Today in San Francisco Microsoft and Epic Games announced details on the upcoming Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta. The Microsoft Showcase event also featured additional news for Xbox 360, Kinect, and Windows Phone 7.


The public multi-player beta for Gears of War 3 is set to go on Xbox 360 mid-April and will contain four new maps with three new Versus Multiplayer modes.

All Gears 3 fans can now vote on which maps they would like to play by visiting the official Gears of War Facebook page.

Here are your voting options:

1. Overpass
2. Old Town
3. Mercy
4. Trenches

Executive producer Rod Fergusson announced that an exclusive gold lancer would be available via the BETA and that it would be yours to keep if you meet the requirement of 90 matches played and 100 kills.

A bunch of new Gears of War 3 Screenshots and official boxart also emerged from today's event. Here is a quick run through of the latest gears of war 3 info with all the extra announcements just after the break.

Gears of War 3 - Kicking off in mid-April, the Gears of War 3 public multiplayer beta will give players a chance to experience three new Versus Multiplayer modes on four new maps, and help shape the year’s biggest blockbuster, set to launch worldwide on Sept. 20 and in Japan on Sept. 22. You can even decide which maps you would like to see in the beta starting today by visiting the Gears of War Facebook page and voting on their favorites. Voting ends on Feb. 28.


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Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack – Available on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft Points on March 15, the Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack introduces three stunning new battlefields for the most critically acclaimed shooter of 2010. Set in the heat of the legendary Battle of Reach, the three new warfronts – Condemned, Highlands and Unearthed – are primed for non-stop action in Firefight and all competitive multiplayer modes.

Trailers & Videos | Screenshots & Media

Halo Waypoint – Looking for more ways to share your best Halo victories with friends? Fire up Halo Waypoint on Windows Phone 7 or HaloWaypoint.com today to check out the new stat-tracking features, which allow you to share your in-game stats on the web and compare against friends from the palm of your hand.

Screenshots & Media

Crysis 2 3-D – Stunning in either HD or 3-D, Crysis 2 from Crytek and Electronic Arts, lets players step into a post-apocalyptic world where alien invaders stalk the streets of New York City. With 12 multiplayer maps and six modes on Xbox LIVE, wield the supersoldier enhancements of the Nanosuit 2 when Crysis 2 launches on Xbox 360 on March 22.

Trailers & Videos | Screenshots & Media

Child of Eden – Winner of several E3 awards, Child of Eden is a multi-sensory shooter from the mind of renowned game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi that will send players diving into a kaleidoscopic matrix of synchronized music and mind-blowing visuals. Since “Child of Eden” was designed with Kinect for Xbox 360 in mind, only on Xbox 360 players will experience the controller-free magic that provides a new dimension of immersion when the game launches later this year.

Trailers & Videos | Screenshots & Media

The Gunstringer – From the developers that brought you award-winning hits like Splosion Man, The Maw and Comic Jumper, comes an all-new Kinect-exclusive title, The Gunstringer for Xbox LIVE Arcade. Take control of an undead marionette in an epic Wild West stage production that requires your puppeteering and quick draw shooting skills to exact revenge on the Gunstringer's enemies – all controller-free.

View The Gunstringer Trailers | Screenshots & Media

The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile – Created by award-winning indie developer James Silva, “The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile” is the stylistic action platform sequel to 2009’s “Dead Samurai.” The exclusive Xbox LIVE Arcade title features solo and co-op campaigns, 50 intense arcade challenges, an almost endless Dish Challenge, and now for the first time, the combo-fueled action will be playable in 3D. Grab your six foot long syringe and sharpen your cleavers, because it's about to get bloody.

Screenshots & Media

Once Upon a Monster – In a truly original interactive experience, young players join Cookie Monster, Elmo and other Sesame Street characters as they explore a living storybook titled Once Upon a Monster. In the book, they make new zany monster friends from the Once Upon a Monster world and share in their adventures, solving problems, forging friendships and learning key life skills along the way. Parents and children literally become part of the whimsical storybook adventure by getting active together through dancing, jumping, flying and more.


Fable III Traitor’s Keep game add-on – Available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 560 Microsoft Points on March 1, the Traitor’s Keep game add-on continues the journey as fans venture into three new levels called Ravenscar Keep, Clockwork Island, and the Godwin Estate, taking on new quests and encountering a mysterious prisoner. Traitor’s Keep also comes packed with 250 gamerscore points and additional content.

Also announced was a list of must Have Games for Xbox LIVE on Windows Phone 7: Kicking off this spring, this collection of the biggest names in mobile games brings you six weeks of hits, including Plants vs Zombies, Hydro Thunder Go, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I, geoDefense, Doodle Jumpand more – all complete with Xbox LIVE Achievements, leaderboards and more.

For more information on each title listed be sure to visit the links we have provided to the 360-HQ games database and other relevant articles or visit the games database directly.

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360-Hq Games Database: http://games.360-hq.com
360-Hq Trailers & Videos: http://videos.360-hq.com"