South African Gears of War 3 fans can secure access to the game’s multiplayer beta by pre-ordering the game through BT Games or Kalahari.net. The beta launches on 25 April 2011, and this should satiate fans disappointed by the pushing back of the original April 2011 release date to September 2011.
Pre-orders are for the three Gears of War 3 editions – Standard (R699.00), Limited (R849.00) and Epic (R1299), all of which grant access to three weeks of multiplayer beta action on Xbox LIVE, beginning April 25th and ending May 15.
Bulletstorm: Epic Edition owners will get early beta access beginning April 18 through the Bulletstorm disc. Beta tokens were shipped with each retail copy of Bulletstorm: Epic Edition. Customers will need this token and have their copy of Bulletstorm to access the Gears of War 3 beta.
An active Xbox LIVE Gold membership is required to participate in the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta.
Over the course of the beta program, three new competitive multiplayer modes and four maps will be rolled out, giving fans with the opportunity to provide feedback on the game. Two of the four multiplayer maps, “Trenches” and “Old Town,” were selected by Gears fans through a Facebook poll.
While Gears of War 3 will use dedicated servers as opposed to peer-to-peer connections as used in the previous title, it has been confirmed that South Africa will not be getting dedicated servers in the region, so it remains to be seen how playable the multiplayer element of game will be for SA gamers.
Key Beta Dates
Bulletstorm Preview, 18 – 24 April 2011
Owners of Bulletstorm: Epic Edition are eligible for a one-week beta preview period featuring the new Team Deathmatch mode on four new maps (Thrashball, Checkout, Trenches and Old Town).
Gears of War 3 Beta, 25 April – 15 May
The full public beta period begins April 25. Players can look forward to special events and playlists throughout the beta period. Two additional competitive game modes, Capture the Leader and King of the Hill, will be added during the final week of the beta.
15 May – Beta concludes
Gamers who participate in the beta have the opportunity to unlock exclusive content they can carry over to their retail copy of Gears of War 3 when it launches on 20 September 2011.
Unlockables
Beta Tester Medal – Complete one match in the beta to unlock the Beta Tester medal, which will carry over to your gamer profile in the final game. The Beta Tester title will be featured in the Gears 3 multiplayer lobby as well.
Thrashball Cole – Complete 50 matches in any game type to unlock the Thrashball Cole character variant in the beta. Once unlocked, complete 10 matches as Thrashball Cole during the beta and the character will carry over to your gamer profile in the final game.
Gold-Plated Retro Lancer – Show your ultimate Gears of War fandom by unlocking the Gold-Plated Retro Lancer. Complete 90 matches in any game type to unlock it for the beta, and score 100 kills with it once unlocked to carry the exclusive weapon skin over to your gamer profile in the final game.
Flaming Hammerburst – Complete one match by Sunday, April 24 and unlock this weapon variant.
Flaming Lancer – Complete one match during the week of April 25 and unlock this weapon variant.
Flaming Sawed-Off Shotgun – Complete one match during the week of May 2 to unlock this weapon variant.
Flaming Gnasher Shotgun – Complete one match during the week of May 9 to unlock this weapon variant.
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