Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta Questionarium

Not everyone has access to the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta, so we asked you, the GameSpot AU community, what you wanted to know about multiplayer in the game ahead of its launch.

Ryancamcam: In Gears 2, you could choose a few ways to kill people when they were downed, such as curb-stomp or meat-shield, etc. Has this been kept the same, expanded on, or dropped?

GameSpot AU: From our play, it looks like the downed executions have been amped up even further. Beyond the face punching and beatings you can deliver with a weapon butt, you will now be able to literally tear off a downed opponent's arm and beat him to death with it. We spied a couple of new Lancer finishing moves, and the unlockable Retro Lancer with its bayonet sees you running in and stabbing someone in the guts before raising him up and slamming him into the ground. Epic has confirmed that each weapon will have its own unique weapon execution when the game ships.

Petar Todorovic: What is unlockable from the beta to the retail release game? What will carry across?

GameSpot AU: Where normally you're given a handful of maps and modes and told to play it until you get bored or break it, Epic has been keen to reward players just for getting involved in the beta. There's a constant stream of prizes for taking part, and if leveling up isn't enough to keep you interested, you'll earn medals for each match, while playing on certain days will unlock weapons, character models, and different skins.

Not surprisingly, stats won't carry over once the retail multiplayer goes live, but you will get a couple of goodies for your troubles. A gold version of the Retro Lancer will only be available by playing the beta and will take around 90 matches to unlock. You'll then need 100 Retro Lancer kills before the beta ends to keep it. There's also an unlockable Thrashball Cole skin with him decked out in gridiron football gear. You'll earn this at 70 matches, but if you play enough games using him, you will get to keep the outfit.

Campzor and Raghraghragh: Does it have offline bots? Can you tell us more about the changes and additions to Horde mode?

GameSpot AU: Unfortunately, this online multiplayer beta is limited to King of the Hill and Team Deathmatch at the moment, so we haven't been able to play anything else ourselves. Epic has confirmed that Horde mode will be back in Gears 3, as well as the new Beast mode that turns the tables and sees you killing COGs as various types of Locust. As for bots, they are in the Gears 3 multiplayer beta and help to balance teams when players quit matches early or there aren't enough people to start a wholly human game.

The bots aren't super intelligent, and we've seen cases where they have nicked weapons from human players and run out face-first into enemy gunfire. They do cycle out as new real players join the match, so while they're not the sharpest knives in the drawer, they do beat being booted back to a lobby screen until you've got the player numbers to begin.

There are four maps currently available in the beta, and each looks and handles differently:

Checkout is an abandoned supermarket littered with low counter tops and toppled shelves to hide behind. Line of sight is available through the middle of the zone, but the majority of the combat goes on at either end and in the enclosed side rooms. Bring a shotgun.

Thrashball is similar to Checkout but includes an open-plan grassy area underneath a giant hanging scoreboard that can be shot down to crush players lurking below. Tunnels on both sides and raised platforms provide excellent sniping spots with an elevated view of the battlefield.

Trenches is a sandy outdoor arena with perches and nooks to take shots from, but the biggest features are the bunker found up a hill and the sandstorms that rip through the level, reducing visibility for a period of time. Keep your Lancer running as you turn corners to help hack up the other team.

Old Town is the fourth and final map and has narrow cobblestoned streets with plenty of places to hide. With multiple points of entry, keep your back to the wall and hope your team is useful enough to guard the entrances.

Jay Ball: Is it awesome enough to make your day better or horrible enough to make you want to smash the console?

GameSpot AU: From the time we've spent with it, the multiplayer is looking fantastic. Lag-free games for Aussies have been a snap to find, and you're never more than a few seconds away from combat. You're constantly rewarded whether you're playing as a lone wolf or part of the team, and if the community supports this the way it has other Gears games online, we can see ourselves spending plenty of time stomping on other players' heads.

Oil up your Lancer because Gears of War 3 will be out exclusively on the Xbox 360 on September 20 this year. Stay tuned for more details during the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo.