Gears of War 3 beta packed in with Bulletstorm: Epic Edition

Anyone debating whether or not to pick up Bulletstorm got an extra incentive today, when Electronic Arts and Epic Games announced an appealing bonus for the game. Anyone who preorders the Epic Edition of the Xbox 360 edition of the shooter--which costs the same as the regular edition of the game--will get access to the public beta for Gears of War 3, published by Microsoft Game Studios. [UPDATE] Epic has now said that the beta will start in the spring, most likely in April--the original launch window for Gears of War 3 itself.

Due out on February 22 in North America and February 25 in Europe, Bulletstorm will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. In the game, gamers take up with Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato, two mercenaries who have been exiled by the organization they once served after learning that its leaders were corrupt. The two are then packed off to a remote world populated by cannibalistic mutants, where they must survive, escape, and take revenge on their former employer.

Players will assume the role of Hunt, who is proficient with oversized weapons and melee fighting. One primary feature of the game will be Hunt's ability to perform "skillshots," which provide a system of rewards for creating chaos in innovative ways. By successfully performing skillshots, players will gain points and unlock more ways to dispatch their enemies.

In addition to access to the public beta, the Epic edition of Bulletstorm will come with several in-game incentives, including cosmetic enhancements to in-game weapons and armor, as well as 25,000 experience points. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Bulletstorm, which is in development at Epic's Polish studio People Can Fly.