Most Recent: PC

Activision declares Modern Warfare 3 countdown a hoax

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

In hindsight, the images used on findmakarov.com may have been a bit too obvious for a reveal that was still five days away.

An Activision spokesperson has told Joystiq that they have no plans to make an announcement about the future of the Call of Duty franchise and that any information claiming otherwise is a hoax:

There seems to be a great deal of speculation about the next Call of Duty project. Let me be clear that we are not revealing yet. Anything indicating otherwise is a hoax.

I still think this might be the real deal. Activision executives have constantly reinforced the belief that a new Call of Duty game is coming this Fall. They have to announce it eventually and the Game Developers Conference is a good place as any.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

New Releases: Pokemon Black/White, Fight Night Champion, Rift, More

Posted on February 26, 2011 by John Scalzo

Released in Japan last Fall, Pokemaniacs in North America have been anxiously awaiting the day that Pokemon: Black Version and Pokemon: White Version would make the jump across the Pacific. And, with the 3DS less than a month away, that day is finally upon us. Let’s hope you’re ready to catch ’em all.

If catching them all doesn’t hold any appeal for you, there are several other non-Pokemon options among this week’s new releases. There’s Fight Night Champion (PS3, Xbox 360), EA Sports’ latest reinvention of their boxing franchise; there’s Rift (PC), the first MMORPG from Trion Worlds; and there’s Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II: Retribution (PC), the newest expansion in the strategy series.

The full list of the rest of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Activision counting down to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3?

Posted on February 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

UPDATE: An Activision spokesperson has declared the countdown site a hoax. The original story follows.

It sure looks that way after viewing the countdown clock at findmakarov.com (which comes complete with Modern Warfare 2-inspired sights and sounds).

The URL of the site was imprinted on dogtags that were sent to several game sites today by viral marketing firm VVO Media. Besides Makarov (who was one of the terrorists from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2), the tags also include the phrase “End the War” and the name Lt. General Shepherd (another villain from MW2).

The countdown will end on Wednesday, March 2 at 7 AM (Pacific Time). That’s smack dab in the middle of the Game Developers Conference, where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 made its worldwide debut two years ago.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

The Next Level: The Games of March 2011

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Warp Zoned Staff

Ah, March. You’re coming in like a lion, all right… but you’re going out like one, too. Not only are there a ton of awesome games coming out, but there’s also the highly anticipated arrival of Nintendo’s new handheld hardware, the 3DS. More than a few franchises are getting new chapters this month, too. The Warp Zoned staff got together to share what games and tech they’re most looking forward to in March. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, Features, Mobile, PC, PS3, PSP, Top Story, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Sucker Punch web game battles orcs and samurais

Posted on February 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sucker Punch has taken the geek world by storm and its March 25th theatrical debut will likely be the film event of the Spring. And why not? The movie’s world is a modern riff on Alice in Wonderland that pits Babydoll (and four of her friends) against armies of Nazis, samurais, orcs, Terminators, Transformers and one fire-breathing dragon. Just look at the latest trailer, it’s distilled awesome.

To go along with the movie’s impending release, Warner Bros. has posted a very impressive third-person action game, Sucker Punch: Annihilation, on the film’s website. In Annihilation, players can control any of the film’s five femme fatales – Babydoll (Emily Browning), Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), Amber (Jamie Chung) or Rocket (Jena Malone) – as they fight wave after wave of samurais, orcs and other assorted monsters.

The game includes three areas (Feudal Warriors, Castle Siege, Distant Planet) and allows players to earn achievements (that can be shared on Facebook) and experience points to make your chosen girl a more formidable fighter.

Sucker Punch: Annihilation is a great way to spend your Interwebbing time and it really makes me wonder what could have been if WB Games had decided to go around with a full-fledged Sucker Punch for the PS3 or Xbox 360.

Posted in News, PC |

Command & Conquer is reborn at Victory Games

Posted on February 25, 2011 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts relaunched the official Command & Conquer website and revealed that they’ve passed the development reins of the franchise to their latest internal studio, Victory Games.

Victory Games will be headed up by Jon Van Caneghem, the founder of New World Computing and creator of the Heroes of Might & Magic series. When asked about his role in creating a new Command & Conquer game, Caneghem had this to say:

I can tell you it’s a Command & Conquer game for the PC, but we’re not yet at a stage where I can go into any details—we’ll be prepared to make a more formal announcement later in the year. We’re not just working on a game, though. Our general focus is on the future of Command & Conquer. That means updating a lot of the core technology to create a stable base for future development, and leveraging that work on this first game.

As Caneghem doesn’t reveal many specifics about the next Command & Conquer game, I think it’s safe to assume we won’t be playing it in 2011.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

The G-Spot: Modern Warfare 2 vs. Black Ops

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

When Infinity Ward released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009, it launched one of the biggest names in gaming into the stratosphere of pop culture. A year later, at the time it needed to deliver most, Treyarch released Call of Duty: Black Ops, which not only matched the records of Modern Warfare 2, but shattered them. This prolific series fought its way to the top of the charts while spurning out ugly legal battles and one of the most caustic rivalries in the history of gaming. Now that the first map pack for Black Ops is about to be available on all platforms, it’s time to examine the comparative merits of these two games, and this is our focus for the second installment of The G-Spot. (more…)

Posted in Opinions, PC, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Gearbox wants to know if you worked on Duke Nukem Forever

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

For a game that’s been in development for so long, it’s understandable that Duke Nukem Forever would have had a lot of different people working on it over the years. As such, it’s completely feasible that a lot of them have gotten lost in the shuffle, and their contributions may not be remembered and recorded when Gearbox ships the game on May 3.

To remedy that, they’ve launched a website where you can request to be credited for working on the Duke’s latest adventures. You can first select one of seven categories: worked for a developer, worked for a publisher, contractor/agency, press with notable affiliation, community, fan, and, of course, “Other.” After that, you’re asked to submit your information along with a short statement on what you contributed to the game.

Given community, fan, and other being on there, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a lengthy section in the credits for “fans who never gave up hope.” I guess we’ll just have to see when the game releases for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this coming May 3.

Posted in PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged