We’re giving away five more codes for the original Infinity Blade!  There are several ways to qualify and each one counts for an entry – so the more you complete the more chances to win. The giveaway is open now and will run through Thursday, February 23rd!  Enter using the widget below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Gears of War 3 Limited Edition Console includes:

With the money saved, you can pick up the Gears of War 3 DLC you’ve been wanting to grab! Major Nelson has a look at what’s coming up and what’s going on sale on his blog. Starting February 28, the following Gears of War 3 DLC is going on sale.

The sale ends March 5, so be sure to pick up the DLC while you can!

I asked Dot if she could tell us what it takes to make one of her creations, her love for the Gears of War series and what it was like to meet Cliff and his girlfriend, now fiance, Lauren.

Dot: I was introduced to the Gears of war series a couple of months before Gears of War 2 came out. A co-worker suggested it to me, so we played the Gears 1 campaign co-op. From then on, I was totally hooked! The gameplay, story, characters; everything just seemed “right”, especially since I’d been getting bored with all the FPSs out there.

I think what really made me love Gears the most is that it helped build a strong bond with my Gears 1 co-op buddy, and although it’s been years since we worked together, we’ve retained the friendship and 4 years later, he’s still my best friend and confidant.  For that, Gears will always be my favorite game franchise.

In April 2010, Cliff Bleszinski posted on Twitter about giving out swag to someone who made a ticker costume for their pet, so I called up an artist friend of mine and asked if she’d be interested in a little project, “Project Tickerbun”. We spent a weekend putting together a Ticker costume for my (very tolerant) rabbit, Blossom and sent a picture to Cliff. The response was overwhelming!

I was really surprised by all the support from the folks at Epic and everyone, especially Stacey/iFlak was so kind! As a token of appreciation, I made a plush “Tickerbun” for Stacey, and in December 2010, I got an e-mail from another Epic employee, Preston, requesting a couple plush Tickers, which was both super awesome and a total honor. The Tickers took a little longer, about a month, because I had to re-style the patterns from Tickerbun and I had to work around my work schedule at the time. I used the leftover Ticker material and made Stacey a plush Wretch. Once the Locust Trio made it to Cary, it was pretty humbling to see them on Facebook, “hanging out” with Carmine at Epic.

When PAX East 2011 rolled around, I made another pair of Tickers for Cliff and L337Lauren (gray and pink, respectively,) and got the chance to meet them. I ran into Lauren first, and handed her the pink Ticker – she was so super sweet and it was awesome meeting her! When I got to meet Cliff, it was humbling that he came up to me and said “Solo?” and gave me a big hug. Lauren came over to the table for pictures and it was a really fun experience. It was an honor meeting them; they’re both super awesome people and it was great getting to talk to them.

Thank you Dot!

Epic Gamer and forum member =Silver= is a respected and active member of the the community. Not only that, but he has also had one of the Infinity Blade swords named after him to thank him for his contributions to the community. If you’re looking to use the Dual Wielding weapon class, Silver’s Dual Guide will help you master the class. Silver thanks forum members Bladet, DarthDuck and Aussie3 for their contributions to the thread. Complete with animated gifs from the game, this guide breaks down the moves for the different bosses to assure your success.

If you want to learn more about NG and OG, visit DarthDuck’s NG FAQ thread. The thread also contains links to other useful forum threads. Darth covers attack speeds, the best weapons, difficulty levels and how to get infinite gameplay. Darth has also created an excellent Master Gem List covering each type of Gem.

Pro Gamer Kendall “arCtyC” Smith created two excellent tutorial videos in his “Infinity Blade Tips & Walkthrough Series.” The videos do contain spoilers, so stay clear if you don’t want to know what happens!

