Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Trailer

Here is the official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer. Enjoy!

The game will immediately follow the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, where the Russian Federation continues its invasion of the United States of America, and has also expanded its offensive to Europe, including England, France and Germany. Campaign stages are also planned for Somalia, Sierra Leone, Moscow and Dubai. Gameplay videos from E3 2011 in Los Angeles showed Delta Force soldiers helping Navy Seal Teams force a Russian submarine to surface in the East River and boarding it to destroy the other boats in the harbor. Before this, Delta Force soldiers are on a mission to destroy a radar jamming installation on top of the New York Stock Exchange. On Episode 502 of GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley, footage was shown of SAS soldiers fighting terrorists in the streets of London, eventually chasing them through a subway and killing them. They proceed to a subway station and eventually end up on the streets of London once again. Michael Condrey, Co-Founder of Sledgehammer Games, explained that the SAS are tracking a package belonging to ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov and is considered deadly and must be found and captured.

New Call of Duty "Classes" Announced

In a deviation from the time-tested multiplayer form, Activision announced that the newest iteration of the Modern Warfare franchise will feature classes which will separate playing styles. The classes are:

Assault: Gets standard set of killstreaks

Support: Unlocks the lesser offensive skills (UAV's, Turrets) - Doesn't have killstreak reset on death

Specialist: Doesn't earn a killstreak, but will unlock perks after every second consecutive kill

You can extend streaks by capturing objectives and providing assists to other players. View the video below for all the details:



Source: CallOfDuty.com

Activision Coming Out With Men In Black Game

To coincide with the new Men In Black movie that you either didn't know about or didn't care about, Activision has announced that they plan on releasing a game with it. The game will be developed by Fun Labs, a company whose resume includes many Cabela's hunting game. By the looks of it, the game will be a FPS.

What do you think of a Men In Black game? What about movie game adaptations in general? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Full Press Release

NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), in partnership with Columbia Pictures, today announced an all-new Men In Black™ video game, launching as a standalone title to coincide with the global theatrical release of Men In Black III in Spring 2012. True to the spirit of the franchise, the original title will feature action-packed, yet light-hearted gameplay mixed with edge-of-your-seat shooting excitement from the universe's most elite peacekeeping force.

"The Men In Black franchise is an unbeatable starting point to deliver a genre-bending gaming experience with a level of production value on par with Hollywood," said David Oxford, Executive Vice President of Activision Publishing, Inc. Mark Caplan, Vice President of Licensing at Sony Pictures Entertainment, stated, "With Activision bringing the Men In Black universe to life on next gen consoles for the first time, the Men In Black video game will be both familiar to fans, an exciting beginning for the uninitiated, and revolutionary for the franchise."

The films' unique blend of action, humor, and eye-popping special effects will fuel the Men In Black's gameplay experience. Utilizing the rich mythology of the Men In Black universe, the game's original story will build on the history of the series to bring back familiar faces, while also introducing new foes. More details on gameplay features and characters will be revealed soon!

The all-new Men In Black video game is planned to launch Spring 2012 for consoles and handhelds, and is rated "RP" (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. For more information, please visit www.activision.com.

About Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com/.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.

Source: Joystiq

Zampella And West To Go To Court In May

Infinity Ward Co-founders Jason West and Vince Zampella will finally get their day in court to fight against part-time Call of Duty publisher Activison. The trial is set for May 7th, 2012 in Los Angeles. 

Infinity Ward created the first Call of Duty game for PC, and has created a many other Call of Duty games in staggered releases, Including the Modern Warfare series, along with Treyarch. The duo are suing Activision for fraud, saying they were defrauded when Activision fired them before any royalties were paid for the creation and massive success of Modern Warfare.

On top of the payments, they seek to have an annulment of the original exclusivity contract, so that they may develop new Call of Duty games under their new company, Respawn Entertainment. 

Source: Gamasutra

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Hardened Edition $99

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Hardened Edition will be priced at the... modest $99 point. With what it contains, and the MSRP of all of it, the price isn't too bad. It's probably $59.99 for the game itself, and $50 for the Elite Access, you'd be saving $10 plus getting a few extra goodies. The box includes:

•  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game with unique disc art.
•  One year of membership in Call of Duty Elite.
•  “Founder status” on Elite with exclusive in-game emblem, player card, camouflage, clan XP boost and other exclusive benefits.
•  SteelBook case.
•  PlayStation Network exclusive: “Animated Timeline Theme.”
•  Xbox 360 exclusive: “Special Ops Juggernaut Xbox Live Outfit.”
•  Limited-edition “field journal” with more than 100 pages of “authentic military sketches, diagrams and written entries.”

Source: Joystiq

Black Ops Somehow Sells 23 Million In Its First Nine Months

Castrum - Somehow, Call of Duty: Black Ops has managed to sell 23 million copies in its first nine months on store shelves, numbers generally unheard-of outside of Nintendo games.

As well, Black Ops' DLC map packs have collectively sold 18 million at this point in time.

