Download Gears of War 2 "Snowblind" Game Add-On

[Vigour]

“Gears of War 2” fans around the world can engage in even more intense action in treacherous winter settings offered by the latest “Gears of War 2” Add-on, the Snowblind Map Pack. Trudge, crawl and roadie run through the harshest of weather conditions as you and your squadmates dive into four new multiplayer maps.

Spanning tunnels, bridges, courtyards and offices, players can sharpen their skills on the four new maps in the Snowblind Add-on: Grindyard, Under Hill, Courtyard and Fuel Depot. All maps are playable on every “Gears of War 2” multiplayer mode, including the highly popular Horde mode:

• Grindyard is a massive industrial complex located in a junk-processing plant from the days of Sera’s industrial excess. The office, now gutted, serves as a perfect place to fortify, but if you’re not careful, you’ll end up trapped inside the office with no hope of escape.
• Under Hill takes players through snowbound tunnels that were once billed as a feat of Seran engineering. Head for high ground on the bridge and you’ll be rewarded with massive firepower, but be prepared to defend your position and try to escape being cornered.
• Courtyard is a wide-open battle royale containing explosive weapons that once formed the heart of Ephyra’s fashionable Civic Center. Lines of sight are far and clear here, and battles tend to focus around the elevated sniper nest. Watch your back and keep a fresh clip.
• Fuel Depot, back by popular demand, Fuel Depot is a “Gears of War 2” remake of the fan-favorite “Gears of War” map, but winter has set in and the depot is now covered in a blanket of snow. Open and unforgiving, it takes a well-coordinated team to cover all the angles here.
  
  Also added to “Gears of War 2” are nine new Achievements worth 250 points:
  
  Here’s the complete list of achievements, points and descriptions:
  
• “Rookie Gear” (10 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 5 (Public only).
• “Seasoned Gear” (20 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 15 (Public only).
• “Battle-Tested Gear” (30 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 25 (Public only).
• “Battle-Hardened Gear” (50 points): Reach level 50 and play a match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only).
• “Veteran Gear” (75 points): Reach level 100 and win a match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only).
• “Never Eat Red Snow” (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Snowblind Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
• “Icy Dead People” (25 points): Complete waves 1 through 50 on any Snowblind Map Pack map in Horde (any difficulty).
• “Frigid Body Dynamics” (5 points): Play a multiplayer match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode).
• “The Weather Outside Is Lethal” (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode).

The “Gears of War 2” Snowblind Map Pack Add-on is available for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace starting today for 800 MS Points. “Gears of War 2” is available exclusively on Xbox 360 and is rated “18” by the BBFC.

Download to Xbox 360

[Mario2]

This winter-themed pack brings you four Gears of War 2 maps sure to heat up your multiplayer and Horde action. Hunt your enemies down in the snowy day-lit heights or the dark tunnels of Under Hill. The massive industrial complex of Grind Yard gives numerous bunkers for cover, but watch out for snipers high in the flanking buildings. Beware the falling monuments in Courtyard, where wide-open spaces give you plenty of opportunities to gun down your enemies—unless they strike first. And due to fan demand, the popular Gears 1 map Fuel Depot makes its return

[robodude]

HD Gaming’s New Standard Innovative controls and unmatched intensity made Gears of War one of the best-selling Xbox 360 games ever. Breakthrough advances in Unreal Engine 3 raise the bar again. A Blockbuster Experience Use enemies as shields, fight chainsaw duels, and discover new monsters, weapons, and vehicles in an emotional campaign of loss and retribution. Explosive Xbox LIVE Play The most visceral online shooter gets even better with a new party system, more co-op modes, and TrueSkill matchmaking.

[Mr. Boo Bear]

Gears of War 2 caps off March 2009 with a wintry blast, courtesy of the Snowblind multiplayer map pack Game Add-on, available now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Included with Snowblind are three brand new maps (Grind Yard, Under Hill, and Courtyard) and one fan-favorite (Fuel Depot).

The wintry world of the Snowblind Map Pack.
Of course, achievement enthusiasts can bask in the glory of 250 more potential Gamerscore. In addition to rewarding players for their Horde Mode and multiplayer exploits, the new achievements also take aim at the freshly implemented leveling system. Expect substantial Gamerscore boosts as you fight your way through levels one through one hundred.

Grind Yard
Junked out vehicles lie scattered about in this industrial scrap yard, waiting forlornly for their turn to be stripped down to component parts and used again as fuel for the war machine's fire.
It's tactics, not recycled steel that matters here, and Grind Yard provides plenty with a symmetrical, cover-ridden map dominated in large part by a signature tower structure that looms over the center of the action. Much of the action will funnel through here as Boomshot or Mulcher spawn at the top. Grenades and the Flamethrower are also within just a few seconds' roadie run of the tower's entrance.

Lining much of the periphery of the map is a mid-level pathway accessible via ramps that extends nearly from one team's spawn to the others. You'll find both interior and exterior areas along this outer path as well as excellent vantage points for picking off enemies that stay at ground level.
Under HillUnder Hill sports one of the game's most remarkable multiplayer landmarks, a sweeping suspension bridge which connects to a subterranean metro tunnel system, where now long abandoned cars sit, left to rot and rust just outside the caved-in entrance.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
For multiplayer purposes, the tunnel area and bridge divide the map almost equally between indoor and outdoor battles, with the tunnel area offering a claustrophobic mix of cover and confinement, and the bridge portion offering lengthy uphill/downhill lines of sight.While the indoor elements can be broached via entrances near each team's spawn, there's also a switch-operated door positioned right in the center of the map at the bottom of the bridge. Map discipline is critical in Under Hill when each team hunkers down and holds their spots.

Courtyard
This picturesque, statue-studded courtyard rests just outside the city and represents multi-tiered multiplayer gameplay at its best. While power weapons lurk on the lower levels of the courtyard, a high-level platform dominates the center of the combat area, making dashes for Boomshot and the like fraught with peril if you're not careful to flit from cover to cover.

Two mid-level mini-courtyards are positioned at each team's spawn area. These provide excellent lines of fire to the lower-level areas, although they remain somewhat exposed to the center structure.All is not lost on ground level. Cover is plentiful, and more importantly, an ivy-covered stone wall divides the lower area in half, so those perched in the center or outer courtyards will have little chance to line up a shot if you're behind the wall.

Fuel Depot
This blast from the past is almost exactly as you remember it from the original Gears of War, albeit with a frost-bitten, snow-swirling twist. There's the same helipad dominating one side of the map as well as the depot's warehouse, with its ground-level center and raised wings, just opposite. And those exploding fuel pumps still sit just off to one side of the helipad.

Fuel Depot impressed me on the first go 'round with its deft mix of indoor/outdoor action on a largely flat playing field. It maintains that same sense of outstanding balance here in Gears of War 2.

Epic continues to lavish its latest creation with post-release attention. With Snowblind's icy-themed maps and the recently released Title Update 3's leveling system and gameplay tweaks, Gears of War 2 is looking stronger than ever.