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Call of Duty dev rejects Live Anywhere
Infinity Ward's studio head Grant Collier, who we reported yesterday was unhappy with the overuse of sandbox gameplay and destructible environments, told IGN in an interview that there was no interest in using Live Anywhere for PC and Xbox 360 cross-play.The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer put it bluntly: "We said no and they didn't call back." Clarifying, Collier said "[it's cool] if you're playing online poker, but who wants to be playing an RTS on a console and have some guy on a PC clicking and dragging all his troops, attacking your base while you're sitting there with your thumb sticks." The keyboard/mouse vs. gamepad argument is a long-standing battle, and clearly Collier feels that they cannot be equals for fast-paced strategy or first-person shooter titles.Live Anywhere is currently in use by Halo 2 (update: nevermind), Shadowrun and the action-packed Uno.
Call of Duty dev down on destructible environments, sandbox gameplay
Sandbox gameplay. Destructible environments. Those are a few of the latest video game buzzwords used to sell ideas, and Grant Collier, studio head of Infinity Ward (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare), is not happy with it.In an interview with IGN, Collier sees a problematic trend with using sandbox gameplay and "total destructibility" without first considering if it will make the game fun. "And total destructibility, you can really ruin the gameplay," he said. Collier cites Counter-Strike's über-popular Dust map, where the two choke points serve as the focal point of entertainment, and how that could be compromised with destructible environments. "It's not fun because you can blow up everything," he said, "it's fun because you know where the action's going to be and there's races against time to get to that action." "So I think right now it's a fad, and the fad will pass, we're not going to be bite on in it - we want the game to be fun first, and destructibility comes second," he said. The over-indulgence may be a fad, but the interaction that destructible environments and sandbox gameplay adds is something that isn't (and shouldn't) go away, and we think Collier would agree that said features, if properly implemented, can potentially augment gameplay.
Call of Duty 4 screens deployed
Xboxygen got their hands on 4 more screenshots of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4. Unfortunately, none of the shots are 360° flybys of a given scene, but it'll do. Still, the game seems to be coming along graphically and these screens have some great examples of the engine's explosion, lighting, rain and realistic smoke capabilities. Are you digging the art direction, as well as the move to modern day combat scenarios in this next installment of the Call of Duty series?[Thanks, gaetge]%Gallery-3924%
Pachter: Hey Activision, watch out for Rock Band
Unfortunately, we can't attribute Michael Pachter's warning to Activision as a direct quote, as analysts are forbidden from saying "Hey" and are forced to substitute the informal greeting with "pardon me" or "pay attention to me, please." In commenting on Activision's glowing fiscal report and strong NPD presence to GameDaily BIZ, Pachter draws attention to several challenges Activision faces in the coming months. "All things are not perfect in Activision's world," he says.Pachter predicts that the glaring imperfections (to put it mildly) highlighted by reviewers in the Spider-Man 3 games will curtail sales, and that Call of Duty 4's proposed Iraq setting may prove to leave an equally bad taste in the consumer's mouth. More interestingly, the analyst notes that if Harmonix's EA-published Rock Band is fully playable with just a guitar controller, it will "compete quite favorably with Activision's [Guitar Hero]." He suspects the instrument protagonist genre will remain kind to RedOctane's owner, but adds that "new entrants will impact future growth of the band." Or did he mean brand? Once the dust settles in the battle of the fake bands, will Pachter still stand by his belief that Activision was right to buy RedOctane over Harmonix?
New COD3 maps storm Xbox Live
For those of you who have yet to tire of fighting it out in the trenches, new content has arrived for Call of Duty 3. Specifically, the Bravo Map Pack can now be downloaded for 800 points. The pack contains 5 maps, including 2 maps from the original Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive. The old maps, for old-school COD fans that are dying to know, are Gare Centrale and Marseilles. Gare Centrale features a train depot, which seems like the hot thing in multiplayer maps these days, while Marseilles utilizes open space and lots of vehicles.Anyone plan on grabbing the new maps, or are you comfortable waiting for Call of Duty 4?[Via Joystiq]
COD4 trailer assaults Marketplace
The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer that was released late last month is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Granted, it's been available in high definition from the promotional CharlieOscarDelta.com website since last month, but this will save you the trouble of registering for a marketing website. For those unfamiliar with the game, COD4 ditches WWII action in favor of, well, modern warfare. Check out the trailer and be sure to check out the 3D screenshot if you haven't already.
Video: Call of Duty 4 3D screenshot
Infinity Ward released a cool 3D screenshot from Call of Duty 4, similar to what Bungie did for Halo 2 all those years ago. This one depicts some soldiers deploying from a helicopter into the battlefield below. The High Definition torrent for the Quicktime VR file can be found at Xboxyde and is definitely worth the look, along with some screen captures of the scene taken from multiple angles. So what do you think of the lighting, models, etc? Do you think modern combat is a step in the right direction for the Call of Duty series?
