CallOfDuty4
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New Call of Duty 4 maps 'on the way'
At last, after more than three years of clumsy existence and thousands upon thousands of tiresome, incompetent instances of waffling, we've managed to condense an entire news story into a remarkably efficient headline. It's quite miraculous, really, and it likely signals our arrival at the pinnacle of our blogging prowess. No longer will hasty readers have to suffer through pompous opening paragraphs and interminable tangents before laying eyes on the actual news!So anyway, Activision has announced that new downloadable multiplayer maps for its smash-success shooter, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, are "on the way" to the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network. Questions regarding release date, price and quantity went unanswered by the publisher, thus leaving the headline as the only useful sentence in this entire post.
Activision: Call of Duty 4 was best-selling game of 2007
Much like the dim-witted kid you constantly taunted in kindergarten, Activision is having extraordinary difficulty making it past the number "1." Constantly cited in press releases, it appears uno is the only number the publisher cares to count on: #1 US publisher in 2007; a $1 billion dollar franchise in Guitar Hero; and #1 game in last week's Xbox Live Activity. Perhaps you too would be laughing all the way to the bank if you weren't such a mean-spirited brat in your early years.Activision's latest claim to #1 fame is based on sales figures obtained from The NPD Group, Chart Track and The GFK Group, which label Infinity Ward's critically acclaimed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as the best-selling game for 2007. The frantic first-person shooter is said to have sold in excess of 7 million units worldwide, a particularly impressive victory considering the game's relatively recent November release. Of course, those keen on the shooting of the aliens will recall that Microsoft claimed an 8.1 million sales 'splosion for Halo 3 earlier this month, bringing the title of "Best-selling Game of 2007 OMG" title into minor dispute. We've contacted both boasters to clarify the figures ... just so we can be sure to stick the air pump into the right ego. Regardless, you'd best take this as a sign to start counting down the months until the inevitable Call of Duty 5 arrives. Let's just hope it's not a #2.
Activision was #1 US publisher in 2007
Activision became king of the hill in 2007 as the number one US publisher. According to NPD data the company's current market share is 17.7%, a 7.2% increase over last year. Of course, Activision utilized the powers it has as a third-party publisher to sell Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,the number one and three titles in sales respectively, across multiple platforms. This is the first time in the company's history that it reached the top spot.Activision was certainly on a financial and critical acclaim rampage in 2007. COD4 got a spot on our Top 10 list and GHIII was the number one game for our significant others. As successful as last year was, it's now looking like Rock Band is poised to make GHIII yesterday's news, which could be troubling for Activision considering how financially successful the Guitar Hero series has been. Then again, this year we'll start seeing the armed and fully-operational Blizzavision (yeah ... still working on that name).
Call of Duty 4 Mac-bound in May
Macworld is reporting that Aspyr is bringing the addictive Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to the Mac (apparently Aspyr is unfazed by Mike S's ardent condemnations). Having played the game extensively on the Xbox 360 I can say with confidence that fans of first person shooters on the Mac are in for a treat. Unlike the previous games in the series it has a contemporary setting in Russia and the Middle East for the intense single-player campaign, as well as some of the best online multiplayer available.Details are limited but Call of Duty 4 is expected in May (only six months after its console and PC release!)
Joystiq's Top 10 of 2007: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The frustrating thing about trying to write about Call of Duty 4 is that all of the phrases that best describe it have already been applied to and, in turn, drained of their impact by far less deserving games. It's a "non-stop thrill ride," its graphics are "almost photorealistic" and it is, in fact, "so real that you'd almost think you were there." What Call of Duty 4 so authoritatively manages to do is reclaim those action game clichés and, in doing so, infuse them with a new, fresh power. What Call of Duty 4's single player campaign could best be described as though, is a master's class on making good game design choices. From beginning to end, moments last just as long as they need to, difficulty is perfectly balanced and the action ebbs and flows between full-on chaos and chilling silence. From a pulse-pounding start to the final, desperate ending, it's a meticulously crafted experience. We haven't even made mention of the game's multiplayer yet, which mixes the game's explosive presentation with some RPG fundamentals to predictably addictive results. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the game is how few actual revolutionary concepts are contained within. It selects existing game design tools, hones them to practical perfection and creates what is, in our opinion, the military shooter against which all others must be judged.%Gallery-3922% Welcome, new-a entry! ->
UK gets a price break on select DS games
UK gamers, you've got a heck of a sale going on. Select titles from online retailer Play.com have gotten their prices slashed, with free shipping on all titles purchased. Any games purchased won't get there before Christmas, sadly, but you will get one heck of a sweet deal. Perhaps you've shopped for everyone else and now it's time to treat yourself? As far as good games you can get on the cheap, Drawn to Life (£12.99), Custom Robo (£14.99) and Jam Sessions (£17.99) are a few of the titles that are up for grabs. Not only that, but newer games like Call of Duty 4 (£17.99) are even getting in on the price cut action.
