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Tag: Call of Duty

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies Trailer Released

    One thing gamers can certainly count on for the future is plenty of zombies to headshot. Now that the Nazis seem to be played out as video game villains, zombies are the new morally-unambiguous enemies throwing themselves onto gamers’ screens as cannon fodder. Games such as Left 4 Dead, Day Z, and The Walking Dead have shown that the zombie apocalypse is a perfectly viable setting for video games.

    Today, Activision has released a new trailer for the zombie campaign in its upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. In the zombies mode, players will team up with friends to battle hoards of incoming zombies. It’s a nice change of pace from the grind of team-based warfare, and it appears, judging from the video below, that the mode has gotten plenty of love during the development of the game.

    The Call of Duty franchise has a history with zombies that goes back to Call of Duty: World at War, where the zombies were Nazis as well. The first Call of Duty: Black Ops also had a zombie mode, where players would unlock sections of zombie-specific maps while battling waves of the undead.

  • Call of Duty: Black Ops II Confirmed For Wii U

    Nintendo’s big Wii U announcement in New York today was a laundry-list of everything Nintendo fans were hoping for. The affordable prices, a the new Nintendo TVii video streaming service alone should be enough to make Microsoft and Sony sit up and pay attention.

    Later in the show, Activision took over a large portion of the presentation and announced that several of its upcoming titles will be coming to the Wii U.

    The biggest announcement, of course, is that Call of Duty: Black Ops II is coming to the Wii U. This reveal, coupled with the news of Assassin’s Creed III and Mass Effect 3 coming to the new console, means that Nintendo is certainly back in the “hardcore” gamer market. Even better, the Wii U GamePad, as odd as it sounds, looks to give Wii U players a host of new options in how they play Call of Duty.

    Players can change their character load-out, call in kill streak rewards, and perform other tasks using the touch screen on the Wii U GamePad. Also, instead of spit-screen mode when playing with a friend in the same room, the Wii U allows a player to play using the screen on the GamePad. In addition, gamers can use the GamePad to play Black Ops II without ever turning on the TV.

    Activision also announced several other titles that they will be releasing on the Wii. Skylanders: Giants is a sequel to the popular kids game Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. 007 Legends will bring some much-needed bond action back to a Nintendo console. A Wipeout game based on the ABC TV series will also be coming to the Wii U, as will Transformers Prime.

  • Surprise: People Still Love Halo And Call Of Duty

    I have a dream – I hope that gamers will one day learn to embrace more games beyond the big budget shooter, open world title or annual sports game. 2012 could have been the year that everything changed, but the latest Nielsen report shows that not to be the case.

    Nielsen does a study after E3 every year to determine which games are getting the most buzz out of the general gaming public. This is a good indicator of how hotly anticipated titles are it gives publishers a good idea of how hard to push said titles in the months leading up to launch.

    The report this year looks very similar to last year. Call of Duty is still near the top of the list for both PS3 and Xbox 360 with the launch of Halo 4 taking the top spot in the Xbox 360 charts. Other heavy hitters like Madden NFL 13, Assassin’s Creed III and Resident Evil 6 are all on the minds of gamers around the country.

    Here’s the breakdown from most anticipated to still anticipated, but in fifteenth place, out of all the major consoles for 2012:

    Xbox 360
    1. Halo 4
    2. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
    3. Assassin’s Creed III
    4. Madden NFL 13
    5. Resident Evil 6
    6. Borderlands 2
    7. NCAA Football 13
    8. NBA 2K13
    9. FIFA Soccer 13
    10. Fable: The Journey
    11: Darksiders II
    12. Need For Speed: Most Wanted
    13. Far Cry 3
    14. Medal of Honor: Warfighter
    15. NHL 13

    PlayStation 3
    1. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
    2. Madden NFL 13
    3. Assassin’s Creed III
    4. Resident Evil 6
    5. NCAA Football 13
    6. Borderlands 2
    7. NBA 2K13
    8. Darksiders III
    9. NHL 13
    10. FIFA Soccer 13
    11. Far Cry 3
    12. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
    13. Hitman: Absolution
    14. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
    15. WWE ’13

    Nintendo Wii
    1. Just Dance 4
    2. Madden NFL 13
    3. Just Dance: Disney Party
    4. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two
    5. Disney Princess: My Fairytale Adventure
    6. WWE ’13
    7. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
    8. NBA 2K13
    9. FIFA Soccer 13
    10. The Last Story
    11. Everyone Sing
    12. Ice Age: Continental Drift: Arctic Games
    13. Skylander Giants
    14. Pro Evolution Soccer 2013
    15. Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game

    It’s interesting to see that Xbox 360 owners and PlayStation 3 owners are quite different in their priorities. Xbox 360 gamers are obviously super excited for shooters and sports games, but PS3 gamers are putting a bit more priority into other games like Darksiders II, Hitman and WWE. There still a lot of overlap in their love for sports game and shooters though.

