call-of-duty-4
Latest
Gears 2 stagnant on Xbox Live activity chart despite DLC
That Combustible map pack didn't seem to ignite much passion into Gears of War 2, as the shoe-in for Best Shooter Involving a Chain Saw-infused Rifle Award remains numero quartro on the Xbox Live activity chart for last week. The game was also 4th place the week prior, and 3rd place for two consecutive weeks before that. Far from being a bad position, but it's certainly not dominating the service like its predecessor.Staying strong at top is Halo 3, followed by the Call of Duty: World at War and CoD4, respectively. The promotional Dash of Destruction managed to take 6th place, and somehow bumped Fallout 3 from 8th to oblivion. Full list after the break.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Gears 2 slides further down Xbox Live activity chart
Gears of War 2 continues slipping down Xbox Live's activity chart, according to Major Nelson's latest report. For the week of Dec. 8, Marcus and company are at the #4 spot, behind top dawgs Halo 3, CoD: World at War and Call of Duty 4.Feel free to let the theories fly as to why the mega-hit title, which holds most of its value in the multiplayer, has slid so fast. Perhaps the new maps and matchmaking server tweaks will bring players back in the coming weeks?
COD4 seemingly complete, Infinity Ward focused on future
Still holding out for new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare maps and playlists? We're sorry to be the ones to tell you this, but there aren't anymore maps or playlists. None. Go home, kid. Over at the official Xbox forums, Infinity Ward community manager Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling rather strongly suggested that the development team has moved on from COD4 and is gearing up for its next project, whatever that may be.Bowling also discussed the issue of balance, perception and DLC. In his words, "If you include [the maps] out of box (shipped with game for no extra cost) then it's just ignored and people demand more. If you instead, decide to get the game out and then worry about beefing up the map selection via DLC, people say ... 'this should have been included in the shipped game.'" We hear ya buddy, now how about six more COD4 map packs?[Via Gamer Limit]
New COD4 playlists axed, no more DLC likely
We hope you like Call of Duty 4 just the way it is -- or have moved on to COD: World at War -- because it sounds like it's going to stay that way. Popping into the Xbox.com forums, Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling (known to gamers as fourzerotwo) responded to comments regarding new playlists for COD4 as well as any upcoming DLC. Unfortunately, Bowling announced that the much talked about playlists "never came to fruition." We're not sure when they were shelved, though they had been mentioned by Bowling as recently as September. On the discussion of DLC, Bowling stated that it was Infinity Ward's goal to ship as many maps on the Call of Duty 4 disc as possible. Bowling stated that the challenge developers face is balancing the number of maps included with a game and the steady release of DLC later. Said Bowling, "If you include [maps] out of box (shipped with game for no extra cost) then it's just ignored and people demand more. If you instead, decide to get the game out and then worry about beefing up the map selection via DLC, people say 'don't nickle and dime me' or 'this should have been included in the shipped game.'" Bowling then said that Infinity Ward is focusing on expanding its development team to better handle post-launch support for its games while still maintaining enough staff to work on future projects. The upshot of all this: don't expect any more DLC for Call of Duty 4, but expect better post-launch support on Infinity Ward's next project. Whatever that is. [Via Gamer Limit]
Hand-on with Logitech's G13 Gameboard
Maximum PC's laid hands on that Logitech G13 Gamepad we just saw a few days ago, and they've got plenty to say about it. They're fans of the gamepad's physical form and the layout of the keys, mouse buttons and the analog stick. The pad's got a color-customizable mini LCD and backlighting, and it's possible to bind up to 87 different macros at a time on it -- which the reviewer thinks will make this a totally sweet option for MMO-enthusiasts. The G13 is expected to run about $80 and to be released sometimes this month, but if you just can't wait until then for more glimpses of it, hit the read link.
Logitech's G13 gameboard turns it up to level 80
Check it PC and Mac gamers, Logitech just announced its G13 Gameboard. With a trio of game modes, built-in 160 x 43 pixel LCD for stats and messaging, 25 programmable keys, and a programmable joystick, Logitech says that the G13 "offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game." It comes with pre-configured settings for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to name a few. Otherwise, you can setup custom button-profiles as you please and even create macros on the fly without having to pause your quest. Available in US and Europe sometime this month for $80.%Gallery-38988%
Holidaze 2008: Live in the past, it's cheaper
Bad news, everybody: 2008 is the new 2007. Those of us lucky enough to have survived last year's unyielding flood of exquisite games expected the new holiday to provide some respite -- perhaps an influx of blessedly mediocre games -- but alas, our wallets are once again tugged in every $60 direction. But what's worse? The deafening din of desirable games, or that irresistible impulse to play and master every adventure the very second it becomes available? Provided you can defeat the latter reflex, we have a simple suggestion: Live in the past. It's cheaper! We've dredged up our decisive, if ever-so-slightly controversial list of the ten best games of Oh Seven, hoping you'll find a fantastic experience you mistakenly overlooked. You'll find that the passage of time has taken a pleasing toll on the recommended price of admission. In fact, we've traveled forward in time to this very moment, hoping to pick up our 2007 nominees on the cheap. What do you think? Should we make Portal our Game of the Year?
