Remember those ice extras that we've reported before that the repackaged Gears of War is set to get? Microsoft has confirmed them and they'e set to come in a couple of discs. More importantly, a price cut has been revealed to make the deal even sweeter. Release and pricing information along with other details follow after the jump.

If you liked Epic Games' Gears of War(Xbox 360, PC) and desperately want more of Marcus Fenix and his Locust-chainsawing exploits, then this news should come as a treat: DC Comics, the comic-book publishing company responsible for greats such as Batman and Superman, will be handling the comic book series based on the game's franchise. All the details in the full article.

Gears of War (Xbox 360, PC) may have been one of the first visually-stunning games of this gaming generation, but it's certainly aged well, and it's partly thanks to the downloadable content that Epic Games and Microsoft have been rolling out for it. However, things may soon change, as both companies have reported that there are currently no plans to release more downloadable content in the future. Check out the entire scoop in the full article.

Gears of War by Epic Games is one of those titles that Microsoft Xbox 360 and PC owners can never get over. Now, the National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) is announcing action figures for every die-hard Marcus Fenix fan out there. Interested? Proceed to the full article for all the details.

Epic Games has released a new trailer for Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360), offering us a look into the story of Reaper, the big Hulking guy you're going to be controlling in single-player mode. The trailer includes some serious action, not to mention gorgeous cinematics.

Reaper - who bears a striking resemblance to Marcus Fenix of Gears of War - is thrown (or dives headfirst) into the middle of open warfare against the Necris High Inquisitor, Akasha, who slaughters innocent civilians. The trailer doesn't give away much else in terms of story, but that's what playing the game is for.

Buy: [Unreal Tournament 3 (PC)]
Buy: [Unreal Tournament 3 (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Unreal Tournament 3 (PS3)]

Movies based on video games (and vice versa) have been known to flop so hard it's almost a fact now (alas, Street Fighter, we knew you well). Stuart Beattie, the man tasked to write the script for the Gears of War movie, doesn't intend to let Marcus Fenix go down that path.

A gamer himself, Beattie was actually playing Gears of War when he was called to write the script. He particularly likes shooters like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty. He even criticizes the video game adaptation of Pirates of the Caribbean (note that he wrote the first movie in the franchise):

I wish they had called because I could've helped them on that. That was a crappy game. I could've made a really cool game with Pirates. They just don't know the potential of that game. They could've made as much money on that game as they did in the movie. A film that successful they could've easily done $300 million in videogame sales if they had made a good game.

Beattie's past movies include the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie and Derailed. He's also writing the story for Getaway, a video game from Sony inspired by the movie Collateral (also written by Beattie). Right now he's working closely with Epic Games to get more familiar with the world that Gears of War is set in. Beattie comments on movie adaptations:

Hollywood likes to do what's proven. They've already proved that books work, and plays can work, and recently that comic books can work. But they've yet to have a film be as successful as say Spider-Man, that's based on a videogame. While there are more and more videogame movies being made [...] there still hasn't been that one that has hit it out of the park yet.

So will Gears of War break the trend and become the first one to hit the ball out of the park? There's nothing for us to do but to wait and see.

So maybe some of you weren't too hot about the Halo 3 McFarlane controllers. To quote a comment from lmxloco (Unregistered): "Eh, they look good and all, but they're a little too busy for my taste." Well, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. That includes Todd McFarlane himself. And to him, controllers are just the start.

McFarlane Toys has just announced a partnership with Microsoft to bring in Halo 3 action figures come Spring 2008. Not only are they going to include a 6-inch Master Chief in their line up. There's also going to be Cortana, Brute Chieftan, Jackal Sniper, and a bundle pack consisting of two Grunts.

Tagging along for the ride are, well, your Halo rides: McFarlane Toys will be releasing miniaturizes of the Warthog, Ghost, and Chopper as well.

Solid Snake is getting his own 12 inches. Marcus Fenix is getting a big head as a toy. Well, it's about time that Master Chief got his own plaything-version too.

A few days ago, Games Radar published an article - "Five game characters with one foot in the closet" - naming Kratos from God of War, Marcus Fenix from Gears of War, Jimmy Hopkins from Bully, Frank West from Dead Rising and Vaan from Final Fantasy XII as members of the LGBT community. A bunch of you kids might think it's funny but some members of the gay community were offended by it.

Starting off is their supposition that Kratos may be gay because he "accidentaly" killed his wife and daughter, which may mean he's got a grudge against women, "or something." Hassan Mirza, Gay.com's news editor told GamesIndustry.biz that this particular suggestion is misinformed. Why would straight men think that gay men hold violent grudges against women, after all?

PinkNews.co.uk retaliates by publishing the offending Games Radar article with the question: "What is the point of "outing" characters? Is this yet another bunch of childish 'str8' boys laughing at gay people?"

Mirza further elaborates that the article's facetious tone, dismissive of an impressionable audience, justifies making jokes about the LGBT community. Another suggestive, and allegedly misinformed comment was about Frank West dressing up in woman's clothes and children's clothes for a bit of "carnal experimentation."

Gays want the gaming community to know that while it's reassuring that gamers actually care about the sexual orientation of their digital superheroes, it's not very reassuring to read that the gamers rely on juvenile stereotypes about the LGBT community.

It'll be very interesting to know what you guys would make of this sort of situation; feel free to comment below.