Xbox Infinity now has 18 games confirmed to be in the works. Yes, the Xbox 720 has an official name.

The Xbox 720 has officially been renamed the Xbox Infinity, and as of today there are 18 games we can safely say are confirmed for the next generation console. This is an update to what was previously reported by The Inquisitr.

Human Element is a zombie survival horror game created by an ex-Activision employee’s startup company Robotoki.

Rainbow 6: Patriots is the latest followup to the stealth action video game series based on the Tom Clancy novels.

Watch Dogs is an open world cyber thriller where you hack into everything around you to find and hunt targets.

Destiny is still mostly a mystery. All we know thus far is that Bungie, the creator of Halo, says it looks fantastic. This game will not be an Xbox Infinity exclusive.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is being touted as a “Zelda clone”, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Dragon Age 3: Inquisition is Bioware’s epic fantasy title. You could say that everybody’s expecting this inquisition.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a game where the populace is enthralled with technology that lets you read the thoughts of everyone around you.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an epic RPG where the hero has his memories back and is now searching for loved ones.

Thief is the reboot to the classic stealth action video game about the titular miscreant Garrett.

Battlefield 4 is basically urban warfare at its finest in a first-person shooter.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is Desmond Miles’ latest escapade into his growing list of killer ancestors. This time you play a British pirate.

Halo 5 is the Master Chief’s latest first-person shooter adventure, ready to rock your Xbox 720, er Xbox Infinity.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 is most likely named football outside the US.

Sniper Elite 3 will have you living vicariously through a set of crosshairs.

Lords of the Fallen is expected to be an RPG that breaks the genre rules and possibly introduces a fighting game style of combat.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is the latest in Hideo Kojima’s stealth action series.

Call of Duty: Ghosts is basically Call of Duty with masks. We don’t know much beyond that.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is the next generation update on what is probably the first of the first-person shooters in existence.

What do you think of the list of confirmed titles for Xbox 720, now Xbox Infinity?

Xbox Infinity: 18 Games Confirmed To Date is a post from: The Inquisitr

So awkward when this happens.

Playstation IRL is a post from: The Inquisitr

William Crooks thought his teenage son’s “I killed Mom accidentally” text was a joke, but the truth behind the message was far more horrifying than he could have imagined.

While on the phone with a 911 operator on March 24, 2012, 14-year-old Noah Crooks admitted to shooting his mother more than 20 times and trying to rape her. Noah also sent a text to his father, which read: ”Dad this is Noah. I killed Mom accidentally. I regret it. Come home now please.”

In the 911 call, Noah said that his mother had taken away his Call of Duty game.

William Crooks, 41, testified on Friday that he thought the text message was a joke. At the time of his wife’s murder, he was away from the family’s home and texted his son back: ”OK. Just throw her in the grove. We’ll take care of her later.”

Noah allegedly killed his mother, 37-year-old Gretchen Crooks, with a .22-caliber rifle that she had purchased for him in 2010. William testified on Friday that he had been teaching Noah how to handle guns appropriately.

William said that his wife and son had a loving relationship but one that was sometimes fraught with conflict.

In court, prosecutors played part of the 10-minute 911 call Noah placed. ”I’m not joking at all. She’s dead. I’m scared. I killed my mom with my .22. I don’t know why I did it,” he told the dispatcher.

“I feel crazy and I know I’m not. I think I have some form of ADD,” He also said during the call. “I tried to rape her. I tried to rape her but I couldn’t do it.”

He continually rambled on and told the 911 dispatcher that his weapon was empty.

“I just wish it was a dream so I could wake up and I could kiss her and hug her,” he said.

Law enforcement officials said on Wednesday that they found Gretchen naked from the waist down and stretched out on a sofa. Her pajama top was open, and she had bullet wounds in her torso. The state medical examiner confirmed that she had been shot 22 times: twice in the head, four times in the neck, and 15 times in the chest.

Classmates said that Noah’s attitude was sometimes violent and aggressive and that he had attempted to stab peers with pencils. He had also allegedly threatened to kill other students and his mother.

Noah Crooks is being tried as a juvenile offender.

[Image via: Brian A Jackson, Shutterstock.com]

William Crooks Thought Son’s ‘I Killed Mom Accidentally’ Text Was A Joke is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call of Duty: Ghosts has just landed a teaser trailer explaining masks.

Call of Duty has been one of the bestselling game franchises in the history of the first-person shooter genre, giving us a series of realistic scenarios alongside an incredibly playable wartime plot. It could be said that it’s the draw of shooter fans who don’t like Halo.

Not much is known about Call of Duty: Ghosts, other than that it will feature the use of masks with skulls painted on them and it is planned to be released November 5 for the next generation consoles, alongside the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. It is also planned to be shown live at the Xbox 720 (or Xbox Fusion, if rumors are correct) unveiling event on May 21.

The teaser trailer plays with the mosaic that we’ve seen in ads for the game, which when put together show a skull.

The Call of Duty: Ghosts teaser trailer begins with what looks like a Spartan warrior in full armor standing in a rubble-littered pathway in front of what appears to be a run-down house. We get a close-up to where we see his eyes and mouth through the slits. We then see another man with a silverish mask and a metallic sleeve on one arm, well-muscled and holding a sword and shield.

The voiceover starts, “There are those who wear masks to hide.”

Other masks shown off are one that seems to be nondescript, and one that looks like a metallic Tiki mask with feral teeth. One is basically makeup and what looks like a feather mustache under a massive headdress.

“And those who wear masks to show us what they stand for.”

We see a man in what looks like full Samurai armor, and one wearing a military aircraft helmet.

“To inspire. To unite. To defy. To strike fear in the hearts of their enemies.”

The rest of the trailer is above.

What do you think of the Call of Duty: Ghosts teaser trailer about masks?

‘Call Of Duty: Ghosts’ Teaser Trailer Explains Masks [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The developers behind Call of Duty are debuting with an Xbox exclusive title.

Two developers who worked on Call of Duty, Jason West and Vince Zampella, after having been fired by Activision for insubordination, created their own studio by the name of Respawn Entertainment. A fitting name for the way the studio got its start, Respawn Entertainment has announced an always online shooter which will be an Xbox exclusive made for the Xbox 720, yet planned to be ported to the Xbox 360 by a separate developer. The debut title is expected to be published by Electronic Arts.

We can probably expect terrible customer service in that case, but back to the point.

Respawn Entertainment’s debut game will be a futuristic first-person mutliplayer shooter said to be a battle between Davids and Goliaths. It’s unknown whether those are the actual names of the teams, but it certainly brings to mind a battle of well-armed humans and towering mechs, and according to Kotaku, that’s right on the money.

The developers have told Kotaku, “The Davids are heavily armed foot soldiers. The Goliaths are giant exoskeletons — Titans — that these soldiers can pilot. These Titans are big, mech-style walkers that move with an agility not seen in games like Mechwarrior or Steel Battalion.”

In this case we’re guessing it will be about the same as the end battle from Metal Gear Solid, but on a larger scale.

It was discovered that Respawn Entertainment has applied for a Trademark to the name Titan, which may be the title of the game. Neither Electronic Arts or Respawn Entertainment could be reached for comment. Vince Zampella, however, has said that they do not intend to sit out the Electronic Entertainment Expo like 2K Games will, and has every intention of having something to show.

