Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360

Released on 08-Nov-2011

• Glitch-seeking gamers helping to test Modern Warfare 3

  Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling has admitted that Activision has brought in a team of external bug testers to check the incoming shooter behemoth Modern Warfare 3 for glitches, exploits and tweaks that might unbalance the multiplayer modes.

  The players hail from an online community called mapMonkeys, a group nfatuated with discovering and sharing glitches, exploits, tricks, and strategies A post on their official site claimed that four members of the group mapMonkey, IM Buddy 8, skateboard and Rezzzo had been flown to Infinity Ward's studio for an intensive bout of multiplayer matches. The team also helped out on previous Call of Duty titles with short playtests just before launch.

  quot;They're out at the studio to help us run Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer through its paces Bowling told CVG, "These guys focus specifically on exploits that can potentially be used to an unfair advantage, such as getting outside a map's playable area,or find weapon/equipment exploits that were not intended by the designer so that we can catch and address these before it gets out to the public

  Hopefully this means that Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer will be polished to a dazzling sheen when it launches on November 8th for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. It'll certainly need every advantage, as it goes head to head with EA's Battlefield 3 for the FPS crown.

• 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?

• Modern Warfare 3 spawns limited edition 360 console

  If you're the sort of player who isn't content to merely play Modern Warfare 3, but needs a tangible real world connection to the game, train your scope on the upcoming limited edition MW3 Xbox console.

  It's a 320Gb model, and comes with a stylishly distressed grey-and-black military exterior so you can pretend you didn't just pick it up from the shops but dragged it through the rubble of some foreign warzone as shells exploded right next to your head. Two custom controllers, also sporting the special edition Modern Warfare skin, are part of the package.

  The console also boasts exclusive Call of Duty themed system sounds and comes with MW3 Avatar items and a month's free access to Xbox Live - because apparently you can play shooting games online these days. A similarly branded wireless headset will also be available separately.

  The console bundle has been confirmed for a European launch alongside the game on November 8th, and is available from gamestation. For those not in the market for a new console, the game will of course be available for PlayStation 3, PC as well.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition unveiled

  A host of tantalising bonus items have been confirmed for inclusion in the deluxe Hardened Edition version of the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

  The limited edition bundle for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is now available to pre-order and will pack an array of goodies into an exclusive premium case.

  As well as a copy of Infinity Ward's latest blockbuster shooter, the Hardened Edition will include a special field journal, a theme for PlayStation 3 users and Avatar items for Xbox 360 gamers.

  It will also entitle owners to a year's subscription and Founder Status on the new Call of Duty Elite online service, giving them access to map packs at no extra cost and various exclusive perks.

  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is shaping up to be one of 2011's biggest games and will be available this November.

  Published: 06/09/2011

• Full Call of Duty Elite feature list announced

  Activision has revealed the full rundown of features that will be provided by its new Call of Duty Elite online service.

  Gamers who register for free Elite accounts when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches this year will be able to create a profile, public groups and clans, share high-definition videos, access official guides and download Call of Duty apps to their phones.

  Premium subscribers will get all of this and a range of additional perks, including paid-for access to more than 20 pieces of downloadable content, plus special competitions and specially commissioned episodic videos.

  Meanwhile, those who secure Founder status by pre-ordering Modern Warfare 3 will also be able access even more exclusive bonuses, such as member cards, profile skins, extra items and XP boosts.

  Call of Duty Elite will be an integral part of Modern Warfare 3 when it hits Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this November.

  Gamers can guarantee Founder status and a year's subscription to Elite by picking up the Hardened Edition version of the game.

  Published: 07/09/2011

• Cancelled third-person Call of Duty spin-off detailed at XP event

  Teasing details from the nameless Call of Duty spin-off, once under development at Sledgehammer, have been revealed at the Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles.

  Talking to Gamerzines, Sledgehammer boss Glen Schofield described the aborted project as a third-person shooter, not set in the modern day. He went on to add "It had a lot of atmosphere like, I should say Dead Space a little bit because you were underground in some places. You know, war is hell, war is scary and that's what we were trying to get across. We did a tonne of research."

  The news is perhaps not particularly surprising both Schofield and fellow studio head Michael Condery set up Sledgehammer after working on Dead Space for EA at Visceral Games.

  The decision to cancel the game was theirs, he insists, and not an order from Activision's high command. The offer came through from Infinity Ward to help on Modern Warfare 3, and after talking it through with the Sledgehammer team, the changeover was made.

  Would a third-person Call of Duty have worked? We'll probably never know. What we do know is that Modern Warfare 3 is now just two months away from its November 8th release date. It'll be out on PS3, Xbox 360,and PC.

• Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer: it's all about the flow

  Developers from Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer have been talking up the multiplayer modes of their upcoming monster, Modern Warfare 3. Most specifically, they've been explaining how they've tweaked the maps and modes to ensure that everyone has fun while shooting strangers in the face.

  Speaking at the Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles, Modern Warfare 3 producer Mark Rubin said: "Having a map with good flow makes you feel comfortable moving through the map. If the flow is not good, people won't move as much because they are paranoid of getting shot."

  This is why the team has looked back to popular maps from CoD's past for ideas, in order to make sure that players aren't left paranoid by wondering where the next fatal bullet will come from. Key to this is new game mode, Kill Confirmed, in which players have to keep on the move in order to collect dog tags from deceased players. Anyone who camps out with a sniper rifle isn't going to score many points.

  "It's sort of a Team Deathmatch alternative", Rubin explained. "It really promotes people moving around and the same kind of fun gameplay that TDM is, but with a twist of having to collect all those tags and keeping you moving and fluid...it's not about just making the map itself different, but making the gameplay around the map different to support a more variety of gameplay instead of camping and stuff."

  Modern Warfare 3 will make its humble debut on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 8th.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Preview

  Online phenomenon

  Many will be looking forward to Modern Warfare 3's single player campaign, but it's the franchise's multiplayer component which has helped Call of Duty become the biggest game series in the world over the past few years. A mainstream cultural phenomenon with a 30 million strong online player base, it's also what will keep the game locked in disc trays many months after players have completed the title's globe-trotting single player war on terror.

  With such great success in recent times, you'd understand if developer Infinity Ward was hesitant to mess with a winning formula, but with a new competitor on the horizon in the shape of Battlefield 3, the game maker is showing no signs of resting on its laurels. At the heart of Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer experience is a reworked rewards system. Killstreaks, which grant players access to increasingly devastating power-ups for completing consecutive kills, have been redesigned to encourage a variety of different play styles by rewarding not only kills but other team-based actions like bomb disposal and objective capture.

  Strike Packages

  Players can choose from three ladders of power-ups, which are known as Strike Packages. The Assault Strike Package offers access to weapons designed for direct enemy damage like sentry guns, predator missiles and chopper support. The Support Strike Package gives bonuses designed to help your entire team like unmanned aerial vehicles that pinpoint enemy locations, ballistic vests to divvy out between players and surface to air missiles that target enemy aircraft. Meanwhile, the Specialist Strike Package, which is designed for expert players, offers rewards in the form of perks, special character boosting attributes such as increased speed and aiming, silent footsteps, better resistance to explosives and the ability to pick up ammo from downed enemies..

