Search Results

One industrious modder by the name of Qrysalis has apparently uncovered a lost level from Call of Duty 4 that was abandoned later on in the development process. The new level is basically an extended version of the first training mission, which features some extra tasks between the indoor firing range and the timed obstacle course that determines your difficulty setting. The developers apparently decided to keep the final version of this mission short and sweet, so you could get right to the meat of the game — and the spectacular cargo ship level — much more quickly. If you want to give the extended training run a go for yourself though, you can download it through some posts on Infinity Ward’s forums.

Via FourZeroTwo

If you found this story interesting, why not subscribe to our RSS feed to get your daily fix of gaming news?

It should come as no surprise that WoW would be number one in sales on the PC charts, but for one company to have five titles in the Top 10? That is a testament to the popularity of the games it creates. Blizzard is no stranger to being the dominant company in the NPD charts though, and as you can see below, the week of August 17-23 was no exception:

• 1. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
• 2. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe
• 3. World of Warcraft
• 4. Spore Creature Creator
• 5. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
• 6. The Diablo Battle Chest
• 7. Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice
• 8. Call of Duty 4
• 9. The Orange Box
• 10. The Warcraft III Battle Chest

It is also no surprise that the Spore Creature Creator is up there, nor CoD4 or even The Sims 2 for that matter. I have even stopped batting an eye at the Nancy Drew game because despite what we choose to believe, even little girls like PC games too. However, what is shocking to me is that The Orange Box is still in the Top 10 after all this time- maybe this is because of all the Team Fortress updates and the like, because I would think that Portal and Half-Life 2 would be old hat by now.

It was revealed this morning on MTV Multiplayer that during a demo for the upcoming James Bond title Quantum of Solace, that Activision polled gamers in advance before starting development on the game. Slated for a Fall release on multiplatforms, the newest entry in the James Bond franchise was heavily researched by game developers Treyarch, and according to Josh Olin, the community manager for studio, the survey produced a 60/40 split; thus crowing “first-person” the winner.

However, fans of the third-person shooter should not fret, for while the game is indeed a FPS, when Bond takes cover or engages in hand-to-hand combat the view switches over into third-person mode. In doing so, Activision is banking on giving both genres the game they crave. Hopefully it will pay off for them, and the Bond franchise as whole.

The game Quantum of Solace will cover both the most recent Bond movie “Casino Royale” and its upcoming sequel, “Quantum of Solace”. The game will be run will use the Call of Duty 4 engine, and since the game will be released onto multiple platforms, it will be interesting to see how it will differ from port to port. COD4 was not released for the Wii, so I imagine (correct me if I am wrong) that either they will have to tweak things a bit or use a different engine for the Nintendo console. Plus, a myriad of developers will be creating the game for different versions: Treyarch (Xbox 360 and PS3), Vicarious Visions (handheld), Beenox (Wii) and Eurocom (PC).

What this means, is that like most multiplatform games, you can expect each one to look drastically different from the next. Unless of course you are looking at PC/PS3/360 comparisons, which mainly just differ in matters of clarity - or so I have found. Of course, this could be because I added a bit of whiskey to my espresso earlier.

With the ability to play the iconic British secret agent in both FPS and TPS, do you dear readers, think that it will give us the best of both worlds? Or will it just prove that sticking to one style throughout is the best route to go?

If you like the Call of Duty games, and you like explosions, then you will dig this trailer that was shown at E3 for the upcoming Call of Duty: World at War from Activision and Treyarch. I know that the WWII shooter genre has been done to death, but this looks pretty damn cool.

The game will utilize the CoD4 engine and in the game you will have the ability the burn down the buildings and foliage within the war-torn pacific. Gamers will be up against Imperial Japan this time around and thanks to Gulf War Veteran, and military adviser Frank Kearsy, the way the Japanse fight suppose to be authentic, brutal, tenacious and shocking.

Here is bit of disappointing news for those who play CoD4 on their PS3.

