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Storyboard: Archetype discussion -- the Soldier
Welcome to this week's installment of Storyboard, in which I'm starting off what I am tentatively hoping to keep as a semi-regular series. For all the previous discussion of characters that don't work, we haven't touched upon any that do work. And considering we've all sat there trying to think of any sort of hook for our characters, it's useful to have some stock types to draw from. I'm going to take a look at some of the more common stock types, how and why they work in a variety of settings, and what sort of touches you can add to make a character stand out. Of course, the first archetype we're looking at doesn't stand out. In fact, he excels at being a part of something larger, a cog in a machine whose only purpose is death. He's fighting for Stormwind, he's fighting for Bastok, he's fighting for the UFP -- he's the universal soldier, and he really is to blame. So why not cue up some appropriate background music, and take a look at the soldier as an archetype.
Massive Call of Duty 3 Wii video [update]
Finally, we've got something more visually stimulating than a screenshot to show on the game. With this long video, which is naturally embedded into the post after the break, you can get your Call of Duty 3 fix for a good 14 minutes. Highlights of the video include everything.So what are you waiting for? Continue into the post and check it out![Via Jeux-France][Update: Fixed link in the brackets to the Wii page; thanks b0bk!]
Call of Duty 3 scans from Nintendo Power
A lengthy article in Nintendo Power centers around the upcoming Wii launch title and Treyarch-developed game Call of Duty 3. Set after the D-Day landings during the summer of 1944, Call of Duty 3 follows the Allied forces during the Normandy Breakout campaign. While the recent news that the game will hold no inclusion of Wi-Fi gameplay is sad, to say the least, the focus on creating an excellent single-player experience will have to be good enough news during the interim to the game's release until we can all find out if our hope for a great game has been warranted. One thing is certain: the game definitely looks good.More scans are included after the break.
Rumor: COD 3 to have 16 player battles online [Update]
According to a forum post over at the official Nintendo boards, the latest issue of Game Informer will have a piece on Call of Duty 3 where it is said that online multiplayer for the game will feature 24 player matches via Xbox Live on the 360 and PS3 online for the PS3. The Wii, however, will support the lowered number of participants by allowing only up to 16 players to battle over Wi-Fi. Now, without a scan or any other kind of corroboration with the initial post, we're forced to chalk this up to rumor at the moment and will update you as news further develops.[Update: Go Nintendo received word that the information is in fact in the magazine, but is a misprint. Instead, the grim truth is that the game will feature no online multiplayer support on the Wii. Thanks Marc!]
Wii to be Bondless until 2008
It's been known for quite some time that Activision snatched up the Bond gaming rights after EA, but nobody knew exactly when the company's first game based on the smooth-talking British agent would release. Well, now we know, and in 2008 we'll get our first taste of the new era of Bond games, which will be a title based on the second film to star the new Bond Daniel Craig. We aren't a movie blog by any stretch of the imagination, but we were fairly happy to hear that he would be taking over following some very good past films. Of course, we already knew which development studio would actually be responsible for this new Bond game. Treyarch, as we all know, is currently knee-deep in preparing Call of Duty 3, yet will take up the reigns for the 2008 game.No announcement has been made in regards to what systems the game will be available for, but we're 95% sure it'll end up on the Wii.
Call of Duty 3 bonus action
Gamestop recently put up a listing for Treyarch's Call of Duty 3 on the Wii, complete with $59.99 US price tag and bonus DVD inclusion for pre-ordering. The bonus DVD is to be a sneak peek into the game, although in what kind of capacity the digital video disc allows you to sneakily-peek behind the game's scenes is a mystery.Any Wii Fanboys going to pre-order this and check the disc out? Anyone been out to see if the disc is available at your local Gamestop?
