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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. ]
CoD4 community theme now available on XBLM
Just giving you a heads up that the community created Call of Duty 4 dashboard theme that we mentioned a few days back is now available for free on the Marketplace. The "Charlie Oscar Delta Pack" theme's backgrounds were 100% designed by, voted on by and ultimately put onto the XBLM by the loyal CharlieOscarDelta community. So, give the (free) theme a download to see which images made it in and be sure to check out the guide background too. We have a thing for randomly colored gray boxes, because they make us feel so darn techie.
CoD4 overtakes Gears of War, Infinity Ward planning update
We like us some Call of Duty 4, and based on Major Nelson's top ten Xbox Live titles for this past week, so do a lot of other gamers. The game placed second in the rankings, right below Halo 3, and right above a certain quartet of steroid infused, uber-masculine gunhavers.Infinity Ward isn't resting on their digital laurels, it would seem. Though the game has only been out eleven days in the states, they're already talking updates. The biggest change in their first planned update is a fix for the game's often fickle matchmaking and host selection, one of the few black marks against the title. Also, games will no longer end abruptly if the host drops out, and server performance on games with large numbers of players will supposedly improve. You can read the full list of gameplay changes after the jump.
Infinity Ward reveals plans for CoD4 update
Posted over on the official Infinity Ward forums, community relations guru fourzerotwo informs us that the Call of Duty 4 team has plans to release a title update for the game and previews some of the changes.The main focus of the title update will be to upgrade and improve both the game's Xbox Live matchmaking and host selection (thank lord!), but it will also include a few gameplay enhancements as a bonus. Highlights from the upcoming update include host migration, addition of "N0M4D" control scheme, identification of party by background color and the fixing of various lobby related bugs. You can view the complete list of upcoming CoD4 changes after the break, but know that you'll have to contain your excitement for a bit. Infinity Ward has yet to announce a release date for the update, so begin your waiting ritual ... now!
Call of Duty 4 servers get hammered
Many have experienced issues playing Call of Duty 4 on PS3. Why? Infinity Ward is reporting that the PS3 online multiplayer is being "slammed" by the incredible demand for the game. In a statement to CVG: "The only real issue is that the servers we're getting hit really hard, especially with the launch in Europe doubling that traffic, just something that requires optimising on the server side and we've been working with the PSN COD4 Server team from the moment it started having issues assisting any way we can to help them get them up to speed faster."The issue is with the servers, and won't require a patch to the game. The game, which has completely destroyed this blogger's weekend, is an absolute thrill ride that any PS3 owner should experience.
Help choose Call of Duty 4 artwork for free theme
A while back, the Charlie Oscar Delta crew asked the Call of Duty 4 community to submit artwork for use in an upcoming Xbox 360 dashboard theme. And now, after narrowing down the hundreds of entries, they've compiled a grouping of eight pictures and want the community to choose the top four. Then, after the voting ends a second time and the votes are tallied, those top four designs will be made into a theme and released for FREE as part of the "Charlie Oscar Delta Pack". We'll all get a free theme eventually, we just hope the community's artistic eye is top notch and we don't end up with one of those throw away themes. Vote away!
Last chance: win Call of Duty 4
Okay kids, as of this posting, you have exactly two hours to submit your final (and hopefully third) entry in our Fanswag Weekly giveaway. Should you win, you will receive a brand spanking new copy of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We know you all like shooting things and occasionally blowing them up as well, so we suggest you make your entry posthaste. To do so, simply head over to the official giveaway post and follow the super easy instructions. It's so easy a highly trained monkey could do it.
Call of Duty 4 suffering sellout syndrome
Don't be fooled by the headline: Activision's military shooter is not (necessarily) compromising its integrity and principles in exchange for money. Call of Duty 4 is seeing "extremely high demand" and subsequently inadquate supply.According to Nollenberger Capital Partners analyst Todd Greenwald (via GameDaily), "we've checked with a wide range of retailers (Gamestop, Wal-Mart, Target), and only pre-orders are being satisfied-stores are otherwise sold out of the title." The publisher's other recent major release, Guitar Hero 3, is also in the midst of selling out. The news does sound good for Activision, but just think about how much more money they could make off of downloadable content if they manage to meet consumer demand.