  Modern Warfare 3 also introduces a new weapon progression system that sees your chosen tool of destruction level up the more you use it, enabling you to attach enhancements like scopes and reticules to your gun, and to limit recoil when firing or reduce flinch when taking hits.

  Kill Confirmed

  The game will release with 16 multiplayer maps, each playable across a range of game types, from returning fan-favourites such as Deathmatch (solo and team), Capture the Flag and Domination to new modes like Kill Confirmed and Survival Spec Ops. Kill Confirmed plays out like a regular Team Deathmatch, although there is one key difference: defeated players leave behind shiny dog tags on the battlefield. If you grab them you net extra points for onfirming' the kill, while you can also pick up a fallen teammate's to gain points for enying' the opposing team a kill.

  Spec Ops Survival is Modern Warfare 3's answer to Gears of War's Horde mode or Call of Duty: Black Ops' Zombies mode. It tasks you and a friend with defending the map against increasingly tough waves of enemies, beginning with low-level militia armed with weak weapons to better-equipped soldiers, dogs, attack choppers, explosive enemies and more. You start with a pistol but earn cash for each kill which can be used to unlock weapons and equipment including grenades, sentry turrets, cruise missiles, and temporary back up from riot shield wielding troops. As well as being a great game type in its own right, it's a good way for new players to practice and improve a bit before they take their game online.

  Many more game types have been announced but have yet to be shown off in action. These include Infection (the infected kills enemies to recruit them to the infected team), Juggernaut (kill the juggernaut to become the new juggernaut), Gun Game (be the first to dominate with every gun) and One in the Chamber (gain ammo by eliminating enemies, be the last to survive).

  King of the hill

  Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer component looks and feels largely as we've come to expect, only with more on offer than ever before and a greater level of polish too. The new Strike Package system and the large number of online game modes should ensure there's something on offer for all types of players, from attack-minded lone wolves to support-minded team players, and for veterans of the series to newcomers alike.

  The quality of what we've played so far suggests the Call of Duty series isn't going to be relinquishing its multiplayer crown any time soon, and it has left us itching to get back on the battlefield come the game's November release.

  Preview by: Tom 'The Specialist' Ivan
  Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
  Release date: 08.11.2011
  Preview Published: 13.09.11

  Published: 13/09/2011

• Call of Duty Elite beta trial comes to PlayStation 3

  PlayStation 3 owners have been given their first opportunity to take part in the beta trial of the new Call of Duty Elite online service.

  A limited number of invitations are being made available for Sony console owners to take part in the preliminary test of the new social tool, which will make its full debut as part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in November.

  The beta works in conjunction with Call of Duty: Black Ops and lets players try out key features such as stat tracking, video sharing, custom group creation and tournament modes.

  Xbox 360 owners first got to experience Call of Duty Elite in July, with the service set to revolutionise the online Call of Duty experience.

  Free users will be able to create profiles, clans and groups, download phone apps, access official game guides and much more.

  Meanwhile, paid subscribers will be able to access even more content, such as episodic video content, special tournaments and complete access to DLC map packs at no extra charge.

  Published: 21/09/2011

• Call of Duty XP Weekend

  

  Call of Duty XP Event

  In LA history is about to made as Activision hosts the first, in what should be a long running event; The Call of Duty XP Event!

  Call of Duty has become such a worldwide phenomenon that it can now attract people from around the world to a single location. The Location in question houses two enormous aircraft hangers and a huge exterior full of CoD related activities.

  The aircraft hangers house a stage with space for thousands to watch Activision deliver their welcoming speech and then be used by Infinity Ward and Treyarch to deliver speeches and interact with their fans.

  But it's the other hanger that is garnering the attention, the hanger that has thousands of Xbox 360 consoles, some are running Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, some Call of Duty Black Ops and some are running one of the contenders for Game of the Year before it's even launched... Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.

  XP Weekend marks the official unveiling of the Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer, which will also be the host for a One Million Dollar tournament! The teams for this have come from all over the world, some professional, some just friends, but however they got here, these guys can play!

  It's a knock out tournament, with the final eight teams being the ones who will walk away with prize money, with in the tournament there are three teams from the UK, Infinity, Apex and Infused.

  Not only did we have all those Xbox 360 to play on, Activision had gone to town on some other amusements for us too:

  The Pit
  Modern Warfare 2 training level is brought to life as gamers get to test their speed and accuracy as there shoot targets whilst trying to get the fastest time. I will add here that it was paintball guns used and not Live ammo.

  
  

  Paintball on Scrapyard
  You may know the map with a controller in hand but when you stepped into the real Scrapyard it really was a nerve wracking experience! Scrapyard is a fan favourite and playing Domination Paintball was an amazing experience.

  
  

  Zip Line
  If you had a head for heights then you could go down the zipline. Some looked right at home hurtling toward the ground, but others looked truly terrified!

  
  
  

  Juggernaut Sumo
  It's exactly as it sounds! Put on the massive padded suits and Sumo fight, this was the area that possibly got the biggest laughs as friends went to-to-toe and settle the biggest question, who is the better Juggernaut Sumo Wrestler.

  
  

  Armoury
  Check out the real life weapons of Call of Duty! Thankfully there were sealed behind glass and wire, so no worries about people trying to take one as an extra souvenir of the weekend.

  
  

  Survival
  Survival is the new addition to Spec Ops mode, like it's Treyarch brother Zombies, you'll face wave after wave of enemies that will get harder with each round. Only difference is they can fire back and there is only two of you!

  
  

  King of the Hill
  Think your man enough to become king of the Hill, then grab your controller and go against all others as you try to prove you are the King.

  
  

  Zombies
  Using the recently released Rezurrection pack, players could team up see how far they could go against the zombie hordes on the Moon using new weapons.

  
  

  Extraction
  Just a routine trip in the latest JEEP, until you come across a burnt out car and go speeding around an assault course with explosions and gun fire sounding off in your ears! And that's before you get dragged out the car and get taken around a dark building with some marines as the enemy shoots at you!

  Burger Town
  Hungry? Then head over to Burger town and grab yourself a bite to eat, you could even be served by the Burgerman himself!

  Joe's VS Pro's
  Real American heroes take on some of CoD's finest in this virtual battle for supremacy. Would the tactical veterans be able to take on the fast fingers/p>

  So to say there was a fair bit to do would be an understatement.

  But before anyone could get a controller or Paintball gun in hand, we sat and waited for Activision to deliver their Speech. The Speech itself was all about thanking the fans for their support and loyalty over the years that the Call of Duty series had been running. Eric Hirshberg delivered some random, but interesting facts such as there have been more shots fired in Call of Duty than there are stars in the Milky Way...that's a lot!

  He went on to talk about the Call of Duty Endowment which is a non-profit foundation created by Activision Blizzard to help U.S. military veterans find employment. Call of Duty Endowment has already helped many U.S Veterans around the world, but at the XP weekend, Eric Hirshberg declared that all ticket money would be going to the CoD Endowment.

  Next Eric spoke about a little group who had created a live action CoD, and when Activision called them to say congratulations, they thought the Lawyers would knocking next. What Activision really wanted to do was fund them for a sequel, "Operation Kingfisher".

  The short film featured some well known characters and had a high production values as proven with the AC-130 bombarding people from the sky!

