RipTen Videogame Blog » Activision

Call of Duty Elite Releasing Third Xbox 360 Map, PS3 Owners Still Waiting for First

Rick Givens — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:30:46 +0000

Modern Warfare 3 players REJOICE! But only if you have Call of Duty Elite, and only if you play the game on the Xbox.

On February 21st, Premium Members will be able to access the third map, Overwatch, which is next in the line up for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3′s Content Season for Call of Duty Elite. This third map will be available to Xbox Live Members with the Premium subscription a full week before PlayStation 3 owners even get the first map. PC? No word on that; nor when Call of Duty Elite will be available for that platform, so uncross your fingers and exhale, otherwise you will get arthritis and die.

Overwatch will be set at a construction site atop a New York City skyscraper. Featuring two levels and a near symmetrical layout, a central bridge and side routes will allow players to approach from multiple angles, while the lack of safety barriers will make it easy for you to belly flop onto the pavement if you don’t watch your step.

While Xbox Premium members are getting what looks to be all the content first, Activision states that PS3 Premium members will get the content before non Premium members. Somewhere down the road, those that didn’t sign up for the service, or who are PC gamers will get the content, maybe, one day….Okay, so no one really knows when the hell that will be, but the standard has been about a month apart for each platform. So, sometime in March PC gamers might expect the DLC, at full price.

Activision Skylanders Toy Shortage Continues, Giant Sequel Announced

Chris Gravelle — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:30:06 +0000

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure was one of the most popular toys this holiday season. However, the popularity has revealed an issue with the business model Activision is using for the young game series.

On paper, combining a solid action-RPG with an action statue collection, is a brilliant move on Activision’s part. The fact that the figures are so well made by Toys for Bob doesn’t hurt either. The problem is that these figures are so popular that they are all but impossible to find in stores. Making matters worse, some retailers like GameStop and Toys’R'Us are raising prices on their toys in some locations.

This leads to an exciting and concerning announcement in regards to the Skylanders universe. Something huge is coming. Namely, Skylanders Giants this fall. Skylanders Giants will be the first sequel to the series bringing larger figures, in and out of the game, as well as the ability to carry over your older figures with all of their stats from the first game. The giant figures will be twice as large as the previous figures, but if we can’t buy them when we like, why should we care?

Activision has stated on their Facebook feed that they are working on pumping out the toys as quickly as possible. If they do get the supply issues under control, there are some exciting things to look forward to in Giants. Each of the giant figures will have portions that light up when they are on the portal, or near it. This is the first step in showing us that Activision is truly invested in this series and not just out for a quick cash grab. While Skylanders is targeted towards a younger audience, I can tell you that I had more fun with it than my kid did.

Activision may be on to something, but again, if we can’t buy the toys, the game may dry up quickly. More information will be available on Skylanders Giants at the American International Toy Fair this month. In the mean time, start clearing up some space in your wallet and on your desk for Skylanders Giants release this fall.

Latest Spider-Man Game Will Feature New ‘Web Rush’ Mechanic

Drake Hess — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:00:12 +0000

The next Spider-Man game lined up for Beenox is an open world version set to release along side the movie reboot itself on July, 3rd. Not much has been revealed about The Amazing Spider-Man The Game outside of a debut trailer at the VGAs and a less than well received image shown to fans on the game’s official Facebook page. We do know that it will have a more realistic look and feature a New York City sandbox for everyone to swing their heart out in, and thanks to a fan by the name of Jacob Berg, we now also know a little bit about a game mechanic called “Web Rush.”

Jacob asked if anything could be revealed about the gameplay mechanics and received this brief response.

Hi Jacob! Yes, we introduce an all-new gameplay mechanic called the Web Rush, which gives players real-time navigational and combat choices. Web Rush can be triggered on the fly, at any moment and immediately presents you with a variety of situational choices, letting you pull off Spidey’s signature moves like never before.

It sounds interesting but having seen a handful of takes on the open world Spider-Man swing fest thus far, I’m not exactly sure how this plans on being borderline revolutionary. If I were to imagine how this feature would work (again this is just a guess), I’d think say it was some combination of a brief time slowing effect and d-pad mechanic that allows you to quickly access canned actions. Probably way off here but whatever it is had better be easily accessible and fluid because I don’t want to be suspended in mid air slow-mo style while John Madden diagrams football plays over me every ten seconds. I wouldn’t mind being able to quickly shoot a giant web trap behind me to stop a villain in pursuit or create a massive hammer in mid air and swing it like I just don’t care. Okay, I’ve gone too far.

I’d love to hear what you think the Web Rush mechanic will do in detail. Sound off in the comments section below.

Call of Duty Elite DLC for PS3 Dated, PS3 Patch Now Live

Alex Co — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:00:56 +0000

If you’ve yet to boot up Modern Warfare 3 today, chances are you still don’t know that patch 1.08 is now live for the PS3. Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward’s creative strategist revealed that the patch, ”includes improved voice chat quality, theater fixes, weapon rebalances.” If you want to read the complete patch note, click here.

In related news, Bowling also outed when PS3 Call of Duty Elite members will get their DLC. The new maps called – Liberation and Plaza, will drop on February 28 and that people will have to go to the Store in the multiplayer menu and choose to download the maps. For those uninformed, Xbox 360 Call of Duty Elite members got the map pack way back on January 24 – almost a full month after their PS3 counterparts.

While it might be annoying for PS3 players who paid for their Elite membership to get their content almost a month late compared to Xbox 360 users, that should be expected given that Microsoft does have an timed exclusivity deal when it comes to Call of Duty DLC. Of course, the fact that PS3 Elite members are paying to get the DLC in advance does make things a little bit harder to swallow, no?

Does the wait bother PS3 Call of Duty players or are you used to it by now?

Source: MP1st

Prototype 2′s Radnet Edition Has 55 Pieces of Content

Justin Carter — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:29 +0000

Most special editions to video games usually offer one or two pieces of content. A soundtrack here, an art book there. Prototype 2 isn’t content with that, so they’re offering up 55 pieces of varied content. The Radnet Edition will come with:

Weekly events, a la Halo Reach
Friend vs. Friend challenges
Weekly rewards
Bonus mutations for James Heller
Behind the scenes videos

Free content will also depend on the version of the game you get. Xbox 360 owners will get Avatar items, PS3 owners will get five exclusive animated themes. If you participate in all of the weekly events and challenges from April 24 to June 7, and you’ll win “the ultimate shapeshifting prize”, which’ll be unveiled in March. No clue what it is, but it’ll probably be ultimate. If you’re curious about the Radnet Edition, just read up on this FAQ, courtesy of Radical.

Prototype 2 mutates onto stores April 24 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

via Game Informer

New Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD Screens Kickflip it Old School

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:00:15 +0000

Activision and Robomodo want to bring the Tony Hawk series back to its roots. No more gimmicky controls like with Tony Hawk: Ride, just solid tried and true gameplay with a standard controller. Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD will be the series’ first game on consoles that will be offered exclusively as a downloadable game.

The screens look solid and fun. Check them out below.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD launches sometime Summer 2012 on PSN and XBL.

Activision CEO Talks About Transparency, Getting Past the Modern Warfare 3 Leak

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:48:09 +0000

Current Activision CEO, Eric Hirshberg, gave an interesting speech at Advertising Age’s Creativity and Technology event during CES this year, one that focused on the company’s approach when dealing with the massive Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 leak that hit the web in a big way back on May 13th, 2011.

He talked about fans of the franchise, and how they had every right to enjoy the information and discuss it via the multitude of online social outlets that propigate the web today. He went on to say that he implored his team to embrace the leak and live on, to view it as an opportunity instead of an obstacle. Eric called a meeting within Activision to answer one simple question, “if this leak had never happened, we would not have been able to do what?” The answer in short, revolved around the concept of welcoming “transparency” and being “straight with people.” He often used the term “lean into it,” telling his team to embrace the fire, to embrace the discussion. To ask themselves why they would normally rejoice at the notion of millions of fans discussing their game, but with this instance found themselves cringing at it simply because they did not control the moment and means which it was revealed.

Ultimately, Eric and his team decided to use the social media avenues, he described as a “blessing,” to reach out to their fanbase, admit the leak was not something they wanted to see happen, and release a teaser trailer they had planned to debut on television 4 weeks later, via the internet at that very moment instead. Traditional means such as radio and television were replaced with Facebook and Twitter.

