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Modern Warfare 3 trailer announces 'Strike Package' classes
A new behind-the-scenes video for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has revealed a new system which should dramatically shake up the game's tried-and-true multiplayer component: Strike Packages. These break the player base down into three classes: Assault, which earns the standard set of offensive killstreaks; Support, which unlocks less offensive killstreaks (like UAVs and turrets), but doesn't have their streak reset upon death; and Specialist, which earns no killstreaks, but unlocks additional Perks every two consecutive kills. Players can also extend their streaks by not only killing other players, but by capturing objectives or, with the use of a special Perk, providing their teammates with assists. Check out the trailer above to see how this system's being refined for the series' next installment.
Here's eight rounds of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Spec Ops Survival mode
Video of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Spec Ops Survival mode (first played way back at E3) has appeared on the Interwebs, and you can watch it in action above. This segment is on the Paris map, and as you can see, players are tasked with killing incoming waves of terrorists, attack dogs and even Juggernauts, while being rewarded with funds used for extra ammo, weapons, and accessories. In other words, it's Horde mode, done Call of Duty style. Part 2 of the video shows more of the same, including a helicopter wave, and some missile-from-above action. Spec Ops is of course all part of the game, along with singleplayer and multiplayer, when it comes out on November 8.
Call of Duty Elite beta finally available on PlayStation 3
The Xbox 360 Call of Duty head start doesn't just apply to DLC, where the platform enjoys a limited period of exclusivity; it also applies to the forthcoming suite of services known as Call of Duty Elite. Or, rather, applied. The Xbox 360 beta program kicked off over two months ago but today, Activision has announced that the beta is also available for PlayStation 3. "Beta testers can take their current Call of Duty multiplayer experience to the next level by jumping into the Beta version of the Call of Duty Elite service, as beta access will start to be activated in stages, with limited invitations rolling out effective today," the press release reads. The beta is of course limited to Call of Duty: Black Ops, with the full feature set locked until Modern Warfare 3 hits retail on November 8. While many of Elite's most popular services will be free, a $50/year premium subscription will also be available, which notably includes a year's worth of DLC for the game. Whether premium -paying PS3 players will still have to suffer through Xbox exclusivity is unclear; we've asked Activision to clarify. Until then, if you want in on the beta, head to www.callofduty.com/elite and enlist!
Modern Warfare 3 'Hardened' Edition contents solidified
In case this week's report regarding the contents of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's "Hardened" Edition weren't proof enough for you, Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling confirmed them during this afternoon's Call of Duty XP opening keynote in Los Angeles. As previously noted, the bundle will contain a one-year CoD Elite membership ($50 value), various in-game content bonuses, and it comes in a fancy metal case. Its cost, however, is still unknown, but previous CoD "Hardened" versions have launched at $79.99. We'll keep an eye on retailer sites for the edition, which is said to be popping up for pre-order any minute.
Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer preview: Killer streaks
Call of Duty XP is currently underway in Los Angeles, CA. Last night, before the big event kicked off, Activision treated the press to a reveal of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer component. We'll jump you right to the bottom line: The core gameplay itself is a whole lot like the rest of the Call of Duty series, in that you grab a couple of weapons, sprint around a map, and try to shoot the bad guys as much as you can. Where Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer differentiates itself, however, is outside of the actual game. In fact, says Infinity Ward's Community Manager-turned Creative Strategist Robert Bowling, the real steps forward in MW3 aren't in the game -- they're in the platform. "We designed it specifically to be that kind of experience," he says. "To basically go from designing a game to designing a platform that allows the widest audience possible to have fun any way they want to have fun. That was a major goal of Modern Warfare 3." There are indeed multiple examples of that in the build playable at CoD XP this weekend. Infinity Ward has tweaked the metagame quite a bit, and made it possible to play the new sequel while chasing more than just a great K/D ratio.
Modern Warfare 3 trailer ramps up multiplayer
This Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer trailer gets the Official Zach Snyder Stamp of Approval. It doesn't have a choice in the matter.
