If you're a fan of Epic's visceral run-and-gun steroid marine stomp, but you need a new reason to play it, mark your calendar for the end of March. Gears Of War 3 is set to be the recipient of some new DLC in the form of the Forces Of Nature Map Pack. The download contains five maps, a couple of new characters and some nifty new skins for weapons.
Out of the five maps on offer, though, only three are actually brand spanking new. There's Cove, which is set in an industrialised pier, Aftermath, which occupies the crumbling ruins of what look like some municipal buildings and Artillery, which takes place in a darkened military base. The remaining two are re-jigged and sharpened versions of the Jacinto and Raven Down maps from Gears Of War 2.
All five bear the usual hallmarks of Gears Of War 3's multiplayer: chest-high walls, no camping areas and gorgeously rendered visuals. And all of them compliment the close-quarters, highly brutal fragfest style of play.
However, every map in the pack contains some sort of environmental event that is triggered half-way through each contest. Aftermath, for example, has an earthquake that kicks off in the middle of the battle, which destroys some of the walls inside it. Artillery is hit by a tornado, while a stealthy fog creeps into Cover, diminishing the players' vision. In Jacinto and Raven Down, it's raining and snowing respectively.
Alongside the new maps, players can get some interesting new skins for their weapons – if you fancy wielding a Day-glo purple Lancer, now's your chance – and there are two new avatars. Commando Dom and Mechanic Baird are available for the COG, while the Locust have the Savage Grenadier Elite and the Savage Hunter.
It's out on 27 March for 800 points.
