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'Gears Of War' Movie Looking 'Incredibly Good,' Reveals Screenwriter

MTV Video Games — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:23:24 +0000

FROM MOVIESBLOG: Strap on some body armor, rev up your chainsaw gun and get ready to slice and dice some Locust meat -- "Gears of War" is on the way and by all accounts, it's going to be massive.

Screenwriter Chris Morgan recently spoke with MTV News to give a status update on the upcoming video game adaptation, saying that things are moving along fantastically.

"A draft went in and we're talking about it now and we're budgeting it out," Morgan told MTV. "It's looking incredibly good."

For more on the latest status of the "Gears of War" movie, read the rest of this article at Moviesblog.MTV.com.

One Way 'Gears of War' Topped Its Sequel [GDC 2009]

Stephen Totilo — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:59:23 +0000

Once in a while a game developer says something that makes me want to rush to my console and try something out. That has happened during the still-ongoing "Gears of War 2" artificial intelligence post-mortem when Epic Games' Matt Tonks mentioned one way in which he thinks the first game still has an advantage: Despite the many AI improvements in the second Marcus Fenix action game, the grander scale of levels in "Gears of War 2" forced the designers to create more narrow funnels of enemy attacks -- "cover crawls," The result, said Tonks, was that the AI-controlled enemies sometimes didn't have as much room to demonstrate their full range of intelligent techniques. The first game is often better in that regard, he said: "The encounters were smaller and more open, so the encounters were more fluid than in in 'Gears of War 2.'"

Toy Fair: 'Gears of War' Toys [photos]

Tracey John — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:30:54 +0000

We stopped by New York's annual Toy Fair this weekend and got a good look at upcoming video game toys. Check out NECA's showing of "Gears of War" gear.

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Joystiq Calls Out My 'Resident Evil 5' Vs. 'Dead Space' Argument -- Here's My Response

Patrick Klepek — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:00:12 +0000

Over at Joystiq, writer Ludwig Kietzmann called out my argument "Resident Evil 5" should have taken more cues from games like "Dead Space" by arguing the controls benefit the series' survival mechanic, but seeing true survival hasn't existed since the original, I have to disagree.

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"Resident Evil 5" needs to be more like "Dead Space," I've argued.

I still stand by that. Since Capcom released a demo, the conversation over the game's control choices has only become more heated.

Joystiq published a story recently by Ludwig Kietzmann that suggested complaints like mine that suggested "Resident Evil 5" should have gone all the way with a "Gears of War"-like control scheme isn't "unwarranted so much as it is misplaced." Kietzmann argues "Resident Evil 5" works because the series has always been about survival and resource management, something that would apparently be diminished if you could fire and shoot at the same time.

He's right, if we were talking "Resident Evil 1." Can you remember many points in "Resident Evil 4" where you were seriously about having an empty clip? That's an old school trick. Here's where Kietzmann and I start to disagree:

"Aside from featuring fairly similar controls and identical camera placement (one of the few times where tank controls actually make sense!), Gears of War expresses the "shoot or move" limitation in its raison d'être: take cover or you'll die. Is shooting from behind stationary (stationery, if it's another one of those drab office buildings) cover all that different from the combat in Resident Evil 5?"

Every set piece in "Gears of War" was designed around the cover system. That's why there's cover littered everywhere, even if it doesn't make any sense. You just accept it because that's how the gameplay works in "Gears of War." "Resident Evil 5" has all sorts of cover, but most of it's useless. Maybe it's less the game doesn't allow you to move and shoot so much as there's no cover system, and the lack of moving and shooting exaggerates the issues it creates.

"Resident Evil 5" treats the player like a mobile turret that parks in a single spot, waits for enemies to get close, then moves to the next spot. Yes, "Gears of War" employs the same style, but gives the player more freedom of movement and uses cover to focus their attention on what they should be shooting at. There's less focus in "Resident Evil 5;" enemies are constantly stumbling in from all around you. It's frustrating to see game over because you couldn't rotate your "turret" in time for that zombie at the door behind you.

Kietzmann eventually moves onto my "Dead Space" comparison.

