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COD4 beta may still go worldwide
Non-American fanboys take note! It seems Activision was a little hasty in proclaiming that the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer beta would be restricted to the United States. The Infinity Ward community relations manager known as "fourzerotwo" on the COD4 forums has revised the statement made by Activision only yesterday. The community relations manager clarified on the forums (registration required) that the beta is only beginning in the United States, and that Infinity Ward is planning to make it international and is "currently sorting out those details." Unfortunately, we don't have any more details as to when such a thing will take place.In other news, "fourzerotwo" also revealed that new details about the beta will be revealed soon. This information should detail some of the weapons and maps that will be available in the beta.
Call of Duty 4 Xbox 360 box art features 'Storage Required' sticker [Update]
Developer Infinity Ward is asking community members (registration required) to pick from one of five box arts for the impending Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare launch. The artwork is fairly similar for each of the selections, including a curious sticker next to the ESRB tag that says "storage required" under what appears to be an Xbox 360 disk drive and a memory unit.If just a memory unit is required, the financial burden on those without disk drives won't be so hard ... but honestly, is anyone using their Xbox 360 without some storage method? We've contacted publisher Activision (and Jamie Kennedy, of course) for more information.Update: Infinity Ward community relations manager Robert Bowling told MyGamerCard that the icon should be disregarded. "The game can still be played by users with and without Storage devices (HDD / Memory Card)," he said, adding that you won't be able to save without some storage. We're still awaiting word from Activision.%Gallery-3922%[Via X3F]
Rumor: Possible release dates for Call of Duty 4 [update]
According to French gaming site Xboxygen (which doesn't cite a verifiable source), Activision has "announced" release dates for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. North America gets its taste on October 30, while Europe has to wait ten more days for November 9. CoD 4 ditches the World War II-theme for modern combat (hence the cryptic title). It also drops the familiar campaign system to unfold the gameplay like an "action novel of a television series". Check out our early look at CoD 4 from this year's E3 for more in-depth information.We're still waiting to hear back from Activision.Activision confirms that no announcements have been made: "The COD4: MF release date is Fall 2007-we haven't given out specific dates at this time."
COD4: Modern Warfare demoed & beta announced
Infinity Ward's Jason West demoed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, showing off the game's visceral visuals and gameplay. The mission seen takes place 15 years prior to the present in the game, with you and your sniping partner infilitrating a base. The graphics are crisp, and the lighting, explosions and smoke look especially realistic. The trailer has some intense firefights and some heavy duty missile blasts.To show that all good things come in threes, Infinity Ward announced an Xbox Live exclusive Public Beta and gave a URL to watch for developing info. This looks to set new standards in contemporary combat games.
Call of Duty 4 to do the public beta thing on Xbox Live
Developer Infinity Ward was on hand at Microsoft's E3 2007 keynote to show off their shiny new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on the Xbox 360. More than just a simple demonstration of the game's graphics, Infinity Ward was present to announce a public multiplayer beta for Call of Duty 4, exclusive to the Xbox 360.Like some other game we won't mention, the beta will be distributed over Xbox Live. Though no date for the beta was given, the audience was encouraged to check CharlieOscarDelta.com for more details (in case you're confused, that'd be 'C' 'O' 'D' in army lingo).
Call of Duty 4 coming to the DS
A particularly war-torn cat has managed to leap from the confines of its bag, letting loose with it word that the Call of Duty franchise is coming to the DS. Hot on the heels of rival franchise Brothers in Arms, Activision's Call of Duty franchise is another FPS making its first debut on Nintendo's handheld. Judging by the screens we've seen, along with who's actually developing it (n-Space), we've got high hopes.IGN has an interview with producer Sam Nouriani, who has confirmed the game has been secretly in development for quite some time now. He also confirms that the storyline of the DS game runs along with that of the console versions, but does not have you playing as the same characters. As for the rest of the interview, Sam confirms some on-rail segments and tells us to expect all of the wonderful things the franchise has brought to consoles to appear on the DS.
