The search continues for the missing Ontario Canada 15 year-old, Brandon Crisp, who fled his home after an argument with his father over their decision to take away his Xbox.

According to Barrie police spokesman, Sgt. Dave Goodbrand, Microsoft Canada has offered to do “anything they can to expedite the process to find Brandon,” and the company is putting their money where their mouth is as they doubled the reward for information leading to his safe return, bringing the total amount to $50,000.

The teens father Steve described his son as being “obsessed” with the online aspect of the popular Call of Duty 4 game. Microsoft is closely working with authorities, divulging the IP addresses of anyone that may have come into contact with Brandon via the game.

Over 400 volunteers have assisted the police in a six day search spanning 40-sq.-km from the point the boy was last seen riding his bike by eye witnesses. Having received well over a thousand tips thus far, the community remains optimistic that they will find Brandon as they plan to resume their search tomorrow.

And yes, even the disbarred Miami lawyer, Jack Thompson, reached out to Barrie police lending his perspective on video game addition.

“It’s a psychological and physiological condition … These are tough things to have the kid go cold turkey.”

It must be equally “tough” to quit meddling in the video game related news arena. I’m going to add that it may even be considered a “physiological condition”. Move on Jack.

If you have any information that you believe may help lead to the finding of Brandon Crisp, please contact the Barrie police at 705-725-7025.

Source: canada.com

Oh, that idiot Soulja Boy is up to his shenanigans again.  After eloquently describing the brilliance of the Xbox Live Arcade game Braid, Soulja Boy is once again broadcasting his videogame superiority via his YouTube channel.  Highlights include “Fuck PlayStation 3… nobody play no goddamn PlayStation” and “You can get an ass-whoopin’ fo’ free on Xbox Live”. I especially like when he says you can tell his game is imported because of the “Japanese signals”.

Check out the full video for proof that evolution is flawed.

“Ya’ll know I do music, but let’s just forget about the music for right now.” Already did, Soulja Boy… already did.

So what do you think?  Is Soulja Boy just your average trash-talking douche that happens to be famous and uploads douchey videos of himself to YouTube, or is he an epic douche that wields a +1 camcorder of doucheness and mystical hat rotation?  I think you know my vote.

A few days ago, a long time friend of mine called to let me know that he had some positive video game related news for me, and I said “ok shoot.”

He told me that his brother had gotten his COD4 disk stuck in his recently purchased PS3, and that the system would not eject it. So he decided to give a ring to Sony’s customer service line. He explained the situation to a supervisor and was told that it would all be taken care of immediately. What Sony did next was pretty amazing.

Two days after his call in to the company, he received a package from FedEx. Upon opening the box he he was greeted with the following items; a brand new PS3 40gb console, two new controllers, a Sony Blu-ray remote control, a new copy of Call of Duty 4, and Formula One Championship Edition.

That’s a pretty nice package considering he never had a Blu-ray remote, an extra controller, or the Formula One racing game. Now that’s customer service.

Afterthought: Would you be willing to work your way up the chain of command in a company to get taken care of or is it just not worth your time and aggravation?

The trend in gaming as of late has been a push towards “reality”. Games like COD, Battlefield, and SOCOM all boast military advisors on staff, with a focus on making the game experience as “realistic” as possible.

The obsession with reality doesn’t end there, and its relation to a game’s overall fun factor, got me thinking — just how real do we want things, and at what point does reality cause a game to no longer be fun?

I must admit, I’m one of the people that really enjoyed playing the franchise mode of Madden and dynasty mode NCAA Football on the PS2 and Xbox. I really got into the scouting, drafting, and player progression aspects of the games.

Therefore, I should have been the perfect target audience for their NFL Head Coach game, right? Well, I bit and bought it for my PC, but after about an hour or so of spinning around in my virtual office chair, attending virtual staff meetings, and discussing the fate of virtual players, I decided that I wanted to be paid real money before giving the game anymore of my time.