"Dead Space, too, offers its own interpretation of this common constriction. You're free to walk and shoot in EA's atmospheric adventure, but more often than not, your freedom is impacted by the cramped corridors that space ship designers are so fond of. Dead Space in particular is every bit as focused on precision shooting, with faster and deadlier enemies requiring concentration, not circle-strafing. There's an ability to move and shoot, but not much opportunity."

"Dead Space" uses restricted corridors in the same way that "Gears of War" uses cover to focus the player's attention. "Dead Space" also plays with this convention when monsters appear behind you, but grants the ability to quickly move in any direction to give ample opportunity to fire away and avoid death. Unexpected enemies happen all the time in just the "Resident Evil 5" demo alone, but getting away from them isn't very easy once there's a crowd.

Games moved on since "Resident Evil 4," due to games like "Gears of War" and "Dead Space." This new control scheme appearing near the end of the game's development suggests it was added to appease a crowd expecting the option, but there wasn't enough time to take it all the way or that concept didn't jive with the team. If they had kept it completely like "Resident Evil 4," Capcom could have argued sticking with tradition. They didn't. They went halfway.

The "Resident Evil" series has moved away from quiet tension to bombastic action sequences ever since "Resident Evil 2," and while it's likely most gamers (myself included) will simply adapt to the constraints "Resident Evil 5" puts in front of them, it's hard to not wonder what could have been.

Got a comment you can’t bring yourself to share below this post? Drop me an e-mail.

Who Owns Web Sites For Future 'Metal Gear Solid,' 'Halo' And 'Gears of War' Sequels?

Patrick Klepek — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 15:00:24 +0000

After investigating the confusing back-and-forth domain name ownership with the "Killzone" series, we decided to take three platform-defining franchises -- "Metal Gear Solid," "Halo," "Gears of War" -- and see who actually owns the domain names for each game's sequels.

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Sony owns Killzone.com and Killzone3.com, but not Killzone2.com…or Killzone4.com and Killzone5.com -- but Killzone6.com is still available.

Is this an isolated case, or are other publishers as forgetful when it comes to locking down the domain names for the games they spend millions creating? Turns out it's not isolated at all -- this practice is rampant all over video games.

We chose three major franchises -- "Metal Gear Solid," "Halo," "Gears of War" -- and looked up the most commonly associated domains to see who actually owns the rights. We don't have a Nintendo franchise because Nintendo games don't usually follow a numerical sequel structure.

Did you know that Halo.com doesn't even point to anything "Halo" related? It's actually a website for HALO Branding, a company that makes merchandise for a number of companies -- MTV included, according to the website. It does have a link to what it claims is "Halo"-related gaming, but it forwards to a DELL website. Weird!

Halo2.com is less strange, forwarding to a "Halo 2" web site for the Vista version, while Halo3.com is actually about "Halo 3." It stops there, though, as Microsoft doesn't own Halo4.com, Halo5.com, Halo6.com, Halo7.com, Halo8.com or -- breathe! -- Halo9.com, but it does have some ownership connection to Halo10.com. If you want Halo11.com, however, it's all yours!

As for "Metal Gear Solid," Konami only owns the rights to MetalGearSolid.com, which forward to Kojima Productions' website. MetalGearSolid2.com, MetalGearSolid3.com, MetalGearSolid4.com, MetalGearSolid5.com, MetalGearSolid6.com, MetalGearSolid7.com are all in the hands of various entities -- but MetalGearSolid8.com is available!

"Gears of War" is in the same situation as Solid Snake, where Microsoft (or Epic Games) was only interested in grabbing the first domain and left the rest to the scavengers. GearsofWar2.com, GearsofWar3.com, GearsofWar4.com and GearsofWar5.com are registered to various individuals, while GearsofWar6.com remains untouched.

Phew, that's a lot of links.

Have you guys found any other web site anomalies?

Got a comment you can’t bring yourself to share below this post? Drop me an e-mail.

Glitches: A Multiplayer Gamer Re-Visits The Patched 'Gear of War 2'

Stephen Totilo — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:00:35 +0000

Our intern Sal Basile is back with the first of several pieces about cheaters, glitches and the highs and lows of multiplayer gaming. First, he's checking back in on the recently-patched "Gears of War 2" to see how things are going.

