Zombie movies shot up in popularity over the last few years.  It’s not the first time.  Back in the late 80s there were a whole hoard of films that depicted the genre in all its gory, blood flowing ways.  Fortunately, for us that’s as far as the fantasy has exceeded.  In other words, we have yet to see a real life zombie, but in the event that we do DoubleStar will have you equipped with their  Zombie-X AK rifle with an electric chainsaw.

Yup, we said chainsaw.  It’s not of the gas powered type and after hitting the video you’ll question how much damage the 18v wood (bone) cutter can inflict.  We sort of questioned the authenticity of the weapon itself, after all it is outfitted with a few biohazard symbols which are analogous to Hollywood. But after doing a quick search on Google we quickly discovered that Doublestar Inc is a legit manufacturer of guns that fire real ammo.  It’s also equipped with a special safety, a battery back found at the butt of the gun and a Biohazard labeled scope.

DoubleStar hasn’t said when it will go on sale, but given all the Gears of War nerds roaming the Earth, there are sure to be a few takers.

This might be the most insanely awesome LEGO build we’ve ever seen. We ain’t saying the LEGO Death Stars aren’t cool, or that the Brick Gun is anything to snuff at.  This build however takes the game to a whole new level.

The Lancer Assault Rifle is modeled after the same weapon found in the game “Gears of War”.  And much like the real working version, in the, uh, game, this one has a real deal spinning chainsaw, though it probably won’t lope off anyone’s face or finger – it’ll probably leave you with a damaged cornea or bloody lip.  A safety mechanism prevents the gun from misfiring rubber bands into people’s faces, which is the ammo of choice.  A magazine stores the rubber bands, but we’re not sure if it can hold more than one or a whole mess of the elastic critters.  But honestly, we don’t care so much about what this gun can do, but the level of detail and realism its maker has achieved despite being based on a video game.

The linked source page has a whole mess of photos detailing the build.  Unfortunately, the step-by-step process to achieve this level of awesomeness is no where to be found.  Nonetheless, our hats are off.

We know what someone is gonna be this Halloween.

4.5 out of 5 stars

It’s been a long time coming – one of the first, few major franchises to propel the Xbox 360 above and beyond Sony’s Playstation 3, has finally come to a close. Gears of War, the Epic Games trilogy of oversized men, consistent badmouthing, true bullet sponges, and an entirely incomplete story, ends with nothing short of miraculous growth and somehow, simultaneously, the most limited change imaginable. You’re going to love it.

Gears of War 3 isn’t far from what fans of the series have and will imagine: our favorite barrel-chested men blowing up everything, chainsawing foes in half, curb-stomping their way to victory. The big difference, which Epic Games has seriously pushed ever since they realized they don’t make story-driven games, was to actually make a game players can care about. In Gears 3, the studio has finally discovered its voice. Sure, it’s still a meat-headed, testosterone and adrenaline mixture bent on suffocating players who actually want intelligence, but an emotional one.

Thankfully, Epic doesn’t go that far, instead prompting players to just enjoy their favorite, insanely-buff crew’s wit and ever-condescending humor, a brilliant tactic rarely thought of by game developers. That is, letting the characters tell their story instead of some omniscient being. And that’s what Gears 3 really is, the ending of the trilogy through the eyes of the very colorful characters we’ve come to know and love. And what better farewell than by the prompt bow and curtsy.

Marcus Fenix and Co. follow the twisting and turning plot of the prior two games – that is, the Locust crawled out of the ground to attack the fine, warring people of Sera, and have driven them to near extinction, while suddenly the Lambent attack, a form of the Locust that’s explosive and disorganized, and the good folk of Sera kiss their asses goodbye – where Fenix’ father is alive, well, and with a way to kill the Lambent and Locust. Saddling up his friendly crew of misfits, Fenix races off for adventure in the darkest, most gruesome way possible, meeting old friends and making new enemies along the way.

To say that the world of Gears 3 is colorful is the worst kind of lie. It’s a lush world filled with occasional splats of green and pink, but mostly brown and grey and steel. The color comes entirely from the characters, whether it be from Cole visiting his home town, reliving his past stardom with fans who remember, or Dom finding a way to finally forgive himself for his wife’s death by saving his friend and brother. I can’t say with any certainty that I actually felt emotion during the game…it would be unmanly, and how can anyone really feel with blood and bone flowing rampant. But thinking back, it was a truly heart-warming tale of love, loss, and life.

All that wrapped in a burrito of big teeth, giant arms, chainsaw guns and carnage. Seriously, who the hell can taste that slightly gooey inside with the incredible outside? Not even Epic takes their game too seriously…and if they do, it’s impossible to tell. Play cooperatively and that plot and gripping emotion is thrown out the window by friendly banter.

But if you’re playing with friends, then it’s never about the game; it’s about the gameplay, and dagnabit nothing’s changed. It’s still solid as ever, fun in a perverse way, with too much cover, too much running and gunning, and too many guts spilled everywhere. Some online matches are a sneeze of body parts while others are slow, methodical massacres. The maps have changed but the gameplay hasn’t, and just like before competitive play is a love it or hate it experience.

Cooperatively, Gears of War 3 is the best game to release since co-op was invented. The campaign is fun over and over again, both the updated Horde mode and new Beast modes are charming excitement, and neither gets old too soon. That alone, forgetting the embittered and most certainly subtle political tale, makes Gears 3 a game of the year contender, whether or not the gameplay suits you. There is no better way to enhance a game than to play it with friends, and Gears of War 3 is the very embodiment of that. New titles will come and go, but gamers will keep coming back to this defining buddy game.

4.5 out of 5 stars

The only way to really enjoy the visceral meat-grinding, head-stomping sounds of a game like Gears of War 3 is with headphones. Don’t kid yourself audiophiles with expensive speakers! No system in the world that can pound out high-fidelity sound as accurately as speakers strapped to your ears. And with all the curb-stomping and chainsawing in the final chapter of Gears of War, the only way you’ll want to hear the likes Marcus Fenix, Dom, Baird and the Cole Train with their snarky testosterone-filled remarks with a solid headset.

Well lookie what we have here.

Created by Tritton, the Gears of War 3 Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound Headset – or just the 7.1 – is a simple and intuitive headset made specifically for the Xbox 360. Emblamized with Gears of War’s skull logo on both cans (that light up!), and properly maintaining the black-and-red theme of the franchise, the 7.1 is a simplified Tritton headset made specifically to be fan candy. It’s like Men’s Warehouse: if you like Gears of War, you are going to love the way this looks.

Every bit of the 7.1 has Gears written all over it, and often literally. Even grandpa will say “oh, that damn kid likes that funny videogame that reminds me of ‘nam.” The cables, decoder box, and everything else screams Gears of War. So if you’re interested, you’d better like the franchise.

Though anyone interested in a solid surround sound headset need not look away. Although it’s not the simplest or best priced set, the 7.1 shares the quality of other Tritton headsets while eliminating the horde of cables that have previously plagued Tritton owners. In this box there are only four connectors: USB, optical, headset, and Xbox 360 controller voice cable. It won’t beat any of the wireless solutions available by clearing the clutter in your mancave, but the 7.1 is fine-tuned as good as it gets for a wired headset.

In fact, simplicity is the key to the 7.1′s design, and it manages to follow through in every way. The decoder box is as basic as can be with only three cable connectors, two buttons and one (unnecessary) volume dial. Powered directly through the USB cable, players need only touch the decoder box to power it on and off and to switch between the movie, game and stereo modes. The box even comes with a stand, though it’s too lightweight and depending on your setup may not keep the decoder box upright.

Onto the over-the-ears set, the 7.1 has leather cushions on both cans and on the headrest, and MadCatz cautiously includes a second pair of can cushions. Emblamized from top to bottom with Gears of War logos, you couldn’t mistake it for anything, even in pitch black. The light-up cans pulse dull-red whenever powered on. The detacheable microphone plugs in only on the left side, and is adjustable and very clear.

Two feet down the heavily braided cable is the volume control for both in-game audio and headset audio. A simple mute switch is supplemented by a mute button on the volume rocker, and an SVM (Selective Voice Monitoring) button on the headset volume rocker. The latter loops their voice through the headset so they can hear what they’re saying. An interesting if useless feature, though it’d be neat if recorders could pick up the audio. The volume control is two feet down the cable, which is about a foot too far, and there’s no clip to keep it in place.