Infinity Ward has no plans to go back and add trophies to the game. Pulled straight from the Infinity Ward forum, Rob Bowling had this to say regarding the situation:

Hey Everyone -

With the latest Playstation 3 firmware now available, I see a lot of questions regarding how it effects Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

At this time, we have no plans to patch in Trophy support for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the PS3. Much like DualShock rumble addition to the PS3, the support for these new features have come much to late for us to add it to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare due to our current production schedule.

We would have loved to have these in the game at launch if the support was available, or shortly after.

If any gamers were looking forward to the possibility of this, I am sorry to have ruined your day.

Via: Infinity Ward Forums

Finally, more than just one Quantum of Solace screen has been released for the game.

The new Bond game will be run on the CoD4 engine, but other than that, not much else is known about the game except for it being a movie tie-in that will be released sometime around the debut of the movie in theaters.

Since the game is based on the movie, it is rational to assume that the game will pretty much have the same plot elements to it and hopefully Activision will have more updates for us soon, in the meantime, just keep checking back every once in a while.

Activision has released a new patch for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Official patch version 1.7 fixes an multiplayer exploit which may upset some players. However it fixes the Chinatown Sabotage overtime crash and problems with MP icons showing up in English on multilanguage installs. Here are the v 1.7 patch notes.

Call of Duty v1.7 fixes :

Fixed an exploit that allowed players to access certain console dvars during multi-player matches.
Fixed a crash that could occur when a Chinatown Sabotage match would go into over-time.
Fixed a bug where the MP icons (Bomb, Defend, Capture, etc) were always showing up as English regardless of the install language.

You can grab the patch below. Check out FileFront for Maps Levels and Missions, mods, unofficial patches and skins for CoD4.

via FileFront

Some say that videogames are highly addictive. Some have even said that they are as bad as crack. I beg to differ. Look at the picture of Amy Winehouse above, and tell me if you think it is. Personally, I think that if she were addicted to games, she would have a little more meat on her bones - she would still look just as pasty for lack of sunshine, but no longer would she resemble a Stalfos. A few months of chips, pizza, soft drinks and WoW would do the pitiful thing a world of good.

Unfortunately, Amy nor anyone else will become addicted to the game demos released this week. Other than Stronghold Crusader Extreme, nothing seemed to be too popular this week, but I will list them anyway just in case something tickles your fancy.

• Stronghold Crusader Extreme (English): This demo is also available in French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Featuring three levels of varying difficulty, the Stronghold Crusader Extreme demo caters for those wishing to see what the fans have been raving about for years and also for the seasoned Crusader veterans needing an extreme new fix. Be warned though, this is EXTREME and not for the faint hearted.

• Vega PC: Vega is an arcade styled casual game where speed and accuracy is everything. As precious resources fall onto your base, you must guide them on to a designated landing pad for them to be collected. The only way to change their seemingly random trajectory is to “bump” them in the right direction with small rescue pods that have limited air and fuel. To be efficient you must be at the right location at the right time… with just the right nudge. It’s an all around fun and easy to play game. Also available for Mac.

• Candy World : Tome II v2.21: Candy must get courageous and explore more levels (35), having more habilities she will show more polyvalency and more efficiancy than the latest free game Xilvan Design made this year… Candy must find its Golden Bones to get alive again… 35 Worlds are waiting for her… from dank Mushroom Worlds, Brisk Automn Breeze, Salty dog ocean, Anciant Atlantis City to Spiritual Mountain, by passing into Futuristic city and rural village and Cloudy land until the final in the graveyard… Where you’ll uncover the fantastic secret behind its regeneration.

• Martians vs Robots: Who could have believed it? The Earthlings invented a race of robots and wiped themselves out! Now the Martians are the only ones left in our solar system that can clean up the mess. They better hurry though, because the Robots are growing fast and consuming all the crystal ore to be found! It’s a race for resources! And no matter how well the Martians were able to hide from the humans, a confrontation with the Robots is inevitable. Classic Asteroids style gameplay - also available for Mac.