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by Sal Basile

Most competitive Xbox 360 gamers today spend their time on "Gears of War 2", while others stick to "Halo 3" or "Call of Duty: World at War". "Gears of War 2", however, was chock full of glitchers before Epic Games released its patch on January 21.

Did it work?

I spoke to "Gears of War 2" gamer and friend, PJ Borreggine before the game was patched, when no intervention from Epic was in sight. Borreggine, who goes by the gamer tag "Infamous Peej", is currently a Grade 2 rank in "Gears of War 2" and has been playing since the release of the game. "After the game came out it only took less than a month for people to find out all these glitches," Borreggine told me. "Of course, once you come across them, it's cool to try them out. But after the first couple days I stopped doing them, because it only destroys the game for the people who love it."

Infamous Peej went in detail about two of the more popular "GOW2" glitches that were usable before the patch. "The shield glitch is when a player picks up the shield and quickly inputs a button combination, allowing him to use a heavier weapon which is not supposed to be usable, while holding a shield. This glitch also makes the shield invisible to other players, making it very hard to see who is glitching and who is just playing normally.

"A lag switch is when a player has a switch that connects to the Ethernet cable to turn it on and off quickly. This allows the player to lag in place on everyone’s screen but on the screen of the exploiter, he is walking around normally. Meaning he can walk around killing everyone while just standing in a secure area."

Infamous Peej didn't like the glitches: "It really kills the game for me when I’m trying to play -- and I’m doing very well -- but someone has to do things like this, because they can’t compete with everyone else’s skill level. It also impairs my ability to play, because instead of worrying about protecting my teammates or going for the objective of the game, I now worry about avoiding the glitcher or, say, getting to the shield before he can pick it up."

Although "GOW2" had its fair share of glitches, Epic Games decided to breathe new life into its most recent game by patching every glitch players brought to light. The patch "addresses a large number of multiplayer exploits and issues as well as makes some balancing tweaks, includes a couple of new features and even adds 7 new DLC-based achievements" according to an online statement by Rod Fergusson, senior producer of the game.

I asked Infamous Peej how the game felt after the patch. "The game is great again," he said. "It's just like when the game was first released ... I really wish more developers cared enough about the games to listen to the fans like Epic has."

Have you ever stopped playing a game because glitches were not being addressed by the publisher? Have you ever picked up a game again after hearing everything has been patched?

Tomorrow, I take a look at my Top 5 Most Notorious Multiplayer Glitches.

What We're NOT Playing (Sorry 'Gears of War 2' And 'Mirror's Edge')

Patrick Klepek — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:30:54 +0000

Can you tell we're still working through our backlog from 2008? The first month of 2009 is almost over, but we're still mulling over which games from last year we need to push through before we can really enjoy what 2009 has to offer.

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Patrick’s Not Playing...
“Gears of War 2” (Xbox 360)
The reason he’s writing about not playing last year’s shooter yet again: Even though I declared a few weeks back I’d be starting “Gears of War 2” with a friend, that was running under the previous assumption that I wasn’t having much fun with “Fable II.” A few hours of enhanced combat later, however, and I’m suddenly loving my time in Albion and have put off killing underground monsters a little bit longer. Soon, “Gears of War,” soon.

Stephen's Not Playing...
"Mirror's Edge" (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Why he had expected to play it again: This was supposed to be the week that "Mirror's Edge" got several new levels of downloadable content. That content's been delayed, at least most of it. Do I turn on the game for one exclusive PS3 level today? Or do I keep it in the stack with "Fable II" and "Fallout 3," two other games that now have DLC that I'm not ready to play.

Argument: 'Resident Evil 5' Needs To Be More Like 'Dead Space'

Patrick Klepek — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:30:03 +0000

When word broke that Capcom was incorporating a "Gears of War"-style control scheme into "Resident Evil 5," gamers rejoiced, but this week's "RE5" demo proves implementing only part of that system isn't enough; you need to go all the way, something "Dead Space" did and "RE5" doesn't.