Jason West has been said to have left the company for “family issues,” leaving the issue open to even further speculation.

What do you think of the new Xbox exclusive project from the developers behind Call of Duty?

‘Call Of Duty’ Developers Debut With Xbox Exclusive is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call of Duty: Ghosts has been more of a set of rumors than anything tangible, but a UK retailer has seemingly outed the game by allowing online visitors to check out the game’s box art.

Sadly, it doesn’t appear there are still very many details beyond what the cover is going to look like. Though we have apparently found out that the game will be put together by Infinity Ward, which has long been the studio that has worked on this series.

The UK retailer, Tesco simply listed the game on its website with the release date of December 30. As many have pointed out, it is likely that this is just a placeholder for the real release date. As a general rule, games in this series tend to release in November.

Call of Duty: Ghosts hasn’t even been officially confirmed, so the release date could be way off and we might not even be seeing this game until 2014, but if a retailer is actually listing the game it seems a likely bet that it will be out sooner, rather than later.

Activision has said that they will be announcing news about their Call of Duty series at E3. This likely means we won’t have to wait to much longer to get the downlow.

Despite the fact that we don’t have much info, the game box art comes with both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 logos so it appears it will definitely be on those two consoles.

Missing is whether or not there will be any effort to also bring this title to next gen consoles. It seems any game that is being launched this fall would be smart to try and get onto the Xbox 720 and the Playstation 4.

What do you think Call of Duty: Ghosts will bring to the long running video game series?

‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ Box Art Revealed is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s launch budget was reportedly raided for about $30,000 by one of the public relations professionals attached to Activision’s account.

Kathryn Kirton was actually the head of PR at Activision’s UK launch of the game when she decided that the money that was targeted for a Hollywood movie style premiere of the game would be better spent on her wedding engagement preparations.

Kirton apparently spent around $15,000 on a pair of shopping sprees, another $3,000 on a luxury hotel getaway for her and her then fiance, $1,500 for a huge bachelorette party, and more than $2,000 for an engagement party.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s launch budget also apparently paid for another member of the PR team’s extravagant spending.

Jamie Kaye helped Kirton use the Activision credit accounts to make some of her purchases and also bought himself and his family a trip.

All of the purchases were claimed as essential to the publicity campaign for the game in the United Kingdom.

The presiding judge on the case seemed to believe that the profession that the two had chosen played a large part in corrupting the pair.

“In the world of PR you are surrounded by luxury items. That is reality for people working in that industry,” Judge John Hillen of Blackfriars Crown Court said.

The judge apparently believed that Kirton had suffered enough for her crimes and ordered a suspended sentence for the now married mother of a two-year old child.

Kirton reported that the court case had adversely affected her marriage and her health during the pregnancy and that the had her child two-months prematurely.

The judge ended up sentencing both Kirton and Kaye to suspended sentences. Kirton’s was an 18-month sentence that was suspended for two years.

Kaye’s sentence was for nine months that translated into a one-year suspended sentence.

This incident isn’t the only odd occurrence surrounding this game series. In January of this year, action in a Call of Duty game prompted neighbors of those playing the game to call police after they believed a real gun battle had broken out.

‘Call of Duty’ PR Manager Stole Thousands To Pay For Engagement Preparations is a post from: The Inquisitr

Could Call of Duty be announced at the reveal of the Xbox 720?

If there is one thing the Xbox 360 has been known for since its release, it was first-person shooters. We had Halo, Call of Duty, and a plethora of other gun-happy titles to run with, much to the annoyance of anyone who wasn’t looking for first-person shooters. Seeing Call of Duty launch with the Xbox 720 would only be fitting in this case.

There has been no reveal yet of the Xbox 720 or Call of Duty, which leads skeptics to believe they may be occurring at the same time. It’s not like the creators of Call of Duty, Activision, are losing money on the series. Call of Duty appears to the big title planned to survive the recent run of layoffs, and with microtransactions making their way to the Xbox Live marketplace, the game isn’t fading anytime soon.

Call of Duty would be a flagship title that may steal PlayStation fans away, as Activision is in agreement with Microsoft for DLC exclusivity. With Bungie apparently making a deal with Sony to bring their next big title Destiny exclusively to PlayStation 4, Xbox 720 is going to need its killer app. Halo may have given way to the new franchise, and Bungie knows what it’s doing.

The Xbox 720 may be planned as an “entertainment hub” by Microsoft, but a lot of us will remain under the agreement that a console is for gaming. And gamers love Call of Duty, as the numbers themselves will attest.

Call of Duty has been known for its yearly releases, and as history has shown, those releases usually happened around May, which happens to be the month that the Xbox 720 is expected to be announced. On May 21, 2013 we should have our answers if rumors are correct.

How do you feel about Call of Duty possibly being announced at the Xbox 720 reveal?

‘Call Of Duty’ To Be Announced At Xbox 720 Reveal? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Black Ops 2: Uprising DLC has just received a trailer.

If the DLC trailer for the microtransactions weren’t enough, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 now has a trailer for their new Uprising DLC, with some comedic scenes of people being replaced by clones as the real person is home playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. But don’t worry, there is gameplay footage as well.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Uprising DLC includes all new maps such as Vertigo, Magma, and an Alcatraz zombie scenario.

The Black Ops 2: Uprising DLC trailer begins with a back alley full of red lamps shaped like pumpkins, and the words “The Replacers” are shown over it in all-caps white. The camera pans down and we see a 70s style race car careening down the alley, kicking up litter. It stops, and as the door opens we hear some rock music as a half-bald guy with long hair and a business suit gets out in a hurry.

The man walks toward the camera, showing a full beard as he says, “So it appears your hunger for Call of Duty‘s more voracious than ever.” He smiles, “Ease your mind, my friend. I’m back.”

Another guy comes out of the other car door, “Man, you need to get this door fixed! Sittin’ there takin’ a nap, and you don’t say anything when you get out of the car. It gets hot in that car, man!”

The bearded man’s smile fades, “You see, Black Ops 2: Uprising is upon us.” The other man steps up beside him and fixes his suit.

The bearded man continues, “It’s huge, so I’ve been forced to take on a little … assistance.”

The other man adds, “That’s right! Tough guy here needed a little help.”

We then see the Magma map in a screenshot, a volcanic mountain in the distance with a run-down oriental shopping mall.

The rest of the trailer is below.

What do you think of Black Ops 2: Uprising‘s DLC trailer?

‘Black Ops 2′ ‘Uprising’ DLC Trailer Released is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call of Duty is getting a new chapter to its story this year. That much has already been confirmed by Activision. The question out there now is whether or not the game has a new title and what will actually be included. Call of Duty: Ghosts is slated to be the next in this chapter of video game series

If the reports are accurate then one detail we do know, other than the new title is that it the next installment of this series will only be offered up on the next generation of consoles.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has been wildly popular since it was first released and the next generation console will likely be even more impressive. This game was originally set to be called Modern Warfare 4 but if the recent rumors can be believed that name has since been skuttled.