While I think Eric’s candor and willingness to think outside the box is refreshing to say the least, some may not fully understand the lesson to be learned here for the next company that finds themselves in the same unfortunate situation. Is he suggesting they offer up their shirt when caught with their pants down? Is he asking that they openly embrace defeat, by changing their outlook? Does he want them to use Jedi mind tricks to shrink what most would see as a massive problem into something that could easily be tucked into the category of “don’t sweat the small stuff?”

The comic in me compares this to an individual realizing that there’s a burgler in their home as they head down to the fridge for a midnight snack, and instead of calling 911 (or shooting him between the eyes) they ask him if he needs a hand carrying their 60′ flat screen out the front door. Why? Because they’d rather get back to eating left over chicken wings in their bunny slippers.

On one level, yes, they didn’t allow the effort of another individual to ruin their “Feng shui” as they approached a highly anticipated product launch, but on the other, they broke away from their rollout strategy, essentially waving what some will deem a white flag to an internet community that, while great in a many ways, is often guilty of harboring criminals for their own informational gain.

Eric and his team had a choice. The freedom to decide whether or not they were going to let a situation that was clearly out of their control steer them off course. In the end, they found a way to rise above it all despite the disappointment they undoubtedly felt at the time of the leak.

Years ago, a friend of mine, who now runs one of the biggest movie blogs on the web, was approached by (let’s call him a thief) who had lifted information off the set of a blockbuster movie prior to it’s release. He approached my friend and asked him if he would be interested in purchasing said information for publication on his site. My friend said he would think about and call him back. Instead he contacted the studio and arranged a sting operation of sorts, after convincing the individual that he was interested in making the deal. Police apprehended him and my friend was later rewarded with an exclusive director sit down session by the studio for doing what he believed to be the right thing.

On a day where many sites, including RipTen, are making black out tributes in recognition of SOPA and PIPA protests, Eric’s calm approach to his company’s dillema and my friend’s clear conscience decision regarding his own, are prime “reaction” and “action” examples pertaining to both the “outcome” and “opportunity” of unlawful information distribution and the internet freedom we all stand to possibly lose.

It’s my belief that the majority of the problem lies in the choices we make, not in our right to make them. Regardless of which side of the information we find ourselves on, we should always strive to make sound decisions that we’re not afraid to stand behind, and fight to preserve our rights, not because we hope to someday abuse them, but because we truly believe we’ve earned them.

Modern Warfare 3 Nine-Month Content Drop Incoming

Catherine Cai — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:30:32 +0000

Due to Modern Warfare 3‘s success, Activision’s feeling a little bit generous. The publisher’s planned nine-months of content to be made available for Modern Warfare 3, first for Xbox Live Premium Elite users that will trickle down eventually to other platforms.

Starting January 24th, Xbox Live Premium Elite users will start receiving their nine months of “Modern Warfare 3 content season”, which will include new multiplayer maps, Spec Ops Missions, and new game modes. New content drops once every month. Non-premium elite users will have the content available to them a la carte, and they will be able to purchase the new content via Modern Warfare 3 content collections.

The first two content drops will be the multiplayer maps Liberation and Piazza. Liberation will be set in a militarized Central Park. Piazza goes the pastoral route and is set in an Italian seaside village.

The third content drop will be available sometime in mid-February. In March, the first content drops will be available for all users to purchase in the Modern Warfare 3 content collections.

Call of Duty Elite will also be giving away real world prizes to celebrate the new nine-month content drops, although currently details are scant. Stay tuned to RipTen for more news about the new Call of Duty Elite real world prizes when the announcement comes!

Is Treyarch Working on Call of Duty: Black Ops 2?

Justin Carter — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:06:35 +0000

The Call of Duty franchise has been split between two developers: Infinity Ward, best known for the Modern Warfare subseries; and Treyarch, best known for everything else. With the release of Modern Warfare 3 this past November, it’s time for Treyarch to once again step up to the plate.