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"Resident Evil 4" was a big step forward for the "Resident Evil" series in a lot of ways, perhaps most notably for ditching the tank controls that had plagued the series. But the world has moved on to cover systems and freedom of movement since "RE4," something Capcom may not have anticipated while planning "Resident Evil 5."

This week's "RE5" demo introduces gamers to another substantial revamp of the series' controls, albeit an optional one. You can still play with the "RE4" controls, which just might be the way to play, if the clunky "Resident Evil" take on "Gears of War"-style controls aren't addressed before the game's March 13 release date.

"Dead Space" got it right. It took the fast action we're accustomed to and married it with action horror. The "Resident Evil" series is no longer meant to be scary, but it is designed to be tense -- same as "Dead Space." You never thought about the controls in "Dead Space," but in "RE5," they're at the forefront. Movement in "Dead Space," feels smooth and natural. You can focus on what's really important: killing things.

Capcom only went halfway with "RE5"'s new controls. You can run and "look" simultaneously, but not run and shoot ("Dead Space" did not make this mistake." In "RE5," you still need to stop, line up a shot, holster the gun and run away. Even though the enemies in the "RE5" demo are slow moving, they come in great numbers and often sneak up behind you. The inability to run 'n gun combined with a too-close camera that obscures enemies not right in front of you makes "RE5" unnecessarily frustrating at times.

The lack of run 'n gun is the big problem. Even though camera in "Dead Space" is just as tightly packed behind the main character, "Dead Space"'s slick feel leaves players blaming themselves for dying, not the game.

Perhaps it would have made more sense to have only kept the "RE4" controls; from enemy design to level layout, "RE5" designed for them. This half-hearted attempt may only confuse gamers who start moving around and expecting "Gears of War" or "Dead Space" fidelity and instead die over and over again.

Are you guys having trouble with the "RE5" controls, too?

Got a comment you can’t bring yourself to share below this post? Drop me an e-mail.

'LittleBigPlanet' Garners Most Nominations For Interactive Achievement Awards

Tracey John — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 20:00:16 +0000

PS3 exclusive "LittleBigPlanet" received 10 nominations for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, and will be duking it out with "GTA IV," "Left 4 Dead," "Fallout 3" and "Metal Gear Solid 4" for Overall Game of the Year.

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Today the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. PS3 exclusive "LittleBigPlanet" had the most nominations with 10, including categories like Overall Game of the Year and Console Game of the Year.

Other games that got nods in multiple categories include: "Gears of War 2," "Fable II," "Left 4 Dead," "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" and "Fallout 3."

The winners will be announced on February 19 at an awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Jay Mohr, during the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit in Las Vegas.

Check out the full press release below, along with the full list of nominees for Overall Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Computer Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming and Handheld Game of the Year:

Littlebigplanet leads with an impressive 10 Interactive Achievement Award NOMINATIONS

Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto IV, Left 4 Dead, LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4 Fight It Out for ‘Overall Game of the Year’ Honors

CALABASAS, CA – January 23, 2009 – The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences® (AIAS) today announced the nominees for the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards®. The nominations for the peer-based awards have been dominated by blockbuster game, LittleBigPlanet (Sony Computer Entertainment America) with an astounding 10 nominations from industry leaders and members of the interactive entertainment software business. In addition, finalists with multiple nominations include: Gears of War 2 (Microsoft Game Studios), Left 4 Dead (Valve Software), Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.), Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks), and Fable II (Microsoft Game Studios).

The awards ceremony will take place during the D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit® 2009, on February 19th at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, with comedian, actor and proud game enthusiast, Jay Mohr, returning for his fourth year to host the award ceremony.

These peer-based awards recognize the outstanding products, talented individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry.

“This was an exciting year for games,” said Joseph Olin, president, AIAS. “The depth of talent and creativity in this industry continues to amaze me and we are honored to highlight some of the most impressive games of the year at the Interactive Achievement Awards. The 2009 nominees indeed reflect a stronghold of talent embodying the best and brightest in this field.”

Following is a partial list of finalists; the complete list of finalists is available at www.interactive.org:

Overall Game of the Year

Fallout 3
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Grand Theft Auto IV
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North

Left 4 Dead
Publisher: Valve Software
Developer: Valve Software

LittleBigPlanet
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Media Molecule

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Developer: Kojima Productions

Console Game of the Year

Fallout 3
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Gears of War 2
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Epic Games, Inc.