• Total Battleship: The classic naval strategy turn-based game of Battleship combined with modern warfare. Take part in epic battles with aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, submarines and even seaborn aviation, using the state of art missile technology while deciphering morse code communications. Apply your best strategy in order to be the first one to seek out and destroy all enemy vessels based on radar clues. Your performance will be tracked by a improved rank and rating score system. As in real life enlisted personnel would be given a commissioning oportunity from Seamen to Admiral of the Fleet while mastering your skills with flotillas, squadrons or fleets.

• Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals: The reality-based Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals is the follow-up to the 2005 hit Zoo Vet. The retail version has garnered awards including the coveted 2007 Editor¹s Choice Award from the Children’s Technology Review, the 2008 Parent’s Choice Gold Circle Award and the 2008 iParenting Media Award. The game features 30 scenarios created by actual veterinarians in which players treat 20 different endangered animals including a lion, elephant and panda in situations ranging from setting an eagle’s broken wing to saving a crocodile that has swallowed a penny. A cast of colorful characters assist in teaching animal lovers about actual medical tools, animal statistics, vet techniques and true-to-life zoo maladies. Also included are zoo animal trivia and jigsaw puzzles, as well as fascinating conservation information provided by the African Wildlife Foundation, which benefits from a portion of the game’s proceeds.

• Myriad RPG: Myriad is made by Rancor Online Games. It is a OFFLINE RPG game with a enhanced combat system, sweet skills, and more. Visit Rancor’s website (Soon-to-be-domain) freewebs.com/rancoronline.

In the patches department, unless you were living under a rock you would know that a new CoD4: Modern Warfare patch was released, but other than that not much else really. Eudemons Online v1101 to v1112 Patch was released as well as patches 1113 to 1117 so if you are a Eudemons fan you have a nice list of them. The following patches were also released: Ship Simulator 2008 amBX , Albatross18 S3 Revolution v4.16 Client , Soldner: Secret Wars v33724 , Voyage Century v0.30 to v0.42 , and DOFUS v1.23.0 to v1.24.0 .

As always, for the complete list of both demos and patches, click here and here.

Enjoy all the Diablo III news and have a great weekend.

One of the glaring differences between Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 last year was the lack of an online co-op in COD4. World at War won’t have that problem, though — Activision has announced that the game will have a four-player online co-op on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, with the Wii also getting a unique co-op mode for two players. The press release didn’t go into any detail on that, though, which makes me wonder if it won’t just be a two-player shooting gallery.

As for the other systems, “The co-op campaign allows players to rank up and unlock perks in competitive multiplayer by completing challenges and earning experience points, adding continuous re-playability and team-based gameplay.” Sounds good, but what if you don’t want to play co-op?

Of course, that might be a non-issue if the game isn’t good, and I don’t have much faith in Treyarch’s ability to create a quality FPS.

Ah, yes. We’re entering that fun period of the year where developers are sitting on their big announcements until E3. So instead, we crazy rumors coming out of nowhere that don’t really confirm anything. This newest one involves the team behind Call of Duty 4 and these words from an insider:

“We are currently working on a new sci-fi title, we cannot release any more information as of yet, we may or may not announce it at E3.”

Yes, it looks like Infinity World may be ditching the realistic modern world setting for the future. People are already speculating that this might be the backdrop for Call of Duty 6, but who knows? At this point, those guys could be working on a pony grooming simulator, and it’d still be called a “Game of the Year contender.”

Via TalkPlaystation.com

Back in May, we were given a few little tidbits regarding Treyarch’s new Bond game Quantum of Solace, but with no real screens from the game nor actual information other than that it would run on the CoD4 engine and  “yes, it is coming, yes it is a movie tie-in”.

Today, Games Radar posted the first screen of the game, and informed readers that OXM and PTOM would both have the scoop on Quantum so if you subscribe to one of the other or each one, you should be getting the good in the mail very soon.

As soon as we find out more, we will be sure and let you know at it. Everyone who loved GoldenEye is keeping their fingers crossed that this next-gen version of Bond will live up to the greatness that was the N64 masterpiece.

Via: Games Radar

For those of you who are not into the Metal Gear Solid Series and could care less about the the fourth installment causing a huge media storm across the globe, or if you happen to be a PC gamer who is lamenting the the fact that nothing really worth mentioning was released this week, there may be a demo or two here for you to play.