Here is DarthDuck’s list of useful links:

Infinity Blade II:

• =Silver=: Dual Survival Guide Series
• DangerCZ: Map of the castle
• gillybean: Complete list of all locked items
• arCtyC: Video walkthrough series
• AzrinRain: Farming the treasure in the king’s tomb by resetting

• Gem List
• Backing up game savepoints
• Allocating magic points
• Allocating stat points in OG
• Choosing how much to stack perk gems

Infinity Blade:

• Hithere: How to kill the god-king (with animated gifs)
• Voice of Freedom: How to get and keep all unlocked weapons
• Curi: Infinity Blade I Guide

Official Infinity Blade manuals:

Infinity Blade II

Infinity Blade

The original author attributed to starting the Fan Fiction on the forum was Travis Knight, “Black Asgard”, with his short story “War Path” about an exCOG soldier seeking to avenge the death of his daughter and the Stranded village they lived in. After this fan fiction, several other authors joined Travis to create a more in-depth world of Sera. Following Travis’ example I joined and began writing my own fan fiction and helping other do the same. Though we were a small group of twelve writers, we spent countless hours building the Gears of War Writing Community. Several threads were created to help other new writers create their own stories from scratch, such as The Official & Unofficial Nations of Sera and How to Make Your Fan Fiction Rock. Each writer also began editing and giving constructive criticism to other writers, which allowed everyone’s stories to gain more depth as time went on.

Some of the original writers moved on to other things, but the community that we established is still in existence and thriving today. I’m proud that the Gears Writing Community has created 75 original works, several different collaborations, and close to 50 writers.

If you are looking to read some of these amazing stories, I’ll point you to some of the classics and some of the newest works from the community! Some may be short stories, others may be novels but they are all truly unique in their own right.

War Path
Author: Black Asgard
Summary: War Path is about an ex-Gear named Sam who is out to avenge the death of his daughter and the Stranded village they lived in, and hes really got his work cut out for him.

Harbinger: The Novel
Author: Black Asgard
Summary:Harbinger is the first Gears of War novel ever written. It tells the tale of Wolf Company and Slow Company as they go deep underground and change, learning the horrors of the locust. Read the story of Humanity’s first contact with the Locust Horde.

Split by War
Author: Tmack674
Summary: John Carmine…shot in the head by a sniper. Well not in this story. This is a “what if” story that explains the tale of Carmines journey to regroup with Delta Squad after he became MIA in front of the House of Sovereigns.

Children of War
Author: S1LeNT RIP
Summary: A group of five orphan teens set out on an unorthodox trip, which turns into a fight for survival after a run in with Rojas and a group of COG Soldiers.

The Survivor
Author: TheRealBigBoss
Summary – The E-Day war might be over, but scattered and broken Locust forces continue the fight to the bitter end. Now, a re-formed Delta Squad is sent on what seems like a routine escort mission, what they find is that no mission is ever routine, and that the most unlikely of people can surprise even them.

Origin of the Queen
Author: Grey19
Summary: The story of events immediately following the events of the game, viewed from the viewpoints of the Queen and her aides, Staff Sergeant “Wes” Johnson, and the members of Delta Squad. The story explores the origins of the Locust leadership, and the Locust’s motivation.

Snowblind: The Novel
Author: Jonesybites
Summary: The newly reformed Sigma squad, employing veteran Gears Damon Baird and Augustus Cole, is dispatched into Glacier Valley, north of Port Farrall, to quash rumored Locust and Stranded insurgencies attacking their outposts. Along with their rookie sniper, Sven Dunrich and their guide, Raven McNight, they encounter almost calamity after calamity of unseen events that force the group of four to rely on each other to stay alive and keep to the mission at hand. This story entails their little venture through the thick and thin of the hostile environment around them and their clashing personalities as humility and hilarity ensue.

Haunted Echoes
Author: Croswynd
Summary: On a mission to retake a COG facility from deserters, Joseph Nyvar and Echo Three must travel from Jacinto to the outskirts of Ephyra. However, obstacles both Locust and Human bar their way as secrets are revealed that could turn the tide of the war in the Horde’s favor.

Lesser of Two Evils
Author: Sgt. Grub K1ller
Summary: This story is about the trails and tribulations Dizzy Wallin must go through, and the sacrifices he must endure to protect his loved ones, from his daunting past as a Stranded to enlisting with the C.O.G. in Operation Life Boat.

