Posted 11/19/09 at 01:36:54 AM by Nathan Grayson

Of all the crimes Activision could be accused of, extreme restraint isn’t one of them. If a property in its stable of games fattens its way into bonafide cash cow territory, you can bet that Activision will milk it bone-dry. But if you’ve ever tried chugging an entire gallon of milk, you know that people’s tolerance for the stuff is a bit lacking. Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero are already facing diminishing returns from consumer fatigue, and at this rate, it won’t be long before Call of Duty wears out its welcome – especially if yet another developer hops aboard Activision’s favorite money train.

The LA Times, however, is reporting just that. “Although Infinity Ward and Treyarch have produced sequels in alternating years since 2005, the publisher now has a third development studio working on future versions,” read the publication’s article on Modern Warfare 2’s launch.

As for this third mystery developer’s purpose, little is known. Speculation says that the series newcomer could be digging the development trenches on a Call of Duty MMO – something Activision boss Bobby Kotick has expressed interest in on multiple occasions. Or maybe Call of Duty: World at War’s ever-popular Nazi Zombies are finally getting their own game. We really have no idea.

Or – and this is crazy, but work with us here – maybe, after nearly a decade of working on the same series, Infinity Ward is ready to move on to greener pastures, and Activision’s called in a new team to pick up where the Call of Duty creator left off.

Naaaaah.

Read More

Posted 11/14/09 at 02:37:58 AM by Nathan Grayson

Surprising absolutely no one on the entire planet -- since damn near all of humanity was counting down the milliseconds until the game was clasped between their grubby mitts – Modern Warfare 2 now officially holds the record for biggest launch in entertainment history. We’re not just talking games, either. Books, movies, and music – none of them stood a chance against Activision’s not-so-secret weapon.  

Last year, Grand Theft Auto IV stole the show, moving 3.6 million units and raking in $310 million – all after a mere 24 hours. Modern Warfare 2 also lured $310 million from the safety of gamers’ wallets, but sold 4.7 million units. On top of that, Modern Warfare 2’s day-one sales came only from the US, Canada, and UK. GTA IV’s numbers, meanwhile, stem from a worldwide launch. Thus, all things considered, it’s a photo finish, with Modern Warfare 2 sporting slightly longer legs.

So, on a completely unrelated topic, what’s everyone playing this weekend?

Read More

Posted 11/05/09 at 01:33:22 AM by Nathan Grayson

When it rains, it pours. And for a game that was – a mere few weeks ago – a sure bet for nearly ever gamer on the face of the planet, the storm’s only getting bigger. See, if you’re used to the deafening chaos of Modern Warfare 1’s 32-man skirmishes, Modern Warfare 2 might strike you as a tad barren. Why? Infinity Ward’s Mackey McCandlish explained in a chat with the Best Buy community:

“The max number of players on all platforms are 1v1 through 9v9. This is the number of players we focused on when we were balancing map size, perks, classes, challenges, etc.”

Unfortunately, it would appear that nothing short of a Jedi Mind Trick will sway Infinity Ward from its current course of action. Not even a 178,000-signature petition. Infinity Ward’s Vince Zampella joined McCandlish in shooting down PC gamers’ final push.
 
“All I can say is that we changed it to make it a better and easier experience. Also, not all of the names on that list are legit,” said Zampella.

“402 signed it 4 times I heard,” McCandlish chimed in.

Hey readers, you guys wouldn't happen to know any Jedi, would you?

Read More

Posted 10/06/09 at 10:56:25 PM by Nathan Grayson

Activision’s about to declare war on gamers’ wallets with Modern Warfare 2, and we imagine Bobby Kotick and co. couldn’t be happier. However, according to Call of Duty creator Infinity Ward, Activision wasn’t always so gung-ho about pulling the series out of World War II.

“With Call of Duty 2, we were dead set against it being World War 2," Infinity Ward boss Vince Zampella said, "but Activision really wanted it, the compromise sort of being that we'd get some dev kits for consoles in exchange for doing a World War 2 game.”

"And something I'll add to that, Activision also did not want Modern Warfare. They thought working on a modern game was risky and [thought], 'oh my god you can't do that, it's crazy!' They were doing market research to show us we were wrong the whole time," he explained.

As of last count, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare sold over 14 million copies.

Bobby, if we were in your shoes, we’d hire Infinity Ward not only as a consultant for Activision as a whole, but as our own personal life counselor. We’d also donate a few million dollars to Future’s Maximum PC publication, with the stipulation that 40% of it is to land in the pockets of a blogger named “Nathan Grayson.”

Just trust us on this one.   