Today's most pre-alpha video: Call of Duty 4 multiplayer
While not as visually or aesthetically appealing as the Children of Men-esque landscape in a previous trailer, this footage from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer match gives a feeling for how their designing death match, as all we see in thirty seconds is our perspective shooter running in with a rifle, switching to pistol and getting shot. Thrilling.The game is still in pre-alpha but already looking pretty. You know the drill: video embedded after the break.
Call of Duty 4 footage shows bleak cityscape
Over at Game Videos there is some new footage from a very early, pre-alpha build of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The scene, entitled "Bog Rescue," takes place in a desolate, urban environment that reminds us of the backdrop for the last one-third of the film Children of Men. Much of the combat takes place through night vision goggles, and a visible laser shoots out from your gun to the turret -- when you see a wall of laser sights shoot out from flanking buildings, you get a feel for the atmosphere developers Infinity Ward are going for. Video embedded above.
New Call of Duty 4 trailer astounds in a non-WWII kind of way
We have to admit we weren't really excited at the last Call of Duty reiteration, Call of Duty 3. A fine game, to be sure, but we couldn't overcome the been-there done-that feeling. Then the announcement and subsequent first peek at Call of Duty 4 in action, which did more than generate a frenzy of renewed interest. We had long since grown tired of WWII shooters and now, the leader of WWII shooters was going all modern. We took a peek at the latest trailer and literally, were blown away. The lighting on your fellow solders, the smoke entrails from heat-seeking rockets, the spinning and exploding helicopter: jack the sound up as you watch and you may find yourself sharing similar "OMFG" sentiments. Call of Duty 4 is reported to be on track for an Xbox 360, PS3 and PC release, sometime this fall and it's definitely on our "must buy" list now. How about yours?
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]
Hour of Victory demo now Live
The only question is, will the Hour of Victory demo now on Xbox Live provide an hour of fun? Also, did Activision release new Call of Duty 3 content today specifically to distract you from this fellow first-person double-dub dos shooter? Wait, well we guess that's two questions. So, the only questions are the two we've already asked. Oh, and will Midway please develop Hour of Victory Airborne so we can fire up the Joystiq Acronizer 3000 and use up these Jay-Z jokes we bought a few years ago on clearance? So, three.Come to think of it, will the less-than-stellar reception the demo is receiving so far keep you from downloading it? And, lest we forget the most important question: What did you think? So, just those five questions, no more. We promise.Update: The Hour of Victory demo has now apparently been pulled from Xbox Live. We don't know if has anything to do with the game's negative reception as this thread suggests. We'll let you know if anything changes.
Call of Duty 3 Bravo map pack hits Live
Call of Duty is saying a fond farewell to WWII (or "double-dub dos" as they say on the streets) with the new "Bravo" map pack. Well, semi-new is probably more accurate. The 800 point ($10) download includes three new maps for Call of Duty 3 plus two old ones culled from the PC's Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive. They include "Gare Centrale" and "Marseilles," which probably excites/upsets longtime fans who think those two are perfect/completely wrong to bring to CoD 3. The two other things we know are that it's hefty (950 MB) and not available in Japan. If this is your sort of thing (and you're probably already off downloading if so) you may want to act fast, before CoD gets all uppity and modern.
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?
Call of Duty 4 to premiere on ESPN this weekend
An advertisement on gaming blog "Joystiq.com" has confirmed that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will debut during the ESPN coverage of the NFL Draft on Saturday at 10am PST, 1pm EST. We don't know much about this "Joystiq," but we have to worry about a source that can't seem to correctly spell its own name. Luckily, the announcement has been verified by the reliable Xbox 360 Fanboy, so we can at least report this news with some modicum of confidence. It also eases our mind that Joystiq reported the game's title more than a year ago, so they're apparently on top of this story. That original leak described the game as moving the series "into the modern era, where you'll serve as part of the U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, and British S.A.S. to take on terrorists loyal to an aggressive Middle Eastern dictator." We'll see if that information holds true come Saturday.
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]
