The hotly anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2 will ship with a voucher valid for downloading five multiplayer maps from the original Gears, according to a GamePro magazine interview with Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski. The map redux pack includes fan-favorites Gridlock, Subway, Canals, Mansion, and Tyro Station. No word on if the maps will feature any sort of upgrades in the visual department.

The voucher can be used one time only and will be included all new copies of the title, whether you pre-ordered or not. That means those who go for a used copy will be out of luck.

Thanks krazyking for the tip!

Gears of War 2 Will Get GoW 1 Maps [Blend Games]

The rumors are true: ex-Kojima Productions employee Ryan Payton has jumped ship to Microsoft Game Studios. Payton joins Corrinne Yu from Gearbox and former id Software art lead Kenneth Scott, as well as developer David Wu from Pseudo Interactive and Frank O’Connor, a well-known Bungie veteran who previously led Halo community efforts.

According to Microsoft, all of the hires are hard at work to “develop new and exciting projects within the Halo universe.” Note the plural in “projects,” that’s interesting.

Last August, Microsoft released details on the Fable II Limited Edition package that is shipping out alongside the standard edition on October 21. Turns out, due to “supply chain issues,” certain incentives had to be removed from the LE pack. That means you won’t be receiving the premium box, five printed fate cards, and Hobbe figure along with your purchase. The “making of” DVD and in-game bonus content will still be included, however.

To accommodate for the loss, Microsoft is lowering the MSRP of the LE to $69.99, down from $79.99. Additionally, for a limited time only, Microsoft is giving away free copies of a special Fable album to fans. Point your browser to Sumthing Digital on October 6 and enter in the promotion code “FableCollection” to receive a selection of tracks from Fable and the sequel.

Electronic Arts announced today that its futuristic survival horror effort Dead Space has gone gold and is in the process of being shipped off to manufacturing. In North America, the title is scheduled to hit retail shelves on October 14 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with a PC release following on October 20. It’ll hit all three platforms in Europe on October 24.

Folks who purchase the 360 or PS3 edition within the first two weeks following the game’s debut will receive a platform exclusive suit, a Xbox-themed Elite Suit and PlayStation-themed Obsidian Suit.

Additionally, to coincide with the game’s North American launch, EA will be offering an exclusive Dead Space Ultra Limited Edition on the EA Store. Priced at a whopping $149.95, the LE includes a 97-page art book, 160-page graphic novel, two bonus DVDs, a lithograph illustrated and signed by Ben Templesmith, and an Ishimura crew patch. 1000 copies will be available for purchase.

Capcom’s annual financial report, released early last month, projected worldwide Resident Evil 5 sales of 2.3 million. That figure was apparently on the “low end,” though, as producer Jun Takeuchi hopes the title will eventually break the 3 million barrier.

At the low end of the scale, I would say 2 million copies worldwide. I’d like to see it start there and eventually reach 3 million copies. I think users in Europe and America will be particularly pleased with the game’s content.

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Citing quality concerns, EA has axed Tiberium, a squad-based first person shooter set in the Command Conquer universe announced last December. The title was recently delayed into EA’s 2010 fiscal year, but repeated attempts to overcome the design challenges associated with the project have failed, ultimately leading to cancellation.

According to an internal memo passed throughout EA, several of those who were working on Tiberium will be let go from the company. For the rest of the Tiberium team, EA “make every effort to place affected individuals on projects within the studio,” as well as connecting them with other teams inside of EA.

The full memo is after jump. more »

Developer Pandemic Studios has sent word that it will release the “Total Payback” update for Mercenaries 2: World in Flames on October 13th for Xbox Live and on October 20th for the PlayStation Network. This update will allow players to create even more chaos in the streets and hills of Venezuela, offering the following additions:

* Cheats – Unlock the total-payback power of all weapons, vehicles and airstrikes in Mercenaries 2, as well as everyone’s favorite: Infinite Ammo and Infinite Health

* SIX New playable characters – From Blanco to Fiona, Ewan, Eva and more

* Cross-region Co-Op multiplayer SUPPORT – Tear through Venezuela with friends from around the world

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Capcom has sent word that its tactical real-time strategy title Age of Booty, formerly known as Plunder, will hit Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network on October 15 and the 16th, respectively. A PC release will follow soon after on nearly all major digital distribution platforms, including Direct2Drive, Digital River, Metaboli, Impulse, and Steam. Pricing is set at $10, or 800 Microsoft Points for the XBLA folk.

Unlike your typical RTS offerings, Age of Booty is catered towards the casual gamer. The title features a simple control setup, as well as lesser focus on resource gathering and does away with the time-consuming process of base building. With support for 8-way multiplayer over Live or PSN, players take control of a lone pirate ship and set off to capture enemy points.

The highlight of this week’s singular Xbox Live Arcade update is War World, a third person shooter featuring a mix of action and tactical gameplay, Microsoft announced today. Players can take control of 16 different armored war-machines known as mechanoids, each with its own unique attributes and abilities. In addition to a expansive single-player campaign consisting of 100 levels, players can compete online in four traditional game modes: Capture the Flag, Bomb Assault, Death Match and Team Death Match.

Arriving worldwide this Wednesday, October 1, War World will cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Microsoft today announced that during the five-week course of its Summer of Arcade initiative, the Xbox Live service saw a 58 percent increase in unique members purchasing titles. Additionally, total revenue figures the month of August surpassed the monthly high by 67 percent.

“At E3, we committed to re-focusing the Xbox LIVE Arcade business, vowing to release bigger and better games while focusing on quality and not quantity,” said Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox LIVE. “The debut of the new strategy proved to be a huge success, with the Summer of Arcade making August the highest grossing month to date. But the focus on quality games doesn’t stop with the Summer of Arcade. We have plenty more great titles coming out in the next few months and beyond that we think will continue to fuel this incredible momentum.”

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