The realization that I came to was that, I really just wanted to build powerhouses, rack up a billion trophies, dominate anything that gets in my way, and call it a career. I was willing to do this via some basic number crunching and mindless virtual drafts. I was even willing to run a few drills to improve the stats of my key players, but the other stuff, which I originally thought might be fun, was the furthest thing from it.

What about MMO’s? How long are people willing to endure the daily grind before they scream uncle? Never playing one before, I decided to give World of Warcraft a shot. I spent a few months playing the game as a manly man Warrior who put food on his table by mining ore and blacksmithing.

It was fun at first, because my rudimentary goal was to hit the highest level possible, be the greatest warrior in the game, and have all the best stuff, but as I learned more about how things worked, I realized what it would take, and it began to lose its appeal.

Running around as a solo madman trying to break through the barriers of WoW middle class had just about taken its toll on me. Right as I was about to quit the game for good, I got invited into a mature raiding guild full of really nice people.

The social aspect of the game that I discovered, as a part of a well run guild, made the quest to attain the “best stuff” bearable, because it served as a distraction from the fact that I was slaying the same creature five million times to complete a given quest. Upon hitting level 70 though, I quickly found that I was willing to settle for having stuff that was close to the best without actually being the best.

No longer armed with the goal of having the best stuff, I began to lose interest in logging in on a daily basis to perform tasks like farming materials and running daily quests to earn gold. Unfortunately, raiding (an aspect which I did enjoy) is very expensive, and requires lots of grinding to support.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that World of Warcraft had become more of a job, and less of a fun experience. The daily grind required to support the things I did like in the game became too time consuming and felt too much like work. The people I was exposed to were nice, and I will stay in touch with them via the interwebs, but having a second job that doesn’t pay just wasn’t something I could afford to do.

Reality in games, is not limited to simulated worlds or experiences that occupy large quantities of our time. It can also be used as a measuring stick to make less committal games, such as First Person Shooters, seem more like the real thing.

The other day, Dan stumbled on a YouTube video that showed a .50 caliber bullet ricocheting back towards the head of the person who fired it. He shared it with me and it lead to a discussion regarding the concussive force of a fired .50 caliber round. Dan had spent four years in the military prior to joining our amazing site, and it was his understanding based on a conversation with a .50 cal gunner, that a .50 cal bullet could in fact do fatal damage to its target without ever hitting it.

I found this information interesting and decided to shoot an email over to one of the producers at Infinity Ward. What I wanted to know was two fold. First, had they ever heard of such a thing via one of their advisors, and secondly, would they consider implementing such a thing in one of their games if possible.

I was informed that Infinity Ward spent a great deal of time with the Marines and that they shot everything in “real steel”. In addition, he stated that the aforementioned characteristic of a .50 cal round “wouldn’t translate well into gameplay” and would be “hard to convey”. I described a weapon capable of missing its target completely and still killing it as “cheesy”, and he agreed.

This video below shows the power of a .50 cal sniper rifle (sort of).

This is not to say that Infinity Ward does not implement aspects of reality into their game. Firing the M203 grenade launcher in Call of Duty 4 less than the required distance it must travel before detonating (15 to 30 yards) will cause it to not explode on impact.

However, one aspect of its COD4 implementation that’s not rooted in reality, is that you can still kill someone with it if you hit them pretty much anywhere without it actually exploding. This was likely done in an effort to not frustrate gamers who hit their target.

This video below shows the force at which the M203 is actually fired.

How fun would it be if you killed one cop in GTA4 and they relentlessly hunted you down from that point forward in the game? What if by alerting one guard in MGS4 they never resumed their normal unassuming rounds?

World of Warcraft eventually realized that the grind associated with their game was too much and made it easier for people to level. They’re taking it a step further with their latest expansion by allowing smaller groups to access end game content, and as you read above, even Infinity Ward, who strives for realism understands the value of balance.

We are all guilty, at one point or another, of demanding a more realistic gaming experience, but in the end, it seems that less realism equals more fun, and isn’t that what we really want?