The Tower
Author: SKORGE
Summary: A mysterious distress call is received from a previously cleared sector in Timgad. The light-mass bombing has long decimated the Locust in the area and all those that managed to survive were quickly picked off. However, a known hospital in the area has gone off the radar, and along with it more then 100 people. The Gears stationed there have been reported MIA. The COG sends in Sgt. John Kane and the men of Kilo-Six, a newly reformed squad, to scout out the premises. But what they will find there will shake them to their very core & bring the COG to its very knees…

Operation: Whiskey
Author: Levyathyn
Summary: Months after the detonation of the Lightmass bomb, veteran leader Paul Gerhart and his squad of misfit, outcast soldiers are thrust into the line of fire as they alone survive a massive assault on a pre-war weapons facility. Paul must lead his men through surviving hordes of Locust and worse on a last-ditch effort to save the Coalition and purge the Locust for good. But what’s so important about Whiskey Facility, and what dark secrets will they find there?

The Sons of Sera: The Ruins of D’lanor
Author: WaldoRtk7
Summary: Within the subcapital of D’lanor, 3 separate forces collide, shaking the remaining foundations of the city. Though neither side knows, this one battle will change the course of Sera forever, and many lives will change before the the next sun rises.

Let us know what you think and share your stories in the comments below. For fans on Twitter, join in on the Gears of War 3 and Boom Snipes Weekend conversation by using the hashtag #GearsWeekend.

Every Friday Team Epic Gamers highlights someone in our community via a short Follow Friday post.  Today’s Follow Friday is @ethan_awesome.  

Ethan is a crucial part of the @GOWCharity team. He has been a member since the start, and participated in various Gears of War charity streams benefiting AbleGamers,The National Breast Cancer Foundation, and Child’s Play. Today he’s playing in the Teddy Bairds event (twitch.tv/GOWCharity) , which happens to start on his birthday. Make sure to stop by the stream or tweet @ethan_awesome to wish him a happy birthday!

There are also special weapons hidden in the maps during Horde and Beast mode called “Elemental Cleavers.” The cleavers do different types of damage, like an imulsion cleaver that explodes on impact. Fans will also be treated to four character models and seven new weapon skins. Two of the weapon skins, which were designed based on community feedback, will need to be unlocked. There is also 250 gamerscore points added with this DLC.

We listen closely to your suggestions and feedback and we’re happy to announce that the game mode Guardian will be making a return with the “Forces of Nature” DLC.

GT.TV’s Geoff Keighley talked with Epic Games Producer Rod Fergusson about the DLC on last night’s episode of GT.TV. You can view the video in it’s entirety HERE. The Forces of Nature DLC will be 800 MS Points and  Gears of War 3 Season Pass holders will get the content free when it launches on March 27.

Jacinto Flythrough:

Arukun14: Tell us a bit about yourself and when you started drawing.

Lazare Gvimradze: Hi, I’m Lazare Gvimradze, I’m 19 and I live in Tbilisi, Georgia. I was always a bit of a creative nut from an early age, the type who like writing little stories as children or drawing robots during boring classes. It never manifested into anything more than a mere hobby however, so I never took any special drawing classes or thought about pursuing it professionally any other way. The main reason for that was always the lack of free time; there wasn’t really a way for me to throw down sudden ideas and spend time fleshing them out. I discovered digital tablets a little later on, but found them cumbersome and the software too difficult to work with. But that was all before the iPad.

A: Do you game? Have any favorite titles?

L: I’m a huge gamer, with a special love for story-based games with believable characters and living worlds. I always admired the idea of thinking of games as an art medium, something which can not only connect to the player emotionally like a movie or a book, but give them the additional possibility to interact with it, sometimes even reshape the story as they see fit. It’s really amazing when you think about it, and I believe games like Mass Effect or Heavy Rain are stellar examples of quality storytelling in games. Not that I don’t enjoy the pure fun factor, of course; Gears of War, for example, is a great symbiosis between a deep story and addicting gameplay, and I also love games like Bulletstorm which are just off-the-rails and perfect for playing with friends.