Read More

Posted 09/29/09 at 01:20:17 AM by Nathan Grayson

Want to try Modern Warfare 2 before you – let’s face it -- inevitably buy it? Well, too bad. Infinity Ward’s too deep in the development trenches to pop its head up and toss out a demo. So said the developer in a recent tweet:

“No plan for a Demo before launch. The entire team is focused on polish all the way up to ship of the full game,” explained Infinity Ward.

As disappointing as this announcement is, it makes sense. Modern Warfare 2 is set to sell something in the realm of 6.7 billion units, so we don’t imagine too many people are on the fence about purchasing it. And what are a few days of pre-release playtime when you’ll probably be addicted to the game for the next year?    

Read More

Posted 07/30/09 at 12:15:53 AM by Nathan Grayson

No, that’s not a typo. We are, in fact, referring to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, the sequel to a sequel to a game that’s not even out yet. Confused? Let us break things down for you.

A group of intrepid, potentially top hat and mustachio-sporting gamers known as the Zip Gaming Community have hijacked modernwarfare4.com. Or rather, they’ve obtained it through completely legal means long before Activision even considered annexing that particular URL into its web empire. But let’s not mince words here; Zip’s basically holding the page hostage, and they’ve even posted a list of demands in exchange for its safe return.

“There is a chance that you may well require this domain. Don't worry, you can have it - in exchange for a little 'good will gesture' for the little gaming community that owns this domain and has been playing your games for years,” reads a letter to Infinity Ward on modernwarfare4.com.

“What we'd like is a copy of the game that this domain would be used for - one copy for each and every member of our gaming community.”

So long as the Modern Warfare franchise stays in Infinity Ward’s infinitely capable hands, Modern Warfare 4 will probably surface around 2013. These guys have their eyes on the prize and can see for miles, it would seem.

Interestingly, the email address attached to this whole fiasco is “welovecod@ziip.co.uk.” Now, as ubiased, unfeeling machines of pure journalistic integrity, we’re no experts on love, but come on; at least try a more believable shtick. Like, for instance, say that you’re all time-warping freedom fighters from the future who need to base a simulation around Modern Warfare 4 so that a group of super smart children can unknowingly use it to fight off a bug-like alien menace. Anything, so long as it’s more believable than this “love” crap.      

(This article was made possible in part by The Escapist and viewers like you.) 

Read More

Posted 07/29/09 at 12:35:11 PM by Nathan Grayson

Ever have one of those moments where you said something completely inappropriate – like, say, any number of four letter words – while strolling through a locale where things like that just don’t fly – like, say, your kindergartener’s bring-your-parent-to-class day or a nun convention? You know how it is; seas of chit-chat part, as though diving out of the way of the approaching eighteen-wheeler that is the crushing realization that you just screwed up big-time.

Electronic Arts recently found itself caught in the sizzling headlights of a similar situation. In promoting upcoming hack ‘n’ slash ‘n’ totally ignore the source material Dante’s Inferno, EA thought it might be fun for gamers to take pictures of themselves performing “acts of lust” with its already swamped staff of Comic Con booth babes. The winner of this competition would then get a night on the town with said babes, and some other odds and ends. Yeah. Predictably, the entire gaming community immediately ceased to jabber about other topics, crossed its collective arms, and sent a damning glare in EA’s direction. “Oh, haha, we didn’t mean it like that,” EA essentially said in reply, backpedaling. But obviously, that didn’t undo the damage that’d already been done.

Clearly, EA – in this situation – had its audience pegged incorrectly. Despite our apparent love of some of life’s baser aspects (shooting, explosions, and John Madden, for instance), gamers don’t take too kindly to blatant misogyny. Big whoop, though, right? In many gamers’ eyes, this is just another dark mark on a record already stained by countless instances of greed and sloth. Throwing in lust just rounds out the roster, right? It’s EA, after all. And as we all know from previous experiences, stereotypes and generalizations are always right.

And so is clicking the "read more" button!

Read More

Posted 05/25/09 at 11:34:05 PM by Nathan Grayson

We don’t typically let trailers hog the spotlight here at Maximum PC, but we think this one is worth making an exception for. Go ahead, pop up from behind the cover of this bulletproof website and take a looksie here.
 
Back yet? Good. Though we would’ve understood if you never came back. Game looks amazing. We tried watching the trailer just once and, well – wait, ensnared by our repeated viewings, we missed Memorial Day? Awww man.

Well, we’re gonna go spend some more time with the trailer in an effort to cheer ourselves up.

And back! Did we do it? Is it November 10th yet? Awww man. 

Read More