PSN Thursday: (Motor)storming through Uncharted territories
You've heard us talking about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune before, both in positive and less-than-positive lights. Now you'll get to decide for yourself. As planned, the demo for this PlayStation 3-exclusive title is heading to the PS Network today, along with a demo of College Hoops 2K8.Additionally, Sony is giving Motorstorm fanatics some more content. The Devil's Weekend add-on ($5.99) includes a new track (Devil's Crossing), five new vehicles with three styles apiece, and The Devil's Weekend festival with nine new races. For Guitar Hero III, the Foo Fighters and Velvet Revolver packs that were previously announced for Xbox Live will also be available on the PS3 for $6.25 apiece. An assortment of game videos and movie trailers, a new wallpaper featuring Call of Duty 4 is available for free, as well as three new themes (Classy Pink, Pixel and Nature) to spice up your new firmware update. More details after the break.Update: Sony notes on the PlayStation blog that the Uncharted demo will only work on American PS3 systems due to a bug. The demo is still undergoing localization and will see official release in other territories at a later date. [Via PS3 Fanboy]
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.
Reminder: win Call of Duty 4 from X3F
Just a quick reminder that we're giving away a copy of Call of Duty 4 to one lucky winner for this week's Fanswag Weekly. We've changed things up a bit this time, allowing readers to submit one entry per calendar day (Eastern Time). So, if you haven't entered yet, you're already behind! Hurry up and enter today! If you have already entered though, now is your chance to enter again and maximize your chances of winning. Head over to the official giveaway post to submit your entry.
Fanswag Weekly: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare [update]
[Update: The giveaway is now closed and our winner has been notified. Check your inbox (and spam box). It might be youu.]You hardly need us to say it, but the big game this week is definitely Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It's already garnering some impressive reviews, and we're willing to bet that plenty of our readers would like to add the game to their collection. Well, here's your chance to do it for free. Yes, this week's Fanswag Weekly is for none other than Call of Duty 4. Here's how to enter. Call of Duty 4 brings the series into the 21st century. Leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite moment of the 21st century has been so far. You can leave one comment per calendar day (Eastern Time). Be sure you only leave one comment per day. Posters of multiple comments during the same day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until Friday, November 9, 12:00 Noon, Eastern Time. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only On Friday, we'll pick one winner via a random drawing One winner will receive a copy of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, worth $60. Make sure to take note of the fact that you can enter once per day. That's three entries between now and Friday. Be sure and enter every day to maximize your chances of winning.You can maximize your understanding of the official rules by clicking here.
Metareview: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
War is good -- for games. Infinity Ward's latest, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, hits the shelves with resounding applause. It really will be a good quarter for publisher Activision. Call of Duty 4 drops all that feel-good WWII stuff and goes straight for the modern war quagmire resulting in an even more intense experience than the series is known for. Modern combat apparently brings out modern intensity. Game Daily (100/100): "Combat is visceral and unrivaled. You've never experienced anything more vicious and unforgiving. Rockets zip past your head, attack choppers shred nearby houses with gunfire, jets carpet bomb an area, tanks blast through walls and soldiers fall by the hundreds. The insanity, coupled with your character's inability to absorb as many hits as in other games (Halo 3, Bioshock), causes you to question your actions and rethink strategies. Bottom line, if this game represents even just a fraction of the hell actual soldiers deal with on a day-to-day basis, we have a newfound respect for the armed forces." IGN (94/100): "The single-player experience is easily Infinity Ward's best work to date. Calling it intense may be an understatement. The overall story is standard action movie fare, but the relationships built over the short five hours of play are surprisingly strong. Though the single-player lacks length, the multiplayer should keep you invested in COD4 for the long winter. This is a truly fantastic multiplayer offering that's as deep as any other online game available." GameTap (90/100): "COD4 grips the imagination and finds a way to impact the player's emotions. And though we've seen a ton of games on similar subject matter, COD4 distinguishes itself with a washed-out gritty look and profound attention to detail. That same level of detail carries over to the online campaigns, which are just as vast and in-depth as anything found in the single player missions. From beginning to end--especially the end--COD4 is an amazing immersive experience. All other first-person shooters coming out definitely have to step it up at this point, because the bar has been set high."
DS releases for the week of November 5th
Holy snaps, look at all the games this week! We're not even sure where to begin! Why, is that our surprise title of the year, Hannah Montana: Music Jam, finally hitting shelves? Maybe, maybe ... but let's see what else we've got. Rhythm games, check. All the war you could want, check. Language and word trainers, check. Action, check. We even have one for all the people who just have to have virtual pets. Basically, if you like games at all, there may be something you're interested in this week. Bratz 4 Real Build-A-Bear Workshop Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker Enchanted Hannah Montana: Music Jam Horse Life Hot Wheels: Beat That LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga My French Coach My Spanish Coach My Word Coach Ontamarama Panzer Tactics Puzzle de Harvest Moon Shrek: Ogres and Dronkeys Spectrobes (Collector's Edition) World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets Check out the lists after the break for releases in other major regions.
