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A Week Between Blockbusters
You're reading Reaction Time, a weekly column that claims to examine recent events, games and trends in the industry, but is really just looking for an excuse to use the word "zeitgeist." It debuts on Fridays in Engadget's digital magazine, Distro. Thanks to a shared caution between movie studios, you were saved from seconds of paralyzing indecision last weekend. Had Total Recall and The Bourne Legacy stuck to a shared release date in theaters, as originally scheduled, you'd have become a seated participant in an extravagant and mutually destructive showdown. Between Colin Farrell and Jeremy Renner, which pouting action star would have gotten your twelve bucks and two hours?If you're a movie buff, you might not even hesitate spending time and money on both consecutively. But what happens when you bump the price up to $60, and extend the temporal investment to something between 8 and 80 hours? Now you see the dilemma squeezed in-between this holiday's most anticipated shooters, Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, and all of a sudden one week doesn't seem like much of a buffer at all.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's first taste of futuristic multiplayer
Treyarch released the first trailer for the multiplayer side of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Taking place in 2025, the multiplayer side of the game shows no shortage of doodads and whatchamacallits.Microwave transmitters, drones and EMP grenades are just a few of the high-priced murder gadgets showcased in the trailer above. There's also a new Riot Shield that has a little window for you to shoot through. Technology!
Black Ops 2 artisans discuss ... Black Ops 2
Trent Reznor, David S. Goyer, and a duo of Treyarch dudes want you to know what they put into Black Ops 2. They also want you to hear an extremely short clip of the Reznor-composed theme song to the game, apparently, as this trailer only allows a teensy bit before cutting off. Blast!
Black Ops 2 trailer introduces Raul Menendez, the bad guy
Every great conflict has its share of villains and heroes. At the heart of Black Ops 2 lies one bad guy: Raul Menendez. He's managed to scare Colonel Tony Todd, and in our book that makes him a pretty legitimate threat. The Candyman doesn't scare easily!
Black Ops 2 soundtrack bolstered by Trent Reznor, Mass Effect composer Jack Wall
Call of Duty's next big entry is getting some extra long nails to assist in its theme song – Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor composed Black Ops 2's theme song, USA Today revealed this morning. He's not crafting the whole soundtrack, though, as Mass Effect 1 and 2 soundtrack composer Jack Wall is taking that responsibility.Reznor said he was led to the project after having composed soundtracks for both The Social Network and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. "I started dipping my toe into film scoring. That led me to film scoring agents and whatnot and a variety of projects start to get thrown at you to check your level of interest. And quite a while ago I had heard, 'Would you be interested in a big franchise video game?' Being an avid gamer my whole life, I said, 'Yeah, I would be interested in that.'" Reznor previously composed the soundtrack to Quake.Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launches on November 13 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
Call of Duty: Black Ops makes a run at Mac this fall
While Treyarch is hard at work on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 for this year, its previous game is getting ready to hit the Mac.A Mac port of the hugely popular FPS is currently underway at Texas-based Aspyr Media. You may recall Aspyr's previous efforts porting Windows games to Apple's platform, including 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. System specs for Black Ops aren't known right now, but we can't imagine they'll be much different from Modern Warfare's requirements.
Rumor: Nuketown returns in Black Ops 2 'limited release'
The employees at your local brick-and-mortar apparently jumped the gun and revealed an exclusive map for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. IGN posted an image of a poster supposedly from GameStop; another image from GAME shows the same pre-order bonus. Nuketown 2025 is apparently a remodeled version of the popular Black Ops map, Nuketown.Each image suggests there will be a "limited edition pack" of Black Ops 2, which we assume is akin to the first pressing limited edition runs we've seen for games like Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit and Twisted Metal. We've inquired with Activision and will update accordingly.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will have dedicated PC servers
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will feature ranked dedicated PC servers, according to Treyarch's tech director.In a brief tweet (even for tweeting standards), Cesar Stastny of Treyarch wrote: "Confirmed: Ranked Dedicated Servers for #BlackOps2."The Call of Duty series has gone back and forth on the server issue, seemingly dependent on what developer in Activision's arsenal was in charge of the project. Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 was MIA on support, Black Ops by Treyarch brought it, then Modern Warfare 3 got waffly. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will engage retail on several platforms November 13.
