Last Updated:
6:10 EST
June 17th

Latest Updates:

• Off-screen footage of ‘Road to Ruin’ from E3
  Click here for the video
• Trailer with all 7 maps and ‘Road To Ruin’ at Gametrailers:
  Click here for the video

Dark Corners DLC & All Fronts DLC FAQ

What?

• Dark Corners contains 7 new maps and the ‘Road to Ruin’ deleted campaign chapter, All Fronts contains all DLC to date (Including Dark Corners) in one compilation package.

When?

• 28th of July, 12:00AM (Midnight) GMT.

Where?

• The Xbox Live Marketplace.

How Much?

• 1200 MS points for Dark Corners, 1600 MS points for All Fronts. 

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Microsoft announced today that this week’s Xbox Live Deal is the Combustible Multiplayer Map Pack for Gears of War 2. Normally priced at 800 points, the Combustible Multiplayer Map Pack is now available for 560 Microsoft Points.

The Combustible Map Pack unleashes three new multiplayer maps: Flood, Gold Rush and Fuel Station.

Flood

Flood is a very tight map that’s made extra snug when the environmental hazard of Imulsion begins creeping up around the edges. As the playing field closes in, the firefight will intensify as combat is forced to the center of the map. Teams skilled at flanking their opponents will have a powerful edge.

Gold Rush

Gold Rush takes place in an old Imulsion refinery that now serves as a hotly contested battleground. Players must survive heavy crossfire as they infiltrate the factory and navigate multiple tiers. Breakable glass allows for a clean shot at those who make a dash for the Longshot rifle while bolder players make their run for the heavy weapon. In the right hands, the Mortar can be devastating on this map, so keep those smoke grenades armed as the concussive effect comes in very handy.

Fuel Station

Fuel Station is situated in a desolate area marked by an abandoned fossil fuel station. The team that secures and controls the station is likely to be the side that wins the match. An especially strategic location on this map is the rooftop, as there are only two points of entry – the main elevator and a staircase on the back side of the building. Heavy weaponry is situated right in front, which presents a high risk to reward ratio in this level. Lugging the Mulcher around, deploying it and revving it up can keep an entire team at bay, and unleashing hell from the rooftops is always an excellent tactic.

On Thursday night Spike TV had a preview of ”Road to Ruins”, plus couple new looks at the maps. Check it out!

IGN reveals in an interview with Epic producer Rod Fergusson that the developer has decided to reduce the cost of the Dark Corners pack for Gears of War 2 after listening to some fan criticism of the original 1600 MS point price tag.

“First, we decided to make Dark Corners available for 1200 points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, a reduction from 1600. Don’t get me wrong, Dark Corners is the biggest Game Add-on we’ve ever released, and it was a good deal at the old price, but based upon community feedback this just felt like the right thing to do. Also, we’ve decided to release the All Fronts Collection on Xbox LIVE Marketplace in order to make it available to the widest audience possible. The All Fronts Collection will be priced at 1600 Microsoft Points, and both offers will be available July 28th at 12:00 AM GMT in twenty-five countries around the world.”

Read the rest of the informative interview over at IGN.

On Thursday Night’s GTTV, There was a sneak peak at the MEMORIAL map. Take a look!
Memorial: It’s all about the heavy weaponry in Memorial, set near the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Take a moment to remember your fallen comrades before using your flanking and evasive skills to take control of the Boomshot and the battle

Tonight at 6:30 PM ET, X-Play travels to Seattle to score an interview with Michael Capps, the President of Epic Games, about the upcoming Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection. Capps also details some of the new maps included in the collection, the continuation and expansion of the single-player campaign and the addition of stealth gameplay.

Courtesy of AchievementHunter, we have full achievement titles and descriptions for the new achievements. These were attained at the recent event that showcased Nowhere and the All Fronts package contents. See below for the full list of what’s to come.It should be noted these 13 new achievements bring Gears 2 up to a gamerscore of 1750, the current DLC addon cap, meaning no more achievements can be added. This probably means this is the last DLC for Gears of War 2 also, but who knows?

