Released on 09/11/2010

• New Call of Duty to be revealed this week?

  If you're wondering how Activision plans on topping Modern Warfare 2, stay tuned: the official announcement of the next game in the Call of Duty series is due later this week, according to Eurogamer.

  The website spotted a promotional video for the next episode of Spike's GameTrailers TV, which promises a teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated new game.

  GameTrailers isn't afraid of hyping it up, either, saying that the trailer "will be the talk of the internet this weekend", and "will put all rumors to rest".

  That sounds like it might be a pretty substantial reveal, even for a teaser trailer. The new game is being developed by series veterans Treyarch, last seen hitting the beaches of the Pacific for Call of Duty: World at War . The team has been working on the game at least since last May, apparently, and the smart money is on the latest Call of Duty using multiple Cold War settings, possibly focusing on the Vietnam conflict.

  The new episode of GameTrailers TV will air in parts of the US starting at 5.40 am GMT this Saturday, 1st May. We'll have all the news for you next week.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops officially announced

  Following plenty of speculation, it seems like the latest Call of Duty game will be called Call of Duty: Black Ops.

  Developed by Treyarch, who created Call of Duty: World at War, the game should be hitting shelves on 9th November this year. It's probably best to start queuing around about now.

  Treyarch has also revealed that the developer has specific teams at work on the game's single-player, co-op, and multiplayer component, suggesting this is going to be a pretty spectacular package. The story, meanwhile, will take in locations including Vietnam, Cuba, and the Arctic. Brr. It will detail the birth of the Elite Special Forces, and play out in "off-the-record" missions with "unconventional weaponry."

  The announcement crowned a huge week for the game's publisher, Activision, who had just announced that it has signed the Halo developer Bungie on a ten-year contract.

  There's no word, as yet, as to which platforms to expect Call of Duty: Black Ops for, but we'll hand in our own sniper rifles if you can't bet on it hitting at least the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this November.
  

• New Call of Duty: Black Ops info leaks out

  USA Today has been given a sneak peek at Call of Duty: Black Ops, with details emerging of a new four-player co-operative mode which, according to the newspaper, goes "beyond the single-player story".

  Like previous Call of Duty titles, the campaign will be seen from the viewpoint of two or more characters, with a timeline spanning several years of the Cold War. Offered a look at one of the single-player levels, the publication reports that the stage - titled 'WMD' - features a sequence where the player guides four soldiers from the perspective of an SR-71 Blackbird plane, as the group attempts to sneak past a Russian convoy in the Ural mountains.

  Also mentioned is a new weapon, a scoped crossbow, with which players can switch ammo types from a standard arrow to one with an explosive tip. It seems that modifying weapons will play a bigger part in the new game, with news of an AUG assault rifle offering space for different attachments.

  A real-life black ops veteran has been drafted in to provide authenticity, while Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia has promised a "variety of gameplay".

  You can go undercover with Call of Duty: Black Ops when it arrives on 360, PS3 and PC this November.

• Activision planning future Warfare?

  Activision planning future Warfare?

  Activision has been busy recently. With Call of Duty: Black Ops due out later this year, the publisher is already looking towards the future - in more ways than one, it seems.

  According to the internet sleuthing site Superannuation, Activision has been registering a handful of new Call of Duty domain names (thanks, Eurogamer), and they may reveal hints of where the best-selling military shooter series is going next.

  Three domains were registered in total, and they all suggest the next instalment could be a bit special: how do you fancy Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: Space Warfare, or Call of Duty: Secret Warfare?

  It's probable that Activision registered a handful of domains to throw people off the scent, and it's equally likely that the whole thing is just a big tease, as the publisher knows how much the series' fans like to speculate on every tiny crumb of information. Whatever happens, the idea of taking your P90 into the cosmos is kind of appealing.

  And even if it all amounts to nothing, Call of Duty: Black Ops will be hitting store shelves in the UK on 9th November this year.
  

• OXM drops new Black Ops info

  OXM drops new Black Ops info

  The latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine has plenty of new info regarding Treyarch's forthcoming Call of Duty game, Black Ops, and the game is sounding great.

  VG247 has summarised all the new intel, and if you aren't already planning your pre-order, this might just tip you over the edge.

  Vehicles will be returning, and you can expect a little more control this time around. "You're not just relegated to mini-gun man who holds down the trigger and nudges the aiming reticule around the screen," says the mag. "For once, you're flying the helicopter. And firing the missiles. And the mini-guns."

