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Revisit 2005 by playing 'Call of Duty 2' on your Xbox One
Back before Call of Duty went full-on Michael Bay, the series focused on historical conflicts ignored by the then unstoppable Medal of Honor series. Xbox 360 launch title Call of Duty 2 was the last game in the series from original developer Infinity Ward to do such. And now, you have the chance to play through the Battle of Pointe du Hoc once again. How's that? The objective-based WWII shooter is now backward compatible on Xbox One. If nothing else, it's an interesting glimpse both at how much the franchise has changed and how FPS themselves have evolved over the past 11 years. Because, even in 2005, CoD 2 was considered a bit old-school in terms of design.
New Platinum Hits games coming in March
The Gamerscore Blog guys are confirming a few games that will be headed to the Xbox 360 Platinum Hits lineup on March 16th in North America. If you didn't know, the Platinum Hits program is a list of games that have been singled out to retail for $29.99, because they "supposedly" achieved greatness during their lifetime. We may not always agree with certain games that come to the Platinum Hits, but nobody can disagree with the cheaper pricetag. Below is a list of games that will become Platinum Hits in North America. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Burnout Revenge Call of Duty 2 Dead or Alive 4 Fight Night Round 3 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter Top Spin 2 Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis
CoD2 vets have flashbacks in CoD3 multiplayer
It would appear Call of Duty fans are experiencing déjà vu. Back when Call of Duty 2 released for the Xbox 360, the game had serious multiplayer problems; problems that took four months to fix. To the dismay of gamers, Call of Duty 3 has its own set of online problems, despite being made by a different developer than CoD2. Buzz on the official Xbox.com message boards says that CoD3 players are unable to enter into ranked matches or (in some cases) any at all. Some players are unable to find any games, regardless of what skill level is entered into the system. Others join games and find themselves sitting in lobbies indefinitely. A different group find the multiplayer menu locking up on them. One theory suggests that anyone trying to join a ranked game ends up making a new lobby, which would result in thousands of one player online matches. Console games are supposed to be simple plug and play affairs. We might expect these Call of Duty 3 multiplayer issues in a PC version, not a 360 version. Because of unified hardware and online components, console games should always ship (mostly) bug-free. We hope Call of Duty 3 is an isolated affair, but after issues with Dead Rising and Saint's Row, are we beginning to see an ugly trend in console games? The release now, patch later method is unacceptable on the PC, even more so on a game console. [Thanks The Wallbanger]
CoD2 going 1080p?
Reader DJPhatFive says he stuck in his trusty old copy of Call of Duty 2 and received a mysterious update that seems to have enabled a 1080p setting in the game. Can anybody else confirm? Has the native 1080p train left the station or is this just more noise to add to the post-Fall Update confusion surrounding Splinter Cell: Double Agent?
New 360 Platinum Hits for $29.99
Microsoft has officially announced the first batch of Platinum Hits for the Xbox 360. The games are: Perfect Dark Zero Project Gotham Racing 3 Kameo: Elements of Power Need for Speed Most Wanted Conspicuously missing from the list is Call of Duty 2, the 360's first million seller. The first four Platinum Hits will be available for the bargain price of $29.99 starting October 15th -- the second set should be announced in the spring of 2007. It's a far cry from what we considered a bargain last gen, but it's definitely better than nothing. So, for those of you that haven't picked these up yet, will a $29.99 price tag make you reconsider? See the full press release after the break.
Gamer's Room 101: the argument FOR balance
The concept: During the 'Game Design Room 101' session at Develop, several developers brought out props to represent their pet peeves from games. If you've read the novel 1984 by George Orwell, you'll know where the concept comes from. In the UK, Room 101 is a weekly game/talk show presented by Paul Merton, who invites a guest to come on the show who then attempt to convince him that a certain annoyance in their lives should go in the bin, and never be seen again. This seminar (and series of posts) takes a look at certain elements of games that were nominated by the panel to go in the games designer's bin. Jen and I are going to take opposite positions in the debate. The point: Jonathan Smith of TT Games brought out a pair of scales to represent his nomination -- balance. Balance, according to Smith, is where a developer expressly sets out to tell the player "you can have this much fun", rationing the pleasure out piece by piece. My stance: Balance should stay. Jen's stance: Balance should go. You decide.