Afraid of the Dark (20)
Play a multiplayer match on each of the 7 Dark Corners Map Pack maps

Did Not Go Gentle (30)
Win a multiplayer match on each of the 7 Dark Corners Map Pack maps (any mode)

Blood on the Sand (50)
Reach level 50 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-50 on the Nowhere map in Horde

Am I Only Dreaming? (40)
Reach level 40 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-40 on the Memorial map in Horde

Like Father, Like Gun (30)
Reach level 30 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-30 on the Allfathers Garden map in Horde

Lost in Transition (20)
Reach level 20 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-20 on the Way Station map in Horde

No, But His Face Rings a Bell (15)
Reach level 15 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-20 on the Sanctuary map in Horde

Ride It All Night Long (10)
Reach level 10 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-10 on the Highway map in Horde

Be Careful What You Wish For (10)
Reach level 5 in multiplayer and complete waves 1-10 on the War Machine map in Horde

Is It Hot or Is That Just You? (25)
Kill 25 Bloodmounts with a Scorcher while playing Horde on a Dark Corners Map Pack map

Two for the Road (25)
Complete the “Road to Ruin” deleted scene in co-op as either Marcus or Dom

Highway to Hell (25)
Complete the “Road to Ruin” deleted scene after choosing the blasting option

My Way or the Highway (25)
Without being detected, complete the “Road to Ruin” deleted scene after choosing the stealth option

[Source]

Microsoft Game Studios has responded to criticism from Ars Technica concerning the price of the upcoming Dark Corners DLC for Gears of War 2, which includes new multiplayer maps and a new single-player chapter.

Guy Welch, the Global Product Manager for Xbox Global Marketing, had this to say on the issue.

“As you report, the a la carte price for the ‘Dark Corners’ content on Xbox LIVE is 1600 points, which includes seven maps and a new campaign chapter,” he told Ars. “If you weigh each component equally, that’s $2.50 each, which is in-line with the Game Add-On prices you see on Xbox LIVE. We think this is a great standalone value.

“In addition, there’s the ‘All Fronts’ collection which is a limited-time retail product for $20, which is intended for new Gears players or people looking to catch up with what they might have missed earlier this year (Flashback was released in November, Combustible was released in December, Snowblind in March, and Dark Corners arrives in July). It’s a great deal.

“I’m an early adopter, and sometimes I pay more in the end than if I would have if I’d waited for special promotions to come along,” he explains. “It’s the same situation here—MS did not set out to ‘royally annoy’ players, and certainly not to scam them, but to give special incentives to attract new players 8 months or so after the game’s initial release.”

The full story Here

Microsoft and Epic Games deliver seven new multiplayer maps to Gears of Wars 2 in July’s retail release of the Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection, finally answering the question “what is Dark Corners?”

Back in March, rumors flew about a new batch of downloadable content for Gears of Wars 2 called Dark Corners, but Epic denied that such DLC existed. Turns out that they were telling the truth(kinda). Dark Corners is not DLC. It’s a new map pack being included in the Gears of War 2: All Fronts Collection, available exclusively at retail worldwide on July 28th. The collection includes all of the Gears 2 DLC to date, along with Dark Corners, a collection of seven new multiplayer maps which you can find detailed below. The collection will be priced at $19.99.

“Dark Corners” will also sport a “deleted scene from the game’s campaign that takes you deep into the bowels of the Locust hollow.” This segment, called “Road to Ruin” will also introduce a new stealth element, giving the player the option to get their Solid Snake on with Marcus Fenix. Or, you can just go in guns blazing.

In order to make the pack worthwhile to those who’ve already downloaded the majority of the Gears 2 DLC, the package also contains an introduction from Cliff Bleszinski for “Road to Ruin”, a collectible poster, a strategy guide, and a custom Xbox Live theme.For those of you already rocking the previously released Gears 2 map packs, Gears of War 2: Dark Corners will also be available for individual purchase and download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 1,600 Microsoft Points. (continue reading…)