While quite a few of these battle games have been set in the future recently, this game will change things up a bit. Apparently one of the plot points will force the characters to use weapons that are around now, rather than something like death rays or weird futuristic explosives.

Ghosts will bring quite a few changes to the army game genre if the swirling rumors can be believed. Movement will be adapted so that soldiers can dive and slide from a prone position. The game is also expected to have dynamic loading scenes such as crashing through windows or rapeling out of a helicopter.

Obviously, these dynamic scenes will be easier to construct on the next generation consoles than they would be using the Xbox 360 or the PS3.

If there is one problem with all of these rumors, it is that none of them have been confirmed by Activision. Some of the rumors that have recently been brought up match up with whispers that have been floating around for a while.

Are you excited to see what Call of Duty: Ghosts has in store?

‘Call Of Duty’ Next Chapter Rumored To Be Named ‘Call Of Duty: Ghosts’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Layoffs have hit Activision and Treyarch in an effort to shift their focus away from licensed games.

Activision Publishing confirmed today that 30 of its employees have been laid off in 2013.

According to Gamespot, Activision released the following statement:

“Like any successful business, Activision Publishing consistently works to align its costs with its revenues; this is an ongoing process. In 2013, we expect to release fewer games based on license properties and as a result are realigning our structure to better reflect the market opportunities and our slate. Approximately, 30 full-time employees have been impacted globally, which represents approximately one half of one percent of Activision Blizzard’s employee population. We are offering those employees who are impacted outplacement counseling services.”

Specific titles were not mentioned, but Activision’s licensed game franchises include Transformers, James Bond, and Spider-Man.

Activision’s recent release, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, was developed by studio Treyarch, who also experienced layoffs. According to IGN, they said:

“Now that we have launched Black Ops II, we are taking a minimal reduction in staff to better align our development talent against the needs of DLC development. The release of the DLC will not be impacted by this move.”

Activision’s licensed titles due in 2013 include Deadpool, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, and the first of three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games, possibly based on the upcoming Michael Bay film. Their James Bond licensing deal is reportedly set to expire following the removal of the titles from Steam.

How do you feel about the layoffs at Activision and Treyarch? Do you enjoy their licensed games?

Layoffs hit Activision, in an effort to move away from licensed games go.ign.com/VuhzH7

— IGN (@IGN) February 19, 2013

Layoffs Hit Video Game Developers Activision and Treyarch is a post from: The Inquisitr

A new Call of Duty game has been confirmed by the folks over at Activision. Since a new entry usually drops every year, this isn’t overly surprising to those who closely follow the franchise.

Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg made the announcement during a recent post-earnings call. According to MTV News, trigger-happy gamers can expect to get their hands on the new entry in the series during Q4 of 2013.

Hirshberg explained:

“The ‘Call of Duty’ franchise continues to set the bar for innovation and we expect the new ‘Call of Duty’ game in development for 2013 to raise that bar even higher.”

Since the games continue to make a ton of money for the folks at Activision, it’s not altogether surprising that the company intends to move forward with another game. CFO Dennis Durkin said he expected sales to be down compared to 2012 due to new console that are looming on the horizon.

He added:

“There is increased volatility this year due to the ongoing console transition, which makes predicting the future more challenging than during normal years in the cycle. For ‘Call of Duty,’ consistent with our past practices, we are planning for the mainline release in Q4 to be down versus 2012.”

Gamespot reports that another Call of Duty title is rumored to be in development for the next generation of consoles. However, it’s unknown when that game will hit retail shelves. The website also points out that Activision has Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, and Neversoft Entertainment working on Call of Duty games at the moment.

Rumors has it Modern Warfare 4 is the title that’s currently slated to arrive later this year. Nobody seems to know which studio is currently working on the game.

Are you a fan of the Call of Duty franchise? Are you looking forward to the latest entry that’s slated to arrive towards the end of this year?

New ‘Call Of Duty’ Game Confirmed By Activision For 2013 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Stockholm, Sweden – A group of friends playing Call of Duty in prompted a neighbor to call police and report that shots had been fired. The neighbor became worried when they heard loud gunfire and someone screaming for help.

According to reports, one of the characters in the game was shot down and was calling out to the other characters in the game for help. The neighbor contacted the police department and reported the yelling and multiple guns being fired.

As reported by UPI, dispatchers, fearing the worst, sent out a unit of 10 police officers. When they arrived they raided the apartment and removed the teens.

When things settled down the friends were able to explain to the police that they were simply playing Call of Duty and the noises the neighbor heard were coming from the characters in the game.

As explained on Wikipedia, Call of Duty is a first or third-person “shooter” game that has evolved from the PC into a console game. The game “simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II.” The original version was released in 2003 and the newest version Black Ops II, was released late last year. In the first 24 hours there were reportedly 5.6 copies sold between the US and the UK. Within five days sales worldwide were nearly $650 million.

The teens in Sweden who disturbed their neighbor with their Call of Duty game were eventually released by the police. None of the friends were taken into custody and there were no charges filed.

Call Of Duty Game Prompts Neighbor To Call Police, Report Shots Fired is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 has reportedly generated a staggering $500 million in just 24 hours, according to the Examiner.

Executives at Activision are surely rubbing their hands together with maniacal glee as these figures were announced. Black Ops 2 has effectively shattered the previous record of $100 million held by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

These numbers are surprisingly huge, particularly since the game is facing its fair share of competition this season. Other games currently making a dent in household budgets are Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed III, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. However, none of these titles have posted numbers anywhere close to those enjoyed by Black Ops 2.

If the title’s 24-hour earnings are any indication of its future success, Black Ops 2 is shaping up to be one of the biggest media releases of all time.

“With first day sales of over half a billion dollars worldwide, we believe Call of Duty is the biggest entertainment launch of the year for the fourth year in a row,” Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement. “Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded worldwide theatrical box office receipts for Harry Potter and Star Wars, the two most successful movie franchises of all time.”

According to the Christian Science Monitor, millions of fans turned out for launch events in thousands of cities across the globe. Activision believes this ultimately helped push the game’s 24-hour total to $500 million.

PC Magazine explains that the game’s success lies in the company’s ability to craft a brand that has worldwide appeal.

“Every November we do more than just the launch of a game, we kick off an annual, unofficial but worldwide phenomenon called the Call of Duty season,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Publishing for Activision.

Are you surprised that Black Ops 2 made over $500 million in just 24 hours? Were you one of the countless individuals who picked up a copy on Tuesday?

‘Black Ops 2′ Makes $500 Million In Just 24 Hours is a post from: The Inquisitr

Intrepid gamers have spotted a Thor easter egg in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, according to Geek Tyrant. If you want to find the hidden reference on you rown, then you may not want to proceed.

Since people have been pouring countless hours into the recently released first person shooter, it’s not surprising that many have stumbled across what can only be described as a Thor reference tucked away in one of the levels.

Curious to find the Easter egg for yourself? All you need to do is to follow the handy instructions below. This should help bring you face to face with a piece of Thor mythology.

Here’s what you need to do:

“1. Start the Celerium Mission
2. Complete the mission up until the point where you fly in using the special suits
3. Once you have actually flown in, landed and defeated all the enemies, walk to the cliff and drop down to a lower area
4. You will see a very dark cave nearby where you can walk in
5. There you go, Thor’s Mjolnir Hammer and all its awesomeness is in front of you!”

