Gearheads of War

go to xbox live marketplace and in the bottom left corner it will say press X to add microsoft points and if you have a credit card attached to your account you can buy whatever amount you need for points to get to 800 points for the new maps.

Woot!  Actually, from what I've heard about your FFF playing, this may be the only time that I get to beat you at anything, MDK.

Speaking of FFF, thanks for attempting to get me involved last Friday, papi blez.  I was at a friend's casa playing Halo 2 and drinking copious amounts of rum, and could not join.

I promise that I will be joining you guys one Friday in the next month!

Ugggh!  So, in the grand scheme of things, can you figure out how the points are shared between the game developer (EPIC) and the bank (M$).  Is the transaction going to the game developer to further support good games, or is it a ploy by M$ to wring more profit out of thin air.  As I recall, it was EPIC (in various public publications) that said they were prepared to give the download content out in support of their game, but it is M$ that continues to push micro transactions.  Once the game is out M$ add no more value to the Gears experience, nor do they incur additional costs.  Its magic money for them.

I think that as consumers we should be a little more vigilant and not let M$ roll us into a mode of accepting micro transaction after micro transaction.  It has already become a game where 100 points does not equal $1.  Pretty soon, we could expect to see microsoft points increase in actual monetary expense or downloads increase in point values.  Where or when does it roll in our favor (the consumer) and we begin to experience a decrease in costs per transaction for the consumers?  Especially, if the number of consumers increase with each new console bought.  If that is the case, then I think that consumers need to become more vocal in our unacceptance in micro charges.  

There is a little thing that is said by Morgan Webb on G4TV, "If games become a venue for advertising then we (consumers) should get our games at a lower cost or free."  Now, I'm paraphrasing it a bit, but with this in mind, I would rather see downloadable content on the xboxlive marketplace be a sponsored asset rather than another spoonful of M$ micro transactions. Sponsorship can be in the form of inserts in games, tournaments, contests, and something we havent' seen yet.  

I'm just a little worn out by micro transactions.  I bought the console, I buy the peripherals, I purchase the gold access, I buy the games, and now I just want to enjoy the games.  The encouragement of game developers to add content is not to make a better profit margin on add-ons, it should really be considered as enticement to new gamers to buy the game.  I think that if you read back into some of what EPIC was preaching earlier, they would agree.

M$ has an opportunity to burn-out its base with micro-transactions, cause if Sony gets a stock of games, gets people online for free, and we all get to see game developers give free content cause Sony isnt pushing the milk money jug, then you may hear a whole new hue and haw from the masses of 360 owners.  Heck, some of you should be a bit miffed about purchasing another upgraded console from the original.  If you aren't yet, then maybe you will when the Elite gets another upgrade 4 to 6 months from now.

I just think M$ is pushing the envelope of consumer satisfaction.

 

so these maps are the first four and then I'll probably add in a few more of my favorites like Fuel Depot and Canals (yes, I've come to love this map).

Sheesh ;-)

I don't think we need to worry about the Gearheads.  I really believe everyone that reads this site will be purchasing the new maps.

I would have loved it if they were free, but these are not community generated maps like they have for computer games.  Epic made these maps.  Best of all, if 800 points doesn't fit your budget, you can get them for free in 4 months.  I think that is a brilliant marketing strategy.  You know, knowing that M$ and Epic are willing to give them away, makes paying for them painless.  The irony.

how can you dis Jack Bauer like. I just cant believe that you 24 has been a dissappointment. Well you know what you have been a dissappointment to me because you havent been able to play the xSilentStrykex Wait until friday night and send him a request to play and i shall have my revenge for you dissing the ultimate Jack bauer. And you had a request for us to send you messages and i did and you never sent me one back. that is really disappointing to me papi. (Just Joking Man)

Seriously though i cant wait to play FFF, and i will get on as soon as i can, and hopefully you can get on earlier because 4 am is just to late (or is it to early) for me.

and by the way, the Subway level looks like it won't turn into another Raven Down. If you look in the bottom right corner, you can see that there is a boomshot there :)

And my initial response was surprise and like someone kicked me in the gut, because Epic had promised more free maps.
http://www.2old2play.com/News/Gears_of_War_Map_Pack_outs_Microsoft_in_a_Fib

However, for the HOURS and HOURS of entertainment I will get out of new maps, it is cheap.  Also, it is Gears.  They got me over the barrel on this one.  They can slap me back and forth and I will still be asking them to accept my money.  ha ha ha.

I was thinking the four new maps and those other three as well.  We went through the cycle nearly twice last time.  I might include Mausoleum as well.

was only a small picture of what the map looks like, so we can't depict the size of each map.

tomorrow if you're around.  I can't really play at night, but I'll be on during the day.

10$ really isn't much. I mean, really.