Activision strums up Q3 financial forecast
Activision is loving modern warfare and plastic guitars as it increased quarterly revenue expectations by $180 million. The company was originally expecting revenues at $1.05 billion this quarter, but its revision is now set for $1.23 billion. The company's full year outlook went from $2.07 billion to $2.30 billion. The change was made due to higher than expected sales of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and a little title known as Guitar Hero III.Activision continues to hold the top US publisher spot, which it took from EA earlier this year. Activision's CEO says the publisher's had 16 years of growth and that this will be its most profitable quarter ever. It's good to own the Guitar Hero -- really good.
PS3 Firmware 2.01 is most ironic ever [Updated]
PS3 owners may have noticed some new firmware for the PS3, version 2.01, that became available late last night. If you haven't already nabbed it, don't expect any big changes: The .01 just denotes a few bug fixes and solutions for those who said they've been experiencing game freezing errors with 2.00.Unfortunately, it appears as if the patch may have created problems for Call of Duty 4 players, who took to the official forums (registration required) en masse to complain of critical errors while trying to play the game online now. Many also report getting the same error: "DW update file error 102 - 'BD_EXCEPTION_IN_DB' " when trying to start a new character. Apparently, firmware 2.01 ... is a hippie. Neither Sony nor Activision have responded to the the issue, but we'll let you know when they do. We also don't know if this extends to any other games. Have any of you had similar problems?[Thanks, Chris][Update: Infinity Ward's saying that all of these problems with Call of Duty 4 should be corrected at this point. ]
Infinity Ward reaches out to EA Chicago devs
After publishing giant EA shut down its EA Chicago studio amidst profitability concerns, many employees found themselves burdened with the unenviable task of seeking employment elsewhere. 1UP points out that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer Infinity Ward may just suffice as a potential "elsewhere." Over the weekend, a helping hand was extended through the World War Now shooter's "Message of the Day" screen: "EA Chicago: Infinity Ward is hiring. jobs@infinityward.com."
Infinity Ward addressing Call of Duty 4 PS3 matchmaking issues
Spare a thought for Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4 server team, which has been tweaking PlayStation 3 server performance all weekend -- and we're fairly sure that's just as exciting as it sounds. The developer's world-famous community relations manager, Mr. "fourzerotwo" has posted an update on the Infinity Ward forums regarding some stability issues encountered by the incoming glut of players. "The server team has been working on this all weekend, and will be working through the night," it reads. "They're upgrading all server hardware as well as dedicated an individual database to each functionality to improve performance and handle the traffic hitting the servers. (i.e. Database for Matchmaking, Database for Leaderboards, etc.)."The end result should be better speed and stability -- at least when it comes to matchmaking. They can't help you if you're still dropping grenades on your toes.
WRUP: This week is no joke edition
This week's long list of releases is just that: long. It's got sweet titles like Call of Duty 4, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga. Let's not forget about potential DS Game of the Year Hannah Montana: Music Jam! There's just too many for us right now!But, what about you? Are you picking up any of these new games? Will you be playing something new or something from a previous week's release?
Call of Duty 4's Xbox 360 vs. PS3 comparison video
Squint really hard and take a couple pills of delusion and maybe, just maybe, you can see the difference between Call of Duty 4 on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in the video above. Sure, maybe the dimorphic transgressive bump-mapping is fractalized on one of the consoles -- but we're not gonna say which one.What we can say is that the video above does show that we're finally starting to hit a better balance point between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation. This is a far cry from the Madden '08 comparison video where the differences were pretty clear even in an internet quality video. We'll take this as a good sign that we're moving away from having obvious performance differences and gamers can choose their multiplatform games based on controller preference and (if important) online experience.