Back in 2010, they put out the widely praised Call of Duty: Black Ops. Seems now that instead of doing another CoD game set between WWII and modern times, Treyarch is working on a sequel to Black Ops. Fusible reports that Activision has bought the rights for www.blackops2.com, along with domains purchased up to Black Ops 6. The domain is owned by MarkMonitor, an internet brand protection company. One of their clients is, you guessed it, Activision. The last update was this past Friday, January 6. No word from Activision yet, but we’ll keep you in the know if anything changes.

via IGN

Blizzard Announces Price Drop for WoW Expansions in Europe

Catherine Cai — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:00:33 +0000

Blizzard announced that for the new year, it was going to permanently drop the price of World of Warcraft expansions in Europe. Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm have been dropped €19.99 and €29.99, respectively, in both retail and the Blizzard Store.

Note, US WoW players, the price drop only applies to Europe. Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm are still $39.99. You jelly?

[Via VG247]

Skylanders Goes Free to Play With Spyro’s Universe

Justin Carter — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:25 +0000

Spyro the Dragon has gone through several changes over the past few years. After a few years of being MIA, he returned a few months ago in Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. Rather than keeping him with Sparx and sending him all over mystical worlds, Skylanders lets you play as multiple characters, including Spyro, along with sweet collectible toys. Now, Spyro’s taking the Skylanders to the online space with Skylanders: Spyro’s Universe, a free to play MMO for the kids.

Spyro’s Universe includes customizable Skylands and mini-games that resemble some other game with birds that are ill tempered. If you’re interested, or know someone who is interested in this game, sign up at the game’s beta page.

via [Joystiq]

Modern Warfare 3 Hits $1 Billion Milestone In Just 16 Days

Chris Carlson — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:20:34 +0000

It’s no surprise that Call of Duty breaks every friggin sales record known to man year after year, but this year is something special. In just 16 days after release, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 crossed the $1 billion sales mark overtaking the record set in 2009 by the feature film “Avatar“, which reached $1 billion in 17 days.

Here’s some other interesting facts. With more than 30 million gamers, the Call of Duty community now exceeds the combined populations of the cities of New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Madrid. That is nucking futs!

CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg, released a statement saying:

“Call of Duty has become that rare entertainment franchise that transcends its own genre. Core gamers love it, as our stellar reviews show. But every year, new people are drawn into Call of Duty, and while the franchise continues to set records, our fans still seem to want more, demonstrated by our record setting start on Call of Duty Elite. We are committed to helping everyone connect, compete and improve their game, Call of Duty style.”

You can hate on the franchise all you want for not changing, but with money like this, there’s no way Activision is changing the likes of Call of Duty anytime soon.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Trailer Gets Emotional

Justin Carter — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:55:04 +0000

The Transformers license hit its stride with the release of War for Cybertron back in 2010. Rather than being a crappy prequel to the divisive films, it told the days of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons over their doomed planet, Cybertron.

Following the Game Informer announcement a few months ago, anticipation for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is now almost too damn high. After all, it’s promising a glimpse into the end of the Transformers home planet and being able to play as fan favorite Grimlock. Yes, Grimlock. If you need to see what the game’s aiming for, look no further than this trailer courtesy of the Spike VGAs.

Even though the game doesn’t come out until next Fall, things don’t look good for Bumblebee. Then again, if this is anything like the last game, Bumblebee will be alive and well with no trouble because, as we all know…

You’ve Got the Touch

Obsidian Wants the Used Game Business to Disappear

Jon Christensen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:16:48 +0000

Used games is huge business. For instance, when you buy a per-owned title, a company like Gamestop makes more money, then if you decide to purchase a new one.

With that said, publishers and developers don’t see a penny when you choose a used copy. So ultimately, you’re helping only Gamestop or whatever retail you shop at, and not the industry as a whole.

Publishers are doing everything they can to ensure they make some kind of profit out of used games, so some have implemented a code that’s packed in with the disc that can only be used once to go online. If you decide to buy a used game, and don’t have the onetime code to input, you’ll have top spend extra cash to get your online kick.

Eventually though, publishers will be victorious in the used game war because at one point, most titles will be available through download.

Like it or not, digital distribution is the future and at one point, you’ll only be picking up the latest title using the Information Super Highway. And the studio Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas) couldn’t be happier.

While speaking with industrygamers, Obsidian’s Chief Creative Officer Chris Avellone talked about how he hopes purchasing games through the digital medium will one day kill the used business.

“Of course, one of the greatest things about digital distribution is what it does to reduce the used game market. I hope digital distribution stabs the used game market in the heart,” said Avellone.

While that prospect excites him, he also envisions other reasons why digital distribution will benefit developers along with gamers alike.

“One of the things I enjoyed with Fallout: New Vegas was that digital distribution of the DLC made things more flexible in terms of getting the content done. You didn’t have to worry about production times for discs, and so you could take an extra week if you needed that to get things right,”

And if more people decide to download games, as opposed to buy them in the store, smaller studios — like the one Avellone’s employed at — can publish their own games and not rely on bigger companies like EA or Activision.

“Our eventual hope is that we can stockpile enough resources to release our own titles digitally. Smaller games can be very satisfying projects to work on, and it would be great to do that. But it’s going to take time for us to get there; we want to make sure we do it right.”

Activision’s “Friday Night Fights” to Air on CoD: ELITE November 25th

Catherine Cai — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:16:56 +0000

Activision is airing a new show called “Friday Night Fights” on its new Call of Duty: Elite service. The weekly show features the settling of real life rivalries through Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer matches. After all, my first instinct when I want to fight is to walk up to someone holding a leather glove, slap them in the face, and declare, “Tomorrow. At noon. Kill Confirmed. May the best man win.”

The rivals featured in the first episode? Army vs. Navy.

“From the beginning, our goal with Call of Duty ELITE has been to bring the Call of Duty community together in new ways. Fans of Call of Duty spend as much time playing the game, as sports fans spend following their favorite teams-if not more. So we figured, if sports fans get all kinds of shows outside of the games to feed their passion, why not do the same thing for Call ofDuty fans?” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing. “When you’re working with the likes of executive producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, the production values don’t get any higher. And the Call of Duty community deserves nothing less. We want to give people new ways to connect with the game they love. That’s what Call of Duty ELITE is about, and Friday Night Fights is just the beginning.”

I have to applaud Activision for taking a step into e-sports with this move. After all, e-sports are finally starting to get attention, and what would make e-sports bigger than to have one of the world’s biggest gaming publishers endorse it on a gaming platform for one of the most popular gaming series of this decade?

If you’re interested, “Friday Night Fights” will premiere on (surprise) Friday, November 25th at 12 PM, Pacific Standard on Elite.

Modern Warfare 3 Breaks Records with $775 Million in Sales Worldwide

Sam Naylor — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:12:45 +0000

Modern Warfare 3 has shat all over Skyrim‘s successful launch by selling $775 million worldwide in just five days.

Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard’s CEO, said:

With $775 million of sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in its first five days, Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for three consecutive years across all forms of entertainment. Call of Duty is one of the most valuable entertainment properties in the world.

…While rolling in the buckets of money he’s made off of it. The game has also set a world record for consecutive players on Xbox Live at one time, with 3.3 million unique players online in a day.

Is it worthy of the attention? You can read our review to find out, or just tell each other the answer in the comments below.

Goodbye Subscribers, Hello Profit! Why World of Warcraft Isn’t In Danger

Jensen Walker — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:00:26 +0000

If you read my last opinion article relating to World of Warcraft, you’d know I’m not a fan of the recently announced Mists of Pandaria expansion. Despite that, I’ve never doubted that Blizzard’s behemoth of an MMO is in any danger of losing its number one position in the MMO hierarchy.

While MoP may not be for me, it certainly will and does appeal to a great many others, and I stated my belief that it would be a superior expansion to Cataclysm in terms of design, content and player retention.

WoW’s subscriber numbers made the news recently, with an Activision Blizzard investor call revealing subscriptions have dropped from 11.4 million in May to current total of 10.3 million. If you factor in the total loss since Cataclysm’s launch, you have a loss of roughly 1.7 million subscribers. That’s a lot of lost subs. However, Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime reported that the majority of those losses come from the eastern market (China, in other words).

While WoW struggles with retention issues, Activision Blizzard amassed $627 million worth of sales, with $148 million in profit. The majority of that revenue (62%) was generated via digital sales.

So on one hand you have an ageing MMO bleeding subscribers, but on the other you have a company (and IP) that has tripled its profit for the quarter over this period last year. What does this mean?

A Guardian Cub spends a few precious moments with its mother before a digital salesman pounces.

