To say we at GearHeads are ready for E3 would be an understatement.  Our Pre-E3 Gears 2 podcast passed 1,000 downloads just two days after hitting the web.  Our follow up podcast that will take the E3 Gears 2 news to a deeper level has already been recorded and has potential to blow up when posted Monday.  A few days later Greg Ford, Managing Editor of EGM will be joining us to talk about the Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft's Press Conferences.  Not to mention two high profile guests coming on our podcast to finish up the month.  

We've finished the pre-game, set up the after party and are just awaiting the big game.  Bring it on, E3; GearHeads is ready and waiting.

If you actively use GearHeads (ie post diaries, visit regularly etc) you'll want to click "Read More" to see how exactly we're handling all the news coming out of E3.  We've decided on a rather particular way of doing it and hope everyone plays along! =)
So go ahead and open up this story to see exactly what we're doing next week (Pics included!) and how you can help!

Click "Read More" for the rest...

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So maybe we should bust out of a prison tomorrow night and kill some Locust in order to properly celebrate Bastille Day, which happens to be Monday, July 14th.  Hey, that's the same day E3 opens.  Next week is always awesome in terms of gaming news.  I'm looking forward to all the new videos and footage.  Especially of Gears 2.

Regardless, I'm putting the FFF thread up early this week because I have a pretty busy day ahead of me.  I'm not sure if I can be there tomorrow night or not.  I think I mentioned that I'm going to be traveling a bunch this month and this weekend is one of those weekends.  I'm going to Oakland to cheer for my Oakland Athletics against the hated Anaheim Angels.

So you guys will probably need a host this week without me.  I'm sure you'll have plenty of volunteers to take over hosting duties.  Have fun, Gearheads and I'm hoping to see you next week instead, only I'm also traveling to Austin, Texas that weekend.  I'm just not sure if I can play or not since I'm not sure the timeframe.  Regardless, sign up below and have a blast.

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Hey Guys,

I posted this in the podcast thread, but I wanted to post it again to make sure people saw it.  Some of the things I talked in the podcast (Boomshot changes, Subway map, Shield decapitation) were in the context of rumors.  I guess through the course of editing two different podcasts together this part of the conversation got lost.  So, just for the record, the boomshot was normal except it now has four shots, and although though I've heard rumblings about a Subway remake and the Shield decapitation, I haven't actually seen them to confirm anything.  Sorry for any confusion.

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The current teaser on the official Epic Gears of War site has what we presume to be Marcus Fenix holding several COG tags in his hand ('For the Fallen').  With those COG tags is a dog tag that has an inscription on it.  If you match those series of numbers to an ASCII table it spells out "ESC N O V 9"!!!  Could this be the date for Re-Emergence Day?!?  Now Nov. 9th falls on a Sunday, but remember that Epic did something similar for Emergence Day in '06 because that insured that everyone had the game from the big box stores in their hands for the official launch of Gears 1.  The actual retail date could actually fall on Tues., Nov. 4th!  Big props to o Dienasty, Dark Infinity, & xbox360fanboy.com for being the first to drop this info!

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All aboard!  The GearHeads E3 Hype Train has officially left the station. Below you will find the link to our first podcast in a series centered around Gears 2 and E3. You can expect the second next week that will feature even more 1UP and GameVideos special guests to talk about all the Gears 2 E3 info as well as the "Big 3's" E3 news. Like I said, look for that next week!

But first, lend an ear to our latest podcast that features David Ellis and Jason Bertrand joining Tyler, Kenny, and I as we force every bit of Gears 2 info that they can give us out of them. Now a big DISCLAIMER here as we had huge technical difficulties that made the editing process torture. The sound quality is perfect throughout, however, we lost about half of the first edition of this podcast and had to re-record.

So instead of airing half of one podcast and then another that covers some of the same stuff I've patched together the best from each and this is what we've got!  So you may hear Jason or David start talking without being introduced.