Call of Duty 4 playable at Gamestop this Wednesday
If you're still not sure what all the hubbub, brouhaha and sometimes broubub surrounding Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4 is about, you may just get a chance to play the game's single-player campaign before the week is out. If you're over the age of 17 and generally enjoy shooting things from a first-person perspective, Activision and Gamestop cordially invite you to waltz into a participating store on Wednesday, October 17th, give the Xbox 360 version of the World War Now epic a bash and promptly fall into their carefully constructed pre-order trap. The bait is set at 9PM.After the break you'll find a list of stores offering the playable taster -- those not on the list are only good for selling you the game when it releases on November 5th. Additionally, you can visit Gamestop's website and enter your contact details so that they may kindly draft you into a mailing list send you a "reminder" for an event that's two days away.
Video tours of Modern Combat
GameSpot uploaded a pair of new videos for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and we must say our salivation for the title gets more abundant and disgusting by the minute. In fact, we can't wear a shirt for more than a few minutes before drenching it in our own nasty mouth juices. Actually, we should probably stop talking about spit.So, head past the break and check out another video.
Call of Duty 4 demo now available on PC
There's no longer any reason to keep your sister off the phone so the lines won't be tied up: Duty has officially called, and it's offering a new demo for you to enjoy. You can track down the beefy, 1.4 gigglebyte Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare demo here, here or here.Sure, it may only be one level from the single-player campaign, but hopefully it will be enough to get your through until the game is released on Nov. 5. Now, for the love of Mike, go tell Tracy she can call Dylan. They're having a hard time right now.
Joystiq test drives Call of Duty 4
From our first look at the game, we thought Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was going to be a shining example of how a game in the FPS genre should be handled on the handheld. And, after reading the impressions Joystiq gave after some play time with the title, we're glad to hear that the title is shaping up to be just that.The game, which switches between FPS segments, on-rail helicopter gunner sequences, bomb-disarming moments and AC-130 gunship sections. And, in all of this diversity, the game doesn't falter a bit. Joystiq lets us know that a lot of thought and care went into the game, from the controls down to each segment of gameplay.Sounds like we've got another game to add to our library.
Joystiq hands-on: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (DS)
The PC-and-console version of Call of Duty 4 rocks as much as expected. But at a recent hands-on session, the DS take also impressed. The 3D graphics look surprisingly good; after a few minutes of settling in, I stopped scrutinizing textures and focused on the gameplay. And that gameplay carries the title.COD4 switches between FPS sequences, helicopter-gunner modes, bomb-disarming moments, and AC-130 gunship sections. The DS version feels full of care and craft, from thought put into controls, to the segmented sessions that play well on a handheld.%Gallery-8364%
Joystiq hands-on: Call of Duty 4 single-player (360, PC, PS3)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, literally rocks with action. In an early stage, a freight ship that you siege pitches and rolls, like a giant movie set-piece. While playing a close-to-shipping version of the title, I felt like the action game used these special-effect focal points to drive its frenzied pace and huge scope.Because of the "modern" setting, I had assumed I'd be plodding slowly with a squad of soldiers, tactically (and tactfully) knocking on doors to root out bad guys. And while there are sometimes AI-teammate elements, I never felt like I had to slow down and proceed with caution. Instead, I often had to speed up and dive for cover; depending on the situation, snipers, RPGs, and essentially armies of enemies are firing at you at the same time.%Gallery-3922%
Reminder: win more COD4 beta invites from Joystiq
Just a quick reminder folks, Joystiq is still giving away Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta invites every other day (in conjunction with GameDaily, who is giving them away every other other day). If you haven't made into the beta yet, you'd better hurry, as it's only open until the end of the month. And, with a new level cap that lets players unlock even more goodies, the beta is better than ever. Hell, you just might enjoy it more than waiting in line for Halo 3. If you'd like your shot at the beta, head over to the Joystiq giveaway post and enter.What are you waiting for? Go!
Joyswag: 10 invites to the Call of Duty 4 Beta (Day 7)
[Update: That's it, folks. Congratulations to the winners! To the rest, see you Nov. 5 for the real thing.]Welcome to the final round of GameDaily & Joystiq's Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta giveaway. Make your comment count! Here's how: Leave a comment below predicting the final Call of Duty sequel with number and subtitle (ex. Call of Duty 4²: We Been Had Finished the Fight) You may only comment on this specific post once. If you leave more than one comment, you'll be automatically disqualified ... FOREVAR! If you enter more than once, only activate one comment or see above Usually we reserve this bullet point to remind you that there will be more chances to win. Not this time -- it's the final round! Entries can be submitted until 7:59pm EDT on Monday, September 24th [Official rules]