The following PC demos should keep you occupied until Spore Creature Creator Complete is released next Tuesday:

• Nancy Drew: The Phantom of Venice: In Nancy Drew’s most exciting adventure yet, players will work to uncover the mastermind behind a series of unsolved thefts that have taken place in Venice — one of the world’s most unique cities known for its interlocking canals and sleek gondolas.

• Fishdom: Build up and develop your Fishdom! Progress through challenging boards and solve immersive puzzles to earn cash. Use the money to buy eye-candy fish and attractive ornaments for your dream aquarium. Get accessories and supplies to create the perfect conditions for your finny pals and ensure their comfort. Win awards and upgrade your virtual tank as you perfect your aquarium design skills and have fun with the lovely fishy sims. Being a unique fusion of classic game play with brilliant new ideas, this game with unlimited replayability will bring you lots of joyful moments!

• GRID eBay Motors: Codemasters has released a free playable two track demo exclusively provided by eBay Motors featuring the eBay Motors Muscle Series.

• Aces of the Galaxy: Aces of the Galaxy is an old-school arcade thrill-ride! This pick-up-and-play game thrusts players into the midst of epic space warfare as they experience over-the-top action in a battle for survival! Play in the 3rd person viewpoint flying through intense dogfights. Take control of your spaceship and aim the reticule to vaporize waves of enemies.

• Legend of Zelda - Dragon Blade: Demo of a new Zelda game, created by Astral Gaming Corp. More info on this game can be found in the “read me” file, so I apologize for the lack of information on it.

• Supreme Ruler 2020: Supreme Ruler 2020 is a strategic and tactical geo-political game where direct control of the military and the policies of a nation becomes the key to survival.

• Simcity Societies: EA has release a demo for its latest city builder, up to date with the latest code after several patches, and includes a tutorial, a scenario and two major disasters.

Here are the latest patches to hit FileFront this week:

• Universe at War: Earth Assault Patch 3
• CoD4: Modern Warfare v1.6 Patch (Direct2Drive)
• Mount & Blade v0.955 Patch
• TrackMania Nations Forever Patch
• Race Driver: GRID v1.1 Patch
• Enemy Territory: Quake Wars v1.5 Mac Patch

As always, for the full list of demos and patches, click here and here.

See you next week.

Where many people see problems with LucasArts recent layoffs, Infinity Ward sees opportunity. Today’s message on COD4 is apparently directed at those at LucasArts who have found themselves without a job recently.

The developer presented the same simple message after a similar round of layoffs at EA. But still…ouch.

Via Joystiq

Issue 35 of Official Xbox 360 Magazine has the low-down on details for Treyarch and Activision’s upcoming Call of Duty: World at War.

The game will utilize the CoD4 engine and in the game you will have the ability the burn down the buildings and foliage within the war-torn pacific. Gamers will be up against Imperial Japan this time around and thanks to Gulf War Veteran, and military adviser Frank Kearsy, the way the Japanse fight suppose to be authentic, brutal, tenacious and shocking just like what our Grandfathers experienced.

In CoD5, you will also fight as a member of the Russian army and invade Germany where the Nazi forces are fighting even ferociously in an attempt to defend Berlin and their other stronghold. There is also a new party system that will allow the leader to issue commands to his troops in single player.

Mutliplayer features new weapons such as the flamethrower, which will not only set the gaming environment on fire but also (gasp!) melt the skin off of your enemies.

Treyarch is promising that this will be the darkest CoD game yet and hopefully having had two years of development time, rather than the 11 months they had for CoD3 will make this a much better game than that ugly scar on the series was. Also, Treyarch have specific teams working on each version of the game so that should also help.

For more information you can check back with us as soon as we get more details - or in the meantime if you are a subscriber to OXM you will be the happiest gamer on the block.

Thanks: GamerCenterOnline

Recently, it seems like nearly every game that comes out — whether it’s Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, or Grand Theft Auto IV — isn’t natively running at 720p. Of course, it hasn’t really mattered all that much, since the developers still managed to produce beautiful games. (That didn’t quite turn out to be the case with Haze.) According to Ted Price, however, Resistance 2 will be running at 720p and 30 frames per second.