  Next out on stage was Robert Bowling and Michael Condrey. Both were excited and eager to start laying everything out for the fans, which they did. They explained how Modern Warfare 2 had moved away from the gunplay that made Modern Warfare 1 the game that it, and Modern Warfare 3 was going to change all that!
  Modern Warfare 3 would focus more on the gunplay and to make life easier for new comers Kill Streaks would be changed into Strike Packages. This meant, depending on the Strike Package you choose to go with you you could die and your package would not get reset.

  Elite was also elaborated on during the duos time on stage an d they explained how you can join groups with in Elite, so favorite sports teams, schools etc... to find players who share common interests. Also talked about was the Elite App, which would allow you to access your elite details on the go and even alter your load-out read for when you get home.

  All in all, the speeches were exciting, with the speakers just as pumped as the crowd. But after what felt like 5 minutes we were invited to proceed through to the other hangar where we could then head outside for Paintball or go hands on with the game that all these people were here to see... Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3!
  

  Published: 29/09/2011

• Running the Scrapyard

  

  I love the smell of Paintball in the morning

  If your dream as a Call of Duty fan is to run around one of your favorite maps, Call of Duty XP weekend gave you that chance exactly. At the event in LA over the 1st, 2nd and 3rd September Activision had recreated the Scrapyard for fans go wild on in a game of Domination.

  The rules were simple, in the 7 minute match, you had 5 minutes of infinite respawns, after that it was one shot and you're out. Within those precious minutes, it is your team task to raise all three flags that are set up on the level.

  The level was very accurate and a decent size for 32 players, 16 players on each team, to run about on whilst shooting each. Each team was in a different jumpsuit and body armour, including full face mask.

  Now LA was hot enough but when you then put a jump suit, body armour and helmet over what you're already, you really start to feel the heat! Before the actual match began we were given some safety information and tried to, quietly, strategies with our fellow soldiers...

  When the instructors had finished talking we were taken to our "spawn points", despite this being paintball, you couldn't help but feel a little bit nervous. With a few last minute tactics shared, we turned the safety switches on the guns off and got ready for the match to begin.

  With the whistle blowing the team ran from the spawn point into a hail of Paintballs, which we quickly returned. Within seconds both teams had raised hands to signify a loss, but as it was infinite respawns, shot team mates would raise their hands and run back to spawn points, so they could be cleaned up and then sent out into battle.

  

  First in line for Scrapyard COD XP

  

  
  

  The fighting was fast and furious with friends and "enemies" ducking, covering and just generally getting into it. As the game mode was domination, some team members focused on the flags whilst others just focused on the ills no change from a real COD match then! Problem is, like a real CoD match, neither worked together!

  Those wanting to raise the flag ran ahead expecting the others to follow; those who wanted to get the illsjust ran off. There were some good attempts from both teams but it remained a draw until the middle flag got raised by the opposition. And then the whistle went which signified one shot and youe out.

  Within seconds, both our team and theirs had been reduced to two men! With them winning and my team mate eyeing the middle flag, I decided to make a dash for their own flag. Within seconds I had run across the pitch, grabbed the rope and raised tour flag bringing the match to 2-1 in our favour!

  Behind me though I noticed my team mate was walking off the pitch with his arm raised, so it was just me and against them. Unfortunately as their flag was now mine, they knew exactly where I was. I turned a corner saw the first one opened fire, caught him in the chest and the arm. As I started feeling jubilant I felt a sharp pain in my left calf muscle and my left ribs, and knew exactly what it was had been shot in the leg and the ribs.

  The whistles blew and the match was over! We had lost. Whilst I had been raising their flag, they had lowered ours and the central flag! I felt angry at the loss but as my team pointed out, I was the last man standing, and walked away with the Scrapyard badge and 3 Prestige badges.
  

  Published: 06/10/2011

• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 Hands-on

  Call of Duty Hands on

  Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 sees the return of Infinity Wards award winning Modern Warfare multiplayer. But this year things have changed as Infinity Ward and SledgeHammer game mix it up and make the game more about gunplay like CoD 4 was and less about the Kill Streaks.

  For the objective based players and those still learning the ropes, this will be a very welcome addition. Also the way the killstreaks are selected between the three packages gives the Modern Warfare 3 a more tactical edge too.

  New to Modern Warfare 3 are the Strike Packages, split into three groups Assault, Support and Specialist. Assault Packages are all about going for the Kills so Air Strikes, Support allows you to support your team, so UAV's, Specialist is a mixed bag and more suited to the old school CoD players. But the big addition here is that if you die using Support or Assault, your Kill Streaks are not reset, only the Specialist must start over earning his kills again.

  Modern Warfare 3 is reaching out to the players who enjoy CoD but could never really advance at it due to the players who have been playing non-stop, guys like me!

  The Kill Streaks aren't the only thing getting a nip-and-tuck, Perks have also come under the microscope. You can still select three player Perks to increase your character in game, but you'll need to look at them all carefully to make sure the ones you want are still there. Fans of Marathon, like me, will notice it has been replaced by Extreme Conditioning, so there is no more unlimited sprinting, just prolonged.

  Also some perks have been reclassified by Infinity Ward from Perk to Weapon Proficiencies, Commando being one of them. I also couldn't see Stopping Power, so I couldn't tell if this had been rolled into something else or just completely removed.

  

  First in line for Modern Warfare 3

  

  
  

  Weapon Proficiencies, as mentioned above, is all about leveling your gun up and earning "perks" especially for your gun. Some of these sounded extremely interesting such as Dual Scopes on Assault Rifles and Steady Aim holding your breath with almost any gun were two that caught my immediate attention.

  So with all this attention on the player progression has Infinity Ward actually done anything new to the Multiplayer modes? Yes they have. New to Modern Warfare 3 is "Kill Confirmed" which for the most part starts out like Team Deathmatch , but every time someone is killed they drop their Dog Tags. By grabbing a yellow set of tags, your enemies, you'll nab a point for your team. By grabbing a red set of tags, one of your team mates, you'll deny the opposition the points... sounds simple doesn't it!

  Unfortunately it's not, because even if you take down an enemy, you haven't got the point until you hold those tags. The team I played with decided to set a little trap for the opposition by taking cover and letting one guy walk out alone as bait. The other team came storming in shot our one man, before being shot, stabbed and blown away, which put the score at 8-1 in a matter of seconds. Even when I broke away from the rest of the team and got a kill I was extremely nervous about collecting the tags, as I feared a repeat of our tactics.

  It's clear that Infinity Ward have done a lot to make Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 the most welcoming and entertaining multiplayer experience seen in a CoD game yet. For me it may be just that, Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops are exceptionally good multiplayer games, but when in a room full of Elite CoD-ers or Clans, I never really stand a chance and become canon-fodder. But with MW3's new approach to the un-experienced and intermediate players, CoD just became a very different game.

  Visually, Modern Warfare 3 is still rocking an impressive, if not old engine, which keeps the game ticking at a sexy 60 frames per second. The audio is solid with meaty machine gun fire and explosions that leave a ringing in your ears for quite some time, especially if you have a Dolby surround sound headset plugged in which for me, is the only way I can experience the CoD.

  Also, there is Call of Duty Elite, which allows you to Connect, Compete and Improve! By hooking into Elite, you'll be able to find the players you want to battle it out with, whether that's players of a similar skill or who share an interest is completely down to you. When competing using Elite players will be able to enter Tournaments to try and win virtual and real prizes. But Improve is the feature that excites me, as you can look at the map layouts to find the areas where you have most trouble navigating, find out which weapon you are most accurate with to name two of the stats you can check out.

