Gears of War Realm

Well we had heard about new maps being completed and waiting for us, but no release date was ever mentioned. Well it’s now been revealed that Thursday, May 3rd is the release date for the new maps. They will cost us 800 Microsoft Points, unless you wait until September 3rd after which they will be free.

Below is the official press release from Microsoft:

On Thursday, May 3, at 9 a.m. GMT, Xbox LIVE® gamers should ready their weapons and prepare for battle as “Gears of War®”, rated M for Mature, releases four new action-packed multiplayer maps in the thrilling “Hidden Fronts” Multiplayer Map Pack. For 800 Microsoft points, COG soldiers and the Locust Horde will clash once again for control of these four dynamic new areas, including Bullet Marsh, Garden, Process and Subway.

Bullet Marsh: In this Kryll-infested swamp, an old generator still powers the area lights. A few stray bullets could easily knock out the generator, leaving combatants to fend for themselves against the Kryll.

Garden: This overgrown and crumbling conservatory still has a working fertilization and pesticide system. This system can pose a serious hazard to anyone who ventures into the greenhouse without first venting the air.

Process: Teams must fight for control of this subterranean Imulsion processing plant, still active despite the cessation of the Pendulum wars.

Subway: Timgad’s Central Subway station used to serve as a central hub for commuters. Now the tunnels are crawling with Locust.

The “Hidden Fronts” Multiplayer Map Pack will explode onto Xbox LIVE Marketplace on May 3 for 800 Microsoft Points as gamers steady their aim, pull the pin from their grenades and get ready to battle once more! All four of the new maps will be made available at no cost over Xbox LIVE on Sept. 3, 2007.

I guess I know what I’ll be doing on Thursday night, how about the rest of you?

Have you wanted to run your own online tournament with friends? Ever annoyed at trying to manage the ladder, matches, etc on paper? Well some impressive work has been done to make this easier on you by bringing you the website, gearsofwartournaments.com.

Here is a quick description of the website from one of the creators.

GearsOfWarTournaments is a 100% user-run tournament site, hosting any flavour of GOW match (1v1 through 4v4, Annex/other modes/anything) with a ranking system for teams and users. It manages the matchups, tourney progress and then xp from your wins/losses, while letting you blog, create tournaments and join on your own.

I think it’s really handy and can be of a real use for those wanting to run a tournament. Be sure to give them your feedback too so they can continue to evolve their site.

On that note, how would people feel about managing a local tournament with other Gears Of War Realm readers?