It's arcade'tastic! CoD4 gets arcade mode
Check it out! Check out the video above and try and tell us that the guys over at Infinity Ward haven't gone out of their way to create one helluva game. If it's not obvious already, Call of Duty 4 will include an Arcade Mode (complete with next gen yet very old school NES menus) in which you'll get to mow down wave after wave of baddies. It comes complete with scoring, multipliers and crazy amounts of fun, so we're more than comfortable in giving Infinity Ward an official X3F pat on the back ... conglaturations![Via Game Stooge]
Complete CoD4 MP map list and descriptions
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will be here in a few days, but we know some of you are too excited to wait. Too excited to wait for your copy to arrive and too excited to ignore any official or leaked details. That's why we wanted to tell you about some screenshots detailing CoD4 multiplayer goodness.Thanks to AVSPics and their sneaky means of obtaining an early copy of CoD4 (on the PS3, eesh!), they've posted all kinds of screenshots that help answer some the game's multiplayer questions. Using the links below, you can check out the names and descriptions of all 16 multiplayer maps, a list of multiplayer weapons and get a glimpse of the game's visuals with other random screenshots. It's a multiplayer CoD4 fanboy's treasure chest of warfare! Snoop around, get some information and wait few days ... your copy of CoD4 is so close, we can even smell it from here.[Via The 360 Forum]Read - Call of Duty 4 MP maps and descriptionsRead - Call of Duty 4 MP weaponsRead - Call of Duty 4 MP screenshots
Sunday ads bring out the crazy CoD4 deals
There's lots of gaming deals this weeks, so let's hop right into it. The big new release this Tuesday is Call of Duty 4 and the top gaming retailers are all offering up the goods. If you purchase CoD4 at Target they'll give you a $5 gift card, Best Buy will give you a free Behind Enemy Lines DVD as part of their exclusive CoD4 Ultimate Box Set and they're also offering a $20 instant savings if you purchase the game with a 360 wireless headset. But we think the CoD4 deal crown goes to Circuit City this week, because they're going crazy nuts giving away a poster and Call of Duty 3 with purchase.Other deals you want? Okay ... let's keep going. Best Buy's other deal is a free $10 gift card with F.E.A.R. Files, but that's about it from them. Over at Circuit City this week you can pick up a $29 Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary, a $39 Gears of War (PC) and a $39 Virtua Fighter 5. That's not all, you can also get a $10 gift card with TimeShift and a $39 wireless Xbox 360 controller too. Oh, and we didn't know this ever existed, but you can Cars, Open Season and Fuzion Frenzy 2 all bundled together on one game disc for $29. That's about it for money savings offers this week, but feel free to share what other deals you discovered in the comments below.
Today's scariest video: IP gone wild
Shhhh. We're scared. Don't make a sound or the bad man will come back. We passed on a few Halloween-themed videos to post, but this is the one that gives us nightmares.See the horror in the first video after the break, and we'll even toss in those other less-scary clips as a bonus afterwards. Our eyes! They burn!
Hunker down, CoD4 Live Fire Weekend incoming
Call of Duty 4's release to retail is quickly approaching and, as a result, so is the Xbox Live planned launch fun. Call of Duty 4 Live Fire Weekend will take place from November 16th through the 18th and feature Play & Win, gametime with developers, gametime with the PMS Clan and various Xbox Live Marketplace content including a free gamer picture, theme and videos. More details including prizes and gamertags will trickle in once Live Fire Weekend approaches, so while you're waiting feel free to pre-register for everything right here. Big A+ video game launches equal marketing planned weekend events ... and we're loving it.
The big games left for 2007
We've already had some of the big bombshells of 2007 come out already, including the big boys like Halo 3, Heavenly Sword, and Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction ... but what's still coming down the pipeline? Guitar Hero III will be out tomorrow, and the rest of October and all of November are bringing a ton of great games out for every platform from the Xbox 360 to the Nintendo DS. Megatonik has put together a great list, chock full of release dates and goodies, or what's left in store for the rest of this year. Chances are once these games start dropping, you're not going to have much left in your wallet for the holidays. So it's time to start figuring out where you're going to get that cash from and get your game on.