  Also on the way is the Elite App which will allow you access your Elite profile on the move and change your weapons load out ready for battle when you get off the bus.

  I enjoyed every moment of the Call of Duty Multiplayer, the familiar controls and the new welcoming set-up means that anyone can pick-up-and-play Modern Warfare 3. Yes, the hardcore CoD-players may still have the edge, but Modern Warfare 3 has thrown guys like me, the intermediate player a lifeline through strike packages and Call of Duty Elite, and because of this I will be answering the Call of Duty this November!

  Published: 07/10/2011

• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 - Review

  World War 3

  Call of Duty has proven itself to be the most popular gaming franchise in the world over the last few years and Modern Warfare 3 sets out to retain that title by delivering a globe-trotting war of epic proportions. Set immediately after the events of its predecessor, the game presents a fiction in which the Russian Federation is in the middle of an invasion of the United States and has expanded its offensive to Europe, including England, France and Germany.

  While trying to stay alive through a breathless but relatively brief single player campaign, a primary goal will be to hunt down Russian Ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov, the series' primary antagonist and engineer of this global conflict. Your journey will switch between different perspectives of the war, as you step into Delta Squad's boots in an attempt to drive the Russians out of New York, take the rocket controls of an AC-130 gunship above Paris and don the night vision goggles of SAS troops storming the London Underground, to name just a few scenarios.

  Physical Impact

  Modern Warfare 3 is constantly mixing things up, whether it's your location or your character and role in proceedings. There's a brilliant Parisian car chase, a tense infiltration mission in lightning-lit Prague, a gunfight inside a crashing airliner, a submarine shootout and a chopper battle around New York skyscrapers. You'll often be thrown to and fro between traditional on foot combat sections and out of body experiences which see you commanding remote turrets, predator drones or RPG-firing unmanned ground vehicles.

  The gunplay is familiar and solid feeling, the audio has been improved since last year, and the heart-pounding action is delivered in a silky-smooth 60 frames per second, making for seamless transitions between regular 'wow ' moments. Some of the environments feature a few blurry textures and jagged edges that betray the game engine's age, particularly when compared side by side with recently released Call of Duty competitor Battlefield 3, but it still offers a fairly stunning spectacle throughout.

  Online Battlefields

  While its single player campaign isn't the longest at about eight hours in length, Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes will provide year-round entertainment. Multiple game types, from series regulars like Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Domination to new modes such as Kill Confirmed and Team Defender, are playable on 16 maps set across locations inspired by the campaign, from the café-laden streets of Paris to African shanty towns.

  Kill Confirmed sees you earn points by grabbing dog tags left on the ground by downed enemies, or denying the opposition points by rescuing tags from your fallen allies before they're captured, while Team Defender challenges teams to capture and hold a mobile flag, with the group in possession of it awarded double points for enemy kills. Players can even create their own game types by modifying just about every aspect of the existing templates.

  At the heart of the experience is an accessible progression system which grants players access to increasingly devastating abilities and equipment for completing objectives. These include earning consecutive kills, or more team-focused actions like bomb disposal and objective capture. Few games can match the sense of development and reward Call of Duty dishes out on a regular basis.

  Special Ops

  Elsewhere, the game's Special Ops mode is split into two parts, Survival and Challenge. Modern Warfare 3's answer to Gears of War's Horde mode or Call of Duty: Black Ops' Zombies one, Survival tasks you and a friend with defending the map against increasingly tough waves of enemies. Kills are your currency, earning you access to increasingly powerful weaponry and defensive equipment.

  Meanwhile, the best of the 16 Challenge missions demand co-op play. Often designed to fill in gaps from the story and played from the perspective of the campaign's bad guys, they challenge players to complete timed objectives, from hijacking a presidential plane to protecting a helpless bomb-defusing colleague from a vantage point using a sniper rifle.

  Blockbuster gaming

  Accessible, highly polished and perhaps best described as the gaming equivalent of a Michael Bay Hollywood blockbuster, Modern Warfare 3 has 'massive hit' written all of over it. Like its two Call of Duty predecessors, it's set to be the biggest game of the year in terms of sales, player numbers and probably a whole host of other metrics - and not without good reason.

  While it has some cool new features, it does a great job of seamlessly integrating them so as not to upset a winning formula. Modern Warfare 3 doesn't represent a revolution in the first person shooter genre, but it's a great evolution of a tried and tested recipe that tens of millions of gamers know, love, buy and sink endless hours into each year.

  GAME's verdict

  Good:
  + Solid campaign and brilliant multiplayer modes.
  + Few games pull off blockbuster set pieces so well.
  + Enough content to last until next year's Call of Duty.

  Bad:
  - Evolution rather than a revolution.
  - The campaign is relatively short.
  - Four player Spec Ops modes would be welcome.

   

  Review by: Tom 'Super Soldier' Ivan
  Version Tested: X360
  Review Published: 08.11.11

  Published: 08/11/2011

• Battlefield 3 holds steady atop UK charts

  Smash-hit shooter Battlefield 3 has retained its position atop the UK all-formats chart, despite a strong challenge from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

  EA and DICE's acclaimed action game managed to continue its blockbusting pace to see off Naughty Dog's latest PlayStation 3 adventure, topping the official GfK-ChartTrack rankings for a second week.

  However, second-placed Uncharted 3 was still able to generate massive numbers of its own, recording the 11th best PlayStation 3 launch ever, while far exceeding the debut of 2009's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

  Third place went to FIFA 12, while the ever-popular Batman: Arkham City and Just Dance 3 rounded out the top five.

  Sega's latest Sonic the Hedgehog adventure, Sonic Generations, also cracked the top ten, slotting in at tenth place.

  Next week's chart will be rocked by the imminent launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which is likely to break more than a few sales records when it debuts on Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3.

  Published: 08/11/2011

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 storms into stores

  Gamers across the world have finally been given a chance to get stuck into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after the much-hyped blockbuster launched in stores today (November 8th 2011).

  Activision's latest action epic has finally arrived on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii and Nintendo DS, with midnight launch parties having taken place at 13,000 locations across the world last night.

  Developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games, Modern Warfare 3 is a cutting-edge shooter that catapults players into the middle of a third world war, with a dramatic campaign mode complemented by an improved version of gaming's most popular multiplayer experience.

  The launch is one of the most eagerly anticipated of the year, with global pre-orders shattering records left, right and centre.

  Modern Warfare 3 stands a good chance of matching or exceeding the success of last year's award-winning Call of Duty: Black Ops, the top-selling game in UK history.

  Activision Publishing boss Eric Hirshberg said: "This watershed launch extends the legacy of the franchise like no other previous release."
  

  Published: 08/11/2011

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Review

  Stronger, faster, better

  Where can the biggest game series in history go when it's already at the top? The answer, in true Call of Duty style, is to blow the roof off and keep going up. Yes, Modern Warfare 3 somehow manages to be bigger, bolder and ballsier than all previous outings for the famously over the top franchise. If you've been following the series all along, prepare to experience it at its bloody, brutal best. If you're new to Call of Duty, well, buckle up and hold on tight!