We just received an email from Activision’s PR department containing 9 new screenshots of their upcoming DLC map pack for the hit game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, due to hit XBL on April 10th. The four maps included in the pack are Kill Creek, Broadcast, Chinatown, and Killhouse.

The maps themselves offer a good variety and all the detail you have come to expect from Infinity Ward. Kill Creek and Broadcast are featured in the majority of the screens, however from what little we have seen of Killhouse and Chinatown, they look pretty interesting as well.

Call of Duty 4 DLC - 9 New Map Screens

9 Photos

 

The NPD numbers are in for February and both Microsoft and Sony give their little twists on things. Hit the jump  to check out the results.

February was a good month for video games, as both hardware and software sales were above expectations. 1.1799 million hardware units were sold, beating out the expected 1.602 units. This strong growth came from Nintendo DS sales; 427,300 units were expected to sell but the total end number was 587,600.

The Playstation 3 sold 280,800 units, outselling the Xbox 360 yet again, which sold 254,600 units. The PS3 outdid expectations by 411%, while the 360 underperformed by 2.33%.

This is where the PR battle starts. Microsoft claims that the 360 still had some supply issues, accounting for the loss. Aaron Greenberg, Xbox 360 group product manager, actually told Next-Gen:

“Our expectation is that because of our shortages at retail during February, we will sell less than PS3.”

He goes on to call Sony’s win a “hollow victory.” Sony obviously didn’t see it that way, boasting that “PS3 Sales Eclipse Xbox 360 for Second Straight Month,” without acknowledging Microsoft’s supposed supply issues.

Sony also reminds us that GTA IV, Gran Turismo 5, MGS 4: Guns of the Patriots, as well as many other large titles are on the way, so they’re only getting started.

And then way ahead of the pack is the Nintendo Wii, which sold 432,000 units, 31,300 more units than expected.

Finally, the Sony Playstation Portable underperformed by 4.71%, selling 243,100 units.

Software sales fared even better than hardware, beating out the expected sales by $76.7 million, coming in at $668.7 million. Software sales have also increased 47% from February of last year.

Call of Duty 4 took the top spot once again with the Xbox 360 version selling 296, 200 units. Devil May Cry 4 under whelmed on both consoles, selling 295,200 units on 360 and 233,500 on the PS3. The predicted numbers were 438,400 and 272,600.

Sales of newer titles such as Lost Odyssey, Turok, and Frontlines: Fuel of War more or less met expectations.

Sources: Simexchange, the bitbag, next-gen

COD4, currently one of the most played online multiplayer games, looks to be getting some new content soon. Already said to be “on the way”, current rumor is detailing at least three maps in development: Broadcast, Dusk and Hill.

The three maps look to provide a variety of gameplay with some close-quarters action and differing light levels, as well as indoor and outdoor locales. Only a few shots are available so far, but the areas should be familiar to gamers who went through the single-player campaign. No doubt Infinity Ward will have some nice tweaks and re-designed bits to adapt the locations to the multiplayer arena and challenge gamers.

No official confirmation yet, which means no word on pricing or release timeframe.

Source: psu.com

Hopefully people will now actually die when you shoot them in the head.

It’s been talked about for months, rumored for weeks, and now it’s finally here. The Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty 4 has now been officially patched. The title update will be available the next time you load up the game (as long as you’re connected to Live). Airstrike the link to get the full details on what this patch features.

The following information is courtesy of FourZeroTwo via his site IAMfourzerotwo:

New Kill Cams – Everything that can kill you has a Kill Cam now. Grenades, Airstrikes, Claymores, C4, M203 Rounds, RPGs, anything. So jump online, get owned alittle and check them out. They’re awesome, especially Grenades and M203 shots that go across the map and through a window.

Host Migration – Host migration was added, so now when the host leaves you won’t get dropped back to your own lobby by yourself. Everyone will stay together. Host Leaves, everyone returns to lobby, selects next best host, and the game starts up again. No more re-inviting, re-partying up because a host ended the game.