  Black Ops apparently casts you as off-the-grid best-of-the-best soldier with a "secret agenda. It seems that you'll be fighting the North Vietnamese Army in certain missions. There will be a dedicated co-op mode, as previously reported, and the multiplayer's being tweaked, with new matchmaking options and Create-a-Class 2.0 which will allow you unprecedented customisation options, including the ability to tweak your appearance and kit as well as your perks.

  Most excitingly, Treyarch is "considering" a Halo-esque multiplayer beta.

  Call of Duty: Black Ops will be available in stores and online from 9th November.

• Treyarch spills the beans on Black Ops multiplayer

  Over in LA, Treyarch has been revealing what players can expect to find in Call of Duty: Black Ops' multiplayer modes. Read on for details on wager matches, combat training, and gun customisation.

  First off, there's a new COD Points currency you'll be earning as you play, and one of the best ways to spend it is to gamble on wager matches. "Wager Matches are these four brand new, free-for-all based game modes that we created for Black Ops. These game modes were designed to be pure kind-of adrenaline junkie fun," design director David Vonderhaar explained. You'll be gambling your COD points on who you think is going to come out in the top three on the final scoreboard.

  Elsewhere, there's a brand new combat training mode that should ease new players into the hectic pace of multiplayer. It has bot support and its own progression system, which should mean it's worth playing through even if you know what you're doing already.

  You'll also be able to customize guns, by the looks of it, with clan tags you can resize and reposition to make your weapons stand out.

  Call of Duty: Black Ops will be hitting the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 9, and there are Wii and DS versions on the way too.
  

• Man attempts to complete MW2 - without killing anyone

  Feel free to file this story under "nutcase". According to Game Informer, one particularly hardcore Modern Warfare 2 fan is trying to level up to rank 70 in the game's world-beating multiplayer without killing a single player. What?!

  "I've already hit Prestige five times. I thought it would be something interesting to do," said Glen McCracken.

  McCracken started out on his quest using a riot shield and flash bang grenades, apparently, but he's now stopped using the grenades because they're "too risky" and could see him accidentally killing someone who's already down to their last bit of health.

  If you want to grief - I mean meet - McCracken on the virtual battlefield, he plays as Mr_No_Kills on the PlayStation Network. He's already reached level 11, and he's died 272 times with no kills to his name.

  In more sensible news, we thoroughly recommend you get your skill levels up for the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops when it hits on November 9 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. We'll be getting stuck into multiplayer on day one - and we probably won't be limiting ourselves to flash bangs. We probably will be dying quite a lot, however. That's just how we roll.

• Gary Oldman to feature in COD: Black Ops

  Gary Oldman to feature in COD: Black Ops

  According to Eurogamer, Activision's gone and confirmed that Hollywood actor Gary Oldman is providing a voice for the upcoming FPS megaton, Call of Duty: Black Ops.

  Oldman - that's Lieutenant Gordon from the recent Batman movies, to you and me - will be returning to the role of Viktor Reznov, last seen camping it up in Call of Duty: World at War.

  He won't be alone. Ed Harris, the villain in The Rock and National Treasure 2 (which we quite liked but don't judge us), is playing a central character, CIA operative Jason Hudson. Sounds like a man you can trust.

  Script consultation and story development is handled by the writer David S. Goyer, who co-wrote the recent Batman movies, and also helped out on Dark City (another of our favourites) and the TV show Flashforward (not so good, that one). He's a big shot in Hollywood, and it's yet more proof of how far games have come.

  "Oldman, Harris and Goyer are considered some of Hollywood's finest talents and they perfectly complement Call of Duty: Black Ops' ambitious and immersive single player experience," said Treyarch boss Mark Lamia. "Their contributions have helped us to push the boundaries of our story telling and character development far beyond anything we have ever attempted before in the franchise."

  Call of Duty: Black Ops is sneaking up on us for a November 9 release on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It's going to be massive.
  

• Nazi Zombies to feature in Call of Duty: Black Ops

  Showing that you can't keep the undead down - as well as demonstrating a slightly shaky grasp on history - Treyarch has decided to revisit Nazi Zombies, the popular game mode it introduced in World at War, as part of this year's Call of Duty: Black Ops.

  Though the developer hasn't discussed the mode directly, it was outed by strategy guide maker BradyGames, which trailed its forthcoming Black Ops guide book in a press release on Friday. This follows last month's leaked information which discussed a map pack featuring four levels taken from the original game in World at War.

  The mode sees players taking on hordes of the undead either single-handedly or in a group with up to three friends. Like Gears of War 2's Horde mode or Firefight from the Halo series, the waves of zombies increase in number and difficulty as the player progresses. There's no word yet on whether or not the mode will be unlocked once the campaign is over, as it was with the original.