No Call of Duty XP event planned for 2012
The Call of Duty franchise won't get its own dedicated expo in 2012, Activision confirmed to Joystiq. Last year's Call of Duty XP event was used to celebrate the franchise's huge fan base, while also setting the stage for Activision to reveal the Call of Duty Elite service.Rather than hold the event, an Activision representative said that the company's plan is to put more of an emphasis on Cologne, Germany's Gamescom event this August. Activision didn't rule out the possibility of Call of Duty XP returning in the future.Last year's event was the public, hands-on debut of Modern Warfare 3 from Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games. Proceeds from tickets sold to the event went to Activision's Call of Duty Endowment charity.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will continue DLC exclusivity on Xbox
Sure, we expected as much since Microsoft has Call of Duty DLC locked until 2012, but Microsoft still saw the need to announce a continued partnership with Activision for Call of Duty DLC anyway, those rebels. During the Microsoft E3 press conference, Don Mattrick revealed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 would continue the trend of offering DLC first on Xbox 360.
Activision paid Infinity Ward over $493 million in bonuses since 2003
Hard numbers are starting to come out of the Activision v. Infinity Ward case as things continue to ramp up towards the actual trial, which is currently slated to take place next month. Specifically, Activision revealed during a hearing last Friday that it has paid out in excess of $493 million in bonuses to Infinity Ward, a figure that includes the $42 million payout that occurred earlier this month, according to Polygon.That $439 million encompasses all bonuses paid out to Infinity Ward since the original Call of Duty launched in 2003. To date, IW has been granted bonuses for games it was directly involved with as a studio, as well as games that used its tech and the Call of Duty IP, like the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty: World at War.Attorneys for former IW heads Vince Zampella and Jason West argued that the ex-Infinity Ward employee group is also owed its share of "launch quarter" bonuses from the release of Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3, a point that Activision obviously disagrees with.
Lamia says Black Ops 2 visuals a priority, downplays age of engine
At this point, a portion of the current conversation surrounding Black Ops 2 is in regards to the engine powering it, version 3.0 of the Infinity Ward (IW) engine – IW 3.0 powered Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: World at War and the original Black Ops. If you're worried the visuals in Black Ops 2 won't be up to snuff, Treyarch head Mark Lamia assures us all the engine has seen numerous tweaks, downplaying its age in a recent audio interview summed up over on One of Swords.Lamia said "a pretty significant amount of work" in Black Ops 2 is going into the graphics and the lighting. "I think what people are asking for is for us to push. They want us to make a better-looking game; they want things. I don't think those are things people can't ask for. We asked ourselves that very same question - we wanted to advance the graphics. I think the questions are valid. The answer may not need to be an entirely new engine, but you might need to do an entire overhaul of your entire lighting system. The trick is, we're not willing to do that if we can't keep it running at 60 frames per second - but we did that this time."Lamia gave an analogy akin to remodeling a home – not with a rocket launcher, but rather he talked about sectioning off parts of the metaphorical house for more local improvements. "There's a lot of good still in that foundation that you wouldn't get rid of, and we don't. We look to advance in the areas that support our game design. Engines, each time they get touched, they change. The creators alter them; they don't modify what they don't need to, and then they alter what they need to. You can't make a competitive product if you're not upgrading that engine along the way."