Since I’m currently entranced by Dead or Alive 5, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted, I haven’t had an opportunity to check out the Thor reference in Black Ops 2 for myself. However, several people have reportedly spotted the Easter egg so chances are this isn’t a goof.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has proven to be quite the popular title since being released on Tuesday. According to the Examiner, the latest installment in the franchise earned the company over $1 million on its midnight release alone. The title is now among the top selling games in the store’s history.

You can find an image of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Easter egg nestled below. Thor fans will no doubt be thrilled to find the item tucked away in the game’s action-packed world.

‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2′ Comes With ‘Thor’ Easter Egg [Photo] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Xbox 360 version of Minecraft has slipped from the top of the Xbox LIVE activity charts, according to the Examiner.

For a brief moment the popular open world adventure was the most played title on the Xbox 360. The game even dethroned the Call of Duty franchise as the most popular game on the service. However, it’s days of glory were ultimately short lived.

For the week ending October 29, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has crept back into the top position. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition didn’t fall too far from grace; the game managed to hang on to the number two spot despite some strong competition.

Call of Duty: Black Ops, which ranks as the third most popular game on Xbox LIVE, is still hanging on strong ahead of its sequel’s release date. EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13 landed in the number four position. Assassin’s Creed III rounded out the top five.

Of course, these rankings don’t take the recently released Halo 4 into consideration. The game is sure to be a huge draw for those who enjoy playing first person shooters with their friends online. According to Benchmark Reviews, the title stands to best The Avengers as one of the biggest media releases of the year.

Also looming on the horizon is Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, a game that will surely take a bit of the thunder away from Minecraft and some of the other titles currently making waves on the Xbox LIVE activity charts.

According to Digital Spy, the next installment of the Black Ops series will allow people to post streaming YouTube footage of league matches directly to viewers.

“By making the capability of live streaming as accessible as possible to our fans, straight from a player’s console without the need for any additional hardware or sophisticated setups, we are empowering our fans to share their multiplayer experiences,” explained Treyarch’s Mark Lamia.

The top games on Xbox LIVE are listed below.

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops
4. EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13
5. Assassin’s Creed III
6. Halo: Reach
7. Borderlands 2
8. Modern Warfare 2
9. Battlefield 3
10. NBA 2K13
11. Madden NFL 13
12. Skyrim
13. Gears of War 3
14. GTA IV
15. Happy Wars
16. Forza Horizon
17. FIFA 12
18. Halo 3
19. Medal of Honor Warfighter
20. Resident Evil 6

Are you a fan of Minecraft? Do you think the game will decrease in popularity once Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops are taken into consideration?

‘Minecraft’ Slips From The Top Of Xbox LIVE Rankings is a post from: The Inquisitr

Minecraft is the most popular game on Xbox LIVE for the week ending October 15, according to the Examiner. What’s even more impressive is that the extremely popular and incredibly addictive sandbox title is the also first LIVE Arcade game to sit atop the activity charts.

Fans of Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition thoroughly understand why the game is currently the most popular title on LIVE. Players can literally spend hundreds of hours exploring, building, and fighting their way through a never-ending supply of monster-filled landscapes. For those of us who grew up wishing they had an endless supply of building blocks to play with, the game fulfills countless childhood dreams.

Hanging out in second place is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, a series which usually enjoys sitting at the top of the Xbox LIVE activity list. FIFA 13, meanwhile, takes the third place, while Call of Duty: Black Ops lands in fourth. The action-RPG Borderlands 2 rounds out the top five.

The recent “Adventure Update” for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition may have helped push the title into the top spot. The patch adds a number of additional features into the game including new monsters, abandoned villages, and underground strongholds. For those who have already sunk a considerable amount of time into the game, the latest update means that even more hours of their life are about to be consumed.

As In Entertainment points out, the indie game might not be able to hold onto its title once games like Halo 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are released. While its doubtful that everyone who plays Minecraft also spends their free time playing AAA FPS titles, it’s likely many players will jump ship to at least try the latest additions to these very popular franchises.

If you currently live and breathe Minecraft, chances are you’re thrilled about the Halloween skin pack that’s scheduled for release on October 26. For just 160 points, gamers can own 55 skins from 13 different developers. Your virtual home is about to get a little spookier.

Do you play Minecraft on Xbox LIVE?

Minecraft Is Currently The Most Played Game On Xbox LIVE is a post from: The Inquisitr

The ongoing conflict between the West and Iran took another strange turn today when gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment revealed the company has blocked access to Battle.Net for the nation of Iran.

Online gamers use the Battle.Net interface to manage their accounts for many of Blizzard’s most popular games including World Of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, and Diablo 3. They must also maintain an active Battle.Net account in order to be able to log in to their games and play.

Blizzard confirmed the action is being taken to meet the legal requirements of the United States government relating to the trade restrictions and economic sanctions imposed on Iran due to the continuing conflict over Iran’s nuclear program.

The company made the following announcement in response to requests for comments on the situation:

“We can’t speak to reports surrounding the Iranian government restricting games from its citizens. What we do know is that United States trade restrictions and economic sanction laws prohibit Blizzard from doing business with residents of certain nations, including Iran. We’ve recently tightened up our procedures to ensure compliance with those laws, which means we must restrict access to our games by players in those nations.”

The announcement was prompted by reports filtering in from Iranian gamers that their government, which follows an ultra strict version of Islam and uses Sharia as the basis of Iran’s Constitution, is cracking down on Iranian gamers.

Recently, the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance held a conference to announce the formation of the Islamic Revolution Game Designers Community. The meeting was sponsored by the Ministry, and it was held to denounce the influence of non-Islamic games.

Among the pamphlets distributed at the event was one proclaiming, “The video games are “examples of the means [in] which western propaganda is used to poison the mind of [the] youth population in Iran.”

One Iranian gamer and journalist, who goes by the online name of Siavash A., attended the conference and translated the contents of the pamphlet. Among the issues mentioned in the publication were the following:

1.  Promotion of superstition and mythology.
2.  Promotion of violence due to too much violence.
3.  Abolishing the deformation in sin.
4.  Demonstration of inappropriate clothing and slutty outfits for female avatars.

In addition to the games produced by Blizzard, other games were cited as bad examples for Iranian gamers, including Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Assassin’s Creed, Second Life, and Guild Wars.

Blizzard made it clear in their announcement they were not bowing to pressure from the Iranian Government. Instead, Blizzard reiterated they are abiding by United States Government restrictions on trade, as stated in Blizzard’s own Terms of Service:

“The software … and/or the Service may not be downloaded or otherwise exported or re-exported into (or to a national or resident of) Cuba, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Iran, Syria or any other country to which the U.S. has embargoed goods.”

Iranian gamers will no longer have any access to Battle.Net, and Blizzard will not be able to export any of its products to Iran as long as the trade embargo remains in place. It is truly a sad day when innocent citizens are no longer able to play their favorite online game because of politics and disputes among nations.