  Call of Duty: Black Ops is widely predicted to be one of the biggest-selling games of the year, though it has some work to do to overtake the impressive sales of rival shooter Halo: Reach. The game launches on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii and DS on November 9th worldwide.
  

• Gamescom 2010 Preview: Call of Duty: Black Ops

  Gamescom 2010 Preview: Call of Duty: Black Ops

  After the success of Modern Warfares 1 and 2 and World at War, Call of Duty: Black Ops is bound to be one of the year’s biggest releases – which meant that seeing the game running was one of our biggest priorities when we hit the show floor at Gamescom 2010.

  Scouting ahead

  Settling into our seats at the Activision booth, the first thing we saw was the newest Call of duty: Black Ops trailer. It showed the RV XD Video Surveillance Vehicle and Transmitter in use in game – the same XD remote control buggy that forms part of the limited production run Prestige Edition.

  With a confident "the sky is yours" we sent the stealth aircraft roaring into the stratosphere.

  Then it was time for our demo play through. We gripped the controller and headed into battle...

  The beginning of our Black Ops hands-on saw us walking out to a waiting Blackbird spy plane. Climbing aboard, we got the all-clear from the comms tower and with a confident "the sky is yours" we pulled back on the stick, sending the stealth aircraft roaring into the stratosphere.

  Taking a second to look at our cockpit controls, we noted advanced thermal imaging tools onboard, which swiftly came into play after rendezvousing with our ground-based four-man squad. From our eye-in-the-sky perspective we saw the squad fan-out, and guided them to their targets.

  Points of view

  As our comrades in arms entered the buildings below to engage the enemy, our perspective changed and we zoomed down from our nice, cozy, remote flight seat and straight into the heart of the action. This mechanic of top-down squad control and then classic through-the-eyes FPS worked well, giving a good appreciation for both the tactical and manual side of Black Ops insurgencies. It will be interesting to see how often it is used in the final version of the game.

  Our perspective changed and we zoomed down from our nice, cozy, remote flight seat and straight into the heart of the action.

  Ploughing on into hostile terrain, all the time guided by our eyes in the sky, we took out a comms centre before abseiling down a power station wall; shooting out the windows; satisfyingly swinging in and letting rip on full auto. This was Black Ops at its very best; modern day swashbuckling in a way that Errol Flynn would find hard to keep pace with.

  Not sooner had we unclasped however then our Blackbird was advising us that we had multiple hostiles inbound. It was time to load another clip and get back to work; CoD: Black Ops is a game that really doesn’t let up.

  Ducking, dodging and spraying bullets we vanquished a horde of CCCP soldiers and then exited the station… only to get caught in an avalanche that claims one of the squad!

  Take no prisoners!

  No time to mourn though; suddenly we were aiming loose and bullet-free on the new crossbow weapon, which let us opt for either stealthy takedowns or a more flamboyant take-no prisoners approach thanks to a plentiful supply of explosive bolts. We went for the latter. We’ve always liked to make an entrance.

  And that about brought our demo to a close. We left nerve-shattered and aching to have another go, and in no doubt at all that Call of Duty Black Ops feels and plays like the fresh prime cut of gaming goodness the series deserves, It’s a must-buy already - and we haven't even got to play the multiplayer modes yet!

  Preview by: Steve 'One Shot' Wind-Mosley
  Preview Published: 19.08.10

  Published: 19/08/2010

• Josh Olin Black Ops Interview

  Treyarch Community Manager Josh Olin talks CoD

  Treyarch's last Call of Duty game was World At War, which was set in World War II. Black Ops marks your first step away from that era - what can you tell us about the differences between the games, specifically relating to the story?

  Josh: Because the era was so vast and undefined during the Cold War we are specifically following our own fictional story so really it’s not like World at War any more where you’re following a bunch of different squads as they go on their normal missions. Any different perspective that you play as in Black Ops is progressing towards the same ending in the story, there are definitely going to be multiple threads in the story, but they all come together in the same conclusion. There is a singular story that is going to weave it’s way through historical references in time during the Cold War and that essentially is what Black Ops is about. But i don’t want to spoil it because we’ve put a tremendous amount of effort into this and I know that you don’t want to spoil it for those reading this, but it’s an original story and the deepest story that Treyarch’s ever told we really for the first time get to show players what we’re made of and show them what kind of stories we can create. We have such as great design and writing team at Treyarch so the writers are just fantastic its all been done in house.

  World at War had a very solid, long campaign which including co-op. Will Black Ops have the same length, or will it go further?

