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Promotional Consideration: Commercial of Duty
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.Though Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has sold exceptionally well in North America, topping the software charts for its PC and console releases, Activision is smart enough to know that marketing the title in Japan, where the DS is king and first-person shooter sales is an oxymoron, requires a different strategy. The result? Activision actually produced a 30-second spot specifically for the DS version of the multiplatform game ...
New COD4 maps detailed by GameSpot
The folks at GameSpot got their meat hooks on two of the four downloadable maps coming to Call of Duty 4. First and foremost, players will be happy to know that some of the new maps will not be set in the Middle East or Russia. GameSpot got to look at Broadcast and Creek, the first of which being set in the television station seen during the campaign mission "Charlie Don't Surf." The environment from the campaign is faithfully replicated with some design changes made to suit multiplayer. Creek, on the other hand, is set somewhere entirely new, complete with lush greenery, cliffs, a cave and, yes, a creek. The map is "massive" according to GameSpot with lots of places to go. The final two maps are "Chinatown" and "Killhouse." The first is fairly obvious, while the second map was apparently inspired by the training course from the first mission of the game. The price for the DLC remains a mystery as does its release date (though it was originally billed as a "spring" release). Hit the "read" link for GameSpot's full impressions.
Potential Call of Duty MMO symbolizes 'natural evolution' of Activision Blizzard
Soon-to-be CEO of merged mega-publisher Activision Blizzard, Activision head Bobby Kotick mused on latent cash cows at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in Dana Point, California. Kotick clearly senses the possibility of transforming his million-dollar franchises into billion-dollar franchises. MMOrph them! "[What] would be the natural evolution of a property like Call of Duty into a massively multiplayer environment -- how do you monetize that?" wondered Kotick. That is the question, Bobby. Lucky for you, you can just sit back and let the WoW think tank (a.k.a. your $1b investment) do the answering ... *fingers crossed*.
Activision exec discusses Call of Duty MMO
In a discussion with investors yesterday, Actvision CEO Bobby Kotick mentioned how the soon-to-be-formalized merger with Vivendi Universal would give the new company the ability to leverage their properties in ways that were never before possible. Specifically, he mentioned how Activision could conceivably tap into the technical and creative expertise of Blizzard in developing the Call of Duty franchise into an MMO. This follows on the heels of another recent comment he made in public recently about Activision's research into the MMO space, and their perception of the considerably monetary barriers to entry.While nothing about Kotick's comments seemed to indicate that a Call of Duty MMO was actually in development, it's still an interesting prospect to think about. Call of Duty 4, which is currently the most actively played game on Xbox Live, actually contains a number of gameplay elements reminiscent of an online RPG. There are classes, various skills and challenges to grind, and a persistent experience gain. It really wouldn't be much of a stretch to imagine Call of Duty in an MMO context, or at the very least, containing even more elements from the genre to grab players and keep them coming back. But the very prospect of a collaboration between Infinity Ward and Blizzard is almost simply too much for my geek brain to handle, so for my sanity I'm just going to have to assume this was all executive-speak, and such a game will never happen.
Ex-Marine goes missing supposedly after Call of Duty triggered flashbacks
Eric Hall, a 24-year-old Floridian and retired Marine, has now been missing for a week. His friends say that shortly after playing Call of Duty (4, we assume), Hall "just got up and said that he had to go." He was last seen departing his home on a motorcycle, which was later found on the side of a road. The local sheriff's office claims that the man was suffering from hallucinations and flashbacks to his time spent serving in Iraq, where he was injured during a patrol by an exploding bomb, which did tremendous damage to the left side of his body, and reportedly decapitated Hall's best friend in front of his eyes.It's not exactly confirmed that Call of Duty was behind Hall's disappearance -- after all, we found the story on Fox News, who has a less than objective view of video gaming as a whole. Regardless, we wish Hall's family the best of luck in locating him, though, as Hall's father pointed out, it's tough to find a Marine that doesn't want to be found.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
COD4 email pimps no. 1 Live spot a week late
The Call of Duty 4 versus Halo 3 drama took an interesting turn this week via an email sent out to CharlieOscarDelta.com subscribers yesterday (we got ours this morning). The email proudly proclaims "COD4:MW SOARS TO THE NUMBER ONE SPOT!!!" Obviously, the email is referring to Major Nelson's listing of the top Live games for the week of January 14, in which Call of Duty 4 managed to knock Halo 3 off the number one spot. What's funny is that the same list for the week of January 21, released two days ago, revealed that Halo 3 has once again claimed the top spot. We'd suggest that Activision put a little grease on the PR machine's gears the next time one of their games snags the number one Live spot.[Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
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).
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.
Nega-review: Call of Duty 4
While Modern Warfare finally brings the Call of Duty series into the present day, "the story itself ... isn't exactly cutting edge." (2) "The story unfolds from an unapologetic 'us versus them, and they are wrong' perspective, with little time spent on the larger philosophy of war." (4) "The story fails to provide many twists. There's not much of a guessing game taking place here." (3) "The story flies by so fast," (1) but at the same time, "there are a few too many shell-shocked slow-mo moments that seem to drag." (2) There are "no massive renovations in the AI department. ... they're pretty much the clever-clogs Nazis we've shot before." (9) "The enemies aren't the smartest lot, as they are formidable thanks more to their numbers than their IQ." (3) "There are going to be moments when enemies get stuck in dumb routines or stand in the open waiting to be mowed down." (2) "However, some of them have definitely missed their calling as an NFL quarterback -- tossing grenades 100 yards, dropping them right at your feet time and again." (3)Your squad mates are no better. "It is a little annoying when you figure out that your highly trained and specialized team is totally dependant on you in every situation." (8) "There were several moments when it would've helped for my friends to be a little more proactive. Once, when we were flanked by enemies from both sides, Captain Price just sat there, kneeling, waiting for me to make a miracle happen. If he would have popped a few shots at one of the guys so that I could go after the other, that would have helped a lot--not to mention make the game more realistic." (1)
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.
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 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%
Call of Duty 4 beta enlists clan support
Moving past account shenanigans, developer Infinity Ward today raised the Rank level cap in the Call of Duty 4 beta to 16. Additionally, at level 12 the option for clan tags becomes available, so that your comrades know just who you are really fighting for.The e-mail sent out to beta players by Infinity Ward also said that this is the "first of several level increases" in the Rank level. We suspect the next level cap increase will give us the option to wear matching frilly costumes onto the battlefield.%Gallery-3922%
Call of Duty 4 beta registration starts today
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is about to start its public beta test on Xbox Live, an engagement that has Xbox 360 owners volunteering their gamertags and repeatedly running into a hail of online bullets for the sake of research. According to an Infinity Ward posting on the official forum (registration required), information on the sign-up process will be posted on the Charlie Oscar Delta site today at 5PM PST. The message notes that the program will roll out in several waves -- the first to be drafted could be playing the World War Now shooter as early as tonight. Read our impressions of the game's multiplayer aspects if you're not convinced this CoD is worth reeling in.[Via X3F]%Gallery-3922%
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 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.
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%
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.
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]
Wiimote and nunchuk invade PC FPS
It seems like all we're doing today is throwing videos at you, but we assure you, fine reader, that this site will not be changing its stripes (nintendowiivideolovingfanboy.com is too long of a url anyway). In the embedded video, available past the jump as usual, we see some young gentleman hook up his Wiimote and nunchuk to his PC for some Call of Duty action. It doesn't look like he's tweaked the controls enough yet, but he accomplishes his task with some surprising results.