Call of Duty action-adventure would have been 'world-class,' died in prototype
When Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey left Dead Space developer Visceral Games at EA, it was rumored that they'd take the Call of Duty experience into the third-person perspective. Then some ... things, happened. Sledgehammer Games went radio-silent and a year later, it was revealed that Schofield and friends were working with Infinity Ward to complete Modern Warfare 3. But what about our dreams of a third-person Call of Duty? What about them? "We came on board to make a third person action adventure game, in the Call of Duty franchise," Schofield said in a video feature on Gamespot, "and we were working on it about six months." Condrey was matter of fact about the reasoning behind Sledgehammer's action-adventure title. "There are a lot of fans out there who enjoy games like Uncharted, so you can imagine that genre meeting a world-class franchise." Condrey decided to rub it in a little more. "We had a prototype together that was pretty compelling, and it looked really good." But the chance to help make Activision's big gun shoot straight has probably killed its would-be offshoot. "The opportunity to work on the biggest thing in the industry with ... Infinity Ward, that's demonstrated that they know how to do exceptional software, was just an opportunity we couldn't (pass up)."
Report: Modern Warfare 3's Hardened Edition contents revealed
Wired has posted an image purportedly taken from the European Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition, which reveals the super special incentives contained therein. The hottest of the bonuses is a one-year premium membership to the Call of Duty Elite social platform, which nets you a "Founder status" designation -- a rank which includes an exclusive in-game emblem, player card, and camouflage, as well as an XP boost for your Elite clan. Other bonuses include a (literally hardened) steel case, new disc art, a PSN-exclusive theme and Xbox 360-exclusive "Special Ops Juggernaut" Avatar outfit and a 100-page "field journal," which contains sketches and notes from the frontline. We've contacted Activision to see if this edition is legit, and whether or not it's coming to America -- though we'd wager it'll be the same in both territories, as it has been in Call of Duties past.
Take a tour of Call of Duty XP with IW director of rapid zooming, Robert Bowling
If you take away anything from this video tour of the upcoming Call of Duty XP event, it'll likely be the promise of how "insane" everything will be. But without a Kanye spotting over the entire two-minute clip, we're reserving that adjective for now.
Modern Warfare 3 will employ Valve's Steamworks
It should come as a shock to no one, but Activision's announced Modern Warfare 3 will employ the tactical suite known as Steamworks. Developed by government contractor Valve in an underground bunker in Washington ... state, this secret technology will be the first line of support for soldiers in the field. It will help them connect with teammates and track down enemies far more efficiently. It will also let you mute Frank because what doesn't he get about this being a Silent Op?! We get it, Frank. Your cats do stuff. As previously noted, dedicated servers are supported -- though we're not really sure how to fit that into our big military analogy here. Finally, gone are the days where you had to carry a Sharpie into the field to mark little dashes on your helmet for each bogey you downed. Now you've got achievements and stat-tracking, for quick and easy comparisons with your friends and the overall military at large. Remember: a good soldier is constantly trying to be a more gooder soldier than the other good soldiers around him. Or something.
Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops preview: Walk slowly and carry a big gun
At first, I felt odd when I walked away from a hands-on co-op session of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 earlier today at Gamescom. My colleague Alexander and I had just spent the past 20 minutes carefully defusing IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices, for those of you who don't watch US broadcast news) and murdering potential assailants in a Berlin Spec Ops map, part of a mission named "Invisible Threat." Between laughs, furious button presses, and the occasional expletive, I realized we were having a lot of fun -- far more fun than two grizzled Battlefield vets expected to have with a Call of Duty title, anyway. And soon after our play session, I understood why. That feeling I couldn't place was nostalgia, subtly reminding me that, yes, at one point I used to really enjoy Infinity Ward-developed shooters. As I carefully sniped oncoming baddies, Alex -- dressed in a "Juggernaut" bomb suit, a first for the series -- slowly lumbered around, dodging bullets/missiles/helicopters/tanks (seriously) while I assisted from above. Moreover, his ability to locate the remaining IEDs was based on me tossing up a UAV and spotting them from above, all the while dodging bullets/rockets myself. Of course, that meant I got to regularly drop missiles from said UAV onto the aforementioned waves of antagonists. Points! Somewhere in there, it all clicked. I was back in college, shouting at my roommate to cover my back before we got clipped, frantically popping enemy after enemy, hoping to hold off the never-ending wave for just another few moments so we could complete the mission.