But fear not!  The discussion is good, the info amazing and the theme music is sexy. Enjoy, GearHeads~
As has already been posted, this is what you can expect:

• An Epic battle between David Ellis and Cliff Bleszinski's teams in a Gears 2 tournament- Find out who wins.
• In-depth discussion of Guardian, Wingman, and MeatFlag (Which has a new name!).
• An awesome feature reveal regarding the Torque Bow
• Talk of the new Shield.
• How using the new grenades work (Sticking them to anything, stun effects, etc.)
• Hear how the Scorcher treats opponents like a cigarette.
• How Gears 2 feels compared to the original.

A huge special thank you to GameVideos Jason Bertrand, David Ellis, and of course- our resident GearHeads!

A note from David:

"Hey Guys, I posted this in the podcast thread, but I wanted to post it again to make sure people saw it. Some of the things I talked in the podcast (Boomshot changes, Subway map, Shield decapitation) were in the context of rumors. I guess through the coarse of editing two different podcasts together this part of the conversation got lost. So, just for the record, the boomshot was normal except it now has four shots, and although though I've heard rumblings about a Subway remake and the Shield decapitation, I haven't actually seen them to confirm anything. Sorry for any confusion."

Click "Read More" for the rest...

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As you all know, E3 is almost one week away...and we've got the goods.  IT SHOULD BE Tomorrow morning at 9 AM PST, that we'll be posting 2 podcasts edited into one (due to mass technical failures) that features both David Ellis and Jason Bertrand from GameVideos discussing their hours upon hours of time with Gears 2 multiplayer with Tyler, Kenny (Blankman!), and I.  Included will be:

• An Epic battle between David Ellis and Cliff Bleszinski's teams in a Gears 2 tournament- Find out who wins.
• In-depth discussion of Guardian, Wingman, and MeatFlag (Which has a new name!).
• An awesome feature reveal regarding the Torque Bow
• Talk of the new Shield.
• How using the new grenades work (Sticking them to anything, stun effects, etc.).
• Hear how the Scorcher treats opponents like a cigarette.
• How Gears 2 feels compared to the original.

And much, much more!  Again, look for this sometime tomorrow morning...and get ready to hit Gears 2 hype into over-drive.

Enjoy! =)

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com·mu·ni·ca·tion-  1. a technique for expressing ideas effectively; 2. the technology of the transmission of information.

It's something that we do each and every day, but it seems to be taken for granted.  

It's no secret that with the upcoming release of Gears 2, gamers are going to be playing on larger, more complex maps, with a greater diversity of environmental hazards.  Teams will be made up of five players instead of four, and the variety of armaments will be considerably increased.  All of this will greatly enhance the need for effective communication across the virtual battlefield.  In essence, communication and teamwork will breed success.  The ability to effectively strategize how you plan to confront or defend against your opponents lies in your effectiveness as a communicator.  Knowing is half the battle.  3Suns and I will be focusing this particular diary solely on effective communication for tactical situations.  These are merely suggestions, folks.  You don't have to be an MLG player to use effective communication.  After all, the entire point of this is to have fun.

I.    Why We Need Effective Communication:

• Knowing what character model your teammates are enables you to call out enemy locations using the "clock technique" (i.e. 12/3/6/9 o' clock).
  
• The coordination of flanking, pincer, high & low ground moves can't be left to mind reading or extra sensory perception.
  
• Knowing when your team is going stealth or dynamic depends on talking.
  
• Timing on when to execute tactical maneuvers can only be accomplished with thorough communication.
  
• Knowing the status of remaining team members is equally important in determining how dire the situation can or will be.
  
• Knowing the odds changes the approach, which your team will take.
  
• Knowing that you've got a wingman to revive or assist with extra firepower is vital to forming impromptu (on-the-fly) plans.
  
• Communication facilitates tactical situations such as baiting your enemies into fatal funnels or chokepoints.
  
• With the inclusion of new feature of proximity mines, tag teaming with a partner opens numerous possibilities of cat & mouse gameplay.
  
• Letting your team know that you are serving as a decoy or distraction is important in trying to secure areas or situations to take out your opponents.

• We're all in this together.  You've got a headset.  Use it.
  
• Part of communication is recognizing your teammates - pick different skins!  
  
• Tell your team what position you are (e.g., third, fourth) when leaving the spawn point.
  