Blizzard Will Block Access To ‘Battle.Net’ In Iran is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ohio teen Tyler Rigsby collapsed and was hospitalized after playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for five days straight. Tyler Rigsby,15, was dehydrated and his lips were turning blue when he turned to stare at his aunt and collapsed onto the floor, the New York Daily News reports.

The Ohio teenager’s Modern Warfare 3 multi-day binge landed him in Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus. Tyler Rigsby is the second case of recent health issues brought on by hardcore gaming. In July a young man identified only as Chuang, died at an Internet cafe in Taiwan after playing Diablo III for 40 hours.

Tyler Rigsby’s mother Jessie Rawlins told WCMH-TV that her son became engrossed in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 first-person shooting game. According to Rawlins, he only set his game controller aside briefly to grab a snack and Mountain Dew or to use the bathroom. Jessie Rawlins added that Tyler Rigsby’s Xbox is now gone. Rawlins also maintains her son “grabbed a few hours of sleep here and there” during the marathon Call of Duty gaming session.

“I was scared. I thought he was going to die,” Rawlins stated during the interview with the local television station.

Tyler Rigsby and his mother went to visit his aunt Jennifer Thompson in Columbus on Tuesday at 5:30 a.m. according to the Columbus Dispatch. The teen hardcore gamer’s mother also noted her son had collapsed three times yesterday. Tyler Rigsby’s aunt stated during the same interview that she and her sister were talking when they heard a thump and when she looked over, the teenager was on the ground.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Tyler Rigsby first collapsed into his aunt’s television, stood back up and then passed out again. The Call of Duty gamer was able to pick himself up again, told his mother he just needed to go home and get some sleep and attempted to walk out the door, but “stumbled everywhere” and passed out a third time. Tyler Rigsby’s mother noted that after the second time her son collapsed, he was “very pale.”

Tyler Rigsby was released from Ohio State University Hospital after being given intravenous fluids to rehydrate his system. Dr. Mike Patrick cautioned parents and gamers to avoid marathon gaming sessions without fluids or sleep. During an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, Jessie Rawlins relayed her surprise about her son’s collapse, noting she had no idea playing video games could cause illness. Tyler Rigsby is expected to make a full recovery from the dehydration and exhaustion brought on by playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for five days.

Teen Collapses After Playing ‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3′ For 5 Days Straight is a post from: The Inquisitr

For the past couple of years, Activision chose to reserve most of the big Call of Duty news, usually related to multiplayer, for its “Call of Duty XP event. That won’t be the case this year, however.

In a statement to Polygon, an Activision representative confirmed that the company has chosen not to throw another Call of Duty XP event ahead of the launch of Black Ops 2. The rep didn’t discount an event next year, however, so Activision may revisit it later.

“Last year’s Call of Duty XP was a great way to celebrate our Call of Duty community and reveal Call of Duty Elite,” the representative told Polygon. “Each year we try to surprise and delight our fans and this year we are planning to host some new experiences for our fans around the globe including at Gamescom later this summer in Cologne, Germany. While its possible we may host another XP in the future, we don’t have plans to hold the event this year.”

Gamescom is set to kick off this August, so we’ll likely hear something about Black Ops 2‘s multiplayer around that time.

Are you looking forward to see Black Ops 2‘s multiplayer?

Call of Duty XP Won’t Be Happening This Year is a post from: The Inquisitr

Looks like Call of Duty will be making its debut on the PlayStation Vita later this year, according to recent comments from Guy Longworth, Sony’s new SVP of PlayStation brand marketing.

Speaking in an interview with GameTrailers’ Geoff Keighley, Longworth casually confirmed that Call of Duty is coming to the PlayStation Vita this autumn. While he was willing to reveal that much, he didn’t go into specifics.

“In the Autumn, [my kids] are really looking forward to Call of Duty on Vita, and that’s going to be an absolute game changer for the platform,” Longworth told Keighley in the interview.

Activision recently confirmed that a new Call of Duty title will be seeing a release this year, but it isn’t known if this mysterious Call of Duty Vita title will be a port of that, a port of a previous game, or something new entirely.

Recent news has it that the next Call of Duty game will be Black Ops 2, the sequel to Treyarch’s best selling Call of Duty title to date. Activision has yet to confirm the news, however.

via GameSpot

Call of Duty coming to PlayStation Vita later this year, Sony says is a post from: The Inquisitr

When you hear cries and rants against bandwidth caps, which are becoming more popular in the US but standard in Canada, it is usually from people like myself and others that depend on web access; and lots of it, on a daily basis. The argument used by the ISPs to back up this ridiculous state of affairs is that they are just trying to protect their networks from undue congestion caused by the bandwidth hogs.

As cute as that argument might be it is also a fallacious argument that unfortunately is swallowed by the majority of people, so it was really nice to read this smack down of ISPs by Mark Rubin, executive producer at Infinity Ward; one of the video game companies responsible for the Call of Duty video game franchise.

In the post at Huffington Post Rubin says that ISPs are holding back innovations with their predatory practices.

Mark Rubin, executive producer at Infinity Ward, the studio behind the ‘Call of Duty’ series, says Internet service providers are holding back innovation with restrictive practices. Both usage-based billing, where customers receive monthly download limits, and throttling, where certain applications are slowed down, are proving to be obstacles to the games industry’s advancement.

“We’re trying to progress and move into those new areas of downloading content and full games and streaming live. We’re pushing forward and it seems like they’re going backwards,” Rubin said in an interview at this past weekend’s inaugural Call of Duty XP fan convention in Los Angeles.

“I don’t know what they’re afraid of that they have to do all this capping. If they have serious problems with bandwidth, they need to solve that because society is moving forward.”

It is one thing for people like myself and other tech writers to decry things like caps but it is another thing altogether when the man responsible for one of the most successful game franchises, and part of a company that makes billions of dollars due to people being able to access the web, says it.

‘Call of Duty’ chief smacks down ISPs says they are moving society backwards is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to the leak the third map pack will be much like the previous two and contain four new competitive multiplayer maps and one new map for the Zombies mode.

The information comes via an alleged GameStop promotional poster sent to fansite Black Ops 24/7 and outlines the map names: Hanger 18, Hazard, Drive-in, and Silo.

It could very well be a fake picture, but information found in a Black Ops PC patch in early May indicated an upcoming level would be called Silo. Of course, someone looking to make a forgery would know this too, so it doesn’t prove the image is real.

via 1UP.com

There has been no word from Activision or Treyarch to confirm or deny the rumor.

LEAKED: Possible new Black Ops map pack could be on its way is a post from: The Inquisitr

A few of the new Call of Duty Elite service’s features were shared when it was announced, but it left a lot of us – myself included – wondering the extent of what we’d get out of it if we opted not to pay the monthly premium.