  • Call Of Duty And Medal Of Honor Duke It Out With New Trailers

    Well, this is awkward. The two major competing military shooters coming out this year decided to release a trailer on the same day. It’s like showing up to a Halloween party dressed as the red Power Ranger because nobody would think to reference your childhood in such a way except you. The only problem is that everybody dressed as the Red Ranger and you showed up late so you’re no longer a trendsetter. Out of the two military shooters, which one is the loser to show up last to the party?

    First up is the new trailer for the single-player campaign for Call of Duty: Black Ops II. It lays the drama on thick and lets us know that some famous people like Trent Reznor and David S. Goyer are on board crafting music and story for the title. It’s contemporary and adrenaline fueled entertainment at its finest, or so says the trailer. We’ll find out for sure when the game launches later this year for every platform under the sun.

    So how does Medal of Honor: Warfighter stack up to the pretty impressive Black Ops II trailer? Well, Medal of Honor traditionally has a strong single-player campaign, so they have to sell the multi-player to compete with Call of Duty’s traditional strong multi-player. So how does it look? It’s pretty and chaotic. Danger Close definitely took a good look at Battlefield 3 and said, “You know what, we can make this more fun.” It will be available later this year on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

    While it might be a bit unfair to compare a single-player trailer with a multi-player trailer, you should blame the publishers. They obviously planned to release these trailers on the same day to convince you one way or the other to buy this year’s big military shooter. I thoroughly enjoyed Black Ops so I’m already set on my camp, but Medal of Honor: Warfighter is looking mighty fine. Pick a side and join the YouTube commenters starting up flame wars in each trailer’s respective comments section.

  • Call of Duty Online Will be Free to Play in China

    Activision announced today that Call of Duty is coming to China – for free. The video game publisher has partnered with Tencent Holdings to provide gamers in China with Call of Duty Online, which will be free to play. Tencent is the same Chinese internet, mobile, and telecommunications provider that recently acquired a minority stake in Epic Games.

    “We are very excited about our relationship with Tencent and the opportunities for gaming in China,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision. “We think China is one of the most exciting places in the world for us to grow our business and to develop innovative new games.”

    Activision stated that Call of Duty Online has been in development for around two years. The agreement between Activision and Tencent means that Tencent will have exclusive rights to operate the game in mainland China.

    “We believe Call of Duty Online will attract tens of millions of loyal fans in China, and our game platform and operational expertise to run massive multi-player online games can provide strong support to deliver the immersive and highly interactive game experience to game players in China,” said Martin Lau, president of Tencent.

    Releasing a free to play, online game might just be the only strategy that could work for Activision in China, where piracy of video games is rampant. The companies hope to make money through the sale of in-game items and upgrades. Activision said that players will be able to use the in-game store to enhance their weapons, gear, and perks in ways specifically designed for Chinese gamers. The game will also feature a series of “Special Operations” missions that tell an original story based in the Modern Warfare universe.

    Take a look below at the announcement trailer for Call of Duty Online:

  • Microsoft E3 Conference Reveals Black Ops 2 Game Footage

    Over eleven minutes of gameplay footage for Black Ops II was featured at Microsoft’s E3 event. L.A’s freeways become a warzone in Treyach’s much anticipated sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops. Set in a future where America’s unmanned military assets are used against us, the game will explore new possibilities in modern warfare.

    The scene (possibly opening scene?) of the game begins with the main character protecting the President from an all out attack featuring drones and other future weapons that have turned on their own people. The Call Of Duty franchise has become known for its action packed warfare scenarios, including one that played out a terrorist attack on an airport. Who knows if this one will come with the same warning about disturbing content. Either way, it looks like Black Ops II has one-upped the franchise again with this awesome sequence.

    The disappointing (for some people) news about the Black Ops II reveal is that Xbox will have exclusive rights to the opening DLC for the game. The expansion pack will be made available to Playstation and PC eventually, but when the game premieres, XBox has first dibs. Tomb Raider, which was also featured at Microsoft’s press conference, will have a similar program with XBox. Rather than getting exclusive games, will we now see consoles adapting Microsoft’s tactic of getting early access to DLC to coax gamer’s loyalty?

    Fans have mixed emotions about the Black Ops 2 feature, some chastising them for rehashing the same game over and over again.

    In Black Ops 2, Kinect voice support allows the player to scream directly at Microsoft for rehashing the same game twice in one year. #E3
    2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    Others are excited about the futuristic setting, and the new twist put on the Call of Duty franchise.

    Black Ops 2 does look better than the past Call of Duty Games, I am impressed with the Drones, remines me of Perfect Dark #GTE3
    1 hour ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    Others thought the future technology isn’t enough to make it different from the rest of the Call of Duty games.

    Still undecided on Black Ops 2. Looks exactly like the other CoDs, but with drones.
    2 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    While the lifelong COD fans will not be dissuaded…

    I am pumped for Black Ops 2. Saw this a few weeks ago. Really can’t wait. Most excited I’ve been for CoD since original Modern Warfare.
    2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    The game is scheduled to release on November 13, 2012 and is available for pre-order now. The cost is $60.

    [source: All Things D

  • Black Ops 2 Crushes Amazon Pre-Order Sales

    Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has broken the Amazon single day pre-order sales record, The Inquirer says. In fact, they demolished it, tripling sales of the previous record holder.

    Activision revealed the game last Tuesday with a trailer aired during the NBA playoffs. In the first 24 hours, pre orders on Amazon smashed that of Call of Duty: Black Ops, the previous record holder

    And Amazon didn’t even have the best Pre-Order bonuses, even though they are well-known for having the goods in this regard. It will be interesting to see the pre-order sales figures from some of the other retailers. Best Buy is offering free dogtags, and Gamespot actually has four tiers of prizes, encouraging gamers to buy early.

    “Set to be one of the biggest games of the year, it’s great to see so much enthusiasm and anticipation for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2,” said Amazon UK video games manager Graham Chambers in The Inquirer: “Bolder and better than before and with everything from a futuristic storyline through to single player mode, Zombies and multiplayer”.

    See the trailer below, and visit here to read about the Black Ops II viral campaign with an Anonymous tie-in.

  • Call Of Duty: Black Ops II Official Trailer Surfaces

    Call Of Duty: Black Ops II Official Trailer Surfaces

    If you are a Call of Duty fan, chances are you were watching the NBA playoffs last night waiting for the Black Ops II trailer to air. If you weren’t, you really should still watch it. Treyarch is doing something pretty amazing with the franchise that even has a skeptic like me excited.

    As yesterday’s leaked Web site confirmed, part of Black Ops II will be taking place in the near future. The trailer confirms the year to be 2025 and features a war fought more by machines than humans. That’s at least the feeling the trailer gives off with Sgt. Frank Woods from the first Black Ops saying that there’s still a need for men like him on the battlefield.

    Thankfully, the trailer gives us a look at the gameplay as well. There’s plenty of action and the kind of summer blockbuster set pieces that we have come to expect from Call of Duty, but there are a few things that have me pretty excited. The future of warfare allows the game to have some fun with technology that is already being worked including guadrotor drones and quadrupedal mech-like tanks.

    Check out the trailer to see for yourself:

    Activision is also running a viral campaign alongside the official marketing that shows off the futuristic weapons and the implications of technology on the battlefield. There was one in particular that caught our eyes though. In a video about how technology is moving too fast for the military to keep up with it, they mention how rogue nations and terrorists can hack into weapons to attack civilians with their own nation’s weaponry. It’s not far from the truth, but the trailer makes a specific nod to Anonymous as one of those hacker terrorist groups.

    Anonymous took notice and have offered this response:

    Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be available November 13 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. There also rumors of a Wii U version, but nothing has been confirmed.

  • Oliver North Pitches Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

    Retired Lieutenant Commander Oliver North is know for many things. Video game pitchman is now on that list. A teaser trailer of sorts was released by Activision that features Colonel North sitting on a stool talking about how scary war is going to be in the future. He makes statements like “I’m not worried about the guy who wants to hijack one plane, I’m worried about the guy who wants to hijack all the planes.”

    The Video is shot in a documentary style and also features P.W. Singer (Author of Wired For War) talking about what the reality of war in the near future is going to be. Weapons that are extremely accurate and deadly. Robots that need little to no human interactivity to perform their duties. Railguns and lasers for the battlefield. In reality it is the future of the battlefield, put to a scary soundtrack, and we have a sweet video that makes you want to see more.

    Unfortunately, Kotaku has decided to turn a video game commercial into a political hotpoint by using their service to remind people of the fact that Lt Col. North was charged with lying to congress in the 80’s about selling weapons to Iran. No where does it mention the Silver Star, Bronze Star and two Purple Heart medals that he earned as an actual war hero. Upon the publishing of their article, Twitter semi-erupted:

    i know that was oliver north in that commercial. anyway, did i just see oliver north in a video game commercial? 14 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    That ten-minute-long ad starring Oliver North really makes me want to play your war video game. Good spokesman, video game company 14 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Oliver North is shilling the new Call of Duty while trying to scare you: http://t.co/pKpardEr (Would be tackier if he shilled a new Contra) 14 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Am I the only person disturbed to see Oliver North hawking video games? http://t.co/LbGLGxAr 30 minutes ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Did anyone find it weird that Oliver North was in a commercial promoting #CallofDuty? What, is there an arms dealer in Black Ops II? 4 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @BenKuchera 457: If you pre-order now Oliver North will sell weapons to a country of your choice 11 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    MT @paramnesiac: @JebBoone Maybe there’s a mini-game, you shred documents and lie to Congress to keep the ops a secret. http://t.co/a9cVd8qb 56 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    oliver north should be just as successful selling call of duty as he was weapons to iran because to americans it is basically the same thing 2 minutes ago via Plume for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Call Of Duty: Black Ops II Pre-Order Bonuses Announced

    Well, that didn’t take long. The first trailer for Black Ops II hit the airwaves yesterday and we already have the retailer specific pre-order bonuses lined up for gamers who can’t wait to get their hands on the latest Call of Duty title. This year’s pre-order bonuses are a little odd though.

    First up is GameStop’s offer which has pre-order bonuses unlocking in tiers. For gamers who pre-order now, you’ll be able to get a double-sided poster featuring artwork from the game. Through the monts leading up to the game’s release, three more bonuses will unlock presumably with more pre-order bonuses. As an added bonus, you will also get a Modern Warfare 3 prestige token if you’re a PowerUp Rewards member.

    GameStop obviously has the best offer, but other retailers are offering some pretty sweet deals as well. UK retailer GAME, recently saved from destruction, will also be offering a prestige token for anybody who pre-orders the title. The token will be delivered to all who pre-order within a week.

    Best Buy will be offering the same reward they offered with the first Black Ops – dog tags. Only this time, the dog tags will have the game’s logo printed on them. It’s important to note that the dog tags will be delivered at the time of the game’s launch for online pre-orders whereas in store pre-orders will receive the dog tags at the time of transaction.

    Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Pre-Order Bonuses

    Unfortunately, Amazon seems to have gotten the worst deal out of the bunch. Their only offer right now is a downloadable wallpaper for your PC. It’s odd since Amazon usually gets great pre-order offers so there might be something better down the road. If all else fails, they might offer Amazon credit that can be applied to other game purchases.

    If you feel that you must pre-order the game, it seems that GameStop has the best deal. Of course, we don’t know what those last three bonuses are going to be. There will also probably be a provision that says you can’t get the previous rewards if you pre-order late just to make sure that you aren’t getting cheated.

    [h/t: DigitalWarfare24/7]

  • Modern Warfare Blackout Group Calls For DLC Boycott

    While the residual effects of the Modern Warfare 3 blackout seem to be minimal–that is, it did not cause Activision to relent and patch all the issues that were brought to light–that hasn’t stopped the HC4M ELITE crew to abandon their position of taking Activision and Infinity Ward to task for their refusal to fix the myriad of problems that lead to the idea of the blackout.

    Motivated by the standard response to their blackout request of, “Why would Activision care? They already have your money.” The group has changed strategies. Instead of calling for another multiplayer blackout, the HC4M ELITE group is asking those who are not satisfied with the support MW3 receives to blackout any DLC releases by not buying them.

    Of course, considering the negative reaction the $50 DLC pack received, it might be easier to achieve this goal than getting people to stop playing MW3 for a day. To facilitate their goals, the group has also started an online petition, which asks the same of those who choose to sign it:

    This is a call of action to the Call of Duty Community to not purchase and download the DLC for Modern Warfare 3 . Join us and your fellow Call of Duty players and fans as we take a stand against Activision and Infinity Ward for their lack of support towards the community’s needs and concerns.

    We have been ignored repeatedly when asking for quality post release fixes to be implemented pertaining to:

    Lag Compensation
    Matchmaking
    The broken Spawn System

    There are currently 135 total signatures, which seems to indicate some players aren’t as bothered by Activision’s lack of support. Apparently, as long as they can log on and deathmatch themselves to a blissful Nirvana, nothing else matters, not even a shoddy matchmaking system that’s long been criticized, even before the blackout gained popularity.

    Is this something you’d consider participating in or can MW3 do no wrong in your eyes? Let us know what you think.

  • Call Of Duty: Black Ops II Web Site Opens In The UK

    We reported on Sunday that the next Call of Duty game would be called Black Ops II thanks to some leaked preorder cards. Thanks to the UK Web site for the game going live prematurely, we can confirm that this is indeed the case.

    If you head over to the UK version of the Call of Duty Web site, you’ll be greeted by a big Black Ops II splash page. There’s not much to do on the Web site yet because everything is still locked away. The worst part is that the trailer is sitting there for us to watch, but it’s being listed as private until the official reveal tonight.

    We can confirm a few things about the game from the Web site though. The game is indeed taking place in a modern day setting. What’s more interesting is that the Web site says that it’s set in a “near-future, 21st century Cold War, where technology and weapons have converged to create a new generation of warfare.” The first Black Ops was set during the original Cold War so it’s nice to see Treyarch sticking with the theme. I just wonder if the Russians are still going to be the enemies of this modern Cold War or if they’re going to introduce China as a threat.

    While we don’t have access to the trailer just yet, we can see a screen cap of the YouTube video. Unfortunately, there’s not much to go off of except that there’s going to be a helicopter, smoke and the setting, at least for the trailer, is a near-future Los Angeles.

    Call of Duty: Black Ops II Web Site

    We’ll keep an eye out for trailer leaks throughout the day, but the official reveal will be tonight during the NBA playoffs on TNT. While Call of Duty has been the subject of numerous leaks and early information, it looks like Activision is keeping a pretty tight lid on Black Ops II. I wouldn’t be surprised if the early launch of the UK Web site was just a marketing tactic to drum up excitement for tonight’s trailer, especially among the dudebros.

    Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be launching on November 13 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

    Do you like the “21st century Cold War” setting? Or do you think that Call of Duty should have gone for a different time or setting? Let us know in the comments.

  • Will The New Call of Duty Cause a Bro Breakdown?

    I mean, who here can really argue with good graphics, especially in a Call of Duty game? While the upcoming comic strip was clearly done in jest, tomorrow, when the CoD: Black Ops 2 official announcement hits on May 1st (tomorrow), will this be the predominant reaction of bros everywhere?

    Take a look and see what you think:

    Call of Duty: Modern Bro-fare

    If there’s a more accurate comic strip out there, especially one devoted to video games, please share; and no, Penny Arcade doesn’t count.

    Courtesy of Julia Lepetit, via Dorkly, “Modern Bro-fare” is about a pitch perfect as one can get, especially when it comes to fanboy reactions to Call of Duty, or, well, any title that has such a fervent following. Then there’s the last panel, which, after reading just how much money each new CoD title makes, may not be as far-fetched as some might think.

    As indicated, the new CoD announcement is expected tomorrow, even though the Internet, by and large, already knows the what (Black Ops 2) and the when (November 13). Nevertheless, expect an absolute outpouring of reactions when the official announcement hits the tubes tomorrow.

  • Next Call Of Duty Will Be Black Ops 2, Coming Out November 13

    It looks like a few of the Call of Duty rumors have come true. It turns out that the next Call of Duty will be released on November 13 as previously suggested. It was also suggested that the game would be called Call of Duty: Eclipse to coincide with the full solar eclipse that would be happening that Tuesday. Unfortunately, the next Call of Duty won’t have a creative title.

    IGN got the scoop from a couple of Target pre-order cards that the next Call of Duty will indeed be called Black Ops 2. If its any consolation, the title uses roman numerals for the “2” and it’s still a better title than Medal of Honor: Warfighter. All joking aside, it was pretty much a given that the next Call of Duty title would be a continuation of 2010’s Black Ops after the leaked box art last week.

    Call of Duty Black Ops 2

    Of course, the question is now whether or not the game will continue with Black Ops Cold War theme. The rumors floating around now point to a near future warfare scenario. If you’re confused, think the kind of technology used in Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and this year’s Future Soldier. If that’s the case, we could be treated to one of the more interesting Call of Duty titles in recent years after Modern Warfare 3 failed to impress on many levels.

    The rumors from last week also pointed to a revamped multiplayer with a bevy of new modes that should make multiplayer more exciting. There was also a leaked list of perks that point to a more intense multiplayer.