Expect those $15-for-3-maps "deals", as well as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 176 - Warfare Harder, to continue on into the future.

Source: Joystiq

Modern Warfare 3 Themed Xbox 360 Exposed

MjolnirX - Major Nelson has announced a new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3-themed Xbox 360. It will, of course, be the super-sized 320GB model, and will come with two themed wireless controllers. The Xbox also has custom sounds for powering on and opening the disc tray, like the now-delayed Star Wars-themed Xbox 360. If having a gun-metal gray console is going to clash with your carefully-selected TV stand in your Feng Shui-arranged house, fear not. The controllers will be available separately for $60, and will include download codes for in-game content not yet announced. 

Microsoft also announced an Xbox 360-themed Bluetooth headset which will be $70, and will also come with an exclusive download code for DLC. This may be to compete with Turtle Beach's themed headsets. The bundle also includes, of course, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and a month of free Xbox Live Gold. 

This monster bundle will cost $399, which isn't too bad of a deal, but it seems like a long way to go for a new, probably unnecessary console. It is due out on November 8th, 2011.  

Source: Major Nelson

EA And Activision Fighting Like Schoolgirls, Part 3

Castrum - Well, it seems EA and Activision just won't let this slide. The pathetic cat-fight going on between various representatives has hit a new low.

To quote EA's Jeff Brown (responding to this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBYNhvgQhdU):

 "Welcome to the big leagues Eric -- I know you're new in the job but someone should have told you this is an [sic] competitive industry. 

"You've got every reason to be nervous. Last year Activision had a 90 share in the shooter category. This year, Battlefield 3 is going to take you down to 60 or 70. At that rate, you'll be out of the category in 2-3 years. If you don't believe me, go to the store and try to buy a copy of Guitar Hero or Tony Hawk."

How about this: both games will suck ass equally and are yearly updates with minimal improvements. Problem solved.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/ea-and-activisions-cat-fight-gets-seriously-insulting/

Blizzard Seriously Considering Diablo 3 On Consoles

Castrum - I'm not sure which version I would get if this happened: 

At Blizzard Entertainment's Gamescom press conference, Diablo III lead designer Josh Mosqueira said the developer is "very, very serious" about bringing some undefined "experience" to platforms beyond the PC and Mac.

"Today, we're trying to build the best console team at Blizzard," Mosqueira said during a Q&A session. "We're looking for programmers, designers and artists who think their dream job would be to bring Diablo to the console."

While neither announcing nor confirming Diablo III for a Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo console platform, Mosqueira promised "All I can say is it's going to be awesome. Stay tuned."

http://kotaku.com/5831943/blizzard-is-very-very-serious-about-diablo-for-consoles

Activision Planning For Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6

Castrum - Yes, you read that right:

The folks at website Fusible believe Activision has registered the following websites: CODBlackOps3.com, CODBlackOps4.com,CODBlackOps5.com, CODBlackOps6.com,BlackOps4.com, BlackOps5.com,BlackOps6.com, CallOfDutyBlackOps3.com,CallOfDutyBlackOps4.com,CallOfDutyBlackOps5.com, CallOfDutyBlackOps6.com, CallofDutyMW5.com, and CallofDutyMW6.com.

Guess Bobby Kotick is planning to exploit the fuck out of this one.

http://kotaku.com/5831662/brace-yourself-for-so-many-more-call-of-duty-websites

WoW Patch 4.3 Lets You Gank Deathwing

Castrum - Not sure if this will get me back into WoW, but at least it's something. Also, Transmogrification sounds awesome. All the lower Tiers have a use now:

The biggest tweak coming with patch 4.3 is the Ethereal ability to transmogrify a players armor.

Starting with the patch, players will be able to choose the armor they think looks the best, as well as the armor that is most powerful to combine them into a single set.

"We have a wealth of armor sets we created that people no longer use," said Tom Chilton, leadWorld of Warcraft game designer.

Worse still, Chilton said, as players start to top out they being to look very similar because many players seem to stick to the high level, epic gear.

The hope is that players will use "transmogrification" not just to mix and max their favorite armor, but that this new ability will encourage some players to go back through the game on the hunt for some of the armor they may have passed up because it was under-powered.

To transmogrify a piece of armor it has to be the same type (cloth, leather, mail, plate) and stay within the class. Players just take it to an Ethereal who has set up shop in town; they transmogrify the two pieces into one.

...

Another addition coming with the patch is "Void Storage", a new 100 to 150 items slots players can purchase with in-game currency. Like transmogrification, void storage comes from the Ethereals. Void storage is a pocket dimension created for a player that allows them to store extra items, but there is a downside.

Anything stored in the void is stripped of its enchantments and gems and the name of the person who crafted it, Chilton said. The stripping isn't tied to the lore of the game, either, but is the byproduct of a technical issue that makes this new storage system possible. (Read: Silly databases!)

...