Improved Sniper Accuracy - The Sniper rifle accuracy has been improved. No more, WTF? shots now. Your cross hair will be a better representation of where your shot will ultimately land. Try out a sniper class today, let us know how the new accuracy feels.

Improved ACOG Scope Accuracy – ACOG scopes accuracy on any weapon has been improved. Test it out, throw it on one of your classes and give it a go.

Upgraded Spectator Cam - Now when you’re a spectator you have the option to follow in 3rd person or 1st person. As well as rotate 360 degrees around the player you’re watching. Next time you’re dead in Search and Destroy and just watching your team mates do stuff you know you can do better, now do it in 1st person or rotate around them.

Quick Mute Option – Now you can easily and quickly mute players in-game or in-lobby without ever going through the Xbox Live blades. Just go to their gamertag on screen and hit ‘A’ to quick mute in lobby, or via the in-game scoreboard if playing. Quick. Easy. Salvation!

In addition to these feature additions there will also be:

Improved Network Performance For Larger Games – 18 player games now require more bandwidth to host, resulting in smoother performance for players.

Optimized Server Selection for First Match – Server selection is now optimized to select best bandwidth servers associated by LSP.

Fixed “Playlist Older Than Host” Error – Player will no longer get this error when entering games.

Additional Start Spawn Locations in All Maps – Added a minimum of 9 extra start spawns on each side of all maps.

In a very small tidbit of news, Activision and Infinity Ward have confirmed that new Call of Duty 4 multiplayer maps are on the way via downloadable content.

The maps are scheduled to hit in spring of this year and will be available for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The maps will apparently “thrust gamers into new combat zones across a variety of intense multiplayer locales. Ooh, sounds exciting!

Via Team Xbox

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the best selling title of 2007. The major advantage it has over Halo 3 is that it is a multi-platform title, but even then Call Of Duty 4 managed to be the top selling game for the Xbox 360.

Call Of Duty 4 sold over 7 Million units worldwide in two short months, according to NDP, Chart Track and GFK. Taking critics, consumers and analysts by surprise, Call of Duty 4 has succeeded where it counts – in reviews and sales.

Will Kassoy, Senior Vice President of the global brand management for Activision had this to say about their successful title:

We’re very excited about this achievement especially given so many competitive titles this year. Consumer and critics agree that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is one of the best games ever created and further establishes Call of Duty as one of the premier brands in the industry.

This ground-breaking game and franchise continue to establish new standards by which all other action games will be judged.

Major Nelson posted the LIVE activity for the week of January 14^th, and guess what took the top spot? Well, I guess I already gave it away. Infinity Ward’s awesome military shooter finally de-throned Master Chief and his rascally gang of Spartans.

While we don’t have the specific numbers, I’m sure it was a close race with a near photo finish. The list goes as such:

1 Call of Duty 4
2 Halo 3
3 Guitar Hero III
4 Gears of War
5 Rock Band
6 Madden NFL 08
7 Assassin’s Creed
8 Mass Effect
9 FIFA 08
10 Forza Motorsport 2

Now the real test is seeing if Call of Duty can remain King.

See, it’s not all doom and gloom for the 360 after all! According to the NPD Group’s data, Microsoft is leading the videogame industry in several areas. They had a big year overall – December hardware sales were on par with the Wii ,while 360 software sales took the lead with games like Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, and Assassin’s Creed.

Microsoft sure is proud of their accomplishments and wanted to let you know how awesome they are. Read on to see their take on this information.

Xbox 360 Drives the Video Game Console Industry in 2007:
NPD data released today confirms consumers spent more dollars on Xbox 360 in 2007, with more than $13.7 billion in total consumer spending. Xbox 360 won 2007 with $4.8 billion in total consumer spending compared to Wii with $3.5 billion and PlayStation 3 with $2.2 billion. This wraps up a historic year, with NPD reporting consumers have spent nearly 45 percent of total industry figures on Xbox 360.