World of Warcraft has without doubt peaked and has now begun its slow decline. While subscriber numbers will fluctuate following expansion releases, they will continue to drop. In my opinion, Blizzard will continue to do their best to entice former players to renew their lapsed accounts while shifting an eye towards new, younger players to combat turnover.

So long as WoW retains enough of a player base to deliver lucrative sales of digital fluff items such as mounts and pets, a decline in actual subscribers doesn’t really hurt the game or the company much at all. The ubiquitous Sparkle Pony (Celestial Steed) and more recent Guardian Cub pet have proven to be great hits within the WoW community, and so long as players continue to purchase similar digital items, WoW’s subscriber loss is buffered by the increase in revenue earned from these digital sales.

Of course, if your subscriber numbers dip significantly, your digital sales will also take a hit. Furthermore, you have to consider that younger players won’t have the income or ability to purchase digital items, and will be relying on their parents (who are likely already paying subscription costs). It’s a delicate balancing act.

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, my mistake, it's just another sparkle pony.

If you take into account a good portion of the 1.7 million lost subscribers were from China, you also have to consider the manner in which subscriptions are purchased in that region. Instead of a flat monthly fee, Chinese players purchase game cards which allow them access to the game for a number of hours. Thus, revenue generated from subscriptions is going to be wildly different to regions where a standard US$15 is charged. Subscriptions themselves are subjective when they’re neither fixed nor recurring.

Even if World of Warcraft’s subscriber numbers dropped to 8 or 7 million by the time Mists of Pandaria is released, it would still be the most successful MMO on the market, it would still be raking in revenue from digital sales and it would still have the ability to bounce back, with the expansion providing an instant if temporary subscriber boost. If MoP is a stronger expansion than Cataclysm, it will retain more of those new and returned players in the long run.

To conclude, World of Warcraft will continue to dominate the market for the next few years at least, regardless of subscriber decline. Blizzard itself is likely to have a landmark 2012 when you factor in the release of Mists of Pandaria, Diablo III and most probably Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm. So say I, with all the clout of my non-existent financial analysis expertise. WoW isn’t going anywhere, and it isn’t going to relinquish its mantle as the king of MMO’s any time soon. If that disappoints you, here’s a picture that is sure to cheer you up.

Pandamon, I choose you!

RipTen Review : Goldeneye 007 Reloaded (Xbox 360)

Brandon Fenty — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:30:25 +0000

When you first fire up Goldeneye: Reloaded, you’ll notice that this isn’t your N64 classic. The graphics have been updated to modern standards, the story has been tweaked, and Pierce Brosnan has been replaced with Daniel Craig. These changes make for an experience that is distinctly different from the classic yet still has a ring of familiarity about it. It’s this combination of the new and the nostalgic that make this remake such a great game.

Reloaded’s story is not simply the same as Goldeneye’s (the game or the movie). Many of the same set pieces and major plot points are still there, but they almost always have a twist to them. For instance, the famous leap from the dam in the first level is still there, but with a twist that you’ll find surprising. Fans of the original will definitely notice the many nods to the classic, but the story still feels fresh, and you’ll find yourself looking forward to finding out how each scene will be reimagined.

The gameplay of Reloaded has a lot in common with modern shooters, many of which were born from the original Goldeneye. Still, it retains much of the same feel as the original. A quick headshot from the P99 is still the easiest way to dispatch many enemies. Stealth plays a large part in navigating the levels as well. Almost every environment gives you the option to sneak through it with headshots and silent takedowns. If you alert an enemy, an indicator shows up (much like a damage indicator) and you’ve got a few seconds to dispatch him before he can sound the alarm. If you do alert the enemies, you’ll find yourself in an all-out firefight pretty quickly.

One downfall of the single-player experience is the AI. While at points enemies will intelligently use cover, all too often they will just stand out in the open and fire blindly at you. Rarely do they employ any sort of strategy whatsoever in engaging you, and difficulty comes more from sheer numbers than individual enemy skill. While it’s not necessarily terrible, the AI certainly doesn’t impress, either.

The title adds replayability with optional objectives that often lead you off the main path of the level to complete them. When you turn up the difficulty, those objectives become mandatory. You’ll find yourself having to find new routes through the level, and this change-up makes the game feel new even after several playthroughs.