That’s why it’s a good thing that the 7.1 is such a light headset. The heavy braided cable weighs down heavily on the set, though you couldn’t tell because of how lightweight the 7.1 is. In fact, it almost doesn’t feel solid, but it’s surprisingly durable. Audio quality also wasn’t sacrificed to make the set lighter, which is great because Tritton headsets have been notorious for not being comfortable for over an hour, and this one doesn’t stop feeling fine.

Sound quality on the 7.1 is good. Music is soft but with oomph, meaning it doesn’t hurt at high volumes but isn’t lacking gusto. Sounds are accurate though bass is lacking, which isn’t uncommon for headphones of this caliber. In-game the 7.1 provides excellent sound and music quality, though when using SVM there’s a constant ring of static always plays in the background. It’s especially annoying when the audio is quiet, because the static is easier to hear. You won’t forget the music stopped playing with this set. My set also had occasional ringing in the right can, where it would produce a popping noise randomly. I’m still waiting for MadCatz to comment on this.

Included with the 7.1 is a USB adapter for using the set on a PC, though my review unit did not include one. At press time does not include an adapter for PC use, though the instructions booklet does say that it is included.

I’m impressed with the MadCatz Fears of War 3 Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound Headset, except that the name is a mouthful. It’s comfortable in every way, convenient for any Xbox 360 owner, and provides excellent stereo and surround sound audio. $170 is a bit steep for a headset that only works for the Xbox 360 (advertised solely for the 360, though you could use it for the PS3 and PC just as easily, though on the PS3 only as headphones), but there’s no better way to commemorate the end of an era for Microsoft’s console than with a star-studded headset booming expletives and charming narrative from some of this generation’s favorite videogame characters.

Pros:

• Super lightweight, comfortable for long periods of play
• Few cables, the bare minimum in clutter without going wireless
• Good sound quality that isn’t sharp
• Braided cable is practically indestructible

Cons:

• Weak bass likely from the low-power USB power source
• Volume control is too far down the cable
• SVM has a constant static background that’s annoying

The Ugly:

• If you aren’t a Gears of War fan, would you ever buy this headset, regardless of how good it was?

The MadCatz Gears of War 3 Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound Headset is available for purchase here from Amazon.com

It’s probably a safe guess that many of you can’t wait for the next installment of Gears of War 3 to be released on September 20th.  Chances are, though, you already own an Xbox 360. But if some reason you don’t, or need a spiffy upgrade, then you’ll definitely be hip to the Gears of War 3 Xbox 360.  It includes a 320GB hard drive, two wireless controllers, a standard copy of Gears of War 3 the game, a headset, and a download token for bonus game content including the Infected Omen Weapon Pack and the Adam Fenix character for use in multiplayer.  But Microsoft didn’t stop there.  They’ve customized the power and eject buttons with unique sounds from the “Gears of War” universe.  If the $400 price tag is a bit too steep for your wallet, you can also purchase the controllers separately for $60 a pop.

Both the console, game and controllers release on September 20th.

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We’ve got good news and bad news.  The good news is that the beta for Gears of War 3 is available starting today.  The bad news is that if you wanna download it you would have needed to bought a copy of Bulletstorm Epic Edition.

If you did, just pop in the game, click on the Gears of War 3 MP Beta link on the menu and your download will begin.  And for those of you that preordered Gears of War 3 – then you’ll be able to download it starting next week.  According to Major Nelson the beta will run until May 15th.

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Epic Games fervent mouthpiece Cliff Bleszinski has been quoted saying that the future of shooters is making them more like Role Playing Games.  Offering kudos to the lead designers of BioShock and Deus Ex, does this mean we will see some RPG features in Gears of War 3?  I hope so.  Being a huge fan of BioShock and mildly remembering Deus Ex, I am totally sold on the idea of making shooters a deeper and more involved experience.  While nothing has been confirmed at this point, it is a fun idea to think about.  Any ideas on what could work well with Gears of War 3?

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The time for Ghouls and Ghosts is almost upon us, but one question remains: what shall you be? I have yet to decide but I’m pretty sure the guy that crafted this home made Gears of War Lancer gun from a Nerf N-Strike Longshot CS-6 has his mind made up.

Hit the ‘leap’ to see some video