As I'm sure many of you are aware, I have been unable to play COD4 multiplayer on Xbox Live due to the "Create-A-Class data corruption" issue that has been haunting about 2% of Xbox 360 players since the game's launch.

The long-awaited patch that finally came this weekend fixed it. Or did it?

So I joined up on some games of Free for All death matches, figuring I'd get to a Level 4 and then change my weapons. Level 4 came after two or three games. I then went to "Create-A-Class" and found out the true meaning of data corruption. "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "If the data wasn't corrupted before, it sure the hell is now!" Both primary and secondary weapons on all 5 slots were set to "M-9", and none of the weapons nor perks were unlocked. Read: I cannot create custom classes w/ different weapons/perks. I can only use the default "Assault", "Heavy Gunner", etc.

I found no mention of the "Create-A-Class" phenomenon in the official patch release announcement from fourzerotwo on InfinityWard's website:

http://www.infinityward.com/community/forum/index.php?topic=20255.0

Hey Everyone –

Just as I called it, the Xbox 360 patch for Call of Duty 4 passed certification by the weekend, and started hitting consoles near you this morning. For those of you wondering what’s been changed, a full list of the newness is:

New Kill Cams - Everything that can kill you has a Kill Cam now. Grenades, Airstrikes, Claymores, C4, M203 Rounds, RPGs, anything. So jump online, get owned alittle and check them out. They’re awesome, especially Grenades and M203 shots that go across the map and through a window.

Host Migration - Host migration was added, so now when the host leaves you won’t get dropped back to your own lobby by yourself. Everyone will stay together. Host Leaves, everyone returns to lobby, selects next best host, and the game starts up again. No more re-inviting, re-partying up because a host ended the game.

Epic's Mark Rein announced on their forums that GoW is getting patch with some promising gameplay enhancements. There's a new gametype called Annex and some bug fixes. He promises more details next week. The patch is currently going through certification. From his post on the forums:

The next title update for Gears of War is currently going through the certification process. We'll have more detail about the update next week but I can tell you that in addition to fixing a whole bunch of glitches, and providing 720p for VGA users running at 1280x1024, it will contain a brand new multiplayer gametype called Annex.

Some folks who got to play it a few weeks ago said they think it is our best multiplayer gametype yet but I'll leave it for you fans to decide what you think for yourself when it shows up soon on Xbox Live. More details next week.

I downloaded and installed the Gears of War patch last night and played with 8-10 people on my friends list. The game seemed to play differently than expected. I noticed these differences both on another player's host and on my host. The biggest differences: The Longshot sniper rifle seems to fire a second shot without reloading, the Gnasher shotgun seemed slightly more powerful (possibly just host advantage), and the Chainsaw seemed to have a longer “reach� (possibly just host advantage).

When I joined up to FoulBreed's host, I joined into a game on War Machine. As a round was starting I immediately noticed that I could hear everyone, even the players on the team that won the round. As it turns out, in the lobby, everyone can hear everyone now. It used to be that only the players that died during the round could be heard. Of course, people joining up mid-game also be heard; a welcome fix.

A patch for Gears of War is being released on Tuesday, the 9th.

It should fix the follow:

* Fixed aspect ratio distortion when using VGA cable with 4:3 displays at resolutions higher than 640x480
* Fixed voice issue with new players joining Player Match games in progress
* Players can now get the Achievement for "Dish Best Served Cold" when using Troika turret to kill RAAM
* Fixed rare situation where host could loop countdown and never start match
* Fixed rare situation where players could get stuck after chainsawing in multiplayer
* Reduced Grenade Tag melee distance

Two free new maps for Gears of War will be available on Wednesday, January 10th, from the XBOX Live Marketplace.  There will also be a new video available.  This new content is sponsored by the Discovery Channel.  No word on whether there will be any Discovery Channel branding on the maps.

A patch for Gears of War is also coming out before the maps are rolled out.  The patch should be available tomorrow (Tuesday). Here is what the patch is supposed to change:

* Fixed aspect ratio distortion when using VGA cable with 4:3 displays at resolutions higher than 640x480
* Fixed voice issue with new players joining Player Match games in progress
* Players can now get the Achievement for "Dish Best Served Cold" when using Troika turret to kill RAAM
* Fixed rare situation where host could loop countdown and never start match
* Fixed rare situation where players could get stuck after chainsawing in multiplayer
* Reduced Grenade Tag melee distance
* Enabled "Strict" NAT check on host to prevent possible connection issues
* Optimized server browser queries to return results more quickly and prevent scroll bars from hiding quality of service icons
* Reduced number of possible revives in Execution to match Warzone
* Removed host name from Ranked match server browser
* Disabled security cameras in Ranked matches
* Ranked matches now require balanced teams (3v3 or 4v4)
* Increased penalty for quitting a Ranked match to -50 points
* Added additional cheat detection code
* Additional housekeeping updates

The two new maps are called Raven Down and Old Bones.

• Raven Down: "A Raven Helicopter has gone down in the middle of a large scale battle with the omnipresent Locust Horde. Gears have taken out the Seeder and gamers join Delta Forces moving into the crash site from all angles to search for survivors."
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Old Bones: "In an attempt to eradicate any traces of human history and culture, the Locust Horde has emerged under Sera's Capitaline Museums and has begun to destroy them brick by brick. Each gamer's mission is to help the Delta Force recapture the museums before all remnants of humankind's existence are obliterated."
  
  
  
  

Epic employees confirmed this news on their forums. XBOXZONE.com.au broke the news on their forums. Additional commentary from 1up.com.

I think it’s great to see new maps already – especially free maps.  I think that is a heck of  a deal to provide those new maps about two months after release.  This will definitely keep the gameplay fresh.

Perhaps Epic did fix some bugs and glitches with their next software update and the maps are a way to encourage old and new players to get into Gears of War and check out the changes.

XBOX 360 owners will be required to accept the new patch while the maps will remain an optional download. The new patch and map may affect competitve Gears of War players in their online leages and tournaments. Will the new maps be a part of the stardard tournament rotations? Will the new patch affect gameplay so much that league rules will need to be changed?