Fortunately for us, Activision has went ahead and updated the Call of Duty Elite FAQ with the full list of free features included in the service. Here’s some of what you can expect, courtesy of said FAQ:

• Access Elite through the web as well as Elite’s free custom iOS and Android applications for smartphones and tablets
• Communicate any way you want across mobile, console and the web with your friends
• Track and share thousands of stats with friends – k/d ratios, score-per-minute, win % and loads more, all represented in easy to understand charts and infographics
• Create your own custom leaderboards to track friendly rivalries – who is moving up and down in your group of friends?
• Analyse advanced heat maps detailing your match-by-match performance – where you killed or got killed, when it happened, and more
• Analyse your weapons performance – which weapons you are best with in which situations
• Upload and share videos of your greatest moments through our exclusive theater mode with the touch of a button
• Customise your loadout – search through all the weapons, attachments and perks, and push them directly into the game menu from the web or your mobile device with the touch of a button
• Join dozens of groups and find other players with common interests to play with and compete against
• Create a Clan with players who share your interests and taste for competition
• Bring your Facebook friends right into the game, easily taking your existing network into the Call of Duty experience.
• Seamlessly be placed into Groups with those who share your affinities and interests based on your Facebook profile.
• Start tracking your Call of Duty career – everything you wanted to know about your performance across the franchise starting with Black Ops

If you’d like to learn more about the service head over to the official Call of Duty Elite FAQ. Now that you know what some of the free features are, are you more interested in the premium offerings?

Call of Duty Elite’s Free Features Detailed is a post from: The Inquisitr

The news on Call of Duty Elite, Activision’s web-based subscription service for Call of Duty, broke first in a story ran by WSJ. Contrary to what the initial rumors had us believe, Call of Duty Elite is more akin to Halo: Waypoint or even Bungie.net than it is anything else; Activision isn’t looking to charge you for multiplayer. The service is said to keep track of your stats in Call of Duty games utilizing the service, offering a thorough breakdown of your playstyle, most effective weapons, and so on.

The price has not been revealead and, if Activision is to be believed, hasn’t even been decided internally yet. What they’re apparently shooting for, however, is a ‘minimal’ monthly fee along the lines of what, for example, Netflix charges for their instant streaming-only service ($7.99).

One of the more interesting features of Elite is the service’s Group feature. Rather than being forced to participate in the game’s already established skill-based matchmaking system and being subjected to a torrent of profanities and slurs, you can instead opt to play against only those in a Group that you’ve joined. If you’ve joined a Group dedicated to your favorite movie on the service, for instance, you can choose to only play people also in that group. For the casual player intimidated by the more competitive matchmaking options, this concept could go a long way towards keeping that crowd interested in multiplayer in the long term.

Another interesting, competitive feature revealed today is the web service’s “Compete” section. Through Compete, you and your clan can arrange matches with other individuals and clans. Should you win the competition, you could earn things like trophies to be proudly displayed through your Call of Duty Elite stats page, and even one of those Black Ops edition Jeeps.

Most of the service still appears to be in fairly early development stages and is subject to change when it officially launches (no word on when that is, unfortunately), but what has been discussed so far actually sounds pretty neat. We still have no idea on just what exactly you’ll be paying for, but it is known that Call of Duty Elite won’t be closed for non-subscribers. In fact, Activision has already confirmed that stat tracking and Group features will be completely free for all.

If you’d like to know more about the service, head over to Joystiq’s preview here.

Call of Duty Elite Gives COD Fans Their Own Social Network is a post from: The Inquisitr

The new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer has only been out 48 hours, but already one UK newspaper is kicking up a fuss because there’s an attack on an underground train in the video and London’s real underground was attacked in 2005 and that’s a bit like this and oh god I don’t know the sheer idiocy is making my head throb.

Games THAT ARE RATED FOR ADULTS have long attracted poorly researched criticism from cheap scare newspapers. Because of its popularity, the Call of Duty series is often a target. Right on cue, the Daily Mail today described one scene from the Modern Warfare 3 trailer (which you can see in full here) as “a chilling echo of the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London.” The scene in question shows a truck driving in front of a speeding underground train, causing it to derail.

Even though that’s NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN LONDON, the Daily Mail calls for Modern Warfare 3 to be banned, and quotes a lady from Mediawatch UK as saying, “In light of the fact we have just had the 7/7 inquests, it is in incredibly poor taste.”

This anti-videogame agenda is nothing new, yet remains flawed. Aside from the significant fact that the game is ENTIRELY FICTIONAL, what really gets me is how presumptious the Mail is being here. After all, the trailer gives us zero context in this scene: is this an underground train full of innocent commuters, is it completely empty, or is it loaded with, say, a bomb? Nobody outside Activision or Infinity Ward truly knows. Least of all the Daily Mail.

Anyway, please excuse all the UNDERLINED CAPS. I’m keeping things nice and simple for any stray Mail readers we get here.

[Via Daily Mail]

Modern Warfare 3 already compared to London terrorist attacks is a post from: The Inquisitr

Activision has released the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer with actual gameplay, and predictably enough it looks nuts and also the nuts – this is the videogame equivalent of all the Die Hard films to the power of Steven Seagal.

It’s World War 3 in Modern Warfare 3, and it’s probably taking place somewhere near your backyard. In this trailer alone, we see battles taking place in the U.S., Britain, France, and Germany, and other locations in the final game will include India, Russia, and more.

Anyway, it’s all efficiently pretty, though I still narrowly prefer Battlefield 3‘s bleached-out destructible settings. Take a look for yourself:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hits stores on November 8th!

[Via press release]

[VIDEO] Your first proper look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The PlayStation Network is slowly creaking back into life, and Call of Duty: Black Ops maker Treyarch wants to make up for those 25 days you were separated from your beloved.

Hence, from 1.00pm EST on Friday, the PlayStation 3 version of Black Ops will see the start of a double XP weekend, giving you a chance to accelerate your leveling up. The double XP period will stretch through to 1.00pm EST on Tuesday, according to Treyarch’s Facebook page.

A shrewd move by Treyarch, I’d say – especially with the ‘Escalation’ downloadable map pack on the horizon for PS3.

As for when the rest of the PlayStation Network is back up (the PS Store, for example), Sony’s still aiming for the end of May. Just remember that you’re entitled to other freebies if you were one of the 77 million gamers frozen out by the PSN downtime – details are here!

[Via Treyarch Facebook page]

PS3 Call of Duty players welcomed back with double XP weekend is a post from: The Inquisitr

Aaaaaand, just as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s story details leaked across the ‘net, here’s the first REALLY REAL SUPER OFFICIAL trailer for what will almost certainly be 2011′s best-selling game.

There’s no gameplay in this 35-second Modern Warfare 3 teaser, though there are plenty of hints of what we can expect, including a Russian enemy, and an attack on New York City (Brooklyn and Manhattan are both namedropped in the voiceover, while the Hudson River is clearly visible).

[VIDEO] First Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer is a post from: The Inquisitr

The popular blog has gotten its hands on a whole bunch of Modern Warfare 3 plot details, with locations, characters, and weapon details all discussed at length. There are also a few screenshots, seemingly taken from an early build of the game, and a repeat of the already-rumored November 8th global release date.

Kotaku’s full report can be found through HERE, though it goes without saying this is packed with SPOILERS. For those who wish to maintain their innocence, I think it’s safe to know the following:

♦ There are new and returning characters from previous Modern Warfare games
♦ At least ten different countries feature in the game’s levels
♦ You’re still buying this for the multiplayer, right?

Since Kotaku’s story went up, Activision executive Robert Bowling has tweeted that the information was partly accurate, partly not, and urged fans to wait for a full, official reveal of the game. That’s expected to take place early next month at the E3 expo, the world’s biggest games show.

