Shack PSA: Gears of War 3 beta now live

Reminder: The Gears of War 3 beta is now available if you pre-ordered from GameStop, so get in there and duck-roll-shotgun till your heart's content.

Steve Watts

April 25, 2011 12:15 PM

Just in case you forgot among all the hubub of a new Nintendo console and the PlayStation Network exploding, this is your friendly Shacknews reminder that the beta for Gears of War 3 is now available for all -- at least, all those who pre-ordered from GameStop.

This week, you're limited to the Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill modes across three maps: Thrashball, Checkout and Trenches. Next week brings back Capture the Leader mode and the Old Town map. I say "brings back" because they were already available for the Bulletstorm-based beta testers. Finally, the last week of the beta starts May 9, and lets you use all three game types on all four maps.

You can score gear for your Gears through the beta, which unlocks weapon skins and character variants like Thrashball Cole. The beta also promises "special events and surprises" throughout the beta, one of which we saw over the weekend with the bunny head Easter egg.

Steve Watts

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April 25, 2011 12:15 PM

Steve Watts posted a new article, Shack PSA: Gears of War 3 beta now live.

Reminder: The Gears of War 3 beta is now available if you pre-ordered from GameStop, so get in there and duck-roll-shotgun till your heart's content.
- Godhatesfatpeople
  
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  April 25, 2011 1:28 PM
  
  I don't understand the black football player
  - Phunk
    
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    April 25, 2011 1:45 PM
    
    Wasn't the black guy from the first two games an ex-football player or am I just getting confused because he was played by Terrible Terry Tate?
    - ATimson
      
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      April 25, 2011 4:59 PM
      
      "Thrashball", technically. The image above is an unlockable skin for him.
    - ArcKnight
      
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      April 25, 2011 5:02 PM
      
      Wait, the voice actor for Cole actually IS the guy that played Terry Tate?
      
      Fuck, now I know why I've always considered them the same person!
      - MikkleThePickle
        
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        April 25, 2011 11:07 PM
        
        yes, they even designed the player model around him :)
- Fenring42
  
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  April 25, 2011 1:30 PM
  
  Anyone wanna do a Shackbattle thingy on this?
  
  I'm guessing no
  - josexnc
    
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    April 25, 2011 3:05 PM
    
    I will, shoyu99
  - jake
    
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    April 25, 2011 5:41 PM
    
    Matchmaking only...no private games.
    - Fenring42
      
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      April 25, 2011 7:08 PM
      
      We could make a party and roll some noobz. If we get ten people, that's a full lobby.
- vertdang
  
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  April 25, 2011 2:01 PM
  
  Is anyone else less than enthused about Gears3?
  - Gwyndion
    
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    April 25, 2011 2:17 PM
    
    I find with Gears games... both times I was kind of ambivalent right up until a week or so before the release.. then I get excited. And both times I enjoyed the hell out of the games. The shooting and cover mechanics are just a lot of fun in these games, the action and set-pieces are great and the graphics are usually the top end of what can be done on the system at that time. I know Gears gets a lot of shit on the Shack... but I'm a big fan.
  - pun][sher
    
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    April 25, 2011 2:21 PM
    
    I love co-oping them with friends over live, but have never really gotten into multiplayer. Dedicated servers interest me though..
  - Beady
    
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    April 25, 2011 2:57 PM
    
    I'd have thought everyone would have bashed their heads together so much now they would be comatose.
  - Wombat Woo
    
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    April 25, 2011 5:29 PM
    
    Story - Better than Sci-Fi original.
    Game play - Entertaining, but with the occasional frustrating part.
    Level design - fucking awesome from a visual perspective. Hit & miss from a game play perspective.
- jake
  
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  April 25, 2011 5:42 PM
  
  It's a solid beta and it's fun to blast around in the gears style again. It takes some getting used to it, but it feel pretty balanced. At first you're going to be "WTF sawed-off shotgun is too powerful", but then you'll learn that the lancers take roadie runners down in no time and then you'll lol.
- lechuck59
  
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  April 25, 2011 5:47 PM
  
  It's to your heart's content, not till.
  - soundcreepy
    
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    April 25, 2011 6:08 PM
    
    you sure? it seems that till would fit better than to......
    - lechuck59
      
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      April 25, 2011 6:18 PM
      
      Till your heart is content makes sense, yes, but the idiom is definitely "to your heart's content," and it also makes sense because content can be an adjective or a noun.