A: I’ve noticed that you have Infinity Blade pieces. Have you played the game on iOS?

L: Infinity Blade was one of the first games I tried when I got my iPad. After having a taste of the Epic Citadel demo, I was anxious to see what more Unreal Engine 3 could accomplish on iOS if the visuals were married with actual gameplay, and in that regard Infinity Blade is mind-blowing; the controls are tailored to the touchscreen so it doesn’t feel like a port from console games, which is, I believe, a defining aspect of great iOS titles. On top of that, amazing graphics and wicked character designs deliver the eye-candy, and an intriguing storyline kept me guessing all the way through the numerous playthroughs and the DLCs. I actually went on and read the novel, Infinity Blade: Awakening, which gave me great insight into the lore and cemented me as a huge Infinity Blade fan. And with Infinity Blade II, which is amazing, I think ChAIR have a one-of-a-kind story on their hands, something truly unique with not just iOS titles, but videogames in general. Can’t wait to see where it all goes!

A: You said you have an iPad… and you draw on it! Is this how you draw your Infinity Blade pieces?

L: Indeed. The iPad was instrumental in re-igniting the desire to draw in me, since it’s so fast and easy to use, and what’s more important, accessible from anywhere. I started using it as a drawing tool pretty early on, doodling clumsy sketches with my fingers, you know – just having fun. But when I realized I could also purchase a special capacitive stylus which would transform the iPad into a full-fledged touch tablet, I knew I had my little creative kit right there. For obvious reasons, all of this coincided with my fascination with everything Infinity Blade, so the content of my fan art was clear from the get-go. It would be a long way before I got used to the new ways of digital drawing and chose a few from the myriad drawing apps available, but I believe it was worth it. I really enjoy doing this, and what else matters?

A: Which app do you use to draw? Are you using anything to help you? Could you explain a bit of your process?

L: I went through a LOT of apps before settling on a few favorites, and my way of drawing usually takes advantage of them all. I start out in a simple vector-based app called Adobe Ideas; it is lightning fast and allows you to really throw numerous stuff down quickly, like many different poses of a character you’ve chosen to draw, or several versions of a gun or a sword all on separate layers. So it’s really great for beginning a piece and understanding what you REALLY want to do with it, because for me, initial vision isn’t really as important as the refinements you make in the process. Once I’ve chosen a sketch I like best, I carefully trace it to clean off and finalize the lines, and I fill it up with colors to get a sense of what it’ll look like. I then hide the colors and create a semi-transparent layer where I use only black to accommodate all of the shading. Then I switch the colors back on, see how everything meshes together and do some final tweaks to the overall piece.

Then, I export the result and open it in Brushes. Brushes is a heavily-featured app for professional artists, but I use it for one thing only: lighting. The picture I import is already almost done, but with the soft strokes of the various brush types I can make the armor shine, the sunrays cascade over the mountains, and just give that final touch to the drawing which makes it complete. Then I quickly use an app called “Snapseed” to tweak the color balance and play around with depth of field, and that’s it.

A: Is there anything you’d like to share with fellow artists?

L: There are two key things which keep me going, and that’s inner motivation and an accessible toolkit. My best advice, as someone who has never even taken drawing classes, is to start off by doing whatever YOU want. Practicing is important, but it’s even better when it’s backed up by a little bit of inspiration, so close off the naysayers and just draw whatever you feel is great. This doesn’t mean you have to reject constructive feedback, it’s important to take criticism and improve based on it, but always try to differentiate between useful input and what may compromise your passion. And try to settle on your pace and way of drawing early on, so that how/where/when you draw ceases to be a factor; it’s just the “what”.

Thanks so much for your time, Lazare! Thank you for sharing your work with us. Keep up the great sketches, and hope to see some more from you soon.

For more fan art or to join our deviantART group, click HERE
Follow Lazare on Twitter