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As I said in our recent Gears of War 3 multiplayer preview earlier this week, I didn't think I could do the 5 multiplayer maps enough justice in such an in-depth piece as it was. Well, not in the same detail our readers - that's you! - want, so here we are now; to break them down the way they're meant to be broke down. To rip them apart limb from limb like a Locust does when he finishes off one of the poor humans in those very arenas.

With 5 distinctly different maps under the microscope, plenty of screens and even an overhead of each, let us pick them apart and throw words and information at you until your retinas bleed.

We'll kick things off with one of the more open and ranged maps, and finish things off with the more intimate of the 5.

Here goes...

Overpass

Simply put, Overpass is one of the most appealing maps we went hands-on with this week, simply because of its setting and with it being the first real interactive map on offer.
Throughout your time on Overpass, the ground will slowly give way underneath you, as if it was sinking into the earth. Oh wait, it is.

Starting out on the peaceful but mean streets of Jacinto, Overpass will slowly degrade the further you get into the game, with the initial tremors preceding the more devastating quakes that cause water to gush down the streets and the map to tilt.

Perfectly suited for King of the Hill and Team Deathmatch matches alike, a lot of the action on Overpass tends to take place on the steps (situated to the right of the map above) that lead up to the heavy turret.

Fighting for control here, to get someone on your team on the turret, is just pure manic with smoke grenades and shotguns going off left right and centre. Although, that being said, the Hammerburst with its extended range and iron sight make it a perfect weapon here.

You'll find a wide range of power weapons situated throughout the map, but the grenades tucked away in the far corner can prove to be the most effective, along with the shotgun and Hammerburst, depending on where you are on the map.

This map has the makings of a fan favourite.


Mercy

Moving from the deserted and drabs streets of Overpass, we move over to the greener and more picturesque pastures of Mercy – a map we were all too familiar with after our Beast mode hands-on at E3.

It’s definitely a map best suited for King of the Hill, with the three major hills appearing upon the high steps at the far end of the level (the top of the map above), in the middle of the courtyard and inside the church-like building at the bottom. With the tweaks made to King of the Hill as well, that circle just keeps jumping around like a rabbit on heat, which adds another level of intensity to the proceedings and ups the ante ten-fold.

With a Boomshot on the altar of the church and a mortar/One Shot on the high stairs at the other end of the level, getting to the hill first is most often key. Then you can happily rain down destruction on your foes.

That said, the middle hill that spawns in the Courtyard is a complete nightmare to control, with foes popping up to break the dominance in quick succession, however, sometimes, holding the stairs at the top and using a ranged weapon, makes things a damn sight easier.

Take the church early though and spread your formation to cover the two entrances and you can use this hill to assert your dominance.


Trenches

Trenches is one of the most manic maps of the five, with the start turning from peaceful to all-out war in a matter of seconds.

Getting control of the One Shot that sits in the middle arm of the level towards the north will give you a hefty advantage, but you need to be careful of the mortar that’s situated on the crane otherwise, your sniper will be a sitting duck.

"But wait Dan, I’ll snipe him into the next century," you say? Well, with a hanging shipping crate moving in the wind, often breaking your line of sight, it may not be as easy as it sounds.

The vast majority of action you’ll find though will take place in the actual trenches – d’uh! – which are incredibly tight and can often become crowded with friends and foes alike.

If the match goes on too long though, be careful, because when that foghorn sounds, a sandstorm’s a coming, and then anyone who’s got lightning quick reactions and is handy with a shotgun might find this a perfect time to take advantage.

Team Deathmatch all the way here.


Thrashball

The Thrashball map fastly became a favourite with ourselves and after only a few games, it was clear that this could be every bit as iconic as Gridlock was in the original games.

With each team starting out from a locker room on opposite sides of the Thrashball pitch - like War Machine in some respects - when the match kicks off, the race is on to the various power weapons situated smack bang in the middle of the map.

The grenades sit in the tunnel on the lower section of the stadium; the mortar/Mulcher sits in the bay of the Concession stand; and a power weapon lies underneath the hanging scoreboard - I think it was the Torque Bow, but I was never man enough - or stupid enough - to attempt to get it.

Holding the Concession stand is possibly the greatest tactic here, while keeping an eye on the scoreboard power weapon and shooting the scoreboard down when someone goes to pick it up. The grenades can come in handy though, so getting your team to decide on a tactic is going to be the hardest part of Thrashball. A lot of the time, our team was split down the middle here and ended up spreading ourselves too thin.

It’s as every bit tense as any other Gears map created to date, is best suited to Team Deathmatch, and with the scoreboard buzzing every time someone gets a kill, the map is sure to be a classic for more than one reason.


Checkout

Checkout was the smaller of the five maps, but easily the most intense and action-orientated. As the name suggests, the map takes place in an abandoned mini-mart of sorts, with each team starting across the wayside from one another.

Like it is with every carefully crafted Gears map, the race here is to the Mulcher in the middle, and then it’s a matter of backing your team into the corner and digging in hard to fight off the opposing team's efforts.

With plenty of low cover and with it being a relatively small map, the shotgun and the Pendulum Era Lancer seemed to do the trick here, but while the map worked perfectly well for Team Deathmatch, it’s even better for a pint-sized, insanely paced match of King of the Hill.

While there’s nothing as appealing as the other four maps in terms of environmental interactivity, it provides a ton of action and sometimes in Gears, those are some of the best games.

That about wraps up our look at the 5 multiplayer maps we went hands-on with this week. Don't forget to check back over the weekend for our interview with Cliff and our tour of Epic’s North Carolina studio – fresh with a look at the superb mo-cap studio, a climbing wall and a slide. Yes, I said a slide.

[Via x360a.org]

Maps and graphics looks amazing:O

This looks amazing! The Graphics are awesome!!! Thanks man!