    Black Ops II will be officially unveiled during the NBA playoffs this Tuesday on TNT. We’ll get a few more details at that time. Stay tuned for more news on what is inevitably going to be one of the biggest releases of the year.

  • Modern Warfare 3 Free On Steam This Weekend

    Steam, an online digital distribution platform from Valve, occasionally offers up free to play weekends.

    Just announced on the official Steam store is a free to play weekend for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3! All you have to do is to pre load the game and be ready when the free weekend starts on Thursday, April 26th at 10am PST.

    To access the free weekend, just go to your Steam account and Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer should be listed under your games.

    Modern Warfare 3 is the wildly successful sequel in the Call of Duty franchise that features over 50 million games sold and a whopping 3 billion dollars in sales. In recent weeks game analysts have speculated that the franchise has indeed reached it’s peak. Partly due to competitors like Battlefield, but also due to the lagging economy.

  • Call Of Duty Black Ops 2 Leaked Box Art [Rumor]

    Ever since Call of Duty 4 hit shelves on November 7, 2007, there has been nearly no stopping the behemoth. The COD franchise has racked up nearly $3 billion in revenue while selling 55 million copies. As of right now there are 40 million active players across all copies (COD4, COD:WAW, COD:MW2, COD:BO, COD:MW3). So as you can see, whenever there is any news about a new Call of Duty game, it tends to be huge news.

    The news today on Kotaku is a possible leaked box art picture. The box art comes from Italy and was featured on the Twitter feed of @MW3Updates. It can be looked at as very suspect if you look at a few things. The conveniently placed flash on the front, the Playstation 2 box, old Xbox 360 banner. But there are things like the new Call Of Duty font, and also has the same high resolution photo from other leaked art that make it look legit.

    Some long term analysts have started to speculate that the Call of Duty franchise, while extremely successful is starting to peak. Modern Warfare 3 peaked earlier than other franchises and people are ditching new Call of Duty game faster than ever before. Add on to that the fact that there are more competing franchises like Battlefield 3.

    There is a teaser poster seen above, speculation is that it is probably about the reveal of Black Ops 2 during the NBA playoffs.

    Supposed promotional Black Ops 2 case. What do you think, legit or fake? http://t.co/eqsEjh3L 11 hours ago via Twitter for iPad ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • New Call Of Duty Title To Be Revealed On May 1

    You can count on a new Call of Duty title coming every year, but Activision still likes to treat the reveal as a big deal. This year is no different with the official Call of Duty site displaying a teaser and a countdown for the big reveal on May 1. If that was the only part of this story, it wouldn’t be that exciting. It’s a good thing there’s more – lots more.

    Military shooter fan site MP1st has been digging into the rumors and speculation for the next Call of Duty title. What we do know now is that the next title is being developed by Treyarch, developers of 2010’s Black Ops. That’s it! Well, not really, but that’s the only confirmed news we have. The other rumors are a bit more interesting.

    First and foremost, it seems like the next game in the franchise might not be called Black Ops 2. Other rumors point to the game’s title being Call of Duty: Eclipse with a rumored release date of November 13. Why November 13? There will a total solar eclipse on that day which syncs up perfectly with the rumored title.

    MP1st also got their hands on a rumored leak of all the new game modes and perks making their way into Black Ops 2, Eclipse or whatever you want to call it. Treyarch did some interesting stuff with the multiplayer in Black Ops and it’s looking like the studio is doing it again with the sequel.

    The first new game mode is called Escort which sees a team escorting a player as they pick up three flags. If the opposing team manages to kill the escorted player, it will be a win for the opposing team.

    The next mode is supposedly called Split Spawn. This sees players spawning from a helicopter and they have to climb down from it to reach the ground. One player is in charge of controlling the chopper while others can stay in the chopper to provide cover fire. If the chopper is destroyed, players lose their only means of respawning. There is also a flag to capture that “takes 2x as long to capture than a regular domination flag.” Capturing said flag or the death of all opposing players will grant victory.

    The final game mode is the most interesting and the one I hope is real. It’s called Equalizer and for good reason. Upon death, a player is transferred to the opposing team. During this, the teams compete for a flag that opens up a power plant. This plant allows players to customize their class during the match and opens up the ability to suit up in a juggernaut suit. If there are two players left on a team, they are automatically granted the power plant. At this point, team members also don’t transfer to the other side.

    Here is a list of the leaked perks coming to the game as well with the base, pro and elite versions of said perk.