  Campaigning for change

  Nowhere is MW3 more bombastic than in its single player campaign, which brings the Modern Warfare storyline to a decisive - and explosive - end. As is traditional for the series, you hop from continent to continent, character to character, picking apart the threads leading to World War 3.

  This means that one moment you can be part of a Delta Force squad crippling a Russian nuclear submarine off the coast of New York, the next you can be behind enemy lines as rogue elements Soap and Price. You'll join the SAS chasing terrorists across London, defend Paris from invasion and even experience a fraught aerial hostage situation as a Russian secret service agent. At every turn, the game flicks between full-throated shoot outs as you press ever onwards against overwhelming odds, and one-off setpiece stunts that use the first-person perspective to its fullest, putting you right in the thick of the action for some truly jaw-dropping moments.

  For all its blockbuster muscle, the solo mode does feel a little familiar. Veterans of previous CoD campaigns will find little surprising in the construction of the ride, and it still suffers from a few too many frustrating bottlenecks where you're battered from all sides, dying repeatedly until somehow scraping throught to a checkpoint. For all its minor annoyances, it's a ride well worth taking, if only for the sheer 'wow' factor.

  Brothers in arms

  Call of Duty has always been strongest when played with others, and that's definitely the case with Modern Warfare 3. Before you even get to the meaty multiplayer, there's a fantastic array of co-operative games to try.

  Designed for just two players, co-op is split into two distinct halves. On one hand you have the Special Ops missions, small bite-sized narrative diversions from the main plot and new takes on old levels that really put your teamwork to the test. Watching each other's back isn't just advised, it's essential. On the other hand, co-op also offers ranked tiers of Survival missions, pitting the two of you against waves of tougher and tougher enemies, with only a brief downtime in between to fortify your defences and stock up on weapons.

  Both Special Ops and Survival have their own progression trees, plus a variety of guns and tools to unlock. In fact, with over thirty missions between them, co-op has never been more important in a Call of Duty release. You could play for months without ever touching the traditional multiplayer.

  Thrill of the hunt

  Multiplayer is where it's at, though. Call of Duty has built its vast fanbase and passionate community through years of refined competitive play, and the team has pulled out all the stops to ensure that Modern Warfare goes out on a high.

  You'll know the basics, of course. There are a generous sixteen maps (though there's not a vast amount of difference between most of them) and they're all designed for fast, ruthless, close quarters combat. Whether you're playing Team Deathmatch or grabbing and defending command points, there's nothing else that delivers the sheer adrenalin rush of a good COD match. Things feel much more fair now, thanks to redesigned killstreak rewards. You can now edit your own unlock tree, and select the Support class so streaks don't reset after death, ensuring that no two players will get the same perks and bonuses.

  That doesn't mean the game is complacent. There are new game modes to enjoy, such as Team Defender and Kill Confirmed. The latter is particularly enjoyable, forcing you to collect the dog tags from a defeated enemy in order to claim the points. Eliminating those annoying long distance campers at a stroke, it forces players to keep moving, to be more aware of their surroundings and to think beyond the next headshot.

  There are improvements for Private matches as well, as those choosing to play only with friends get an exclusive range of quirky game modes to play with. These modes are all fully customisable, and you can share any fun rulesets with your friends, who can then share them with the community. Expect to see some ingenious new game types spreading virally.

  And that's without mentioning Call of Duty: Elite, the new social feature that allows you to track your stats, improve your game and take part in regular tournaments and competitions. There are additional treats for those who pay upfront for all the upcoming map packs, but the free version is essential in its own right.

  Sign up, soldier

  If you love shooters then you need to play Modern Warfare 3. It really is that simple. There are other approaches to the FPS genre, of course, but as far as modern military games go this is the standard bearer, the pinnacle, the benchmark. The solo mode offers some of the most jaw-dropping moments ever seen in a game. The co-op mode is ridiculously addictive, and as compelling as multiplayer in its own way. And the multiplayer has never been so refined and balanced, providing the best way to play soldiers online, bar none. Biggest game ever? No doubt, and it's well deserved.

   

  

  Mission accomplished:
  + Amazing blockbuster.
  + Fantastic co-op modes.
  + Superbly balanced multiplayer.

  Offside:
  - Frustrating single player checkpoints.
  - Very linear story mode.
  - Not much variety in multiplayer maps.
  

• Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim lead blockbuster week in UK charts

  Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim lead blockbuster week in UK charts

  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have led the UK all-formats chart in a blockbuster week for gaming.

  Topping the rankings was Modern Warfare 3, which achieved the highest-grossing videogame launch in UK history, beating the record set last year by its predecessor Call of Duty: Black Ops.

  More impressively still, it was the biggest launch of any entertainment title ever, outselling the opening weekends of the four most recent Harry Potter movies combined.

  In second place, Skyrim was no slouch either, notching up the fifth best launch numbers of the year and becoming Bethesda Softworks' biggest ever release in the process.

  Rounding out a blockbuster top five this week were Battlefield 3, FIFA 12 and Just Dance 3.

  Next week will see another avalanche of triple-A titles hitting stores, including The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Assassin's Creed Revelations, Need for Speed: The Run, Saints Row: The Third and Super Mario 3D Land.
  

  Published: 14/11/2011

• GAME : Essential Xbox 360 games from 2011

  2011 was full of big releases for Xbox 360, including sequels to some of this generation's best franchises, high definition remakes of classic games and innovative motion control offerings. Here, GAME rounds up five of the must-own 360 titles that no Xbox 360 owner should be without.

  Brothers 'til the end

  Sci-fi third person shooter Gears of War 3 is the explosive finale to the current story arc of one of the biggest and best series in Xbox history. With mankind on the verge of annihilation at the hands of nightmarish monsters, players step into the boots of a military force battling to preserve humanity in the face of overwhelming odds. A tale of brotherhood, harsh realities, sacrifice and redemption, it features an engaging story, breathtaking visuals, meaty gunplay and tactical, cover-based action. The epic story campaign supports four-player cooperative play, and is complemented by a host of cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes for veteran players and rookies alike.

  Get in the race

  Offering traditional controller-based racing as well as the freedom and accessibility of Kinect motion controls, Forza Motorsport 4 is one of the most ambitious takes on the genre to date. With top supercars from over 80 manufacturers and a selection of the world's finest real and fictional tracks, the game features silky smooth racing, realistic physics and effects, gorgeous graphics and stereoscopic 3D support. Community features allow players to create auto clubs with like-minded car nuts, customise and trade rides with fellow collectors, and head out on to the track for adrenaline-soaked showdowns against up to 15 other online racers.

  Global warfare

  Accessible, highly polished and perhaps best described as the gaming equivalent of a Michael Bay Hollywood blockbuster, Modern Warfare 3 is the latest entry in the world's biggest first person shooter franchise. Featuring a globe-trotting campaign that sees players attempting to avert World War 3, it offers access to a range of high tech weaponry and military hardware including remote turrets, predator drones and gunships. The same tools of destruction also feature in the series' deepest yet most accessible multiplayer offering yet, which features competitive online battles across a range of fan favourite and innovative new game modes, plus co-operative challenge and survival missions for two players.

  A classic reborn

  Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is a spectacularly remastered version of the game that launched the Xbox brand ten years ago. Offering a diversity of action, a freedom of movement and enemy artificial intelligence that rivals its modern day competitors, the title's stellar gameplay remains unchanged from the original, but the alien blasting action is supercharged with a lovely high definition makeover, stereoscopic 3D support, Kinect voice control and new multiplayer maps and features. Widely regarded as one of the first great first person shooters on consoles, Combat Evolved lives up to its subtitle even a decade after its initial release.