  Josh: It will be comparable, I mean we’re not done yet so we do not know the exact length but you would be able to compare it to that. There’s definitely something that can be said about a game that's too long, but then again too short is definitely a problem, but too long can be a problem too. So there has to be a sweet spot, and that sweet spot is dependent on what kind of story you’re telling and we’ll have enough game to tell our story. From start to finish with nice concise gameplay, plus some ups and downs twists and turns.

  Co-op gameplay is becoming a must-have in games. Treyarch struck gold in World at War and many wanted co-op in MW2, but it didn’t deliver on that. We’ve heard that Black Ops won’t have a co-op campaign, but there will be an element of co-op. Can you explain what this will be?

  Josh: It will have a unique co-op mode, so it’s not campaign co-op, but it’s not really Spec Ops either. It’s a very unique thing that I think players are going to love. It’s up to four players online or two players split screen, but it was important that in Black Ops we gave the players, no matter what kind of player you are or what kind of mood that you’re in, something that you can play - whether that’s a nice deep campaign, or whether you want to go online and rank up for hundreds of hours and progress through the competitive multiplayer. Or you can just kick back with a few of your friends and not necessarily go online and invest that kind of time; maybe just a few hours into this co-op thing is, but there will be something for everybody.

  Regarding multiplayer... everyone loves going through the prestige and getting the medals for doing certain things. Is that all going to return?

  Josh: We’re not ready to talk about multiplayer yet, we’re saving all that for a big reveal we’re doing on September 1st, it’s going to be a blowout hands on preview event in LA, so any questions you have about the multiplayer will be answered at this event. For the first time in Treyarch’s history we’ve actually had a dedicated multiplayer team working on this since day one, so it’s actually allowed us to do a lot of things and go deeper than we’ve ever gone before with our multiplayer design, so frankly I don’t think players are fully aware of what we’re going to hit them with come September 1st.

  The Zombies were definitely a high point for World at War, will they be making a return in Black Ops and will there be any new modes with them?

  Josh: Would you like them to?

  Oh Yeah!

  Josh: Yeah Zombies was an amazing success from World at War, we definitely loved it, but our co-op mode is yet to be announced. That will happen later this year.

  The Theatre Mode, can you give us any insight into what that is?

  Josh: That’s come from the Multiplayer teaser trailer that we released. The point of the trailer was to create more questions than answers and building up the hype to September 1st There are definitely lots of things to discover in that trailer.

  GAME: Going back to the campaign... will you just be focusing in on the two characters we’ve just seen [Special Agent Jason Hudson and Sergeant Mason] or will you be picking up the story at different points with different characters?

  Josh: Like I said, I don’t want to spoil it. You will be playing through the campaign from multiple perspectives, but primarily it’s Mason and Hudson; those are the two characters you play the most. You’ll know all the characters as each has a very distinct personality and flavour to them - each has their own voice. As for the squad members that you work with, the various characters are in a tight knit group and operate together so you’ll always know who you are at all times. Multiple perspectives have always been a theme for Call of Duty since its inception and that remains unchanged for Black Ops.

  Of everything that that has been announced so far which you are able to talk about, what is your personal favourite element of Black Ops?
  

  Josh: Of what we revealed, it would have to be the full performance capture and that technology that we’ve employed to create a performance that’s really the best. It’s the best performance you’ll see in a shooter this year, because this technology didn’t exist two years ago. So we’re really the first game to implement it, it’s the same technology, a similar technique to that was used in the creation of Avatar the movie; we actually went to the same studio that James Cameron went to called the House of Moves in Los Angeles. It’s where you capture the motions and the animations of the character, the facial expressions and the voice all in one take, so before when you would record them separately and piece them together, there would always be some piece that wouldn’t synch up so either a guy would shout over there and then point like a split second later, or the inflection in his voice would have more emotion than his face could show. So his voice would be screaming at the top of his lungs but his face would be quite mellow.

  So it wasn’t quite the same, you would always have those infidelities , but with Black Ops you have just this truest performance where the actor can really put himself into the performance and it ratchets itself to a whole new level.  That is inline line with a theme, the core theme that we’ve had throughout the game which is raising the bar. That’s probably my favourite part, which is why I said pay attention to Woods when he says “See that Hind? We’re going to take it!” Like the breath he takes before he delivers that last line, and then glances back at you and he’s gritting his teeth and his eyebrows are narrowed like all that comes across now which never would have come across before. So that is my favourite new aspect, but to be honest though, probably my favourite thing about Black Ops is yet to be revealed. So if you thought there was alot of stuff in the teaser, you haven’t seen anything yet. It really just the tip of the iceberg, it’s going to September 1st that we blow people out of the water.

  This year you've got some major competition: there's one massive franchise coming back in Halo Reach, and you’ve got another game Medal of Honor making a return after a long absence. What will Black Ops give gamers that those two won’t?

  Josh: Well I think Call of Duty has always stood apart from the pack in terms of how tight the controls are and how buttery smooth the 60FPS and 720p resolution, crisp photorealistic graphics always pushing the platform to the limit in terms of what kind of visuals we can create on screen. You saw that with Payback.

  It’s no one thing that sets it apart, it’s the collectiveness it the kind of story and the cinematic intensity but really the pacing, there’s a science to it and i really couldn’t put to words, which is how you pace the story elements and how the story unfolds, but i think the campaign mode will really stand apart. And then you’ve got the multiplayer, it is the deepest multiplayer from Treyarch, and that’s what people are going to keep playing for hundreds and hundreds of hours past the launch of the game.

  And all the new features that we’ve built into that of that are just going to help prolong that and extend the longevity of that even further so it will be tough to say what any one thing is paramount. You know, Medal of Honor and Halo they’re going to great games, you know Bungie, EA and Dice are all great studios so we’re don’t doubt that they’re going to be phenomenal games, but I still think that Call of Duty will stand apart in its own way, in true Call of Duty fashion.
  

  Published: 28/09/2010

• New Black Ops trailer goes dark

  New Black Ops trailer goes dark

  A brand new campaign trailer for arguably the year's biggest game, Call of Duty: Black Ops, has exploded onto the internet, teasing us some more with brief flashes of the story mode that show this is one game that's taking war very seriously indeed.

  There's a nuke launching, a man falling from a helicopter, plenty of explosions, choppers coming under fire over a jungle canopy, and what looks like either a torture sequence or a deadly game of Russian roulette. There's also the barest snippet of a jetbike set-piece that we're sure is going to be one of the game's highlights.

  As the gravel-throated voiceover man says: "You will move without boundaries. You will act above the law. You will use every means necessary to stop the wars that are hidden from the world. And if you succeed, you will do so without recognition. Because you do not exist." So while you might finish the game wearing a medal of honour, no-one will know about your heroic deeds.

  It's thrilling stuff, anyway, and has made the wait for the game's release that bit harder. Call of Duty: Black Ops hits Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii and DS on November 9.
  

• Gamescom 2010: Call of Duty: Black Ops

  After the success of Modern Warfares 1 and 2 and World at War, Call of Duty: Black Ops is bound to be one of the year biggest releases which meant that seeing the game running was one of our biggest priorities when we hit the show floor at Gamescom 2010.

  Scouting ahead
  Settling into our seats at the Activision booth, the first thing we saw was the newest Call of duty: Black Ops trailer. It showed the RV XD Video Surveillance Vehicle and Transmitter in use in game the same XD remote control buggy that forms part of the limited production run Prestige Edition.

  Like its in-game counterpart, the buggy sends a video and audio stream to a monitor on the wireless transmitter remote control. In the real world you might us this to track your cat or keep an eye on your stash of jelly babies in the office, but in the game you can use it to sniff out sniper positions so you can take them out with remote control smart missiles. The RC XD covers the ground very quickly, so you can send it off to scout the route ahead with the confidence that you'll be able to drive away from most troublesome things if the need arises.

  Then it was time for our demo play through. We gripped the controller and headed into battle...

  Read the full Preview here.

• Raven making a new Call of Duty?

  Raven making a new Call of Duty?

  Raven is one of the hardest working and most dependable developers out there when it comes to FPSs. If you don't believe us, check out last year's Singularity - a brilliant sci-fi shooter for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, which came with a very nifty time-travel twist. According to a news item over at Eurogamer, the team's next game could be another new Call of Duty title.

  The rumour - and that's all it is at the moment - comes from a new Raven job advert stating that the developer is currently "seeking a lead visual effects artist to drive the development of stunning visual effects for an established console-based, realistic, first-person military shooter".

  As Eurogamer points out, "realistic" rules out Singularity and Wolfenstein, while "military" and "established" suggest that Call of Duty is the most likely candidate. We already suspect that Sledgehammer is currently working on a Call of Duty game that will take the franchise in new directions, and Infinity Ward and Treyarch are presumably following up on Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops, so if Raven is having a go at the franchise, it would presumably be an off-shoot.

  Whatever it is, it's certainly something promising to think about.

• Infinity Ward gearing up for Modern Warfare prequel?

  Infinity Ward gearing up for Modern Warfare prequel?

  Call of Duty: Black Ops is probably glued into your disk tray at the moment. The game's been a colossal smash. But over at Activision, the Infinity Ward crew are already hard at work on the next game in the series, by the looks of it, and Eurogamer's reporting it might be a prequel to the first Modern Warfare.

