Microsoft seems to be in the giving mood as they’ve announced the Gears of War: Judgment VIP Season Pass.
For a scant 1600 Microsoft points (about $20), the VIP Season Pass comes in a lot cheaper than other games’ season passes and still provides players with a ton of content.
The VIP Season Pass will get you:
- Two upcoming Game Add-on Packs that include six multiplayer maps, two new modes, and new weapon and armor skins
- Early access to Game Add-on multiplayer maps so you can be the first to play
- A permanent double XP boost to accelerate your ascent through the ranks
- Five exclusive weapon skins and four exclusive armor skins
There’s also a partnership with Maxim (yes, that Maxim) to deliver two new multiplayer maps free of charge to players (they’re Maxim-sponsored, whatever that means), as well as a new game type called Execution Mode.
The two new maps are called Capitol and Haven (same name as the multiplayer map from Halo 4, but not the same map, of course), and we get a sneak peek at Haven on Maxim’s website. The map is a wintery monument that, ironically enough, has the shape of the top of the US Capitol Building, though this one is partially destroyed. It also brings some much needed blue tones into the Gears franchise where we’re usually treated to a much more red and yellow palette.
Execution Mode’s objective is to kill every member of the opposing team before the game is over. The catch is that players who are not killed with a one-shot kill weapon will go into a “Down But Not Out” state which lets them get back up once a bleed-out timer runs out. Of course, a sweet execution will finish the job if your teammate couldn’t.
Microsoft’s world premiere broadcast for Gears of War: Judgment is this coming Sunday, March 3rd at 5 PM EST on Xbox LIVE. The live event will debut the new Aftermath and Survival modes, as well as let fans vote during the show for the gameplay they want to see. This is a really interesting experience, and it’ll be very interesting to see if the voting system just triggers one of a few pre-recorded options, or if people will be playing through live.
They’re also giving away a custom Judgment-themed Xbox 360 and a few copies of the game (open to US residents only) via the live stream and on Twitter.
We were lucky enough to nab a preview of Gears of War: Judgment at Xbox Canada’s X-Series event a couple of weeks ago, and we loved basically everything about the game. Take a look at our hands-on impressions here.
Gears of War: Judgment testifies on March 19th.