• Refer to yourself in the third-person so your team can quickly identify you by voice.
  
• If you are the first person that comes in visual contact with the enemy, you are the eyes and ears of your team.  Tell your team how many opponents you see, what they are doing, and where they are going.
  
• Tell your teammate(s) that you are trailing them or covering their six.  
  
• Let your team know what power weapons you are trying to acquire or defend.  Call out the number of enemies that you will be engaging.  
  
• As soon as a power weapon is shown on the HUD as taken, report it to your team so they know what kinds of firepower to expect from the enemy.  The ability to hear that information rather than reading it across the bottom of your screen makes such a difference because it "registers" in your brain.
  
• If the enemy has a power weapon trained on you when you are down, warn your teammates.  Prevent your teammates from being ambushed by or baited by calling off a revive.
  
• Let your teammates know where you are by calling out landmarks so they know where they may need to provide cover, revive you, or the location of where the enemy may be.
  
• Sound out from time to time to let your team know that you're still alive.  Take roll call!
  
• Get into the habit of pressing the `back' button on your controller to know who's still alive (teammates & enemies).

On the Canals map
An example of poor communication:
"Hey, there are locusts over there, running around by the sandbags, on the left side near the tree, coming over the bridge."
Why this is poor communication:  

1.  We don't know who is being addressed.  
   
2.  There is simultaneously unnecessary information (e.g., "over there"), and not enough specific information (e.g., How many locusts?)
   
3.  It is ambiguous.  Which sandbags?  Whose left?  Which tree?  Remember, there are at least 2 trees on Canals - one on each side of the middle bridge.

1. It addresses a specific teammate.  RoBBins knows he has to listen - this is info relevant to what he is doing and/or where he is.
   
2. It tells how many locusts he needs to be looking out for.
   
3. It tells him exactly where on the map they are, and in what direction they are moving.
   
4. It is done with as few brief words as possible.  This gets the info across the quickest and keeps the channel clear for more info.
   

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So I didn't get on until late last night because I assumed that no one would be on.  Most folks had said that they were either working or traveling with loved ones.  I finally decided to jump on around 10:30 when I looked at Gearheads and saw that GearsChrisB was waiting for me to host a room.  D'oh!  My bad, people.

I set it up and we had just a few folks join us in the beginning.  Blank, GearsChrisB, Abe, Suns' two boys (it was a lot of fun playing with them since I hadn't done that in a while) and Machete.  It wasn't long before we were joined by Degrees of Freedom, Jambi, ESuns, gackywacky and PureRageMonger.

We had plenty of boom rocket's red glare and nades bursting in air, giving proof that the Gearheads were still there.

I actually used the Torque Bow more often than boom last night for possibly the first time ever.  And I was pretty successful with it.  My biggest highlight was probably my last game of the night when I was the last one left against both PureRage and gacky.  I torqued PureRage when they were trying to flank me.  I don't think he knew it was coming.  I then worked my way around the sniper bridge to come around and get behind gacky before he knew I was there.  I knew I didn't stand a chance if gacky could see me coming.  I got behind him and blew him apart with the shotgun.  He saw me at the last second and nearly took me out.  That actually helped cap an improbable win for myself, Blank, Suns and GearsChrisB against PureRage, gacky, Jambi and Degrees on Canals.  When we started the match, none of us thought we had a chance.  And I had the extra complication of not being able to talk any more because my wife was angry that I was keeping her up with my talking.  So I basically had to mute myself for the last half an hour.  I apologize to my teammates for that.

Also I probably had the dumb moment of the night, even if it wasn't my fault.  It was on Process and I was shotgunning a guy in front of me over by where the Torque was.  Machete was behind me on my team and suddenly he blew up and it said that I killed him with my shotgun even though he never showed up on my screen.  On my screen he was still behind me.  All I could do was apologize.  Shenanigans.

But Machete made it through.  It is the Home of the Brave.

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I'm not sure how many folks will actually be around this Friday night since I'm sure many of you will be taking family trips and taking advantage of a three-day weekend.  But I will be around for sure.

We're staying in town and won't be going anywhere.  So if you are sticking around, sign up below and we'll have a typically frag-a-licious Friday evening.  Of course Gears will be the game of choice.  I don't anticipate that changing any time soon.

I'll be on starting around 8:30 p.m. PST to host a room.  See you guys then!

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I've already asked everyone what their favorite games of the NOW generation is.

But E3 is right around the corner and I'm really excited to see a bunch of games.  Obviously game number one for me is Gears of War 2.  So that goes without saying.  I think most everyone here is probably more excited about that title than anything else.

I'm wondering what are the five other titles you're most looking forward to seeing during the upcoming E3 extravaganza?  What games are you the most interested to hear and see more about?  Yes, Gears 2 is the top of the list, but what else?

Here is my list:

1.  Killzone 2:  I'm not a fanboy or anything, but everything I've seen and read about Killzone 2 has been fantastic for a while.  I've heard a lot of Sony fanboys claim being more excited about Resistance 2 but the first game was such a letdown for me that I'm just not that excited for it.

2.  Alan Wake:  This is more wishful thinking than anything else.  The scarce information I've seen about it has been stellar and that physics demo they had a few years ago was brilliant.

3.  Brothers in Arms:  Hell's Highway:  This is my sleeper pick for game of the year.  It'll be an up(Road to)hill battle for BiA in a year of stellar Triple A releases, but the early BiA games were brilliant on tech that could do a lot less.  I'm looking forward to what Randy Pitchford and company come up with here.

4.  Far Cry 2:  This game has me so very excited.  It really seems like there is so much detail in the world and that there are infinite ways to take out your enemies. The demos just from the engine are awesome.  I hope they really successfully do something with all that power.

5.  Prince of Persia:  The PoP: Sands of Time game was one of my favorites of last gen.  I played through it a couple of times and just loved it.  I'm hoping to see a lot more about this game.

Now, what is your list?

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(WTF in sign language)

This was just reported about an hour ago on BeyondUnreal.com.  According to their article, Epic Games is intending to have dedicated server support for the 360-version.  Personally, I think it's a last ditch effort to sweeten the pot for 360-owners to pick up this game.  Let's face the facts, there are a tremendous amount of gamers playing CoD 4 & Halo 3.  How is Epic going to convince these gamers to pick up a game that's seven months late (PS3 timed exclusive)?  Well, let's throw in dedicated servers.

If UT3 takes off for the 360, can you imagine the possible implications for Gears 2?!?  WTF, indeed!!!

Check out the article:
UT3 360 Dedicated Servers

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My brother took a lot of crap recently for making a comment about Metal Gear Solid 4 being passive entertainment.  I think a lot of people misunderstood what my brother was trying to say when he said that passive entertainment was on its way out.

Now I don't want to speak for him, but to me what he was getting at was the fact that even the most passive forms of entertainment like television and movies where you sit back and just let the story unfold in front of you are becoming more interactive.  The shows that are the most popular are the ones in which you have some kind of interactive component to them.  For example, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars are shows in which America has a direct say in who stays and who goes.  It's not just about sitting back and watching.  Lost is a remarkable phenomenon because people gather online and discuss the theories about what is really happening on the show.  Even watching sports isn't a passive experience anymore as people are gathering in communities like my day job SB Nation's family of blogs to discuss their favorite team's fortunes while they're playing.

So I think Cliff was making a reference to how Web 2.0 and all the other things happening with media now.  The interactivity of Facebook, MySpace.  It's all about our own little corner of interactivity with friends, family and even meeting new people.  XBox Live is another example of this.  Friends Lists.  Home.  XMB's to see what the other people in your life are doing.  

In other words, it's not often about sitting back and turning one of the most interactive medias (video games) into a passive one by making you sit and watch cut scene after cut scene.  Like I said, I'm not speaking for his intentions, but that's what I read into what he was getting at.  That MGS4 was more of a step back towards passive media when most other games are moving towards being much more active, incorporating even quick-time events during what have been passive cut scenes in the past.

I definitely think media has moved more towards interactive rather than the passive.  Blogs, social media sites, even TV shows have moved more towards making everything much more interactive.  Gears is very much all about you being very active in the world and if you aren't, your AI teammates aren't going to get things done.

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