  Choose your own destiny

  Action RPG Fable III puts the fate of fictional world Albion in your hands as you rally the oppressed, start a revolution and eventually take the throne. The choices and sacrifices you make on the path to greatness create an ever-evolving world of consequences that will be felt across the entire land. Will you play as a hero, villain or someone between, and once you assume power, will you rule with kindness or an iron fist? Playable co-operatively with a friend, the game is brought to life by an all star cast featuring the voice talent of John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg, Ben Kingsley and Zoe Wanamaker.

  Published: 14/12/2011

• FIFA 12 breaks records with fifth straight chart-topping week

  EA Sports' FIFA 12 has claimed a fifth successive week atop the UK all-formats chart, breaking a number of industry records in the process.

  Official GfK-ChartTrack figures show that the football sim is now the highest-grossing sports game in UK history, outselling all previous FIFA titles and spending a total of seven weeks on top of the charts.

  The game's current five-week winning streak is also the second-best of any FIFA entry, behind only FIFA: Road to World Cup 98, which spent 11 straight weeks as the UK's top-selling title.

  Second place this week went to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the UK's Christmas number one, while a trio of threequels - Just Dance 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 - rounded out the top five.

  Also riding high were Zumba Fitness and Zumba Fitness 2, Saints Row: The Third and the acclaimed Rayman Origins, marking its first appearance in the top ten with a ninth-place finish.

  This week will see the return of the Resident Evil series with Resident Evil Revelations, an all-new adventure for Nintendo 3DS.
  

  Published: 23/01/2012

• The Rise of Multiplayer Gaming

  It's hard to image there was ever a time when we couldn't assume our grimmest war-face, fire up our consoles and do battle with a global army of enemy combatants from the comfort of our armchairs. We're certainly come a long way from sitting hunched over our Commodores, battling as much for keyboard space with our siblings as we were on-screen! But where did it all start?

  Things really started to evolve in the 90s though when LAN parties were the in-thing for the hardcore gaming hobbyist. If the prospect of the violently seductive Doom wasn't enough to keep you up into the early hours by itself, there was no better way to bring the competitive minds of a whole generation of gamers together than by syncing up a few PCs and spending hours, even days, doing battle in the flesh.

  

  The blossoming Korean e-sports scene took the concept even further, and now commands a staggering national audience for televised championships. Blizzard's outstanding StarCraft series rules the roost in this domain, and not even the awesome sequel released in 2010 has put a dent in players' enthusiasm for the best-selling original. The competitive scene for StarCraft II is still buzzing in the West, and it's never too late to get stuck into a game that'll be around for years to come and still has two explosive expansions in the works.

  

  Then there's World of Warcraft, the game that really did change everything. Released in 2004, it arrived just at the right time as the mass uptake of increasingly fast broadband connections became the norm, unleashing a greedy clamour for the world of Azeroth - one so extreme that it saw Blizzard pull the game from store shelves at one point, their servers unable to keep up with the snowballing demand. It now enjoys a seven-figure subscriber count, and with three award-winning expansions under it's belt, there's more content for you to get stuck into than you'll know what to do with!

  

  While consoles such as the sadly-undersold Dreamcast teased gently around the potential for global gameplay, it was arguably Microsoft who broke new ground for console gaming with the launch of the Xbox LIVE service, putting a whole new world of gaming at player's feet - and long before PCs became a breeze to hook up for the living-room lounger!

  So while PC gaming might have dominated the early days of competitive multiplayer, it was titles like Halo 2 that brought the idea of mass gaming to the forefront of game design. While the single-player components of the Halo games continue to blow us away, the passion for Halo 2 was so extreme that players left their Xbox 360s running for days at a time to prevent the eventual switch-off of multiplayer support for all original Xbox games in April 2010.

  

  These days it's show-stopping blockbuster titles like Call of Duty that continue to change the way gaming is viewed and played online by the console crowd. For many, it's the only game they need to buy each year, and new services like Call of Duty Elite are doing even more to add greater depth to the experience, allowing gamers to track, log and show off their finest moments on the battlefield.

  

  No-one can guess what the next evolution in multiplayer might be, but we're already seeing some extraordinary innovation in the likes of Nintendo's StreetPass, allowing gamers-on-the-go to make new friends without ever saying hello, and the awesome potential of the augmented reality features in the upcoming PlayStation Vita. One thing's clear, multiplayer is here to stay and the future can only bring us even closer together.

• FIFA 12 makes it six chart-topping weeks in a row

  There was no stopping FIFA 12 in the UK charts as the blockbuster football game topped the sales rankings for yet another week.

  The EA Sports title was once again the top-selling title in Britain for the sixth straight week, making it a total of eight weeks atop the GfK-ChartTrack rankings overall.

  FIFA 12 has already been crowned the highest-grossing sports videogame in UK history and just edged out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to take top honours this week.

  The biggest new release of the week was sixth-placed Nintendo 3DS horror game Resident Evil: Revelations, which was actually the top-selling single format release overall.

  Other strong chart performers included The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Just Dance 3 and Battlefield 3, which rounded out this week's top five.

  Next week is set to see a wave of 2012's first would-be blockbusters hitting stores, with role-playing sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 and fighting extravaganza SoulCalibur V leading the charge.

  Published: 30/01/2012

• First Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 DLC hits PS3 this month

  PlayStation 3 owners will be able to gain access to the first batch of downloadable content for the blockbuster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this month.

  To be made available for Call of Duty Elite subscribers on February 28th 2012, the two content drops provide players with a pair of brand new multiplayer maps, both of which were made available for Xbox 360 last month.

  In Liberation, gamers will do battle in a militarised version of New York's Central Park, complete with mounted turrets, while Piazza sets the scene for close-quarters combat through the twisting pathways of an Italian seaside village.

  Non-premium Call of Duty users can also expect to see the maps become available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 very soon.

  The two new arenas form part of an extensive DLC schedule for Modern Warfare 3, which will span nine months.

  Around 20 content drops are planned in total, including new maps, modes and missions.

  Published: 03/02/2012

• Skyrim scoops top award at Interactive Achievement Awards

  Bethesda's sprawling and brilliant role-playing monster, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, fus-roh-dahhed it's way to an impressive five wins last night at the Interactive Achievement Awards.

  Skyrim took home the top honours as Game of the Year, as well as awards for best RPG, gameplay engineering, game direction and story.

  Other winners included Modern Warfare 3, which was voted best action game, FIFA 12, named best sports game, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, honoured for its multiplayer achievements. Uncharted 3 took home gongs for its animation and art direction, while the toys-come-to-life family hit Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was singled out for its contribution to outstanding innovation. Britain's own Stephen Merchant took home the award for outstanding character performance thanks to his superb turn as Wheatley in Portal 2.

  The ceremony was held during the DICE Summit in Las Vegas. Not to be confused with the Swedish Battlefield developer, DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) is an annual gathering for the great and good of the games industry, and the Interactive Achievement Awards handed out at the event are the gaming equivalent of the Oscars. Only without the long emotional speeches, dance routines and dewy-eyed montages of dead celebrities, obviously.

