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Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare scales up to 1080p on Xbox One
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare runs at 60 frames per second on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4, Sledgehammer Games confirmed. The first-person shooter is also locked in at 1080p on PS4, though it "runs at 1080 scalable," according to the developer's co-founder, Michael Condrey. The resolution of the Xbox One version of the game will change "on a frame by frame basis" in real-time, according to the developer. Condrey told Metro that the game "will scale from 1360 all the way up to true 1080," shifting from resolutions of "1360×1080 up to 1920×1080" on the Microsoft console. It's an improvement on the series' efforts last year on the console, as Call of Duty: Ghosts trotted out an upscaled 720p version on Xbox One. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is out now and received positive marks in our review. [Image: Activision]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare review: House of CoDs
PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 You get just a novel snippet of peace in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. In this shooter's future, technology has trumped terrorism, rooted out the last evil masterminds and flexed its bionic muscles in total defiance of lead-footed politicians who'd rather talk than get things done. "The world is running out of bad guys," your partner says, hopeful but tragically unaware that he's basically describing a video game glitch. Call of Duty never runs out of bad guys. This one gets points for honesty, though, in that there is no pretentious cover-up of why the good guys beat the bad guys (or why the plot finds them easily interchangeable). In Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, you win because you have better guns, stronger sights, super abilities and superior movement. Whether it's in the rich and varied multiplayer mode, or the frantic, thrill-a-minute single-player campaign, you're constantly relying on cool weapons and combat data to make taking lives easier. Advanced Warfare front-loads the benefits of power in a franchise that has always made technology the exalted, almost fetishized solution to every problem. And you know what? It's more fun when it admits as much.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare kisses goats, leaks zombies
Not even a sloppy, overly-moist kiss from a goat can distract Call of Duty fans from gunning down zombies, as the two most recent pieces of footage from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare handily demonstrate. Below the break you'll find the latest, official trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It's a live-action affair and the aforementioned amorous goat basically steals the entire thing, but otherwise it's got all the explosions, gunplay and overtly macho posturing we've come to expect from the near-future military shooter. More intriguing however, is a 52-second clip that recently appeared on the Internet that seemingly depicts previously unknown zombies in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Though the footage is not an official release, it does appear to be legit. Zombies are a Call of Duty tradition at this point, and when asked about the leak, Sledgehammer Games head Glen Schofield made no effort to deny its authenticity. "[N]othing I can do about [the leak] now," Schofield tweeted. "But yeah it sucks. Imagine you're playing and this comes up - you'd be psyched up, right?" Our attempts to pry further information from Activision were met with no response. Whether you're psyched or not, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare brings zombies, goats and Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey to retail on November 3. [Image: Activision]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare launch trailer has guns, Kevin Spacey, double XP
Sure there's guns galore in this Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare launch trailer, but virtual Kevin Spacey overshadows all of them. Pre-ordering will get you 24 hour early access (along with double XP and a bunch of guns) but really, we just want more of that handsome man. Mmm. [Image: Activision]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare offers free cross-gen upgrade
If you buy downloadable versions of the upcoming Call of Duty on PS3 or Xbox 360, you can advance your warfare onto PS4 or Xbox One for free. That's the deal Activision's offering until March 31, 2015: customers who purchase a "Digital Edition" of the last-gen version of Advanced Warfare can upgrade to the current-gen version at no extra cost. So if you buy it on Xbox 360, you get the Xbox One version for nada and you still retain the 360 license, meaning the Xbox One version is essentially a bonus freebie. The deal is slightly different on PlayStation platforms in that the shooter is now a Cross-Buy game. That means the offer works in reverse. So if you buy Advanced Warfare on PSN for PS4, you can also download it on PS3, as well as vice-versa.
Seven minutes of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer
In the latest Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare trailer, developer Sledgehammer Games turns away from Kevin Spacey's histrionic theatrics in favor of taking a lengthy look at the game's multiplayer components and the numerous ways players will be able to kill one another over the Internet. [Image: Activision]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Xbox One bundle unveiled
Microsoft's second Xbox One bundle of its Gamescom conference was for another big-hitter, namely Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The limited edition bundle comes with a digital copy of the Day Zero edition of the Sledgehammer shooter, and it'll include a custom console with a 1TB hard drive, as well as a custom controller and a headset. The price is $500 stateside and £430/500 euros across the pond, and it'll be available November 3. The game's Day Zero edition will also be available at GameStop, allowing customers who pre-order to check out Call of Duty: Advance Warfare 24 hours in advance. Early birds will be able to enjoy double XP in multiplayer across November 3, as well the Day Zero in-game content including the catchily named Advanced Arsenal Bullet Brass Exoskeleton and EM1 Quantum directed energy weaponry.