Holidaze 2008: Live in the past, it's cheaper (Page 2)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare What we said then: "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." What we say now: "An essential 'tunnel of fun' shooter with a rewarding multiplayer component. If you find yourself disappointed by this year's Call of Duty: World at War, it's probably this game's fault." Current retail price: $39.99 (Game of the Year edition)
Guessing at early sales numbers for Wrath
Unfortunately, as of this writing, Blizzard hasn't yet released actual numbers for Wrath sales last week (we were expecting around two million, but we'll see what they say eventually). But that won't stop us from guessing -- the list of top ten games sold last week in the UK is out, and Wrath... is number two.That's right -- Activision's own Call of Duty: World at War beat out Wrath for the number one spot, but before you start worrying whether WoW has lost its charm, don't: not only was Wrath an expansion pack (expansion packs obviously don't sell as well as standalone games, sequels or otherwise), but the Call of Duty game has already outsold its prequel, the extremely successful Call of Duty 4, by a 2:1 ratio. Unfortunately, we don't have numbers yet, but all indications are that, in the UK alone, Wrath did almost as well as a game that outsold last year's best selling game. That all make sense?If not, hear this: Blizzard made a lot of money last week, and pretty soon we'll hear how much. Even more amazing, Activision Blizzard, who owns Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft, accounted for a full 25% of all UK game sales last week. The merger has already paid off.
Call of Duty 4 takes top Golden Joystick
We don't want you to be confused, so let's take this one step at a time. A "Golden Joystick" is an award handed out by the British public. This year's winners were revealed last Friday and Call of Duty 4 took top honors, winning "Ultimate Game of the Year", "Online Game of the Year" and "PC Game of the Year." A full list of winners can be found here.A "Golden Joystiq" is what happens when Joystiq continues to punch stone columns and collect Spirit Balls even after it has gotten its beast form. We hope that clears things up.
Ontario police turn to Xbox Live to find missing CoD4 player
Brandon Crisp, a 15-year-old Barrie, Ontario native and avid gamer, has been missing since October 11. Crisp stormed out of his home shortly after his parents, afraid for the teen's social well-being due to his proclivity for Call of Duty 4, took away his Xbox 360. Since Crisp's disappearance, several groups have made major efforts to try and locate the teen -- including Microsoft, who donated $25,000 to a reward fund for anyone with information on Crisp's whereabouts.Following the suspicions of Crisp's parents, the cyber crimes unit of the Ontario Police are now turning to an unlikely source for leads -- Brandon's Xbox Live friends list. Fearing that one of his clanmates might have something to do with his disappearance, police asked Microsoft to breach their own privacy protocols to reveal the personal information of Xbox Live subscribers that frequently associated with Crisp. Regardless of what you may think of Microsoft's actions, we're sure we all share the hope that Brandon will return home quickly and safely.
Barrie teen runs away from home, parents blame online games
For nearly two-weeks 15-year-old Brandon Crisp has been missing after running away from his home. The Barrie, Canada, teen stormed out of his house during the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend when his parents took away his Xbox 360, arguing that his excessive play of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was affecting his sleep and social skills. According to earlier reports, Brandon told his parents he would run away if his system was not returned and, in an effort to "call his bluff," his father helped the teen pack his belongings. Brandon's parents now fear that he has been "lured by gamers" through the Xbox Live gaming service, "It could be organized crime or someone involved in Internet gambling. Pedophiles can stalk kids through these games," Brandon's father told The Star. While it's easy to argue how Xbox Live is being misrepresented in this situation the fact remains that Brandon, who purchased Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare -- an M Rated title intended for gamers 17 and above -- with his own Christmas money, is still missing and his family is completely distraught. We hope for his safe return home.
The Digital Continuum: Rock Band, the MMO
At first thought, a Rock Band-inspired MMO may not sound like the greatest idea to everyone. I've actually entertained the idea for a long time now, only shove it aside as a crazy notion. But the thing kept popping back into the forefront of my mind so often that I couldn't discount it as happenstance. I've become enamored with the idea, because let's face it; a Rock Band MMO has the potential to ooze- no, to gush pure liquid awesome. ROCK >> %Gallery-33658%
NPD: Top 5 best-selling PS3 games from January to August 08
The NPD, in collaboration with Gamasutra, disclosed the top 5 bestsellers for each platform today, including the PS3. Without further ado, let's take a look at what they are: Grand Theft Auto IV Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Madden NFL 09 Gran Turismo 5: Prologue Note that specific sales numbers were not provided and the final tally does not include any collector's editions, games sold via digital distribution or games bundled with a system. No one is really surprised that GTA IV, MGS4 and Madden 09 made it to the top of the charts. However, Gamasutra remarks on the tremendous momentum Call of Duty 4 has had so far in 2008, especially considering the game was released early November of 2007. They were also surprised to see Gran Turismo 5: Prologue beating out Devil May Cry 4; they even speculate that if the sales on the PS Store for Gran Turismo 5: Prologue were counted, it might have even trumped the sales of the PS3 version of Madden 09. Did any of these games surprise you guys? Is there a game you would have liked to see on the chart? Fire away in the comments below.