• Batman and LA Noire lead 2012 Video Game BAFTA nominations

  The finalists for the 2012 British Academy Video Game Awards have been announced, and this year everyone will be watching the detectives, as Batman: Arkham City and LA Noire top the lists with eight nominations apiece.

  Sony will be happy that Uncharted 3 and LittleBigPlanet 2 both get six nominations, while Skyrim and Portal 2 each have five.

  Categories include Action, Artistic Achievement, Design, Story, Innovation and, of course, Best Game. Batman and LA Noire rub shoulders with FIFA 12, Portal 2, Skyrim and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in that category. The omission of best-seller Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may raise eyebrows, but that gets a nod in both the Action and Multiplayer categories.

  Promising indie projects get a look in thanks to the Dare to be Digital One's To Watch award, and there's also a public vote, with ten blockbuster games to choose between. You can head to http://www.baftagameaward.com to pick your favourite.

  The winners will be announced at a sure-to-be-lavish ceremony on March 16th.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 gets new map on February 21st

  The latest batch of downloadable content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be mobilising for Xbox 360 on February 21st 2012.

  Entitled Overwatch, the new map has been billed by Activision as a "frantic multi-floor frag-fest" taking place on the 70th storey of a New York high-rise building.

  Described as the highest multiplayer arena yet seen in a Call of Duty game, Overwatch is likely to have players having just as much difficulty battling vertigo as their actual competitors.

  As with all of Modern Warfare 3's DLC, the map will be available first for Xbox 360 owners with premium subscriptions to the Call of Duty Elite service, before coming online for PlayStation 3 and PC fans later on.

  Regular content drops will continue to be released over the next nine months, including fresh maps, modes and missions.

  Three more batches of DLC will be launched in March 2012, including the Black Box map and the special ops missions Black Ice and Negotiator.

  Published: 20/02/2012

• Batman: Arkham City and LA Noire lead GAME Bafta nominations

  The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has named the nominees for this year's GAME British Academy Video Games Award, with Batman: Arkham City and LA Noire leading the pack.

  Rocksteady Studios' superhero sequel and Rockstar's hard-boiled detective drama both scooped eight nominations each, including best game, music, design, artistic achievement and story.

  Following hot on their heels were Naughty Dog's globetrotting adventure Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and Media Molecule's sandbox platform game LittleBigPlanet 2 with six nominations, while Portal 2 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim scored five each.

  Meanwhile, a shortlist of ten titles was also revealed for the publicly-voted GAME Award of 2011, the winner of which can be chosen by visitors to the GAME Award website.

  Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, FIFA 2012, LA Noire, Minecraft, Portal 2, Skyrim, Uncharted 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword are all in contention to claim the prize.

  Those who take part in the vote will also be in with a chance of winning a limited edition Star Wars Xbox 360 console, complete with a Kinect sensor and copy of Kinect Star Wars.

  Published: 20/02/2012

• UFC Undisputed 3 reigns supreme over UK charts

  THQ's new mixed martial arts game UFC Undisputed 3 has performed an aggressive takedown on its competitors in the UK all-formats chart this week.
  
  The acclaimed Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 title debuted in first place in the official GfK-ChartTrack rankings, edging ahead of perennial favourite FIFA 12, which was back up to second.
  
  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 once again showed off its impressive staying power to climb back up to third place, while Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games achieved its highest ever chart position with a fourth-place finish.
  
  Aside from UFC Undisputed 3, no other new games entered the top 40 this week, though there was a newcomer to the top ten: Activision's sleeper hit Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, which continued its steady ascent up the chart to seventh.
  
  Next week, the charts will be well and truly shaken up by the debut of PlayStation Vita, Sony's newest handheld console, as well as a number of blockbuster games.
  
  PS Vita launch titles such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 are sure to make a splash, as are multiplatform games like the sci-fi shooter Syndicate.

  Published: 20/02/2012

• Details emerge of cancelled Call of Duty action adventure spin-off

  Way back before Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came along and turned a popular World War 2 shooter into an unstoppable combat behemoth, powered by the screams of a billion bullets, Activision was looking at expanding the series in a very different direction.

  Revealed in an interview with The Verge, Call of Duty: Devil's Brigade was to be a more strategic third-person squad-based action adventure, set in wartime Italy, and based on a real international combat unit made up of Canadian and American soldiers. The game was to be developed by Z-Axis Games, headed up by Jason VandenBerghe, Scott Bandy and Trevor Jalowitz, three EA veterans.

  Nine months into production, however, Activision pulled the plug on the project following the runaway success of Modern Warfare and its corporate merger with Vivendi. A 15 minute gameplay demo was the only lasting evidence that Devil's Brigade existed.

  That's not to say we'll never see a third-person shooter in the Call of Duty series. As recently as 2009 Sledgehammer Games was working on something very similar, before being asked to help out on Modern Warfare 3. "We came on board to make a third person action adventure game, in the Call of Duty franchise, and we were working on it about six months," Sledgehammer boss Glen Schofield said in an interview last year. "They were originally working on an extension of the Call of Duty franchise into an action/adventure genre and that's a game I still want to play," Eric Hirshberg, Activision's publishing chief, was quoted as saying.

  For now, we've still got the amazing Modern Warfare 3 and whatever Call of Duty title is lined up for later this year. Any guesses?

• Call of Duty: More Modern Warfare 3 coming to PS3 and Xbox 360

  PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners will be receiving new content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 over the next few weeks.

  Activision has kicked off the downloadable content release schedule for the PlayStation 3 version of the game this week with the launch of the Liberation and Piazza maps, which hit Xbox 360 in January.

  This will be followed by the Overwatch arena on March 29th, with more than 20 extra maps, modes and missions set to be released over the coming nine months.

  Meanwhile, Xbox 360 owners will be treated to the Content Collection #1 DLC pack on March 20th, a compilation of all the new features that have been released on Xbox thus far.

  This includes the Liberation, Piazza, Overwatch and Black Box maps, as well as the new Special Ops missions Black Ice and Negotiator.

  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the top-selling game of last year and is one of ten titles that fans can vote for as the winner of the annual GAME Award for 2011.

  Published: 01/03/2012

• Elite to be "tightly wrapped" in this year's Call of Duty

  Activision has confirmed that COD Elite, the social app that ties together all your Modern Warfare 3 stats, will return in an improved version for this year's Call of Duty game, whatever that may be.

  Producer Noah Heller told Eurogamer that Elite 2.0 is the imaginative working title for the system, but that fans would have to wait and see what new features will be included. "All we're really saying about it at this point is integration is the word of the day," he said. "It needs to be in the game. It needs to be tightly wrapped with game features. And that's our focal point."

  He certainly makes it sound like Elite will no longer be an optional extra. "Long term, we're making Elite and the game synonymous," he continued. "If you want to play solo or single-player, you might never notice Elite. But the moment you dip your toe into multiplayer, you're part of Elite. It's just up to you whether you take full advantage of the features or not."

  The prospect of a new version of Elite first came to light during an Activision investor's call back in February. Fans who already subscribe to the premium version of Elite expressed concern that they'd have to pay up for a second subscription, but the publisher quickly issued reassurance that whatever Elite 2.0 turns out to be, it will evolve from the existing service rather than running alongside it.