Here is a quick snapshot of what is driving revenue for Xbox 360, based on the latest reports from NPD and Microsoft data:

* XBOX 360 WIDENS THE GAP OVER PS3 WITH CONSOLE SALES: According to NPD, Xbox 360 sold 1.3 million consoles in December alone, and has steadily widened the gap between Sony’s PlayStation 3 console sales. In December, NPD stated that Sony sold 798,000 PS3 hardware units. Since PS3’s launch in November 2006, Xbox 360 has outsold PS3 by nearly 2:1 on average, bringing a total U.S. Xbox 360 install base of 9.2 million consoles, compared to and installed base of 7.4 million Wii consoles and 3.3 million PS3 consoles.

* GAMES DRIVE INDUSTRY GROWTH: Xbox 360 robust games portfolio spans across the highest-ranked AAA titles to the largest collection of “Everyone” and “Teen” rated games. According to NPD, of the top 20 best-selling titles in 2007 for this generation, 11 were on Xbox 360; while only seven were sold on the Wii and two sold on the PS3.

** NPD reported that this holiday’s leading multiplatform blockbusters continue to sell better on Xbox 360: + “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” for Xbox 360 was the leading game last month with 1.5 million copies sold, outselling the PS3 version nearly 3:1.

+ “Assassin’s Creed” for Xbox 360 was the fourth best selling title, having sold 894,000 units. It outsold the PS3 version more than 2:1.

+ “Guitar Hero III” outsold the PS3 nearly 2:1, having sold 625,000 copies.

+ “Rockband” continues to rock the charts, selling 463,000 units for the Xbox 360 platform, compared to 174,000 units for the PS3

** To date, 33 third party games on Xbox 360 hit the top 10 list across all consoles compared to five third party games on PS3, and four on Wii. These results confirm that third party partners create better games and reap more sales on Xbox 360 than any other platform.

** In its fourth month on the market, Halo 3 continued its strong performance and was the sixth best selling title in December, selling another 742,000. In 2007, NPD projects that Halo 3 has sold 4.8 million units in the U.S. since its launch in September.

** Xbox 360 continues to lead in number of games sold per console, setting another record with an attach rate of 7.0 games per console.

* XBOX LIVE SETS NEW HEIGHTS: Xbox LIVE’s network is 10 million members strong and growing, achieving membership goals six months ahead of schedule. Only on Xbox LIVE can members experience the largest catalog of on-demand, high-definition content in the U.S., including movies and television shows from our most recent partners: Disney-ABC Television Group and MGM Studios.

We’re not slowing down in 2008. The next versions of powerhouse franchises like “Grand Theft Auto,” “Resident Evil” and sports games like “Madden”, “FIFA”, and “Pro Evolution Soccer” open up a new arena for game play on Xbox 360. This year we will make great strides toward improving our brand appeal to consumers interested in more physical game play. With titles like “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” “Rock Band” and “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” we’re creating interactive experiences on Xbox 360 for the entire family.

Whether or not you believe this information makes Microsoft the market leader is entirely up to you. Regardless, these numbers certainly are positive for Microsoft and the gamers currently enjoying their Xbox 360s. Now if only they could sort out these hardware issues…

Source: Team Xbox

Xbox Live’s problems are old news by now. Since the surge in users this Christmas, the service has been very wonky, to say the least. Those of you wondering why the folks Microsoft haven’t been keeping us updated on the situation, wonder no more. Thanks to a lawsuit filed by three Texas residents, they can no longer update us on the situation.

The class-action lawsuit, which was filed in Houston, Texas, is claiming that the Xbox Live outages are a breach of contract and the plaintiffs are asking for over $5 million in damages.

Major Nelson (of majornelson.com) is usually the top source for Xbox Live-related news, but in his recent podcast he explained that, due to legal issues arising from the lawsuit, Microsoft is obligated to remain tight-lipped about the whole situation.

As an avid Call of Duty 4 player, I can completely understand the frustration stemming from Live being down. Microsoft should’ve seen this Christmas thing coming. They completely dropped the ball. That being said, I think a lawsuit is pushing it and asking for $5 million is beyond ridiculous.

