Gears of War 3 gets timeline, 22 weapon skins

Well, with the floodgates well and truly opened on Epic's upcoming smash hit Gears of War 3, and the game due out on shelves next week, we're getting even more details on just what's in store - plus a bit of a look back at what once was.

Firstly, let's start at the beginning. Epic understands that it's been a good few years since we first met Marcus and Dom in the original Gears of War, and the company would like to make sure you haven't forgotten any crucial details.

To that end, I present the Gears of War timeline, created by Epic and pored over by fans around the world.

Starting way back in 80BE with the Pendulum Wars (that's 80 years Before Emergence in the Modern Seran Calendar, of course), the timeline covers the next 95 years or so, all the way up to 15AE (After Emergence), where Lambent life-forms have started to surround Vectes and other such spoilery fun.

In between, there's all sorts of details, images, back story and trivia that any Gears fan should be kept happy for a while in the leadup to the game.

Once the game's actually here though, there's other things to take up your time. How would you like to customise your weapons? Happy to hand over a little cash? MTV Multiplayer has most of the gossip about what will be available - one by one or in packs. The only detail missing? How much this all will cost.

There's 22 different paid DLC skins, including a handful of animated models, a couple of rosy pink options, and several which will vary depending on your multiplayer team.

The article on MTV also includes details about the various unlockables available in the game - if you're looking to avoid spoilers, maybe you should stay away.