See also: [RUMOR] The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cover. Possibly.

[Via Kotaku]

Spoilers!: Full Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 plot leaked is a post from: The Inquisitr

We just don’t know, you see. A Kotaku tipster sent this to the blog – supposedly the leak first appeared at the Electric Hydra Forums.

With no official confirmation we’re left to guess, but the tell-tale signs are all there. There is a man with a gun. The words ‘Call of Duty MW3‘ appear on the box. You can’t train these powers of deduction. They’re a gift.

So, let’s assume this is the Modern Warfare 3 cover – any good, you reckon?

[Via Kotaku]

[RUMOR] The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 cover. Possibly. is a post from: The Inquisitr

“The creative excellence and sheer scale of the game we are making, and the unprecedented online universe that will accompany it, will reset the bar for this genre, giving players a new level of immersion, connectivity, community and, of course, epic action. [...] On our last call, I told you that we had formed a wholly-owned development studio called Beachhead to lead the creation of an all new connected digital universe to the Call of Duty franchise. This platform will include a suite of services and content plan that will unite and ignite the community like never before. The platform will support in-game integration and bring online experiences and console play together for the first time. It’s been in development for almost two years and we’re very excited about the increased value and excitement we can bring to our community through this platform.”

ORIGINAL STORY: It will almost certainly be 2011′s best-selling videogame, but the next Call of Duty has not even been announced yet. However, according to ‘multiple sources’ close to Eurogamer, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will launch on November 8th, just six months from now.

Meanwhile, an entry on the store of UK supermarket Tesco (since removed) has listed the game as Call of Duty: Project Collossus.

November 8th is not exactly a wild guess. Indeed, as previous Call of Duty launch dates have shown …

Call of Duty: Black Ops — November 9th, 2010
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 — November 10th, 2009
Call of Duty: World at War — November 14th, 2008
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — November 9th, 2007

… November 8th is a highly likely release date for Modern Warfare 3, or whatever the next COD may be called. In the coming hours, Activision Blizzard is announcing its financial results for Q1 2011, so there’s every chance we’ll hear more then – I’ll keep this post fresh and updated, so check back!

[Via Eurogamer]

[RUMOR] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches November 8th is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call of Duty games have been hogging top spot in the lucrative first-person shooter genre for years now. Call of Duty: Black Ops took $400 million in revenue on day one. Pretty soon after that, it passed $1 billion. Big numbers. Hence why EA – rival to Call of Duty publisher Activision – really, really wants to beat Call of Duty.

The game that’s going to beat it? Battlefield 3.

Speaking at the AdAge Conference in New York, EA boss John Riccitiello talked up this upcoming battle even more. He started the prick-waving by asserting the combined marketing cost for both publishers will be around $200 million. Then he came out with a fairly direct admission that Battlefield 3 serves only one purpose:

“[Battlefield 3] is designed to take [Call of Duty] down. If you’re looking for a battle of the titans – Red Sox vs Yankees… Microsoft or Google – and what the tip-off point is for this holiday season, this is it.”

Strong words, but will Riccitiello and Battlefield 3 be eating dust later this year? My hunch is yes, probably, if only because the Call of Duty brand is so phenomenally strong.

Battlefield 3 looks like the bee’s knees (see here), but as the previous Battlefield game has LIFETIME sales of 6 million compared to Black Ops‘s DAY ONE sales of 7 million, EA has set itself one hell of a task.

[AdvertisingAge, via Eurogamer]

EA: ‘Battlefield 3 designed to take Call of Duty down’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Furthermore, where are all the great British villains? We’re highly bloody villainous, I’ll have you know! Head to Complex.com to see this in Big-O-Vision while I get on with cackling nefariously.

[Via Complex]

Here’s where your videogame villains come from (Spoiler: not the west) is a post from: The Inquisitr

Videogame sales body The NPD Group has just confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops has now sold more copies in the U.S. than any other game ever.

Though it’s yet to spill exact figures, the shooter topped the U.S. sales charts for February, and surged past Nintendo’s Wii Play to the top of the all-time sales list:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, Xbox)
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
6. Wii Fit (Wii)
7. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Xbox 360, DS)
9. Madden NFL 07 (PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, PSP, DS, GC, GBA, Wii)
10. Call of Duty: World at War (PS3, Xbox 360, DS, Wii)female writer/poet sites, etc.

This happy news for Activision shareholders comes after it was revealed Black Ops became the quickest game to make $1 billion in December 2010.

[Via press release]

Call of Duty: Black Ops becomes best selling game ever in the U.S. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Someone get this guy a damn job: an actual letter sent by a COD fan to Robert Bowling, creative strategist at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare studio Infinity Ward.

That‘ll teach George Washington.

[Robert Bowling's Twitter, via Kotaku]

Letter of LOL: Call of Duty fan has big ideas for franchise is a post from: The Inquisitr

Buy the goddamn kid Black Ops, he deserves it!

[Failbook]

Little kid makes court-worthy COD case on Facebook is a post from: The Inquisitr

The online mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has never been short of problems with hackers and other ne’er-do-wells. However, things have apparently turned extra sour since some young scamp ejaculated the PlayStation 3 jailbreak code all over the Internet’s face.

But lo! Here comes developer Infinity Ward on a white horse with a security patch tucked in its tunic. This new update for the first-person shooter will launch soon for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, and will address “security issues that have affected online play”, according to Infinity Ward community bloke Robert Bowling.

Only last month, Bowling took to the Infinity Ward message boards to explain how the PS3 hacks had “resulted in games [becoming] exposed to exploits and hacks,” with online statistics and player progress apparently affected.

The patch will also sort out a “small geo exploit on the map Fuel”. Players exploited said bug to climb inside a rock that lay outside one of the game’s map. Honestly, hiding in virtual rocks, kids these days, etc.

[Infinity Ward forums, via Eurogamer]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 getting security patch soon is a post from: The Inquisitr

Via The Escapist

Call Of Duty Black Ops Stats is a post from: The Inquisitr

In what is becoming International Blame Videogames For Everything Day, sections of the Russian media have linked Monday’s terrorist attack at Domodedovo airport in Moscow to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

The 2009 shooter famously featured a stage in which the player could gun down civilians in a Russian airport. The ‘No Russian’ level (video below) wasn’t the smartest thing Infinity Ward ever did with the Call of Duty franchise, but to idly pin the blame on a videogame is yet another example of lazy mainstream journalism where games are concerned.

Russia Today, a government-financed satellite channel, has featured a report that combines footage of the Domodedovo attack with scenes from Modern Warfare 2. According to the New York Times, the report was keen to emphasize that the game was developed by Americans, and included an interview with Fox News favourite and so-called terrorist expert Walid Phares. Here are his pearls of wisdom:

“I think those who have been radicalized already — let’s suppose in this case jihadists, Al Qaeda or [some] other kind — they look at the games and say these games will serve them to train.”

Yeah, right, as opposed to all the world’s openly available shooting ranges featuring real guns. So far, so monumentally stupid, but then the report tries to claim the real-life suicide bombing “mirrors” the video game’s scenario.