    1. Spy – Appear as a friend on the map. (Disadvantage is, you’re always spotted even without a UAV, and when shooting, you turn red on the map)
    b. Pro – Detect enemy spies. They will still always be spotted on the radar.
    c. Elite – If Pilot is active, your airship will be marked as an ally.

    2. Escape Artist – When going prone, you feign death (You cannot shoot during)
    b. Pro – When approaching death, the enemies crosshairs will turn to white, and your name will dissapear.
    c. Elite – if Diver is active – You realistically fall into your feign death instead of diving.

    3. Audiophile – Players with silenced weapons will show on your radar if they are shooting at you or close around you.
    b. Pro – Footsteps are louder
    c. Elite – If bladesman is active – kniving will show up on the radar

    4. Defuser – Throw all equipment but cookable grenades up to 2x farther – a hollow circle will show up around your crosshairs, and the circle will fill in 3 seconds. When the circle is full, it will throw 2x farther, when it is empty, it will throw 1x as far.
    b. Pro – Be able to take semtex off of players and throw them elsewhere, and be able to pick up any enemy equipment and use it as your own.
    c. Elite – if quickdraw is active – the circle will fill in 1.5 seconds.

    5. Juggernaut – Regenerate health faster while moving
    b. Pro – Regenerate health faster while crouched
    c. Elite – If scavenger is active – you are able to drop ammo packs for your team.

    6. Diver – You can dive into cover (A.K.A. Dolphin Dive) – and while diving you can still shoot, however when you land it takes awhile to regain focus.
    b. Pro – You crawl 2x faster
    c. Elite – With Extreme conditioning active – You can sprint while crawling to crawl faster (3x) instead of getting up.

    7. Pilot – Your flying killstreak’s kills will count towards your next killstreak.
    b. Pro – Your controllable flying killstreaks will last until they are shot down.
    c. Elite – With blind eye active – Your uncontrollable flying killstreaks will not show on the map.

    8. Technician – Any land killstreak’s kills will count towards your next killstreak.
    b. Pro – Your Advnaced UAVS will disable the enemies UAV
    c. Elite – If defuser is active, your sentries cannot be taken down instantly.

    9. Bladesman – You have 2 knives in each hand instead of just one in one hand. (This essentially makes knives kill twice as fast.)
    b. Pro – You have a chance of dodging the incoming players knife.
    c. Elite – If assasin is active – kniving will be completely silent and not show on the killfeed, unless countered by audiophile elite.

    10. Conciousness – While standing, you are just as accurate as when you are prone
    b. Pro – Your bullets cause more flinching.
    c. Elite – If marksman is active – shooting your enemy will mark him on the mini map.

    11. Focus – Be able to shoot while sprinting, even at the deduction of accuracy.
    b. Pro – Be able to shoot while jumping, even at the deduction of accuracy.
    c. Elite – If stalker is active – when jumping, equipment does less damage to you.

    12. Deep Impact – Your bullets shoot through hard surfaces.
    b. Pro – Your bullets gain 50% damage with each person they go through.
    c. Elite – if steady aim is active – when hip-firing, your bullets have 10% more damage with each person they go through.

    Alongside all of this, there are also leaks of the new guns, attachments and knife skills that will be making it into the next Call of Duty game.

    It’s important to note that all of this is rumor and conjecture for now. It’s not like last year where all the major details of Modern Warfare 3 were leaked weeks before the official unveil. It’s not smart to get your hopes up just yet. I personally hope that at least the new game modes are legitimate because Equalizer sounds like a blast.

    Take the rumors as you will, but the official unveil will take place on May 1 during the NBA playoffs on TNT. Only then will we get our first real look at whatever the next Call of Duty game is.

    Do you think the rumors are legitimate? Are you excited for the official unveiling on May 1? Let us know in the comments.

  • Turn-Based Call Of Duty Prototype Footage Leaked

    A long time ago before the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Activision had big plans for the franchise. While they had Infinity Ward and Treyarch working on the first-person shooter aspects of the title, the publisher hired on Sledgehammer Games to create a third-person Call of Duty title. On top of that, there were some rumors of a turn-based Call of Duty title in the works.

    While the fate of Sledgehammer’s third-person project is still up in the air as they were taken off of it to help Infinity Ward finish MW3, we now have proof of the turn-based game’s existence and subsequent cancellation. Military shooter fan site MP1st has found footage of the turn-based Call of Duty title.

    The game is obviously set during World War II and it sure looks like a turn-based game. The game was being developed by Vicarious Visions, the Activision developer that usually handles the Nintendo Wii ports of its titles. This would have been their first major primary console release in a long time, so it’s too bad the game was cancelled.