Modern Warfare 3 to have dedicated servers on PC
We've got some horrible news for a select few of our more easily-incensed readers: Those "Boycott Modern Warfare 3" shirts you've been printing up all month might not be necessary. According to IGN, Activision confirmed at Gamescom today that the PC version of the soon-to-be-hugely-successful shooter will support dedicated servers -- a reversal of a highly protested decision for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Of course, the privatization of servers could (see: will) lead to rampant cheating and modding, which in turn could throw off the contests which Activision's planning on hosting as part of the Call of Duty Elite social tools. Activision said it won't launch the game until it comes up with a solid anti-cheating solution for the platform. We suggest some variation on the honor system, but that's just because our hearts are virtuous and pure. Update: A representative from Activision asked us to clarify that the PC game is on schedule and will launch with the other versions.
Video: Modern Warfare 3's new Spec Ops 'Survival' mode
Curious to get a look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's newest cooperative multiplayer Spec Ops mode, dubbed "Survival"? Well, good, because we have a video of it. If you're playing catch up, start with our preview of the Horde slash Firefight slash waves-of-enemies mode from E3. If you don't feel like reading all that, then we'll do the hard work and explain it to you like this: Kill all the dudes you see, except your buds, survive as long as you can, earn digi-bucks! The video shows two players tag-teaming some "heavily armored ground forces," which is the kind of cooperative teamwork we like to see. It's not just about killing dudes. It's about killing dudes together.
Modern Warfare 3 will also blow up the world on Wii
Activision's been hesitant to talk about whether its upcoming soon-to-be-blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 would also bust blocks on the Wii -- despite the fact that the franchise's last outing, Black Ops, appeared on the console. During today's investor's call, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg brought said hesitation to an end, explaining, "We're pleased to have recently confirmed that we will release a Modern Warfare 3 Wii SKU this year, so as not to leave any of the community out of the excitement."
Call of Duty XP attendees get free 'Hardened' edition of MW3, teaming with We Can Pretend
Beyond chomping (hopefully) real burgers at the faux fast-food establishment, Burgertown, Call of Duty XP attendees get a "special redemption code" for Modern Warfare 3's Hardened Edition, for use "when it becomes available worldwide on November 8." Included in the price of admission is also the chance to run through "a life-size replica" of MW2's "Scrapyard" level, so bring an extra extra pair of running shoes (one of the extra pairs will already have been used after heading through "The Pit"). And tucked away in a variety of details about a new comedy series for Call of Duty Elite members (being put together by Jason Bateman and Will Arnett's production company "dumbdumb" and Ben Silverman's Electus Studio, no less) was news that Activision is collaborating with We Can Pretend on a "Modern Warfare-inspired live-action short." We Can Pretend are the folks who put together the "Find Makarov" campaign back in March, misleading many game news outlets to believe that it was a Modern Warfare 3-based ARG due to its high production value. If the aforementioned amenities weren't enough, Activision is upping the physicality of things with "Juggernaut Sumo" (just what it sounds like) and "a military-style zip-line plunge across the Call of Duty XP compound." Say it with us now: "HOO-AH!"
Infinity Ward on the 'natural progression' of Call of Duty franchise development
"I can only speak on behalf of Infinity Ward, but I think it's a natural progression of how things have been going in general," Infinity Ward Creative Strategist Robert Bowling explained. We spoke last week during a Modern Warfare 3 preview event in Manhattan, in a hotel about 60 blocks north of the Wall Street setting in the game's campaign. I'd asked Bowling about the upcoming Call of Duty XP extravaganza, the variety of devs working on Modern Warfare 3, and if those things are an indication of a more unified franchise development structure -- a structure perhaps forged out of necessity, given the staff losses IW has seen over the past year. "We're at a state now in the Call of Duty franchise, where you have several teams working on CoD that have their own very distinct styles on what type of gameplay they deliver," he continued, in reference to Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Beachhead all working on various Call of Duty projects. "And I think that's a great thing for Call of Duty in general, especially if you're having games come out every year. To have very distinct flavors and to have very distinct styles, it allows us to innovate in different ways and not feel forced to innovate in the same ways and build on the same interactions in the other games." Infinity Ward was showing off the newly added Spec-Ops Survival mode at the event as well, where I was handily carried on Bowling's back through eight waves of enemies before a juggernaut murdered us both. Much like Gears of War's Horde and Halo's Firefight modes, Spec-Ops Survival is, by Bowling's own description, an "infinite wave-based mode." A lot like the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty "Zombies" mode that has thus far missed inclusion in any Modern Warfare release. While Bowling won't deny the allure of adding a Zombies mode to the Modern Warfare titles ("It's a stellar game mode!"), he believes that his branch of the franchise wouldn't be the right fit for it. "I think it comes down to design philosophies. Each game has its own personality and voice. Ours typically stick to the authentic/fun aspects, where there's goes in a different directions that's still fun, but unique to Treyarch's voice and their design sensibilities," he explained. He wouldn't outright say whether or not Spec-Ops is exclusive to IW/Sledgehammer, or if Zombies mode is exclusive to Treyarch, but it seems to be heavily encouraged that it stays as such. But then, he's only able to speak on behalf of Infinity Ward.