Price, who is the CEO and president of Insomniac Games, was answering questions in a Eurogamer Q&A when he dropped that nugget. Of course, his answer was so straightforward that it’s up in the air whether he was saying that the game is locked at 30FPS and runs natively at 720p. We’ll probably have to wait until closer to the game’s release to find out for sure.

Another person asked Price about the campaign’s length, being worried with the number of shooters that don’t even last ten hours. Price said, “R2’s campaign should be as long or longer than R1. We haven’t timed it out yet but it’s shaping up to be huge,” but not before adding, “I though[t] COD4 absolutely rocked. I liked the fact that its campaign WASN’T 10-15 hours. It made for a more intense experience.”

Somehow I doubt this’ll be a 30-hour affair.

Infinity Ward has finally released Patch 1.6 for the PC version of Call of Duty 4. I say “finally,” because this is the patch that includes the new maps that Xbox 360 and PS3 owners have been enjoying for quite some time now. Luckily though, the maps — Killhouse, Creek, Broadcast, Chinatown — are free for PC owners. The new patch also includes a few bug fixes and new features as well as a fix for a server-crashing problem that had been reported by the community. To get the patch and start playing the new maps, simply click the link below.

Activision and Infinity Ward have stated that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has so far sold 10 million copies worldwide. Although as of this post the figures are not known regarding how many units per platform were sold, they did state the obvious when the Xbox 360 version was mentioned as being the most successful.

Call of Duty 4 has now joined the exclusive club of game titles that have sold 10 million or above since 2000 - there are less than 10 games which can claim this feat - and the game is still selling. Add in the map pack which sold over 1.5 million and you have a major cash cow for Activision thanks to Infinity Ward.

Pretty cool. Hopefully CoD5 will be just as fun as CoD4 - but since IW are not too involved with this one, I am just a little skeptical that it will do even half as well.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

It took far too long, but players of Call of Duty 4 on PC will finally be able to get the Variety Map Pack next week, and for free. According to Infinity Ward community manager fourzerotwo, Nvidia is sponsoring the release, so you can thank them for the free maps, and you can also expect other Nvidia-related promotions for Call of Duty 4, although they’re not spilling the beans just yet.

Four maps are included in the Variety Map Pack: Broadcast, Chinatown, Killhouse, and Creek. In addition to that, the 1.6 patch will be released, which will add support for the new maps, add some features, and fix various bugs. We should have a full list of patch notes next week.

So, PC players: You had to wait longer but you’re getting the maps for free. Are you satisfied?

Memorial Day has become a day of picnics and parties for most US citizens. Often the original intention of the day often gets forgotten. GamePolitics has posted and article honoring the true spirit of the holiday dedicated to military gamers that have given their all for their country.

Regardless of your personal politics; how can you not admire the courage and commitment of the soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines that have given their lives in Iraq, Afghanistan, and overseas. In remembrance of Eric Hall, George Howell, Randy Pickering, Jon Hicks and many other unnamed heroes who have served their country, we salute you.

via GamePolitics

Aside from World of Warcraft, the biggest MMO of 2007 and so far this year isn’t one you would name off the top of your head. According to the author of an article up on Eurogamer; it’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The piece goes on to defend the position that although CoD4 isn’t an MMO in the strictest sense of the definition, it does share many of the same gameplay elements that typify an MMO.

Call of Duty 4 proves that it’s possible to take some of the things that MMOs do right and distil them for a game that wouldn’t traditionally be seen as an MMO. The potency of the idea, even in this form, is obvious; the drive to play just a little bit more, because there’s a reward waiting just up ahead, is an incredibly powerful and addictive force for players

I can actually agree with the author on most of his points, and the idea isn’t one that hasn’t been presented before. The success of MMOs is changing the way traditional video games are being designed. One of the latest examples of this trend is the multi-player mode in RockStar’s Grand Theft Auto IV. I think we’re going to see the games industry moving ever closer to this formula as gamers demand more of a social element to their gaming experience.

via Eurogamer