    It makes you wonder why Activision cancelled the project. It makes most sense that the Call of Duty crowd wouldn’t be interested in a tactical turn-based shooter. Still, it would have been a nice change of pace for the franchise.

    Twitter user superannuation was the first to uncover the project. The tweet prior to the leak said that he had been sitting on it for a while.

    Check out the footage and see what could have been:

    What do you think of a turn-based Call of Duty title? Do you think it would have been a good side project for the franchise? Let us know in the comments.

    [h/t: Reddit]

  • Call Of Duty Main Training Tool For Norway Killer

    The media seems to love to blame first person shooter franchise Call of Duty every single time there is a gun crime involving a kid or young teen. This time the man responsible for killing 69 people at an island getaway in Norway has come out and directly said he used COD to train for his mission. He said he used a holo sight to practice target acquisition. He apparently used a holo sight on his Ruger Mini-14 chambered in 5.56x45mm (.223).

    When asked about Call of Duty and how he used it he said “It consists of many hundreds of different tasks and some of these tasks can be compared with an attack, for real. That’s why it’s used by many armies throughout the world. It’s very good for acquiring experience related to sights systems.” He added: “If you are familiar with a holographic sight, it’s built up in such a way that you could have given it to your grandmother and she would have been a super marksman. It’s designed to be used by anyone. In reality it requires very little training to use it in an optimal way. But of course it does help if you’ve practiced using a simulator.”

    Anders Behring Breivik took part in shooting attacks that left 69 dead at a political youth camp on the island of Utøya on 22 July. It made international headlines and might be used to further gun restrictions in Norway.

    This is a Call of Duty level that gets a lot of flak for killing civilians:

  • Call of Duty Creative Strategist Resigns

    A creative strategist and the most recognizable spokesperson for the Call of Duty Modern Warfare series, Robert Bowling, has resigned from his position at Infinity Ward. Bowling had become the face of the franchise after joining Infinity Ward in 2006.

    Bowling announced his resignation via Twitter:

    Today, I resign from my position as Creative Strategist of Call of Duty, as a lead of Infinity Ward, and as an employee of Activision. 22 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    The reason for Bowling leaving his position is unknown, but the situation seems amicable, with Infinity Ward tweeting its best wishes for Bowling soon after his announcement:

    We wish Robert all the best. Thanks for everything. For continued MW updates & all things IW follow @infinityward. 22 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Reaction on Twitter is mixed, ranging from wholehearted support, to disbelief, and even relief:

    WAIT WHATTTT?
    http://t.co/n9P0fof4 3 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Huge thanks to the 433289484 douchers who made a video about Robert Bowling Resigning. I would have never have known if it wasn’t for you. 34 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Robert Bowling fucked COD up. His resignation may very well bring COD back from the dead. 44 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @fourzerotwo Thanks for the professionalism and and good luck with your next projects. 2 hours ago via Tweetings for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • UK Paper Uses Call of Duty Graphic In Story About Real-Life Military Operation

    People are up in arms about the use of a video game character graphic in a serious news story about a failed military operation.

    On Sunday, the UK paper The Sunday Times ran a piece called “Hostage tragedy of ‘mission impossible.’” Inside that article, the main graphic showed a soldier in full gear – but not a soldier involved in the mission. Not even an actual human soldier for that matter.

    Instead, the soldier portrayed in the graphic was none other than John “Soap” MacTavish, one of our favorite protagonists from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game series. Even though plenty of gamers might have gotten attached to Soap over the course of multiple Modern Warfare campaigns, we can assure you that he is not, in fact, a real soldier.

    But to be fair, they did black-bar his eyes to protect his identity…

    The story concerned a very real military operation involving a failed hostage rescue attempt in Nigeria. Two engineers, Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara, were captured by Islamist militants, according to the BBC. UK special forces were unable to save the them after a rescue attempt went sour and the militants executed them. The operation itself has been criticized by some, but Defense chiefs in the UK have defended the mission as the “best chance” the two had for survival.

    Why has the Sunday Times used an image of McTavish from Call of Duty to illustrate a very serious story? http://t.co/Rd63AfZt 2 days ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    The Sunday Times has a circulation of around 1 million. It was acquired by Rupert Murdoch’s News International in 1981.

    It’s unclear whether someone at The Sunday Times was merely confused, or this was just an odd decision. The former is probably less likely. COD: MW graphic design just isn’t that great.

    [The Media Blog via RegHardware]