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 headsets coming from Turtle Beach with custom audio presets
Gaming headset outfit Turtle Beach has snagged itself the exclusive license for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 headsets and it's planning on taking full advantage of that license by shipping not one but four MW3-themed 'sets this October, in advance of the game's November 8 release. In addition to the normal branding (see above: logos!) some of the Turtle Beach headsets will distinguish themselves in one key way: They come with custom MW3 presets, designed by the teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games. Want an audio preset that makes it really easy to hear footsteps? We're guessing that's in there. The Ear Force Delta is targeting console gamers with a a wireless headset, Bluetooth chat (with XBA adapter for Xbox 360), an MW3 carrying case, the aforementioned presets, and a $300 asking price. The Bravo wireless headset comes with the same presets as the Delta and a much lower $150 price tag. The Charlie wired headset is MW3 "optimized" but there's no mention of custom audio presets in this one. At $130, you'll save a whopping $20 on this PC-focused headset. Lastly, the Foxtrot is another "optimized" headset, packing "several key features to set it apart." Since they're not saying, we're guessing that its $100 price tag is one of the most notable features. Turtle Beach is promising more info leading up to the launch of the headsets but, until then, you can take a look at the four units just after the break, or find the high-resolution versions in our gallery.%Gallery-128594%
PSA: Call of Duty Elite beta invites rolling out
Listen up, recruits! If you signed up for Operation Call of Duty Elite Beta, keep an eye out for a dispatch from Activision HQ. The top brass has informed us that beta invites are beginning to be sent now. "The beta will be activated in phases for feature testing, with limited invitations rolling out in the coming weeks," the classified document reads. These Call of Duty Elite beta invites only extend to Xbox 360 users playing Call of Duty: Black Ops right now, but will support all future franchise titles, starting with the launch of Modern Warfare 3 on November 8. The PS3 release of this beta was held back by the PSN outage, according to the FAQ. According to Activision, over 2.8 million have signed up for the beta, so if you have yet to receive your beta invite, exercise patience. For more information on Call of Duty Elite, be sure to check out our preview of the service and interview with Activision's VP of Digital, Jamie Berger.
Modern Warfare 3 being tested for glitches and 'sploits by glitchers, 'sploiters
"mapMonkeys are a community of gamers who have become infatuated with discovering and sharing glitches, exploits, tricks, and strategies found in the video games they play." And now, that very same community is putting its prodigious abilities to use ... at Infinity Ward? "Four members of mapMonkeys are being flown out to California on Sunday, July 10th, to test Modern Warfare 3," founder Rezzo wrote on the mapMonkeys forum. "The mapMonkeys are correct," Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling told CVG. "They're out at the studio to help us run Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer through its paces." While the 'Monkeys had previously lent their talents to World at War and Modern Warfare 2 -- two Call of Duty games that still suffered from a fair amount of glitches and 'sploits -- this time is different. Rezzo said, "We've been flown out to test other games in the past [...] but we only had 2 or 3 days to test the game and find glitches, which wasn't nearly enough time." This go-round, they'll have an entire week to ... un-glitch and, uh ... de-exploit the game. While we love seeing this kind of preemptive planning, the cynics in us have already preemptively stopped playing Modern Warfare 3 because of all the future-glitches and neo-hacks! Can the mapMonkeys do the impossible, reach directly into our shared futures and de-hack the game? And if so, think they'd pick us up an iPhone 5 while they're over there?
Modern Warfare 3 will feature color blind assist option
Good news, eight percent of men and 0.5 percent of women suffering from color blindness: You may not be our first choice when we have to pick out drapes that match the bedspread in the guest room, but you won't have to worry about shooting the wrong dudes in Modern Warfare 3. In a recent blog post, Sledgehammer Games confirmed that its Infinity Ward collaboration would have a mode for those with difficulty discerning between red and green hues. We submit that "shoot everyone who doesn't speak English" continues to be a sound Call of Duty campaign strategy for color-blind participants, but it's nice to see Sledgehammer putting in the effort.