The futuristic perks of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
When Call of Duty first leapt forward in time, barreling out of World War II and into a contemporary theater, we got a new benchmark for the shooter series. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare isn't just praised because it has better guns, newer cities and cell phones, however; it rises in memory because of a breakneck pace, sudden turns in the storyline and a well-constructed multiplayer suite. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare isn't the first game in the series to draw from far-fetched research and prototype weaponry, but it's already presented as a thunderous step into the future. In the hierarchy of vague subtitles, we're to understand that "advanced" is ahead of "modern." According to the marketing, the game has changed because your soldier is encased in powerful exoskeletal armor. But while Activision grafts the game to the front-loaded theme of power – your powerful guns, your powerful Exo Suit, your powerful POWER – the undressed reality is simple. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has the benefit of a three-year development cycle and a handful of fresh designs in multiplayer.
Watch the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer premiere
Sledgehammer Games sits down with Xbox Live's Major Nelson for the very first live stream of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's multiplayer. What does it look like when Call of Duty players slip back into the series' trademark shootouts sporting lasers and jetpacks like a bunch of GI Joe characters? It's going to look a whole lot like this. The stream starts at 1PM EST, so watch here! [Images: Activision]
Watch Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's multiplayer reveal on Xbox Live
Developer Sledgehammer Games will introduce Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's multiplayer during Gamescom 2014. What's that, you say? Checking out of reality for a week to go play games in Germany is a bit infeasible? Well as long as you can get on Xbox Live, there's a consolation prize: Sledgehammer's trailer reveal will be broadcasted live on Xbox Live at 1 p.m. Eastern on August 11, with interviews also planned during the presentation. That Xbox locked in a multiplayer reveal on its own channels shouldn't be much of a surprise, considering that Advanced Warfare's DLC will arrive on Xbox One before any other platform. Hopefully Sledgehammer has some neat game modes in store for us – we can only entertain ourselves by fighting Kevin Spacey's army for so long. [Image: Activision]
Tour the year 2054 in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Following a recent leak of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Activision has sent out new screenshots (found in the gallery below) and a claim that it is approaching this latest entry in the fan-favorite franchise "differently" than it has with prior releases. Not only does the game ignore traditional military forces in favor of Private Military Contractors (justified in their existence by the gravitas of Kevin Spacey playing antagonist, Jonathan Irons), it's also the first time developer Sledgehammer Games has lead a Call of Duty production. Activision has allotted the new developer a comparatively lengthy three-year development cycle to craft the shooter. Activision's announcement is light on plot specifics, but notes that players will assume the role of a technologically advanced soldier fighting as part of a PMC in 2054. Apparently humanity never quite figured out world peace, so expect typically over the top Call of Duty gunplay, augmented by new gadgets, like the exoskeleton seen in the trailer above. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is slated to debut on November 4 on Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4. [Image: Activision]
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare confirmed, out in November
Update: Activision's posted the official trailer, confirming Destructoid's leak. The new Spacey-based shooter is Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and it's out on November 4, 2014. Earlier today, Destructoid said it learned through a "trusted source" the game centers on a mercenary group led by Kevin Spacey's character, and this renegade faction has the US government in its sights. That tallied with what Activision's teased, and the publisher's now released an official video ahead of the expected reveal on Sunday, May 4. The trailer showcases futuristic elements like soldiers clad in beefy-looking exoskeletons, and a whole bunch of hover-things including hover-bikes(!). We'll keep you updated on further details as they trickle out. [Image: Destructoid]
House of CoDs: Kevin Spacey to star in next Call of Duty
Update: Activision unveiled Spacey's star turn as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, complete with a new trailer starring the man himself. Original Story: A big Hollywood star will lend his voice to the next installment of Call of Duty. A post on the official Call of Duty Instagram account has revealed that Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey will lend his voice, and perhaps his likeness, to Sledgehammer's Call of Duty game, scheduled to arrive later this year. Watch the Instagram video after the break.
