full map list for Gears of War 3, Epic Games have released new screenshots from every map in the game. If you played the Gears of War 3 Beta, you know just how much of a graphical improvement it is over its predecessor. These new screens show off just how beautiful the game looks.

Gears of War 3 is set to release on September 20th exclusively for Xbox 360.