Infinity Ward announcement coming next week
Yesterday, in a post on Infinity Ward's official forums, admin fourzerotwo hinted at a major announcement that will be coming next week. More specifically, fourzerotwo listed important events in history that occurred on April 28th (like the discovery of a vaccine for the yellow fever) and followed by saying that "what goes down this April 28th is equal to, if not surpasses, the magnitude of any of those". Yup, Infinity Ward's April 28th announcement is going to be bigger than James Monroe's birthday! So, will the news be something as simple as some more Call of Duty 4 details or are you thinking something on a much more grand scale? Speculate away ...[Via Arrogantics, Thanks zizzy]
PSP Fanboy review: Call of Duty Roads to Victory
Most people only read reviews to find out if they should buy, try or avoid a particular game. With that in mind, here's that info on Call of Duty: Roads to Victory for those who don't want to read a full review. Buy: If you are a Call of Duty fan and are willing to deal with less accurate controls. Try: If you are incredibly picky on how your FPS games control or haven't played the Call of Duty series before. Avoid: If you don't like Call of Duty or FPS games that play with anything other than a mouse or 2 analog sticks.
Metareview: Call of Duty [Update 1]
Just like the other WWII FPS game on the PSP, Call of Duty has been getting some spectacularly mixed reviews. Who to believe? Are the controls really that great? Are they really that terrible? Message boards across the internet have been producing quite a variety of responses. For once, the critics reviews may not actually inform anyone on the "correct" purchasing decision for this game. UGO (87/100) loves the incredibly generous auto-aim: "Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is one of the few must-own titles for the handheld. If you've ever gotten a kick out of picking up a gun and killing evil people in a video game, look no further." IGN (66/100) hated the controls and the gameplay: "The sluggish and somewhat delayed controls wouldn't be so bad if the gameplay accounted for it, but it doesn't." Gamespot (62/100) thinks the game feels more like a free mod than an actual game: "The poor AI, combined with frequent respawning of soldiers, makes it feel as if you're playing some sort of WWII-themed shooting gallery at times." Do any of our PSP Fanboy readers have this game? What do you think about this game?[Update 1: Added Gamespot's review.]
Never mind the art, here's a Shadowrun preview
As the first game under the Windows Live brand to bring both PC and Xbox 360 gamers together, Shadowrun isn't the most casual-friendly title imaginable. So unexpectedly complex that after the initial training exercises and multiplayer matches, we were overwhelmed to say the least. A few hours and a dozen or so matches later, it hadn't fully connected, but the pieces were starting to fall into place.Like we said in our previous coverage of the game, Shadowrun is about finding your niche and sticking to it. In other shooters, your niche can be as simple as controlling the rocket launcher or defending the flag. In Shadowrun, it's defined by the powers you equip, how you utilize them and what role you take in your group. Even if you consider yourself a sponge for tactical knowledge, a learning curve this high won't be conquered in your first hour of play. And for a high profile, predominantly multiplayer shooter, that could spell trouble for Microsoft and FASA Studios.%Gallery-1774%
Call of Duty lawsuits explored
If you've ever wanted to see just how ugly modern game development can get, Gamasutra has just the article for you. Released in November 2004, Spark Interactive's Call of Duty: Finest Hour is still home to plenty of discussion, as long as you're looking in a courtroom to find it.The story itself begins in 2002 when future employees of Spark were still employed by Electronic Arts Los Angeles and, even better, actively working on the Medal of Honor series. It all hit the fan about the time twenty of EA's employees jumped ship over to the Activision owned Spark Interactive and it has been trouble ever since.Considering all the roadblocks and meltdowns that occurred during the development of Finest Hour, it's amazing that it even found its way to store shelves in the amount of time given. Unfortunately, the legal battle it stirred up will long outlast the impact of the game itself.
Call of Duty's road to PSP: first trailer
The trailer certainly depicts what I'd expect from a Call of Duty game, but can a good FPS exist on the PSP with its lack of a 2nd analog stick? It'd be great if the controls were as good as the game looks. Reading GameZone's developer diary gives me some hope, but I remain skeptical. Weirder things have happened than a good FPS on PSP (like a dating sim actually coming to the US). Call of Duty: Roads to Vitory is available in March.
COD3 map pack has issues
It looks like there are some problems with the Call of Duty 3 Valor map pack released earlier today. We have numerous readers reporting that once the maps are downloaded, they are not recognized on the 360 or within Call of Duty 3. It's reported that MS Points are debited when this happens, so prospective buyers may want to wait until Microsoft and Treyarch come up with a fix. Major Nelson advises that you keep an eye on this Xbox.com forum post for updates. If anyone hears anything, be sure and let us know.
