Just a few hours ago, we reported that Dreammastah, a Neogaf forum user, posted photos of himself holding up a Gears of War 2 disc and playing it on his Xbox 360. The release date breaking renegade took it a step further today.

In an effort to accommodate the requests made by other users on the Neogaf forum, Dreammastah is currently offering a live stream of himself playing Gears 2.

Have at it after the jump. Read more…

Today in WTF! news, Gears of War 2 is announced as having gone gold (which means the game has been finalized), and just a few hours after that, the game surfaces in the hand of a mysterious figure on the popular Neogaf gaming forum.

Coincidence? Bullshit? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that every time something like this happens the collective butt-cheeks of software executives clench in unison.

Eventually, games will come with remote detonators that sense a premature case ejection. Removing a game from its container before the specified release date will cause it to explode violently, and affected individual will have a hard time convincing anyone that they didn’t deserve every piece of gaming shrapnel they end up having to dislodge from their face.

Hey, I love reporting news and rumors as much as the next guy, but if continuously pushed, it’s not far fetched to think that developers will find better ways to protect themselves and the media they create at the expense of time and resources that could have been spent developing better content. Everything comes with a price.

The latest installment of the Gears of War 2 Developer Diaries, titled “Never Fight Alone”, gives us an inside look at some of the changes made by Epic to improve the mulitplayer aspect of Gears 2.

Highlights include the addition of stopping power when firing at advancing targets, crawling when you’re down, new multiplayer modes, maps, and a candid discussion regarding the influence of psychological warfare.

Have at the video after the jump. Read more…

First there was the Lancer Assault Rifle replica. Now, for your consideration, the brain trust at Globe skate footwear bring you the Gears of War Special Edition Co-op shoe. Chainsaw bayonet not included.

The website declares that:

“Globe has teamed up with EPIC and their Gears of War video game, one of the best selling combat video games of all-time, to bring you a Special Edition Co-op shoe based on Globe’s Fusion Model. This one comes with a big pop of the Gears of War icon inside and out.”

What exactly is a “shoe of war” made of? It features spandex, breathable mesh, and kinetic EVA cushioning for flinging oneself behind strategic cover whilst taking fire.

The shoe is planned to be priced $70 - $80 and comes in sizes men’s sizes 5 through 14. Must have for the fashionable shod gamer – or 15-year-olds who have too bilked too much money from their parents.

No work yet on whether or not Gears commando Marcus Fenix has endorsed the shoe, but early word from his publicist is that “the triple stitching aids in the crushing of Locust trachea quite nicely.”

Have something you think we should show on Geeked-Out? Email it to us.

Source: globe.tv

Two off-screen videos featuring Gears of War 2 multiplayer gameplay footage have made their way onto the web. Imagine that.

From memory, it appears that the scope design when zooming in for a sniper shot has been redone, but that may just be the lack of any recent Gears 1 gameplay speaking.

The sequel packs a decent amount of new features, and for that reason, I am really excited about the upcoming release of the game — but to be completely honest, these two videos did very little for me. The meat shield is utilized early on in the first clip and the second features some snazzy arcade machines, but other than that the gameplay looks a lot like the original.

Hit the jump to see for yourself. Read more…

E for All is underway, and while the Gears of War 2 booth is dishing out coin sized COG tags, they pale in comparison to the one shown above which surfaced on the web October 1st.

A twitter hint posted by Gears 2 community manager, SixOkay, recommended that fans take a closer look at the latest Gears 2 trailer on their website. Upon doing so, you will notice that the aforementioned COG flashes on the screen at the 1:07 mark in the clip. Interesting — let’s continue. Read more…

Honestly, if you want to see the design of the booklet (like me) then this may amuse you, but beyond that I am not sure it has much use — unless you want to practice the button combos to prepare yourself for the upcoming challenge. If so, you may want to throw on some Eye of the Tiger and do a few laps around your living room to build up a sweat before you dig in like a mad man.

Of course, there is the slim chance these are not real, so bear that in mind as you drool. Scans available after the jump. Read more…

By now you have likely heard that the highly anticipated Gears of War 2 will not be making its way to your PC. Assuming that you wanted to play it there in the first place, the news may have come as a disappointment to you.

Personally, I don’t play very many games on my PC, with the exception of an obscure MMO called World of Warcraft that you may or may not have heard of. Regardless, according to the PC Gaming Alliance, which I had the opportunity to speak to at the past GDC, the PC gaming population is alive and growing. Epic Games VP, Mark Rein, is a member of this alliance which also includes representatives from NVIDIA, Dell, Intel, Gateway, and others.

That said, I decided to reach out to Mark and ask him personally about his company’s decision to not release Gears 2 on the PC. Specifically, I reiterated the statements made in a recent interview, by his lead designer (CliffyB if you live under a rock), where he had cited piracy concerns as the reason for the focus on the 360. Read more…

A new Gears of War 2 game footage video has made its way onto the web, further confirming in my opinion that the sequel will be better than the original and revealing a few new features as well.

In addition to the meat shield ability which lets you use your enemy’s body to absorb bullets fired in your direction, the video highlights what appears to be a new feature allowing you to reposition in game items and create cover on the fly. Specifically, Marcus flips a table onto its side during a fire fight with the Locust. Pretty cool.

Another new addition in Gears 2 is what looks like in-game achievement status update system. You can see an example of this at the 42 second mark in the clip.