  This year's Call of Duty game has yet to be formally announced, though shrewd fans would do well to keep an eye on the series traditional November release window.

• Modern Warfare 3: Collection 2 - Hands On

  
  

  

  This week saw the latest content drop from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for Xbox 360 gamers, Content Collection 2. To celebrate its release, Activision invited various bloggers and industry types the chance to play the new maps and missions against each other, including GAME. Trouble is, some of the others were very, VERY good!

  Along with the now-standard multiplayer maps and Special Ops missions, the big news for Collection 2 were the new 'Face Off' maps - smaller, concentrated multiplayer maps designed for a maximum of 3-on-3 matches. Activision told us that Face Off came out of a lot of players simply wanting to do smaller online matches with friends, rather than larger, online multiplayer battles.

  

  Face Off battles make you think differently from normal multiplayer fighting. With the smaller scale of the maps, there's no room to escape and regroup, and barely time to think about tactics - it's all about reflex, moving fast, and getting your opponent before they get you. Close quarters combat is what these maps are all about, but veteran players will still be able to find good places for sniping, and, thanks to the size of the maps, it's much easier to identify respawn points and keep them covered for quick and easy kills.

  We got a chance to sample each of the Face Ops maps, each with its own way to use the size to its advantage. Getaway seemed to be the firm favourite, a tropical beach house that, based on the contents of the safe, must've belonged to some recently-departed drug lord. The bright lighting gives you a real sense of heat, and the open-plan house with with glass partitions and open outside areas gives very few places to hide (you could hid in the pool, but stay there too long and you, well, drown). Lookout takes you to an abandoned mountain outpost and is almost the opposite to Getaway - with its huts and terrain, it's much more maze-like where trouble (and death) is around every corner. And for us, playing against some of the top level MW3 players in the country, it really was!

  

  There are also a couple of free Face Off maps on COD: Elite that are yours to try ahead of grabbing Collection 2: Erosion and Aground. Taking place in Roman ruins and a rusted, grounded tanker in the Scottish Highlands respectively, both feature a lot more verticality than the other two maps, with catwalks and swamp areas, and the falling-apart scenery allowing for more cover-based run-and-gun action.

  While Face Off was the real focus of the evening, Activision also gave us a tour around the 'traditional' multiplayer maps. Sanctuary, set in a monastery in the Greek mountains, looks gorgeous - not a word normally associated with Call of Duty! The attention to detail is amazing, especially the reflective marble floor. It's designed for maximum multiplayer action - the nooks and crannies of the cloisters allow for close quarters action, the open courtyard for line-of-sight shooting. Foundation, on the other hand, is all about verticality, the abandoned factory offering lots of levels, plenty of tall vantage points, and plenty of sneaky spots. Plus there's Oasis, an Arabian hotel resort that merges labyrinthine corridors, open-space courtyards and verticality in one sun-drenched location.

  

  The Special Ops missions, Ironclad and Kill Switch, were just as intense as the Face Off battles, with oodles of enemies out to stop you from succeeding. But they each had their moments of pure fun - the aerial targeting of enemy trucks and helicopters from your sniper position in Kill Switch, and the joys of tank driving in Ironclad. Just as Face Off is perfect for you and a friend to play against each other, these missions are perfect for you to play together.

  The Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection 2 really seems to focus on more intimate missions that previous content, with some intense action and, especially with Face Off, a real sense of anything-can-happen. It's out on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 now, so grab your Xbox LIVE or PSN points, grab your friends and get stuck in!
  

  Published: 23/05/2012

• Modern Warfare 3 to receive new DLC for nine months

  Modern Warfare 3 to receive new DLC for nine months

  Activision has announced that the smash hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will be receiving more downloadable content than any previous title.

  An ambitious new DLC schedule has been revealed that will see Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC owners receiving new updates for Modern Warfare 3 for nine straight months, starting on January 24th 2012 for Xbox Live users.

  The first new content to be released will be a pair of all-new multiplayer maps: the Central Park-set Liberation and the Italian seaside village of Piazza.

  They will kick off a programme of at least 20 "content drops", including new maps, modes and missions, which will be available first on Xbox 360 and can be downloaded early by Call of Duty Elite subscribers.

  Eric Hirshberg of Activision said: "Call of Duty Elite provides an always-on connection to our fanbase and the MW3 content season is the ultimate way to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Call of Duty community."

  It suggests that gamers will continue to have plenty of reason to return to Modern Warfare 3, the top-selling title of 2011 in the UK.

  Published: 11/01/2012

• The Rise of Multiplayer Gaming

  
  

  It's hard to image there was ever a time when we couldn't assume our grimmest war-face, fire up our consoles and do battle with a global army of enemy combatants from the comfort of our armchairs. We're certainly come a long way from sitting hunched over our Commodores, battling as much for keyboard space with our siblings as we were on-screen! But where did it all start?

  Things really started to evolve in the 90s though when LAN parties were the in-thing for the hardcore gaming hobbyist. If the prospect of the violently seductive Doom wasn't enough to keep you up into the early hours by itself, there was no better way to bring the competitive minds of a whole generation of gamers together than by syncing up a few PCs and spending hours, even days, doing battle in the flesh.

  

  The blossoming Korean e-sports scene took the concept even further, and now commands a staggering national audience for televised championships. Blizzard's outstanding StarCraft series rules the roost in this domain, and not even the awesome sequel released in 2010 has put a dent in players' enthusiasm for the best-selling original. The competitive scene for StarCraft II is still buzzing in the West, and it's never too late to get stuck into a game that'll be around for years to come and still has two explosive expansions in the works.

  

  Then there's World of Warcraft, the game that really did change everything. Released in 2004, it arrived just at the right time as the mass uptake of increasingly fast broadband connections became the norm, unleashing a greedy clamour for the world of Azeroth - one so extreme that it saw Blizzard pull the game from store shelves at one point, their servers unable to keep up with the snowballing demand. It now enjoys a seven-figure subscriber count, and with three award-winning expansions under it's belt, there's more content for you to get stuck into than you'll know what to do with!

  

  While consoles such as the sadly-undersold Dreamcast teased gently around the potential for global gameplay, it was arguably Microsoft who broke new ground for console gaming with the launch of the Xbox LIVE service, putting a whole new world of gaming at player's feet - and long before PCs became a breeze to hook up for the living-room lounger!

  So while PC gaming might have dominated the early days of competitive multiplayer, it was titles like Halo 2 that brought the idea of mass gaming to the forefront of game design. While the single-player components of the Halo games continue to blow us away, the passion for Halo 2 was so extreme that players left their Xbox 360s running for days at a time to prevent the eventual switch-off of multiplayer support for all original Xbox games in April 2010.

  

  These days it's show-stopping blockbuster titles like Call of Duty that continue to change the way gaming is viewed and played online by the console crowd. For many, it's the only game they need to buy each year, and services like Call of Duty Elite are doing even more to add greater depth to the experience, allowing gamers to track, log and show off their finest moments on the battlefield.

  

  No-one can guess what the next evolution in multiplayer might be, but we're already seeing some extraordinary innovation in the likes of Nintendo's StreetPass, allowing gamers-on-the-go to make new friends without ever saying hello, and the awesome potential of the augmented reality features in the upcoming PlayStation Vita. One thing's clear, multiplayer is here to stay and the future can only bring us even closer together.

  Published: 25/01/2012

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