  Citing the website ThisisXbox, a source close to the team has said that the new game's story will take place immediately before the events of Infinity Ward's 2007 masterpiece. The central figure will be the mysterious soldier known as Ghost this time, and the plot will apparently focus on how he was recruited into Task Force 141.

  According to the source, the narrative will take cues from the Modern Warfare comic book series, and will allow you to revisit locations from the last two Modern Warfare games, but from an entirely different vantage point.

  Sounds exciting, but it's worth remembering it's just a rumour, and Eurogamer's suggesting the next Modern Warfare game will probably leave us waiting until 2012 anyway.

  It doesn't matter, though. We reckon something like this is worth waiting for.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops claims 2010 sales crown

  Record-shattering shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops has been revealed as the bestselling game of 2010 in the UK.
  
  The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, DS and PC title has topped official sales rankings compiled by GfK-ChartTrack and Ukie for the last 12 months, beating competition from FIFA 11.
  
  It is the latest in a long line of sales records achieved by Treyarch's acclaimed Cold War shooter, which grossed an unprecedented £113.8 million in its first week on sale in the UK.
  
  The game also notched up the biggest entertainment launch in history and has since passed the one billion dollar global benchmark at a speed rivalled only by blockbuster movie Avatar.
  
  Other titles to record mammoth sales figures include football smash FIFA 11 at number two and Wii music hit Just Dance in third.
  
  Michael Rawlinson, director general of Ukie, said: "The industry has widened beyond all expectations and will continue to expand exponentially in 2011."

  Published: 11/01/2011

• Call of Duty to go sci-fi?

  Every year we get busy speculating about a futuristic instalment of Call of Duty. Now Treyarch, the team behind Call of Duty: Black Ops has got in on the act, with the game design director admitting he would be interested in a near-future update.

  "It would be pretty fantastic!" David Vonderhaar told Machinima (thanks, Eurogamer). "It would be kind of a unique opportunity but the way this works out is obviously more complicated than, 'Hey, me and Treyarch are going to make a near-future shooter.' It doesn't work out that way in practice. It's a tough question to answer. We have not announced any new Call of Duty games at this time but to answer his specific question I think, personally, it would be pretty fantastic to do near-future, you know? Not necessarily far-future."

  He was careful to that his answer was, "For me personally. I'm just talking for myself." Boo!

  Still, if he thinking about it, maybe there hope. If youe more interested in the past than the future, of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops concerns itself with all manner of Cold War shenanigans. It brilliant fun, and it available right now for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

• Assassin's Creed Brotherhood heads BAFTA list

  It's more good news for Assassin's Creed fans after yesterday's revelation of a May announcement of the next game in the popular franchise. BAFTA has released its list of nominations for this year's videogame awards, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has received the most nods of any game, featuring in a total of seven categories.

  
  It seems the members of the BAFTA panel were big fans of Ezio's latest adventure, as it scooped nominations for Action, Artistic Achievement, Gameplay, Multiplayer, Technical Innovation, Use of Audio, and the biggie: Best Game.

  
  In the latter category, Ubisoft's game faces some stiff competition from FIFA 11, Heavy Rain, LIMBO, Mass Effect 2 and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Call of Duty: Black Ops missed out in that category, but was nominated in six others. Mass Effect 2 also had six nods in total, with Sony's gritty thriller Heavy Rain picking up five, while Super Mario Galaxy 2 and indie darling LIMBO both got four. Surprisingly, Halo: Reach only featured in two categories: Multiplayer and Technical Innovation.

  
  Meanwhile, the mass-market success of Microsoft's Kinect ensured a strong showing in the the Family category, with nods for Dance Central, Kinect Adventures, Kinect Sports and Kinectimals. Flying the flag for more traditional control are LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and the terrific Toy Story 3.

  
  The winners will be announced at a ceremony on March 16, which will be streamed live on the BAFTA website.

• Christmas Round-Up - 24th December 2010

  Was there ever any doubt that Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty: Black Ops would be this year's Christmas number one? Especially considering it's the sequel to last years Xmas best seller, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2...

  Well actually, for a few weeks, there was - because this year has seen the release of some real gaming crackers! Want to know which ones are the stars this Christmas? Here's the full top 10 - and not a turkey in sight...

   

  1. Call of Duty: Black Ops is an awe-inspiring package, featuring a single-player campaign packed with stunning set-pieces at every new corner. The intriguing plot masterfully strings together the globe trotting missions, each of which will blow you away. As if that wasn't enough it also features a refined multiplayer with unbeatable value.