If you don’t mind seeing a few spoilers in the way of cut scenes, have at the video after the jump. Read more…

The Xbox 360’s big hitters this Fall, namely Fable 2, Fallout 3, and Gears of War 2, are actually set to release in India a full week prior to the official worldwide release dates.  Apparently, this is Microsoft’s way of saying “thanks” to its customer service department. Read more…

To quote Cole Train (my favorite Gears character) “Who loves ya, baby?” The answer — CliffyB loves you baby. And to prove it, he is apparently giving Gears fans five original Gears 1 maps in Gears 2. The list, according to the latest issue of GamePro magazine, includes Gridlock, Subway, Canals, Mansion (my hands down favorite), and Tyro Station.

To get your hands on this release date DLC for free you will need to turn in the voucher code included with each new purchase of Gears 2.

Source: evilavatar.com

Delta Squad family photos. Get to know them personally whether you want to or not.

Though Cliffy says that your goal in Gears 2 is to kill the Locust “potentially once and for all”, something tells me that the more people that try to kill them on the game’s release date, the more likely they will resurface again and again. Just a hunch.

The latest installment of the Gears of War 2 Dev Diary digs deeper into the plot behind the sequel, promising  a plot that extends beyond Marcus focusing more on the Delta Squad as a whole.

The “angry white man”, the “half hispanic” jokester, the “charismatic african”, and the “caucasian anti-hero” will be fleshed out for your gaming enjoyment soon enough. My popcorn is ready, and my sixty bucks is in a safe location waiting patiently.

Check out the video after the jump. Read more…

Joystiq’s Dustin Burg is reporting that lead Gears of War 2 scribe, Josh Ortega, promises that the highly anticipated sequel will have “a fulfilling ending.”

The apparent concern voiced by Joystiq was whether or not the game would follow in the footsteps of Halo 2 (not sure why they thought it would but lets go with it), and the answer they received from Ortega was essentially no. He stated that the game would “get nice closure”, but was quick to add that it would not get “too much [closure]” in the event they wanted to “expand” on the franchise yet again.

So it seems that the guys behind Gears are confident that we will like their ending. I am not this is really shocking news, but at least it gives us a set of feet we can hold to the fire in the event we hate it.

Source: Joystiq

PAX has begun, and with it has stirred the communal gamer vibe that continues to make it the gamer event of the year. The Washington Convention Center is crawling with gamers of every stripe and every developer worth a toss has shown up to show off.

The gaming press was allowed early entry into the exhibition hall and we quickly devolved into a heaving pack of sibilant monkeys as we ran from booth to booth. With so much to look at, we were afflicted, if momentarily, by a communal form of ADD. Read more…

Gears of War 2 hits shelves in a little over two months now. With the release date quickly approaching, the full achievement list has now been revealed, as well as the rewards for the previously revealed linked achievements.

Check them out after the break. Read more…

According to the official Gears of War website, the Microsoft booth will be hosting 5V5 Gears of War 2 multiplayer matches during this weekend’s Penny Arcade Expo. Read more…

Why should Cliffy B have all the fun?

On Nov. 7, Amazon.com is offering a special promotion with the yet to be released Gears of War 2: a replica COG Lancer Assault Rifle.

Evidently no replica Locust torso is available to saw through. Bollocks.

The replica Lancer comes complete with the infamous chainsaw bayonet and what appears to be Locust blood spattered liberally.

According to J. Mennella, who commented on the Amazon.com offer, he/she/it claims that they were able to handle it at the San Diego Comic Con and that “it lights up and makes noises. And its pretty heavy too.”

While Gears of War fans may be panting over the offer, I’m waiting for Games Workshop to offer a working chainsword for Dawn of War II. Though nothing of the kind has been announced, I can only wait with baited breath for such a thing to be available to all budding Space Marines, lumberjacks, and Canadian bus riders.

Link: amazon.com

Sadly, the above is not a new screen shot. It is but a fanciful idea I had. I’m sorry, Gears 2 doesn’t come with Unicorn Lancers, but the filters are real. It’s looking like Gears 2 will follow in first Gear’s footsteps and implement a filter for both violence and language. Read more…

The 1980s gave birth to Murdock, B. A. Baracus, Hannibal, and Faceman — better known as The A-Team.  An elite special forces unit, shunned by the military they served, for a “crime they didn’t commit”.  Sound familiar Marcus fans?

Well, some creative minds took the original audio from the A-Team intro, and mixed in various Gears of War footage.  The result is something worth checking out.  In fact, I “pity the fool” who refuses to watch this video! Read more…

A member of the Gears of War Comic-Con 08 panel supposedly made an “unofficial announcement” regarding a $130 Gears of War 2 Limited Edition bundle. Microsoft has yet to confirm anything, but the news would not surprise me if proven true.

The source who overheard the announcement added that the item will not be actual size. Really? You mean the LE box won’t be 3 feet in tall? Well that sucks.

Hey Microsoft, what the fuck are we going to do with a G.I. Joe sized miniature Lancer? Don’t answer that question. Why not crank the price up a few hundred bucks more, and give us something we can use to trim our hedges?

Something like this…

Instead, we will probably end up with some piece of shit like this…

Want to get your money’s worth? Buy the regular edition of the game, and mow a few extra lawns this summer. When you have a grand saved up, buy this, and remember, you always get what you pay for.

Source: Xbox360Fanboy