14 DAY TRIAL // This time around there are plenty of reasons for Xbox 360 gamers to be happy. I'm not going to list them all, but just the most recent and most important ones for Gears of War fans, who are already enjoying the new Hidden Fronts map pack and Annex gametype. Thursday, June 14, at 2 a.m. (Pacific time) Epic will release eight new Achievements for the title, via Xbox LIVE. It's going to be one heck of a summer.
And not only summer, but autumn too, because starting September 3, 2007, Hidden Fronts will be available for download via XBLA for free. Gamerscoreblog reports that by adding new Achievements, worth 250 points, Epic has also improved the Roadie Run controls. Also, multiplayer exploits will be squashed, providing general housekeeping.
Epic's Rod Fergusson confirmed all this a little while ago, on the official Gears of War forums: "If the player wants to go into cover then they'll have the stick pointing towards it," Fergusson wrote. "It they want to stay out of cover then they'll have the control stick pointing away from it."
"We tested this method extensively for weeks and really felt that it was a solid improvement, otherwise we would have never released it. We have received numerous emails and forum posts from people who really like the new system but unfortunately that is not true for everyone. Based on what we're hearing from the community now, there are a large number of players where this new control system does not help them as we intended. For that we apologize."
So keep in mind, the Annex gametype is currently available for free download via XBL Marketplace, while the Hidden Fronts Multiplayer Map Pack will set you back some 800 Microsoft Points, also downloadable via XBLM. On Sept. 3, 2007, the map pack will also be free of charge. New Achievements tomorrow!