Watch the video of the game below, and it’s plain this is a complete fabrication. Whereas the game portrays a commando raid, witness reports from Domodedovo suggest something far different. The only coincidence here is that the videogame also features a Russian airport – an incredibly tenuous ‘link’.

[Via New York Times]

Russian media pins blame for suicide bombing on Call of Duty game is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is due to release in November 2011. However, it looks like Infinity Ward – or what remains of Infinity Ward after this fall-out – is struggling to finish the game in time.

The LA Times reports that publisher Activision has called for help from two of its other studios, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software. According to the paper’s sources, Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward are sorting out the single-player mode, while Raven is in charge of developing the game’s online functionality.

The LA Times‘s mole adds that Sledgehammer personnel have had to be taken from a different Call of Duty game, an adventure spin-off. Activision is, for very obvious reasons, desperate to see Modern Warfare 3 out this year – even if that means delaying a side project for the main attraction.

[Los Angeles Times, via VG247]

Reinforcements called in to finish Modern Warfare 3 on time is a post from: The Inquisitr

Call of Duty parody soldier letters, as seen at the excellent Dorkly. Sometimes, I see an idea I really wish I’d posted first. This is one of those times. There are more of these, so go look!

[Via Dorkly]

*Sniff*: A soldier writes home from the (Call of Duty) battlefield is a post from: The Inquisitr

This is a video of what Call of Duty will look like in about 2034 on the PlayStation 6 (what I’m saying is, it looks hella real), by which time we’ll probably all plug our brains directly into our consoles to play. Still, comforting to see teabagging lives on in this technological utopia:

[Via YouTube]

[VIDEO] Call of Duty meets real life is a post from: The Inquisitr

The latest patch for Call of Duty: Black Ops seems to have made the game less playable, with many PlayStation 3 owners reporting far more serious connection issues.

In a thread on the game’s official forums, scores of PS3 players have attacked Patch 1.04′s disastrous effect in a whirl of anger and misspellings, accusing it of causing significantly more freezing, disconnections, and lag. A selection of their comments include:

“[The patch] just made the gameplay more worse than it was. Gamefreezes after 5 minutes gameplay. While you dont have gamefreeze you get everygame a connection interrupted. Framerates fails etc. etc.” – Fiko

“I never had matchmaking issues before, now I do. Connection interrupted is happening 3x more often than before. Haven’t had a PS3 freeze or transmission error yet. Managed to complete about 5 games in 2 hours.” – purehatred89

“Been trying to get in a game for over 30 min. WTF is the best they can do. Great game made horrible beyond belief. Im disgusted.” – Johnny_Law

“It is now 5 48 eastern time. I last played a full match before 3:20… thats two hours of waiting in lobbies only to play a game that lasts about 3 kills before freezing up” – octavias

And so on. While the odd positive comment appears in the thread, it’s mostly bile and (justifiable) whining. The Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game seem to be free of such issues.

However, Treyarch community manager Josh Olin insists it is the routers of those complaining that are causing the problems, telling one angry gamer on Twitter, “That means your Router has a strict NAT, causing your lag. It’s not the game.”

To placate matters, he added that Treyarch still wants to hear from Patch 1.04 victims. “We are listening to you,” he stated, “and we’ve been busy working on updates based on feedback from the community. We have already deployed a number of updates, and there will be many more to come.”

This isn’t the first time Black Ops has had problems with its online mode – last month, players of the PC version accused the game of being “unplayable“.

[Black Ops Forum, via Eurogamer]

New patch makes PS3 Call of Duty: Black Ops WORSE is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s got the guns. It’s got the blood. It’s got the … blocks. It’s LEGO MEETS CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS. And it is flippin’ ace:

See also: [VIDEO] Aaaaaawesome: Stop motion Mario movie made from Post-Its

[YouTube, via Geekologie]

[VIDEO] LEGO/Call of Duty stop motion is bloody, blocky, brilliant is a post from: The Inquisitr

You know you play too much Call of Duty when …

[Via The Daily What]

Customers who buy Call of Duty 4 also bought … is a post from: The Inquisitr

From the moment Activision’s first person shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops was available it has been breaking all kinds of records. The newest one to be set is the 5-day sales record which it has now set at $650 million. Tie that is with the fact that it has also registered as the fastest selling title every and you can see why Activision’s CEO, Robert Kotick is all smiles.

Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for two consecutive years across all forms of entertainment.

The title’s success illustrates the mass appeal of interactive entertainment as millions of consumers are choosing to play Call of Duty: Black Ops at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media.

via Redmond Pie

And we haven’t even hit the serious Christmas buying season yet, so expect more records to be set along the way.

Records smashed, records made as Call of Duty: Black Ops marches forward is a post from: The Inquisitr

Remember this lucky/awesome knife throw from Modern Warfare 2? Well here’s another freakish kill from its follow-up, Call of Duty: Black Ops. Except … I’m pretty sure this is all luck.

We’ve all done it in these games: tossed a spammy knife (or in this case, a tomahawk) in the vain hope of hitting an unseen opponent. This time, it worked, felling unlucky recipient ‘BotteDemix’ with an axe to the ankles … after bouncing off a wall and the ground on the other side of the level. Ridiculous.

Just watch:

[YouTube, via Kotaku]

[VIDEO] The luckiest Call of Duty: Black Ops kill to date is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Internet is a-raging today about the PC version of first-person shooter mega-hit Call of Duty: Black Ops.

According to many gamers, the online multiplayer mode is severely borked, rendered “unplayable” by lag – and even developer Treyarch admits there’s a problem. When the multiplayer mode in a Call of Duty game is so broken, that’s quite an obstacle – while the series has seen some decent single-player campaigns, multiplayer is the only reason so many of you play these games.

Writing on Destructoid under a title of “Black Ops PC port is buggy as shit”, Jim Sterling testifies that online play is a mix of treacly frame-rates, matchmaking issues, games freezing for seconds at a time, and understandably irate gamers.

Bad times, though I suspect many of you will be playing this on consoles. Indeed, the only comfort any of us should draw from this is the PC Snob Brigade getting the raw end of the deal. Hopefully, Treyarch will come forward with a patch soon; this sort of thing doesn’t look fun:

[Via Destructoid]

Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer “unplayable” on PC, says Internet is a post from: The Inquisitr

A complete gimmick engineered by a panicking movie industry they might be, but the games industry seems happy to leap atop the 3D bandwagon. Activision and developer Treyarch have jointly announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops will feature stereoscopic 3D visuals in all versions of the game – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Of course, you’ll also need to own a costly 3D-ready TV or NVIDIA 3D Vision-ready PC, and you’ll still need to wear the daft active shutter glasses. But it’s there, if you’re rich enough and fancy the idea of virtual bullets flying past your ears in a mildly unconvincing fashion.

Treyarch is hoping the lifespan of Black Ops will mean more and more people get to try the technology as 3D TVs become more popular, but so far the critics aren’t completely bowled over. Kotaku got an exclusive hands-on with the 3D mode, and ending up feeling not-amazed.

Call of Duty: Black Ops hits a store near you on November 9. Something tells me you might hear more about this little-known game before then.

[Via press release]

Call of Duty: Black Ops to boast 3D visuals is a post from: The Inquisitr