Behind the scenes of Modern Warfare 3's 'Face Off' DLC and Content Collection 2
Modern Warfare 3's upcoming Face Off mode isn't set hit to Xbox 360-enabled living rooms until next Wednesday, May 16, but it's never too soon to start using promotional materials (like the behind the scenes video above and screenshots below) to start memorizing map layouts. This is war, dammit, and you need every possible advantage you can get to survive. Don't come crawling back to us when you've been blasted to the bottom of the leaderboards, riddled with shame bullets from the hand cannons of someone who actually took the time to prepare.... Watching the video because you enjoy development diaries and/or have a casual interest in Modern Warfare games is also acceptable.%Gallery-155256%
Modern Warfare 3 getting free 'Face Off' mode, non-free Content Collection 2
A new way of murdering your friends and/or strangers is coming to the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 3 on May 15, in the form of "Face Off" mode. Face Off has been designed for 1v1 or 2v2 firefights, with its four maps built specifically for small, close-quarters battle between a small number of soldiers. The two free maps launching with the new mode, Aground and Erosion, take place on a beached ship on the coast of Scotland and on the Italian coast during a volcanic eruption, respectively. PlayStation 3 and PC dates for Face Off have yet to be determined.A new Content Collection is also on its way, available to Call of Duty Elite subscribers on May 15 and everyone else (with an Xbox) on May 21. Content Collection 2 includes three new multiplayer maps (Sanctuary, Foundation and Oasis), as well as two new Spec Ops missions (Iron Clad, Kill Switch) and the other two Face Off maps, Getaway and Lookout. As per usual, PS3 and PC dates are indeterminate, but everyone is welcome to take a peek at the new jams courtesy of IGN's trailer above.
Call of Duty Elite reaches 10 million users, 2 million paid subscriptions
Activision's Call of Duty Elite service puts another feather in its very busy cap today with a reported total of 10 million users, two million of which are paid subscribers. This is an increase of three million and 500,000, respectively, since last Activision dished out some numbers in February. The latest earnings report says it's "an increase of approximately 33% from January 31, 2012." As of March 31, Activision has 40 million monthly active users across all Call of Duty products and platforms.
New Black Ops 2 art teases Zombies mode
Black Ops 2 brings back Treyarch's personal twist on Call of Duty, namely Zombies. The official Twitter account issued this image, teasing a shotgun-toting female. It's not the first time a woman had to get her hands dirty, though we think this one took the phrase a bit too literally.
Amazon: Black Ops 2 day one pre-orders higher than Black Ops, Modern Warfare 3
Amazon's pre-order numbers indicate Activsion's Call of Duty gravy train is still going full steam. Earlier today, Amazon UK told MCV that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 pre-orders were three times higher than its predecessor, Black Ops, two years ago. We wanted to know if that anticipation crossed the pond."Pre-orders from day one of Black Ops 2 were more than ten times the amount of pre-orders for the first Black Ops on its first day of availability," Amazon US told Joystiq this afternoon, but that's not all the buzz."Black Ops 2 even out pre-ordered the first day of availability for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 by more than 30 percent. Modern Warfare 3 currently holds the record for the most pre-ordered game of all time and was amongst the top 20 pre-orders ever on Amazon.com, including books and movies."Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 went on to gross over $775 million globally in five days, flying past Call of Duty: Black Ops' $650 million record and the $550 million record before it, set by Modern Warfare 2.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 video tells of our terrifying future
In which Activision does its damnedest to make sure you never sleep soundly again.
Pre-order Black Ops 2 at GameStop, receive poster, Prestige token, future goodies
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has officially existed for barely over a day, and as the internet hype machine slowly begins to whirl up to speed, so too does the uproarious clamor from our nation's retailers, hell-bent on claiming custody over your Call of Duty consumer commitment.Predictably, Gamestop is the first out of the gate with enticements to earn your dollars, with pre-order bonuses that come in waves – four to be precise – the first of which is active now. Securing your future purchase of Black Ops 2 during the first wave will net you an "exclusive, limited edition two-sided poster," as well as a Prestige token for Modern Warfare 3 and all of the subsequent pre-order bonuses offered during waves two, three and four.
Breaking down the Black Ops 2 reveal trailer
Now that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is officially out there, we can examine the game's reveal trailer and offer some further insight beyond the bombast.We've compiled a handful of screen grabs from the trailer after the break, with notes about the game's locale, features, and more. For even more, make sure to read our detailed campaign preview and details on the game's new, story-altering 'Strike Force' missions.
