14 DAY TRIAL // After releasing Bulletstorm at the beginning of the week, Epic Games has now revealed a huge amount of details about the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta.
A huge amount of details were presented, so we decided to gather them all up and highlight the most important things about the multiplayer of the highly awaited third-person shooter.
First up, the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will be launched around "mid-April", according to Epic Games, while the full game is set to be released across the world on September 20, exclusively for the Xbox 360.
Two maps will be included in the beta stage, one called Checkout, which takes place in destroyed shopping center, and the other named Trashball, like the fictional sport from the Gears of War universe, which is a tight quarters map centered around a derelict stadium, complete with a scoreboard in the center that displays the scores of each team.
Four other maps can also be added into the game, but players will have to decide on just two of them by voting on the Gears of War Facebook page.
The four maps are called: Overpass, Mercy, Old Town and Trenches.
Overpass, like its name suggests, takes place near a highway bridge that offers high ground advantage and a deadly turret that can be controlled by either team.
Mercy is a wide open temple arena with low cover and lots of flanking potential.
Old Town delivers a ghost town feel, complete with pumpkins that make headshot sounds when they're hit.
Last but not least, Trenches offers a Locust-inspired setting, with sandstorm effects that turn the whole map into massive dust cloud.
Besides the new maps, the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will have a wide array of weapons, both new ones and classic items from the first two games, each with their own execution moves.
These weapons include "The Bayonet Charge, The Retro Lancer, The Sawed-off Shotgun, The OneShot - a heavy sniper rifle that shoots through shields or cover for a surprise one shot kill, The Incendiary Grenade, The Digger Launcher and a few subtle tweaks to old favourites Hammerburst and The Classic Lancer."
Playing the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta will also unlock exclusive goodies for the final game, according to its developer.
The only way to get the Gold Retro Lancer in the full Gears of War 3 is to play around 90 beta matches and rack up 100 Retro Lancer kills, according to Cliff Bleszinski, the main designer of the game.
You'll also be able to unlock a new skin for Cole Train, called Thrashball Cole, dressing the Gears of War character in his old Thrashball uniform. You'll need to play over 70 matches to unlock it and more to "keep" him.
Owners of the Bulletstorm Epic Edition will have first access into the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta, but other means of entry will be revealed as we approach the launch of the testing stage.
Until then, check out the screenshots of the beta below, as well as the official cover art for Gears of War 3 up above.