In addition to the main campaign, there are special side-challenges known as MI6 Ops, which add a lot of time to the game. The missions have a generic objective to them, such as take out all enemies or defend a point for a set amount of time, and you’re graded on how well you complete them. Modifiers can be added to make the challenge harder or easier, and you’ll get more points for completing it on a harder difficulty. You can even share a customized challenge with your friends and compete for the top spot.

The controls are fairly standard for a modern shooter, and Call of Duty fans will feel right at home. Bond’s ability to sprint and vault over obstacles makes moving through the environments feel effortless. Clicking the right stick executes a melee attack, which is great for silently taking down enemies or finishing off the last enemy instead of reloading. One nice touch that has been added is the ability to pop out from cover to fire. When crouched behind an object, holding the aim trigger pops your head over the obstacle to take out enemies. Releasing the trigger has you crouch back down. The system makes it easy to pop in and out of cover and helps keep the action flowing more smoothly — it’s a mechanic that more shooters should incorporate.

Unlike the Wii port, Reloaded’s graphics are one of its strong points, and it holds its own amongst modern shooters. Explosions look great, and the environments are large and detailed. Like the rest of the game, the environments will instantly remind you of the classic while at the same time introducing new elements and details. One of the little things I noticed were the doors from the Facility level. They use the same texture from the original (although obviously much more detailed). It’s those kinds of details that bring back nostaligic memories.

Multiplayer is one of the biggest selling points of Reloaded, and Activision doesn’t disappoint. Up to 16 players can face off online in a variety of game modes and environments. Tight controls and excellent level design make this a great part of the experience. In addition, as you play more, you’ll unlock better weapons and gadgets. Unlockable rewards keep players coming back to level up, and after every few matches you’ll have a new toy to play with. It’s a rewarding system that, while not new, definitely works.

The offline multiplayer is also engaging, and the ability to highly customize each match makes the possibilities endless. Many of the same game modes you remember make their way back, such as Golden Gun and You Only Live Twice. You can also tweak settings like damage and health modifiers, and throw in some strangeness with modifiers like Nick Nack mode where every character is reduced to half height and vaulting and climbing become impossible. Four-player split-screen matches are something that doesn’t exist much on consoles anymore, but it’s a welcome addition.

All in all, Goldeneye: Reloaded is a feature-rich game. Multiple modes and seemingly endless customization add a ton of replay value, and seeing the original story reimagined is definitely fun. It retains the feel of the classic while at the same time bringing the title up to date. The controls are solid, the graphics are great , and the level design is clever. Reloaded doesn’t rely on its Goldeneye roots to be a great game, but the nostalgic factor is just icing on the cake.

Here’s The Rundown

+ Solid Feature Set

+ Replay Value

+ Nostaligic Value

- Great Multiplayer

- Mediocre AI

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Goldeneye: Reloaded was developed by Eurocom and published by Activision for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The game was released in North America on November 1, 2011 with an MSRP of $59.99. The copy used in this review was provided by the publisher. The game was played to completion by the reviewer and multiplayer was played for many hours until boredom set in.

The Call of Duty: Elite App is Now Live on Xbox Live

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:22:22 +0000

The Call of Duty Elite Console App is now live on Xbox Live. Registering for the app will give gamers two hours worth of free XP from Modern Warfare 3.

It is a great time to download it now to get ready to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 tomorrow.

Sledgehammer Says CoD Multiplayer Wasn’t Broken, They’ve Just Made It Better

Dave Oshry — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:30:38 +0000

As you probably know by know, there’s some pretty big changes coming to the multiplayer in Modern Warfare 3.

However, legions of die hard CoD fans will say that besides the well known issues, there really wasn’t anything wrong with Modern Warfare 2′s multiplayer… so why change it? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Well, I recently sat down with Sledgehammer Games VP and COO Michael Condrey (not to be confused with award winning film director Michel Gondry) and asked him amongst other things, why all the changes?

So there you have it. Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward are committed to listening to the armies of Call of Duty fans worldwide in order to bring the best possible experience to all of them. Whether or not these changes will be welcomed by the community remains to be seen, but we’ll all have a pretty good idea in less than a week.

For more on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 check out the latest info HERE and be sure to stay tuned for the RipTen Review.