Next Call of Duty answered, previewed
If the mention of World War II still compels you to go about shooting things (typically Nazis) from a first-person perspective, you'd best check out 1Up's weeklong feature that promises to detail every pixel, polygon and private that constitutes the upcoming Call of Duty 3. Taking over from Infinity Ward, developer Treyarch is keen on capitalizing on next-gen technology and the creative freedoms it provides -- with any luck, that means we'll actually be able to open doors in this one. Oh well, we suppose loads of on-screen enemies and trampled blades of grass are just as useful.The screenshots and video provided are enough to convince us of the game's technical gravitas, but we're quite interested in the Wii version and how it looks to take advantage of the unique control system. A small blurb in the first part of the preview suggests how, while at the same time suggesting that the other two versions of the game are the main focus here. "The Wii version, in development outside Treyarch, shows some potential to bring the player into the game during the Battle Actions in a way the PS3 and 360 won't be able to. Actually wrestling with a German for his gun or actually disarming that explosive are things only the Wii will let you do this gen."Battle actions are Call of Duty's answer to Shenmue's Quick Timer Events. At certain points during the game, you're required to press certain buttons in order to escape a cinematic struggle or situation. Failure is likely to result in far more unpleasantness than getting smacked in the head by some Japanese kid's soccerball. These sound particularly intriguing if done correctly for the Wii and should make up for some of its inevitable graphical shortcomings. Even then, we have to wonder how long it'll take before we grow tired of crawling through trenches and taking out tanks. Is World War II the new Hoth?[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Play the news: kill Al Qaeda's al-Zarqawi
If you've recently witnessed the news on TV or your disagreeable neighbor's house getting blown to smithereens, you'd likely be aware that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a decisive US air strike earlier this month. If this is the first time you're learning of it, the news is reaching you in a way quite dissimilar to the way in which the people behind Kuma Reality Games want it to. Reaching you is just the beginning for them -- they want it to grab you by the arm and yank you into a Source-powered, 3D recreation.The goal of Kuma\War is elaborate and intriguing, though much like a minefield, it's also laced with topical traps that require careful movements to navigate successfully. For every major battle or newsworthy event that takes place in the ongoing war on terror, Kuma\War offers a free, downloadable counterpart, plunging you right into the war-torn boots of an American soldier and tasking you with carrying out the very same mission. Just a scant few weeks after al-Zarqawi's death, Kuma\War will be offering "players" the opportunity to call in the airstrike that killed him or, alternatively, rush his house with a group of comrades in tow.
Gamers: Call of Duty 2 available for pre-order
Attention, Mac gamers. Aspyr has made Call of Duty 2 available for pre-order. Featuring all new scenarios, enemies, improved AI and what Aspyr is calling the "...cinematic intensity and chaos of battle" (now doesn't that sound like fun?), Call of Duty 2 should be a worthy sequel to the game many called "Game of the Year." While final system requirements are yet to be announced, you can pre-order your copy via Amazon here. I'm not one for first person shooters, but that's just me.
Call of Duty 2 multiplayer finally patched
Most of us were too busy GRAW-ing to notice, but yesterday, Infinity Ward quietly released the long overdue auto-update for Call of Duty 2's online multiplayer. Xboxic confirms that the following features have been added: Can actively host a game Lobbies fully implemented including game options and pre-game smack talk Hoster can kick players Private matches are allowed You can select any map of choice Score and time limits configurable Post-game lobby after the game is over Can invite players to the game You can see enemy names in-game No noticeable lag continuously disrupting games [Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
Next Call of Duty leaked: Modern Warfare tackles terrorists
We've heard from a reliable source what the next two Call of Duty titles will be about: one will focus on the Normandy Breakout campaign in WWII, while the other moves into the modern age, taking the fight to Middle Eastern terrorists. Yikes!The big release news is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the other WWII-themed game will be released for PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox, and Xbox 360--and they will be released only 3 months apart from one another. This would follow the pattern of releases for Call of Duty 2 on the PC and 360 and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One on current-gen consoles, only this time both would be released on both generations of hardware (minus the GameCube and Revolution).What follows below are brief descriptions of each title, though Infinity Ward was explicitly fingered as the developer of Modern Warfare, while the as-yet untitled WWII game had no such designation. This would lead us to believe that "CoD 3" (or whatever that WWII game ends up being called) is being produced by Big Red One dev Treyarch. Whatever the case may be, just remember, folks: you heard about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare here first!
Call of Duty 2 update will include anti-cheating software
The battle between Call of Duty 2 players, Activision and Infinity Ward has been almost as heated as the battlefield itself. With the players resorting to strike action in order to see some form of anti-cheating technology incorporated into the game, the seriousness of this problem seems to have finally reached the developers. The next game update in early 2006 will include new multiplayer maps as well as PunkBuster anti-cheat software, finally answering the players' demands. Of course, this doesn't solve the problems with the Xbox 360 release, but PC players should be a little happier.