Grand Theft Auto IV
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North

LittleBigPlanet
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Media Molecule

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Developer: Kojima Productions

Computer Game of the Year

Fallout 3
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios

Left 4 Dead
Publisher: Valve Software
Developer: Valve Software

Mass Effect
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Bioware

Spore
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Maxis

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming

Braid
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Number None

Left 4 Dead
Publisher: Valve Software
Developer: Valve Software

LittleBigPlanet
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Media Molecule

Spore
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Maxis

Wii Fit
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo

Handheld Game of the Year

Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Intelligent Systems

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Developer: Konami

God of War: Chains of Olympus
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Ready at Dawn

Patapon
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment International

Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Level 5, Inc.

Since 1996, the Interactive Achievement Awards have recognized outstanding games, individuals and development teams that have contributed to the advancement of the multi-billion dollar worldwide entertainment software industry. More than 100 titles were played and evaluated by members of the Academy’s Peer Panels. These panels, one for each award category, are comprised of the game industry’s most experienced and talented men and women who are experts in their chosen fields. Interactive Achievement Award recipients are then determined by a vote of qualified Academy members, which is secret, conducted online, and supervised and certified by Votenet™ Solutions, Inc. The integrity of the system, coupled with a broad-based voting population of AIAS members, makes the Interactive Achievement Awards the most credible, respected and recognized awards for interactive entertainment software industry.

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Readers, what do you think? Does "LittleBigPlanet" deserve all the kudos or do other games need to get more credit? Which game do you think should win in each category? Were there any glaring omissions?

'Gears of War 2' Patched, New Achievements Added

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:00:03 +0000

Epic Games has released an automatic patch for "Gears of War 2" -- and the lengthy list of bug fixes and Achievements is impressive.

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My "Gears of War 2" skills are legendary. Just ask Soulja Boy.

But, somehow, while scanning this list of Epic Games' "Gears of War 2" newly-issued bug fixes and tweaks, I felt like I was reading an alien language. The following list of changes primarily affect the game's multiplayer modes. My lack of familiarity with the issues addressed below are because, all kidding aside, I have seldom played the game's multiplayer modes. I stuck to the campaign.

For those of you who have been playing a lot of "Gears of War 2" multiplayer, here are your changes. Hope you like them...

From Epic [via Kotaku]:

Gears of War 2 Title Update 2 Detailed Release Notes

The following fixes and improvements are included in Title Update 2.

Exploit Fixes

Title Update 2 fixes these possible exploits, where under certain circumstances:

* A player could melee or grenade tag through certain walls.
* A player could equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously.
* A player could make their shield invisible.
* A player could become invisible.
* A player could do a "super" mantle or "kung fu flip," flying high into the air.
* A player could gain unlimited ammo with the Lancer Assault Rifle.
* A player could fire while roadie running (also known as "crabwalking").
* A player could pick up a weapon while sliding into cover.
* A player could walk forward while firing a deployed mortar.
* A player could force an opponent to be stuck in the down but not out (DBNO) position.
* A player could prevent other players from picking up a heavy weapon.
* A player could pick up a dropped meatflag without having to knock him down.
* A ragdolled player could be killed without ever going DBNO.
* A player could roadie run while firing the Scorcher Flamethrower.
* A player could get stuck while evading, though they could continue shooting in any direction.
* A player could concuss themselves under the stairs on the River map.