COD3 Valor map pack available [update 1]
Update: As many of you have pointed out, there are problems with this download. Click here for details.Hot on the heels of the free bonus map, Champs, comes the Valor map pack for Call of Duty 3. The pack cost 800 points and contains 5 brand new maps. Stalag 13 is an abandoned prison camp, La Bourgade has you fight in a French village, Ironclad sets you in a naval shipyard, the Crossing puts players at a strategic choke point, and Wildwood gives you a chance to fight it out inside a forest setting. Call of Duty fans, be sure to come back here and tell us what you think.Is it worth 800 points?
Light reading: The Call of Duty contract
Gamasutra published the full development contract for Call of Duty: Finest Hour. The backstory is in 2005 developer Spark sued Activision for "breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation." Activision "counter-sued for fraud, breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, trade-mark infringement, false designation of origin, and false advertising." To make the legal jargon make sense to those without a law degree, Gamastura got together three game attorneys to comment on every page of the contract. The document includes "milestone payment specifics" and other tidbits on the purely business side of game development. This contract was publicly released as part of the legal dispute between Activision and developer Spark.Attorney Tom Buscaglia explains, "Contracts such as these are rarely made public because they inevitably contain confidentiality provisions that prohibit the publication of or even talking about their terms. But once the contract was filed as an exhibit in the lawsuit, and then unsealed by the court, the contract became public information." It's a fascinating read for those interested in learning what goes on behind-the-scenes. Plus, it beats the normal way of getting information about development: Hooking up code monkeys with a lot of booze at the Game Developers Conference and pumping them for information.
Gold goodies: Call of Duty 3 map available for paying customers
The first in a series of new Call of Duty 3 maps is now available to Xbox Live Gold members. Dubbed "Champs," the mid-sized map is free to download; although the forthcoming Valor Map Pack won't be (guess Activision couldn't find a sponsor). Still, with Gears maps yesterday, and a COD3 map today, we're content -- and glad to have the spare change to spend elsewhere.
Call of Duty 3 bonus map now available
Gears of War is generally the drug of choice around Fanboy Towers (well, that and snorting mustard), but for those of you who prefer war games about real wars, a new map is available* for Call of Duty 3. The map is called "Champs" and takes place in Port Royal de Champs, France. As we reported earlier, the map is well suited for small to medium sized games. The map is free and available now. Go grab it while it's hot.*On a side note, yesterday's prognostications were correct. As such, we're predicting that Halo 3 will launch ... right now! ... Damn it. It was worth a shot.
Alive and gaming in Baghdad
"We can't go outside, so I prefer to keep inside and keep myself alive."The words are from Wisam, a gamer living in Baghdad. Wisam is a rarity, and listening to his story on Iraq blog / vlog Alive In Baghdad explains why. Wisam, a recent graduate of the Baghdad University English Department, explains that he spends upwards of $200 on electricity each month -- partly from a local generator that runs 4 p.m. until midnight and partly from the fuel he buys for his personal generator. That's a hefty sumWisam said he learned his English from games such as Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy. MTV News' Stephen Totilo has a thorough piece on Wisam and the crew of Alive in Baghdad. Among the game-related topics discussed, Wisam talked about the decline in interest for war shooters like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty. "We hate the attacking, the gunfire in games," Wisam told MTV News. "We started to hate it."In a sad note, Wisam described how Grand Theft Auto is much like Baghdad right now. Omar Abdullah, who interviewed Wisam for Alive in Baghdad, concurred, telling MTV News that "it was very, very similar to Baghdad. We were like, 'Oh my God. These are the same actions that happen in Baghdad.' There are some places that are divided. For each place, there is a gang ruling that place. You can go down the street and drive any car. If you want to jump on a motorcycle, you can do it."With all the news that circulates about Baghdad, include tonight's U.S. Presidential address, it's thought-provoking to see a often missed perspective on the region.
Call of Duty 3 patched, new maps inbound
The Call of Duty 3 Multiplayer Team released its Xbox 360 patch today, addressing Ranked and Player Match issues (full details here). The fix-up seems in part to be preparation for a map pack release expected after the holidays. With its multiplayer better intact, Activision hopes to build on the small fortune its amassed selling COD-related premium content to Xbox Live users.Valor Map Pack (800 points) will include five multiplayer maps; Activision will also offer an additional map, "Champs," for free. Set in Port Royal de Champs, France, the bonus map is ideal for small- to mid-sized matches. No announcement has been made about offering the Valor maps or alternative content to PlayStation 3 COD3 players.