Activision: This year's Call of Duty game is 'next-gen first'
The next entry in Activision's Call of Duty series is scheduled to launch for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 before it hits any other console, Activision Publishing's CEO Eric Hirshberg confirmed with IGN. Sledgehammer Games was recently named as the developer behind this year's Call of Duty project. Activision announced during an earnings call last week that the franchise has switched to a three-year development cycle, with developers Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch trading off on an annualized release schedule. "Sledgehammer is approaching this as a next-gen-first development," Hirshberg told IGN. "Obviously in the console-transition year, anyone who developed a cross-generational game last year had to deal with the fact that the technology of the next-gen platforms was still coming into focus and changing quite a bit during the development process.... Now that we have the next-gen hardware out in the marketplace and solid, that is our primary development." Sledgehammer Games previously assisted Infinity Ward in the creation of 2011's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, contributing to the project in a co-development role. This year's Call of Duty game is the first series entry that Sledgehammer will tackle as a primary developer. [Image: Sledgehammer Games]
Call of Duty now takes three years to make, three studios keep it annual
Activision has announced a new three-year development cycle for upcoming Call of Duty games, starting with this year's release. This move, which will still see individual Call of Duty games coming out annually, cements Sledgehammer Games as one of Activision's primary Call of Duty developers alongside Infinity Ward and Treyarch, which are respectively responsible for Call of Duty: Ghosts and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Each studio's game will take three years to develop, staggered for release on an annualized schedule. "This will give our designers more time to envision and innovate for each title. Simultaneously, it will give our content creators more focus on DLC and micro-DLC which, as you know, have become large and high-margin opportunities and significant engagement drivers," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said during an annual earnings call today. "Finally, we'll give our teams more time to polish, helping ensure we deliver the best possible experience to our fans – each and every time." Hirshberg went on to say that Activision "needed a third studio capable of delivering the level of excellence required for the West's biggest interactive entertainment franchise" and that Sledgehammer Games fits the bill. "They demonstrated their skill on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and on their past highly-rated games." This year's Call of Duty game has yet to be officially announced. Sledgehammer's last game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, launched in late 2011 and was well-received by critics. [Image: Activision]
Sledgehammer Games 'heads down' on next thing, not working on Ghosts
Sledgehammer Games is already working on its next game, the studio has revealed in a tweet congratulating Infinity Ward on its Call of Duty: Ghosts announcement. You'll remember the two worked together on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. "Our team is heads down on our next project, but best wishes to the hardworking team at IW!" the tweet read. Nothing specific was shared about this next project, but we've inquired with Sledgehammer Games to see if the outfit is willing to disclose any additional information. Sledgehammer Games formed in 2009, when Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey left EA's Visceral Games and founded the studio under Activision. The original plan was to produce a third-person action game, but that would eventually get scrapped in the prototype phase.
Hit List Q&A: Glen Schofield, co-founder of Sledgehammer Games
In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: Sledgehammer Games co-founder Glen Schofield. Glen Schofield is co-founder and studio head of Sledgehammer Games, co-developer of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. A visionary in the video game business for more than 20 years, Glen started his career as an artist and art director for Absolute Entertainment. He also served as the general manager of EA's Visceral Games Studio and was the creator and executive producer of the award winning Dead Space. Glen is credited in over 50 games that together have grossed more than $3 billion in revenues.Art has been an important part of Glen's life from a young age. He started taking art lessons early on, eventually earning a BFA (he also holds an MBA) and began his professional career as a freelance illustrator before entering the world of video games. In his forthcoming 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit session, Glen will discuss "The Art of Inspiration." He will speak about how he draws inspiration from anything and anywhere and how that has influenced his work as a game developer on a day-to-day basis.
Modern Warfare 3 DLC's final assault on Xbox 360 next week (plus: PS3 gets stuff too)
On September 5, Call of Duty Elite premium subscribers on Xbox 360 will get their final three maps for Modern Warfare 3: Gulch, Boardwalk and Paris. If you're not a premium member of Activision's DLC delivery service, you can get these three new maps and two previously released stomping grounds – Parish and Decommission – in Content Collection #4 for 1200 Microsoft Points ($14.99). This is the final map pack for Modern Warfare 3.Elite premium members on PS3 also get some new content next week on September 6, namely a pair of Special Ops maps – Light 'Em Up and Special Delivery – and the new Special Ops Chaos Mode, a wave-based variant on Modern Warfare 3's vanilla Survival mode.
Modern Warfare 3's final two DLC packs fully reconnoitered
The year of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 post-launch content is coming to a close, but it's going out with a bang (gun pun fully intended). The Chaos Pack – previously half-detailed – brings three Face Off maps and four Spec-Ops missions, as well as a new mode, dubbed "Special Ops Chaos Mode." It's a wave-based survival mode, albeit with a Spec-Ops twist. The whole shebang launches for Xbox 360 on August 9, with PS3 and PC versions launching later on.In September, MW3 players on 360 get the "Final Assault" pack, which adds five multiplayer maps ("Gulch," "Offshore," "Boardwalk," "Decommission," and "Parish"), two of which are already available on 360. Again, this content arrives on PS3 and PC at a later (unknown) date. As Activision community blog One of Swords points out, Call of Duty's Elite season ends with more content than it originally promised, which seems pretty boss if you ask us. But don't go getting your precedents miscalibrated, as this may not be the case in future years.
Details on Modern Warfare 3's new Spec Ops missions
On August 9, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will have the Chaos Pack available, featuring several new Spec Ops missions. Videogamer got the scoop from Sledgehammer Games on two of the new missions, Light 'Em Up and Special Delivery.Light 'Em Up takes place after the conclusion of the Modern Warfare 3 campaign, putting one player into the cockpit of a Little Bird helicopter as he attempts to cover another player who's on foot, running around a hydroelectric dam in search of intel on hostage positions. Special Delivery has no shortage of expensive war toys, charging players with reaching a downed pilot in unfriendly territory – one player mans an Osprey Gunner, providing cover fire from the air and deploying care packages to his partner on the ground.