   

  2. FIFA 11 is the definitive football video game experience. Just when we thought EA couldn't improve on FIFA 10 they introduce new nuanced animations and intricate touches of realism to a game that is already a visual marvel. The mechanics in FIFA 11 have received small tweaks that go a long way in providing added depth to the game, there are countless ways to score a goal and thanks to the introduction of playable goalkeepers, just as many ways to save a few.

   

  3. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is a blisteringlyfast, endlessly fun, finely polished arcade racing game with no equal. Hot Pursuit has a racing model that feels weighty but still loose enough to provide that unique arcade feel. However, where it truly shines is in its online component. The Need for Speed Autolog is a fresh and effective take on online community that keeps racers coming back; hoping beat a few friends and perhaps make a few enemies.

   

  4. Just Dance 2 builds on the winning formula from the first game. The simple controls and fantastic selection of music make is easy for everyone to get involved, making it the social game of choice in households around the world this Christmas. Just Dance 2 comes packed with new gameplay modes such as duet mode, co-op and competitive play, making it the ideal Wii dance game.

   

  5. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is the definitive open-world action game, Ubisoft's third console Assassin's Creed game has enough new content to take out the competition this Christmas. Picking up moments after the events of AC2, Brotherhood sees you take control of Ezio once again, and features a huge variety of side-quests, an intuitive new combat mechanic, sublime platforming and a fantastic new multiplayer mode that is unlike any other game on the market.

   

  6. Gran Turismo 5 sees the return of Sony's legendary simulation racing series to the most powerful video game console on the market, and it doesn't disappoint. GT5 builds on the success of the series by sticking close to the tried and true formula. However, the amount of content in the latest game is through the roof. With over one thousand cars available to drive, dozens of racetracks, special events and online multiplayer Gran Turismo 5 is one of the most feature-packed racing games of the year.

   

  7. Donkey Kong Country Returns is not only a worthy successor to the classic Donkey Kong platforming franchise, but also one worthy of the Nintendo seal of quality. Donkey Kong Country Returns is overflowing with impressively creative and imaginative worlds that constantly provide new and inventive gameplay experiences that demand the kind of quick reflexes and platforming precision that are a trademark of Nintendo platformers. If you thought New Super Mario Bros. was fun, wait until you play this.

   

  8. Medal of Honor faced danger head on by attempting to break into a market dominated by Call of Duty, and manages to do a good job of carving out its own fanbase. The game has tight shooting mechanics, takes place in an unusual but interesting setting and features characters that have unique personalities. Medal of Honor delivers in the multiplayer department too, since it's developed by DICE, the guys behind Battlefield: Bad Company 2, it's not one you can afford to miss.

   

  9. Wii Fit Plus encourages players to maintain a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise. The game makes getting fit fun by providing a variety of exercises with set goals for the player to achieve using its innovative balance board. With over 15 new balance games, six new strength training and a number of yoga activities you'll not only get fit but you'll also have fun doing it.

   

  10. Professor Layton and the Lost Future is easily one of the best games in the popular puzzle series. It wastes no time in getting to the good bits and immediately throws a series of creative puzzles at the player. Make no mistake, this game will require you to get your brain into gear but that won't take much convincing since the puzzles are masterfully woven into an intriguing time-travelling adventure that you'll want to see to the end.

  Published: 24/12/2010

• Black Ops beats Avatar to become 2010 biggest-selling entertainment product

  Proof, if any were needed, that games are the fastest-growing entertainment medium came yesterday in a report from industry site MCV. According to ERA data, Call of Duty: Black Ops was comfortably the biggest-selling entertainment product of last year. Activision perennially popular shooter sold a whopping 3.3 million copies, more than combined Blu-Ray and DVD sales of James Cameron Avatar.

  Just behind the 3D blockbuster in third place was EA SportsFIFA 11, which shifted 2.4 million units. Impressively, both sequels managed to top their predecessors, with Black Ops besting Modern Warfare 2 tally by 340,000 copies and FIFA sales improving year on year by well over 200,000 units.

  Just Dance made it a strong showing for games in the top ten, shaking its money-maker in ninth position with 1.3 million copies sold. Though only released in October, its sequel also managed a place on the list, just outside the top 20.

  Ubisoft was further represented by Assassin Creed: Brotherhood at 24, while Nintendo saw a combined total of 1.7 million sales for evergreen titles Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort, both of which were launched in 2009. Rockstar epic western Red Dead Redemption and Microsoft Halo: Reach made it a total of nine games in the Top 40. Could that tally increase when 2011 figures are revealed in 12 monthstime? We wouldn bet against it.