Confirmed: Call of Duty 3 a launch title
Hot on the heels of the recent videos and screenshots for Call of Duty 3 comes news that the game will be available on launch day for the PS3. I'll give that a second to sink in...OK, done? Good. So, in being available on November 17, 2006, Call of Duty 3 might be able to push sales in much the same way that Call of Duty 2 did for Satan's Microsoft's Xbox 360 console. Regardless, Call of Duty has been just about the only WWII shooter worth playing for quite some time, so hopefully this turns out to be a big plus for Sony and their PS3 console come release this November.
Activision unleashes official CoD 3 images
Do you remember our report on leaked images last month? Still remember nothing? Well, maybe you should, like, take some ginkgo boloba or something. I don't know, I'm no doctor.Regardless, it looks like Activision took a cue from the page of Red Steel, showing two players using the Wiimote in, we assume, realistic fashion proportional to how the final experience will be. Still, even though we've basically seen these, at least they're higher resolution shots. So, uh, nice...smoke?
Call of Duty 3 trailers and screens
IGN has posted a few different trailers showing the new Close Quarters Combat feature as well as some extra gameplay footage for Call of Duty 3. With the new Close Combat feature, you can do more than just bash a Nazi or two, allowing you to disarm traps such as mines, even going so far as to plant your own. Also, the game is to incorporate more destructible environments, causing the days of wood being able to block grenades without so much as denting to become a thing of the past.Considering that Treyarch, who was responsible for Call of Duty: Finest Hour and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, which were a bit less enjoyable than the original Call of Duty and its expansion pack in United Offensive, along with the sequel on the PC, should we expect Call of Duty 3 to have the same problems as their past efforts on consoles? We sure hope not as the Call of Duty franchise has been the only enjoyable WWII shooter for quite some time.
Call of Duty 2 demo released
At long last, Aspyr has released a demo of the hugely popular sequel to Call of Duty, the aptly named Call of Duty 2. No matter how badly I wanted to run to the Apple store and pick up the retail version, I knew I would feel horribly foolish if I got the game home only to find that it wouldn't run on my PowerBook. I knew I had to wait for the demo. MacGameFiles has the 665MB file as either a direct download, or a deliciously communal bittorrent file (doesn't the sharing just make you want to hug someone!?). If you've been waiting to try the game before you buy it, there is no better time than the present to kick some virtual Axis butt. [Via The MacObserver]
First Call of Duty 3 screens
The first screens for Call of Duty 3 on the Wii have surfaced. The screens aren't the best quality, so it's a safe bet that the game looks a lot better than this right now and will look even better as it progresses. The game will also do away with the reticle and the team plans on concentrating on perfecting the use of the Wiimote in the coming months.[Via Codename Revolution]
Call of Duty 2 Hits Stores
At long last, the long awaited sequel to one of the greatest first person shooters of all time--and 2003 Game of the Year--is available in stores as an OS X compatible Universal Binary. The series, set in World War II, is known for its extensive use of sound and environmental design to make the player really feel like they're in the middle of a war zone. Sporting an all new game engine, COD II officially requires a G5 or Intel Machine, but I've heard reports of it running respectably on even 12 inch PowerBooks. I can't wait to get my hands on this game, see you on the battlefield!
Rumor: Call of Duty a launch title
Got next is reporting that one of their GN spy pirates (we imagine a scruffy, peg-legged man brandishing a PP7 and preferring his rum stirred rather than shaken ) that "an upcoming entry in Activision's Call of Duty series will be the first third-party FPS title released using the unique capabilities of the Nintendo Revolution controller." Up until this point, the news is filled with promise and excites of a possible Call of Duty 2 port that effectively uses the Revolution's remote to create a more dramatic and energetic experience than the already founded excellence of the title. Of course, this is until you read down further and read that none other than Exakt Entertainment is developing this supposed title.Exakt's track record isn't the best, porting over arguably the worst versions of True Crimes: Streets of L.A. and X-Men: Next Dimension to the GameCube (games that really weren't that great on any console). Then there's Call of Duty: Finest Hour, which admittedly wasn't terrible, but came nowhere near what kind of experience the original Call of Duty and its expansion United Offensive provided.
