Gears of War\'s New \"Hidden Fronts\" Map Pack: Hands On!
Posted December 31, 1969 by Kenneth Seward, Jr.
The only thing worse than being hunted
down by a pack of angry Locust is being hunted down and running out of
ammo. I was just about to ask for another clip for my lancer when Don
took a round to the skull. He obviously had other things on his mind at
the time so I ran for cover. Diving behind a decrepit jalopy, I was
able to give them the slip. It would only be a matter of time before
they sniff me out.
Good thing it’s
raining, I don’t smell so bad in the rain. There were only two Locust
left. Armed with shotguns, it might as well have been ten of them. Why
tonight of all nights would we have to be stuck in a swamp with Kryll
flying everywhere? As they walked towards my position all I could think
about was Don laying there with his thoughts covering the ground. He
was always there for me when I needed him. I remember all the close
calls we had in the field. He was a good friend. As the wind picks up
there is a flash of lightning followed by a roar of thunder. The loud
bang rings in my ears as the hail of aquatic bullets pounds the earth.
I thought to myself, I can use this to my advantage.
I will strike during the next lighting strike; hopefully the thunder
will conceal my attack. I wait for what seems like forever when I get
my break.
They split up! One walks past the car I am hiding behind while the
other takes off in the opposite direction. Now all I have to do is wait
for the flash. Timing my attack with the explosion of thunder, I run
around the car and into the first victim. He didn’t even see me with
all the rain coming down. I rev up my chainsaw and start rearranging
his body parts. It’s a loud and messy affair. Shots ring out.
I guess my timing was off because the other Locust started shooting at
me. I ran for my life back towards Don’s body. I was able to make it to
him when the Locust’s gun jammed. He tried to reload it as I picked up
Don’s shotgun. That was when he became victim number two!
That’s not bad for my first time playing on Bullet Marsh, one of the
new multiplayer maps in Gears of War. Gamers everywhere were able to
download the new Hidden Fronts map pack on May 3 for 800 Microsoft
points. Let me be the first one to tell you that they are worth every
point!
Bullet Marsh
Bullet Marsh is an awesome map. The flooded swamp area acts like a moat
and wraps around the map, going under a covered bridge. This is where
you would spawn during a match. This area will take you around the
outer edge, leading to the generator that provides power to sections of
the map containing weapon pickups. A few shots from your lancer will
take it out, shutting off the lights for a minute or two. While the
lights are off, anyone caught in those places will be attacked by the
Kryll that is constantly flying overhead. To be honest I didn’t see too
many people attacked by the Kryll. Anyone who has played Gears for some
time will know that all you have to do is dive about two feet and
you’re back in the light. If you’re playing Annex mode I can see this
being more effective with everyone trying to capture the "weapon
zones". Moving to higher ground will take you to the covered bridge.
The bridge is lit by a single canister which gives off a haunting glow.
The covered area also houses a Boom-Shot (when weapon swap is off).
This is an area of the map that a lot of players fight to control.
Bullet Marsh has many places to hide because of how dark the level is.
The rain adds to this, enabling someone to easily get the drop on their
opponent. The map is also well designed in that it is balanced. There
is no place on the map that one must control in order to win the match
(not even the bridge). This decrepit, war-torn swamp is one of my
favorite Gears maps for this reason.
Garden
Next up we have the Garden. The Garden reminds me of the level in the
campaign mode where you fight the Berserker for the second time. It is
like a large conservatory complete with its own pesticide system.
Wandering into the inner most parts of the map (the greenhouses) when
the gas is flowing will mean certain death. Don’t worry though; it can
be turned off by nearby valves. This will allow you to enter safely and
grab different weapons. However, this doesn’t last long because the gas
is set to a timer. This "trap" is similar to Bullet Marsh’s Kryll
attacks in that most people don’t get caught by it unless playing Annex
mode. Garden is mainly circular like Mausoleum (a map that came with
the game) with both sides having death-giving greenhouses.
Process
Process is an industrial map that looks like one of the old imulsion
plants from Gears’ back story. This map will remind you of the
subterranean levels on the campaign mode. The glow of the imulsion adds
to the feeling of awe that comes over you when first viewing this map.
It looks like something out of Aliens and at the same time fits right
in with the rest of Gears’ world. With catwalks and pipes everywhere
it’s really a site to see. This map is a really good one for the
Assault and Execution multiplayer modes.
There are plenty of objects to hide behind, jump over, and fill with
bullet holes as you try to take out enemies.
Subway
Last but not least is Subway. This map is just stunning. Outside it’s
pouring down raining with debris flying through the air as the battle
rages on. Inside the station lays the corpses of subway cars and
bullet-riddled columns. The level of detail is one of the coolest
points about this map. There are cracks in the roof that allow water to
flow in and damaged walls that look like they will fall over. There is
even blood stained posters on some of the walls in the subway. I am not
even going to try to explain the way the rain looks above ground. You
will just have to see that for yourself! As for its design, this map
was made for multiplayer mayhem. There are plenty of places to snipe
people from as well as a lot of solid materials to hide behind. I feel
that this is by far the best map that Gears of War has to offer!
Bottom line, the "Hidden Fronts" map pack is a must for any Gears fan
out there. These maps make the old ones look bad in comparison. Right
now they are 800 points on Xbox Live but on September 3 they will be
free. You shouldn’t wait that long though. Get the "Hidden Fronts" map
pack now!
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