• Treyarch bringing Modern Warfare 3 to the Wii

  Wii owners won't be left out of the action when Modern Warfare 3 hits the shelves this November. Black Ops developer Treyarch has revealed that it is currently working on a Wii version of the sure-to-be-blockbuster shooter.

  Infinity Ward is working on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, of course, but Activision executive Eric Hirshberg announced the Wii version this week, while talking grown up money stuff to investors. The decision to squeeze the game into the Wii's smaller system came because the publisher didn't want to leave any of the community out of the excitement. How sweet.

  Treyarch certainly has good form where Call of Duty and Nintendo hardware is concerned. It turned out the Wii versions of Black Ops and World At War, and also tackled the Wii port of the original Modern Warfare.

  Modern Warfare 3 shoots your face off on November 8th on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and now Wii as well.

• Full Call of Duty XP event details released

  If you're not one of the 6000 lucky fans who got tickets to Call of Duty XP, the inaugural showcase event for Activision's shy and retiring shooter series, then do not despair. Highlights from the show will be beamed live around the world via the magic of internet pipes as well as a dedicated Facebook app.

  The highlight, of course, will be the first public play session of Modern Warfare 3, a game that is inevitably destined to make more money in one day than most small countries manage in a year. There'll be a million-dollar tournament to celebrate. As well as getting hands-on with the mother of all blockbusters, attendees will also get a free copy of the Hardened Edition.

  But it's not all shooty-shoot. There'll be talking as well, with panels dedicated to the voice cast, the new Call of Duty Elite subscriber service, and the making of the Black Ops multiplayer. If that's not glamorous enough, there'll be the premiere of Find Makarov, the short live action CoD movie, and live performances from Dropkick Murphys and Kanye West.

  The event opens at 11am, LA time, tonight (September 2nd) or 7pm in the UK, and runs for two days.

  Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 8th for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. You knew that, right?

• Call of Duty: Black Ops - Rezurrection coming to PS3 and PC this month

  Activision has announced that PlayStation 3 and PC owners will receive the new Call of Duty: Black Ops downloadable content pack Rezurrection very soon.

  The Zombies-focused DLC, which made its debut on Xbox 360 at the start of the month, will be coming to the other platforms on September 22nd and will include a helping of bonus content.

  Rezurrection introduces a brand-new Zombies map called Moon, which transports players into outer space to battle undead monsters with futuristic weapons in low-gravity environments.

  It will also include four of the most popular Zombies maps from past Call of Duty games - Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa and Der Riese - all of which have received a graphical overhaul.

  Also included in the Rezurrection pack will be an enhanced Zombies soundtrack album and a special Moon theme for the PlayStation 3 home screen.

  The popularity of Call of Duty: Black Ops shows no signs of abating, having become the biggest-selling game in UK history earlier this year.

  Published: 14/09/2011

• The greatest game ending ever, according to Guinness World Records, is...

  Call of Duty: Black Ops has been voted the game with the best ending ever, in a poll conducted by Guinness World Records. The beefy shooter topped a chart containing fifty blockbuster games, voted on by 13,000 gamers.

  CODBLOPS beat Halo: Reach into second place. Rockstar's epic western Red Dead Redemption, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, brain-bending puzzler Portal and arty killer thriller Heavy Rain also featured in the top ten.

  It wasn't such good news for games famous for their twists. Both Knights of the Old Republic and Bioshock, two games that have been widely praised for their last act plot twists, landed in the lower regions of the chart, at 49 and 35 respectively.

  "Everyone has an opinion on how to end a game whether it's an epic boss fight, a clever plot twist or a 90-minute movie," said Gaz Deaves, editor of the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition. "This list recognises some of the greatest endings and hopefully will get gamers talking about what are their favourites and why."

  So how about it? What's your favourite game ending and why?

• Call of Duty: Black Ops voted best videogame ending ever

  Videogame fans have voted the 2010 blockbuster Call of Duty: Black Ops as having the best ending in gaming history.

  Guinness World Records conducted a poll of more than 13,000 gamers to compile a list of the top 50 videogame endings of all time, with Activision and Treyarch's Cold War shooter topping the list.

  The game - which also holds the record of being the UK's top-selling title ever - features a twisting storyline that culminates in a submarine showdown, interwoven with a powerful revenge plot and conspiracy theories.

  Second place went to the dramatic and poignant finale to Bungie's Halo: Reach, while the fairytale finale to Nintendo's classic The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time claimed third place.

  Other titles in the top ten included Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, God of War, Red Dead Redemption, Portal and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

  Gaz Deaves, gaming editor for the Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer's Edition, said: "This list recognises some of the greatest endings and hopefully will get gamers talking about what are their favourites and why."

  Published: 14/02/2012

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