PSN Thursday: Fracture demo, COD4 map sale
This week is fairly quiet for the PSN update. The demo for the incredibly well-promoted title Fracture becomes available, along with the demo for the big game from a couple weeks back, Mercenaries 2. For those who haven't yet picked up the map pack for Call of Duty 4, it's on sale this week for a measly $5. The full list of additions can be found after the break.The European PSN update can be found over at PS3 Fanboy. Go say hello, they miss you and give great hugs.
Call of Duty 4 double XP weekend will be September 19th-21st
Beginning this Friday the 19th and ending on Sunday the 21st, PS3 owners will be gaining double XP all weekend for Call of Duty 4 multiplayer games. Also starting tomorrow Infinity Ward will begin discounting the Variety Map Pack, resulting in a price of $4.99 for the entire week. Finally, some of the developers will be on playing online Friday from 12PM-4PM PST (3PM-7PM EST), so click here for their PSN IDs and add them to your friends list. Seems like it is going to be a busy weekend for Call of Duty 4 players looking to rank up!
Call of Duty 4 is $40; Double XP weekend coming soon
Now you really have zero excuse not to own the instant classic Call of Duty 4. Amazon has the Game of the Year Edition listed at $39.99 with free shipping; interestingly enough, this price isn't listed on the their main page for the game. Rather, you have to click on the Used and New section to find the discounted price. A look around the internet shows the game still at the $59.99 price point, so take advantage of this offer here.In other CoD4 news, some of your might have heard this past weekend was Double XP weekend for Xbox 360 owners of the game. It looks like PS3 owners will be getting the same treatment. According to Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling, our version of the event was delayed due to "schedule conflicts" and will begin sometime near the 18th. We should "expect some of the same benefits and festivities" as the 360 version of the event, such as 50% off the Variety Map Pack. The exact details are coming later in the week, so stay tuned.
Play CoD4 with Infinity Ward, earn XP and save
In about 30 minutes, members of Call of Duty 4's development team from Infinity Ward will be logging onto Xbox Live to pwn some n00bs game with fans of CoD4 in an Xbox.com sponsored Game with Developers event. An event that goes hand in hand with the double XP weekend and the Variety Map Pack being discounted 50% for the weekend. Around nine Infinity Ward employees including artists, studio heads and the one and only Fourzertwo will be playing CoD4 TODAY from 3-7:00PM eastern. Make the jump for a listing of gamertags and be sure to spam the heck out of their Live inboxes. We're sure they'd love you for that.
Get COD4's Variety Map Pack for half price on 360
In addition to yet another "Double XP" weekend (Hey, who's complaining? Bring 'em on!) in the wings for Call of Duty 4, Activision and Infinity Ward are performing even more community service by offering Xbox 360 owners the four-level Variety Map Pack for 50% off. Normally 800, the pack will be reduced to 400 for the duration of the weekend (Sept. 12-14 for the calendar-conscious). Really, if you play COD4 online, you need this.Infinity Ward's Robert "Fourzerotwo" Bowling also brings word that the dev has poked and prodded Microsoft into putting the Prestige Gamer Pics back on the Xbox Live Marketplace, just in case you missed them during the last Live Fire weekend. We know what we'll be playing as soon as the whistle blows tomorrow night at Joystiq HQ. Go!-Go!-Go!Update: "This is all going down exclusively on Xbox Live this weekend, but don't worry PS3 players, because we'll be doing the same for you guys; but due to schedule conflicts we couldn't do them back to back so the PS3 weekend will be closer to Sept the 18th (I'll have a dedicated post for our PS3 users on that event), but you can expect some of the same benefits and festivities," Bowling clarifies.
Double XP, half-price maps invade Modern Warfare this weekend
Attention cyber-soldiers: Infinity Ward has dropped word that the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map pack will be made available for half price (400MS points) this weekend. Attempting to gain popularity for the struggling title, players will also be able to earn Double XP during ranked games beginning September 12, 12AM PDT and running through September 14 at midnight -- the same time-frame for the discounted maps.If you'd like to show your support for a title that barely made a splash during its release downloading the four map package would be a nice start. Infinity Ward needs your help and are even offering Limited Edition Prestige gamerpics for free as yet another bonus. Save a developer. Help this struggling franchise. Oh, wait. We were thinking of Soldier Of Fortune for some reason. Never mind, Modern Warfare sold like a bajillion copies.Ed. Note: Bajillion is SO a word.
