Epic Games wants to give "Gear of War: Judgment" players a chance to shine. With the "Epic Reaper" character, players will be hand-picked to temporarily get access to the super-powerful "Epic Reaper" in multiplayer, turning them into a temporary titan on the battlefield.
Revealed at SXSW Interactive this weekend, Epic plans to "hand-pick" a player from the "Judgment" community every week to get access to the Reaper character. The Reaper will be handed out as a reward for a player's' "contibutions to the community." It isn't exactly clear what that will mean down the line: It could be anything from simply playing a lot to good sportsmanship to winning a tournament. For now, Epic forum-goers can nominate players in Epic's official nomination thread or tweet their vote using the hashtag #GearsReaper.
The "Judgment" development team will also have access to the Epic Reaper and will occasionally jump into the games to terrorize and challange players online.
Named for its intensity as well as its association with the publisher, the Epic Reaper was created to be a difficult opponent to take down. Floating in the air, the Reaper has "its own special abilities and physics" that set itself apart. It's meant to be an honor, right? So it should be something the players want. If that's not enough though, players who get the honor of controlling the Reaper also get a special set of "Judgment" dog tags.
Since the Reaper is so tough, there are also rewards for those who manage to take one down. Killing a Reaper will net players some custom gun skins and the "Reaper" medal.
"Gears of War: Judgment" hits stores March 19.