General Fixes

Title Update 2 fixes these other issues as well:

* An issue with client-side hit detection of the Gnasher Shotgun. The fix makes the shotgun more reliable in high-latency situations.
* An issue where players could have shotgun or Boomshot rounds fire into the ground when shooting from the hip.
* A split-screen issue where one player transitioning to the death battle camera disrupted input from the other player.
* An issue that could cause players' Look sensitivity to be changed to their Zoom sensitivity while zooming in, zooming out, and firing.
* An issue that could cause players to get stuck if they tried to pick up a heavy weapon while firing the shotgun at the same time.
* An issue where players could become stuck if they kicked over a shield while ragdolled from a smoke grenade.
* An issue where bots were unable to kick over a shield that was planted backward.
* An issue where players who quit during voting didn't show up in the end game stats, which meant other players couldn't easily provide negative feedback on them.
* An issue where players couldn't chainsaw enemy meatshields if the meatshields were already damaged.
* An issue where some players would not see the animation of a meatshield being chainsawed.
* An issue where players could not chainsaw an opposing team meatshield in a game type that doesn't allow respawns (for example, Warzone and Execution).
* An issue where a player partway through the act of raising or lowering the chainsaw did not transition into a duel when attacked from the front with a chainsaw.
* An issue where occasionally a player waiting to respawn could not respawn when repeatedly hitting the left trigger to switch cameras.
* An issue where some teammates couldn't communicate between rounds in games type that don't allow respawns, because dead team members were left in the dead radio channel until the next round started.
* An issue where a DBNO player could be seen as standing if knocked DBNO while reloading the mortar.
* An issue where a player joining a Private Xbox LIVE game in progress from another specific type of game could potentially lose HUD functionality.
* An issue on the Flood map where a player's dying from Imulsion did not trigger a death message or penalize the player as other environmental deaths did.
* An issue with Guardian games where if the leader is the last player killed on a team, the round may not end, due to the respawn timer.
* A campaign issue where the gamer picture would not be awarded when the game is completed on Insane.
* An issue where a player would continue to fire the flamethrower and damage other players if that player was knocked DBNO while firing it.
* An issue that could cause a player to get stuck while moving and quickly attempting to aim the mortar at the same time.
* An issue with Horde games where clients didn't receive the "waiting for host" message after they failed a wave.
* A Horde split-screen issue that could cause a team to get –2 billion in score, which when posted to the leaderboards looked like +2 billion.
* An issue where dead players may not show up in the metadata for multiplayer photos.
* A system link issue where if a multiplayer match and a co-op game were hosted at the same time on the same LAN, neither could be joined.
* Additional miscellaneous bug fixes.

Balancing

Title Update 2 makes these balancing changes:

* Made planted proximity grenade mines much easier to shoot off the surface they're planted on, by giving them 50 percent less health.
* Set grenades to respawn less frequently. When a player picks up grenades from a spawned location, a new set of grenades does not respawn until the previous grenades have been used.
* Increased the penalty to rank for players who quit Public Xbox LIVE matches early.
* Buffed the flamethrower to have stopping power (to slow a charging enemy) and to cause a chainsaw interrupt (to force the opponent to lower a revved chainsaw).
* Removed the ability to instantly shoot coming out of a roadie run.
* Added additional spawn protection to prevent proximity grenade mines and chainsaws from killing a player within 5 seconds after spawning.
* Balanced grenade spawn cycling on the Hail map so that both teams have equal access to both types of grenades.

We continue to test internally and monitor online gameplay to determine what else may need adjusting.

Improvements

Title Update 2 makes these new improvements:

* Changed Annex games to use execution rules, to prevent players from leaving DBNO opponents on the ground to bleed out.
* Made Horde waves count toward the "Party Like It's 1999" achievement. Each wave is counted as one round.
* Added the ability, during Submission games, to see the flag's final destination by using Tac/Com.
* Increased the frequency of most of the toasts for in-game achievement progression.
* Added achievement progression numbers to the War Journal.
* Added 7 new DLC-based achievements worth 175 points (progress toward them starts after Title Update 2 is applied):
o "Skeletons in Your Closet" (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Flashback Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
o "Trial by, and on, Fire" (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Combustible Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
o "More Mystery, Less History" (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman).
o "The Roof! The Roof! The Roof…" (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps (any mode except Wingman).
o "Bound by a Shared Past" (15 points): Win a Wingman match on each of the 5 Flashback Map Pack maps.
o "Forged in the Fire" (15 points): Win a Wingman match on each of the 3 Combustible Map Pack maps.
o "Annex: Now with Execution Rules" (75 points): Win an Annex match on each of the Flashback and Combustible Map Pack maps (Public only).

"Gears of War 2" fans, did Epic catch everything?