Finally, Chilton explained a new feature coming with the patch called "Raid Finder". The Raid Finder essentially operates like a dungeon finder, automating the search for fellow players on the hunt for a good raiding party. It will be built into the game's updated user interface when the patch hits, they said.

The bulk of the patch, though, will be a lot new content, Chilton said.

"It has a whole bunch of content," he said, "three dungeons for five player instances and a new raid instance culminating in the Deathwing fight."

That Deathwing fight will be the most epic boss encounter to date, including a battle phase that takes place on the massive dragon's back as he flies through the sky.

http://kotaku.com/5831732/cataclysm-comes-full-circle-deathwing-is-going-down

Diablo 3 Beta Announced

Castrum - I'll certainly be trying to get in on this:

Diablo III's beta will hit by September, hopefully before, Blizzard game director Jay Wilson said during a Gamescom press conference today. When's the game coming out? "When it's ready." Got it?

http://kotaku.com/5831780/diablo-iii-beta-will-begin-by-september-still-no-final-release-date

It Would Appear The Age Of WoW Is Over

Castrum - WoW is down from their peak of 12 million to just 11.1 million players. Trends show it will just keep falling. Perhaps we have seen the end of the behemoth known as World of Warcraft?

http://kotaku.com/5827577/world-of-warcraft-still-losing-players

Pandaren Finally Coming To WoW?

Castrum - And I quote:

With Blizzcon only a few months away, a trademark filing has surfaced hinting at what could be one of the last big hurrahs for the aging MMO.

Dated from last week in the US, it's for something called Mists of Pandaria...

Honestly, it's about time Blizz caved in to fanboy demand. At least now the Alliance (who will inevitably get to play as them) will look even more ridiculous and childish than they did before, what with all the Chinese Tony the Tigers running around. I wonder what race the Horde will get...

http://kotaku.com/5827221/is-world-of-warcraft-taking-giant-man+pandas-a-little-more-seriously

Blizzard Implementing "Cash-For-Items" Scheme In Diablo III

Developer	Blizzard Entertainment
Release Date	To Be Announced

MjolnirX - Blizzard has recently announced a new type of Auction House for its newest iteration of the Diablo franchise. This new AH will feature weapons and armor available for purchase using real money. This will run alongside (though separately) with the traditional auction houses like World of Warcraft's that use in-game currency.

Like the World of Warcraft auction houses, Diablo's cash-only AH will require the user to pay a fee to put an item up for sale, then they will be required to pay a transaction fee when the item is sold. The seller may then keep the money on his (or her) account for use in-game or for other Blizzard products, or cash-out with yet-another fee attached. The fees are at this moment still being negotiated, though I'm sure on such a grand scale, and with such a dedicated fan base, that it won't matter. At all.

This poses a scary situation. I can see many people, especially a few friends I know, making this a full-time job. I'm already picturing my friends trying to make a living off of playing and selling items in-game. I suppose it remains to be seen how much in-game items will cost. Blizzard has a tendency of pumping out some really expensive, rare or even one-off items that may end up costing hundreds or thousands on the new marketplace. After all, Blizzard will profit off of every item sold.

I'm not liking what this game is implying for the future of games. Microtransactions seems to be the way of the future. Look at games like Farmville (or any Zynga, or even any Facebook game), any iOS game, and many Xbox 360 or PS3 games like Record of Agarest War, where in-game purchases will give you an edge over the average Joe pinch-penny. The era of fair, balanced gaming is over. Hail your new king, Disposable-Income Man.

New Prototype 2 Trailer

Prototype 2
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Windows
Release date: Sometime in 2012

MjolnirX - New York City, stylized NYZ, has been divided into three regions. Each region stands for how affected New York City is by the Blacklight Virus, with the red zone standing for the most infected. James Heller will have missions in each zone and each mission's difficulty will depend on which zone it takes place in.

As stated by Radical Entertainment, Prototype 2 uses a new protagonist, Sergeant James Heller, and takes place 14 months after the original. James had returned to the tattered New York City from the war in Afghanistan to find that his wife and daughter were dead due to Alex Mercer accidentally releasing the virus when questioning Elizabeth Greene. This damages Heller emotionally, who then goes out on the military's most dangerous missions, succeeding each time out of his rage, despite hoping to die. Unknown by Heller, he is being watched by Alex Mercer who has taken an interest in him. Alex Mercer is now the ruler of New York City despite having become a ghost, only being seen on rare occasions. During one mission, Heller succeeds in completing the mission but is mortally wounded and appears to be getting everything he wanted, but Alex Mercer shows up. Alex then infects him with the Blacklight Virus, turning Heller into a creature like Alex. For unknown reasons, Alex is now spreading the virus despite previously trying to stop it. Heller then goes on to tap into the Blacknet System to decide where to try and strike Alex, as he believes Alex to be behind the mutants (though it was actually Elizabeth Greene). As stated by Radical, the Heller vs. Mercer revenge story is the game's A-Plot and there is to be a more complex and multithreaded B-Plot.