For those with an itch to play Gears of War 3, you might be interested to know that Major Nelson just announced that the multiplayer beta will be starting mid-April.

Gears of War 3- Kicking off in mid-April, the Gears of War 3 public multiplayer beta will give players a chance to experience three new Versus Multiplayer modes on four new maps, and help shape the year’s biggest blockbuster, set to launch worldwide on Sept. 20 and in Japan on Sept. 22. You can even decide which maps you would like to see in the beta starting today by visiting the Gears of War Facebook page and voting on their favorites. Voting ends on Feb. 28.

Microsoft has just announced that Gears of War 3 will be coming out September 20th, 2011 after being delayed.  Here's the scoop:

Gears of War 3 is the glorious conclusion to one of the most memorable sagas in video games’ history and this is a date you certainly don’t want to miss.

The story takes place eighteen months after the events of Gears of War 2 and the loss of the human stronghold of Jacinto.  Marcus, Baird, Dom and company continue their fight to save human civilisation, as they battle the Locust and face new threats from within the planet throughout the campaign mode.

Here is what else you can expect from 2011’s most highly anticipated game: 

· An enthralling cinematic story that captivates players in an intimately intense action game
· Five-on-five multiplayer experience as well as four player campaign co-op experience
· New multiplayer game modes including ‘Beast Mode’ – offering a new twist to the game where you take on the role of the locust horde and their assorted variations!
· New maps including: Trenches which features an impressive sand storm that reduces your visibility, as well as Overpass, Mercy, Checkout, and Thrashball
· New weapons including: The Bayonet Charge, The Retro Lancer, The Sawed-off Shotgun, The OneShot – a heavy sniper rifle that shoots through shields or cover for a surprise one shot kill, The Incendiary Grenade, The Digger Launcher and a few subtle tweaks to old favourites Hammerburst and The Classic Lancer. Don’t forget that each weapon now has its own execution move!

Stay tuned for more updates, and keep your eyes peeled for more news on the Official Multiplayer Public Beta coming soon!

Major Nelson has announced a brand new map pack for Halo: Reach called Defiant which will be coming out March 2011.  Here is the scoop on Defiant:

Condemned: Condemned takes place aboard Orbital Station Gamma, a massive space station high in orbit above the planet Reach. Prior to the Covenant’s overwhelming invasion, Orbital Station Gamma provided long range communications for UNSC fleets and a vital lifeline between Reach and Earth. During the Battle of Reach, the station suffered terrible punishment at the hands of the Covenant but a few fortified sections remain intact, fully pressurized, and ready for combat. Condemned supports 6 – 12 players in a variety of action-packed game types, including Team Slayer, Team Objective and Free for All.

Highlands: Highlands takes place on the top-secret Military Wilderness Training Preserve on Reach. The Preserve is a large, wooded area where Spartan super-soldiers trained long before the war with the Covenant began. During the Battle of Reach, the Preserve was the site of key battles between the alien invaders and a group of Spartans who used their familiarity with these UNSC training grounds to significant tactical advantage…but not everyone who enters these woods makes it out alive. Highlands expands the fight with massive-scale engagements for 8 – 16 players in Big Team Battle, Team Slayer and Team Objective.

Unearthed Unearthed takes the battle for Reach to a large Titanium mine and refinery located in the Viery civilian sector of the planet. This particular mine was built to take advantage of the exposed titanium inside a massive meteor crater. The titanium produced here is used in much of the UNSC hardware, from the chassis of the Warthog to the meters-thick armor plating of capital ships like the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. While this facility was quickly abandoned when the Covenant arrived on Reach, it still has significant tactical (and economic) value and it won’t be long before both humans and Covenant return to battle for control. Unearthed allows up to 4 players to launch a counterassault against the Covenant in Firefight and Firefight modes such as Generator Defense.

The company Performance Designed Products LLC has just released their plans for a Marvel vs Capcom 3 fighting pad. I don't actually own a fighting pad yet, but I'm thinking of getting this $40 one to go along with my game...the artwork just looks amazing! Check out the images and the press release for more information.

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 7, 2011 – Performance Designed Products LLC (“PDP”), a worldwide leader in the videogame accessory market, today announced the limited edition Marvel Edition Versus^TMFighting Pad for the Xbox 360. This new game pad has been designed specifically to appeal to both fighting gamers and fans of Marvel comics, with high-quality parts, unique design and explosive artwork taken from the pages of one of Marvel’s biggest events of 2010: Siege. The Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad will be available at retail and on PDP.com for a suggested retail price of $39.99 beginning February 14, 2011.

“In the last few years, fighting games have re-emerged as an incredibly popular genre in the console gaming world, with a dedicated, serious audience that demands high-quality tools,” said Tom Roberts, chief technical officer, Performance Designed Products. “We have designed the Versus Fighting Pad to be the ultimate game pad for fighting-game players while reflecting the super heroics of Marvel in this special-edition controller.”

PDP has joined with Marvel to create the Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad, a patented, wired six-button controller specifically designed for AAA fighting games on the Xbox 360. As players would expect from an actual arcade machine, high quality micro-switch activators have been used for the thumb stick, which has been custom designed and constructed to feel like an arcade joystick but with the more comfortable and compact feel of a thumb pad.

The Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad buttons have been placed in the expected six-button configuration on the face of the pad to give the user true arcade feel and accuracy when playing fighting games. The thumb stick has a rubberized, over-tooled cap while the pad itself has a satin grip finish, which means that the controller moves exactly as players demand without slipping out of their hands.

Players can order the Marvel Edition Versus Fighting Pad fromhttp://www.pdp.com