Via Xboxic

Merry Christmas, Mr. Freeman.

Life just got a little easier for those who have neglected gift-purchasing until the last minute. Every game ever released on Steam is now on sale for 10 – 50% off. There’s quite a bit of treasure in here.

The sale just kicked off today and ends January 1st, 2008, so you have roughly a week to stock up on some quality titles. Check out the official announcement here and click “start shopping now” to browse. To send a game as a gift, simply choose the gift option during checkout and you’re set.

Some of the more noteworthy sales are Company of Heroes for $22.45, Bioshock for $37.45, Civ 4 for $29.95, and Psychonauts, one of the most underrated games ever, for $9.95. Half-Life 2 is on sale for $19.95, but you’re still better off just buying Orange Box.

And I have to mention Call of Duty 4 for $44.95. That’s only five bucks off the normal price, but that’s a small price to pay for one of the best shooters ever made.

Merry Christmas, gamers.

Via Kotaku

Merry Christmas, Nintendo! For the second year in a row, the Nintendo Wii is one of the must-have holiday items. And although I’m completely aware of the console’s success, I was still pleasantly surprised to see just how well the company was doing on Amazon.

Amazon’s videogames best sellers list goes as follows:

1. Nintendo Wii Console
2. Super Mario Galaxy for Nintendo Wii
3. Wii Remote Controller
4. Wii Nunchuk Controller
5. Crackdown for Xbox 360
6. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for Xbox 360
7. Wii Points Card
8. Wii Play with Wii Remote
9. Wii Zapper with Link’s Crossbow Training
10. Wii Charge Station

The thought of all those little children running amok with their Wii Zappers blasting just warms my cold heart. The list changes hourly, and while the positions have been shifting somewhat, the same items have been there for several hours.

As a Nintendo fanboy, I’m pretty ecstatic. It’s also nice to see Call of Duty 4 doing so well, because I personally believe it’s the best game of the year. As for Crackdown? That seems out of the blue, but I think I remember Amazon having it on sale for $19.99 a little while back, which would explain its presence.

Seth Schiesel of the New York Times is handing out yearly awards to various games and while most of the choices are no-brainers, there is one that kind of grinds my gears.

First off, let’s touch on a couple of unsurprising choices. Bioshock was awarded the title of “Best Newcomer.” I can’t disagree with that. While I do think the latter half of the game went severely downhill, all the way to the joke of an ending, the other fifty percent was outstanding and warrants massive critical praise (which it got).

What game walked away with the prestigious “Game of the Year” title? That would be Bioware’s epic Mass Effect. Again, I have my disappointments with the game, but for the most part is lives up to its promises. That being said, I personally think that Call of Duty 4 deserves this honor, but I’m not bitter about the choice.

They criticized two popular titles for being “unambitious.” One of the victims was Halo 3, and although I have a blast playing over Live, I’d have to agree. Master Chief’s armor has been polished to a mirror shine, but it’s still the same old armor he’s been wearing all along.

So here’s the part that irks me: the other game tagged as “unambitious” was Super Mario Galaxy. Now, Mario’s latest adventure isn’t perfect, but I don’t know if “unambitious” is the word I would use to describe it.

He comments that the game’s premise is the same old Mario thing, which is largely true, but does that really detract that much from the game’s incredible mechanics? The game’s use of gravity and various cleverly designed worlds is pretty damn ambitious, I would say. I wish Schiesel would have commented on what he did think was ambitious, so that I could know where the hell he’s coming from.

Via New York Times

Have you had enough of First Person Shooters? It was such a dominant genre this year that it seemed to define what it meant to be “next-gen.” We’re not quite out of the woods yet, but 2008 promises to bring us a more diverse line-up. What games or concepts will characterize the industry as we move into the second generation proper?

It wasn’t that long ago when I considered writing an editorial complaining about the lack of variety in games this generation. Some developers will always be making software outside the norm, so it would’ve been by no means absolute if I’d said “can’t you guys come up with anything else?!”

Let’s face it, First Person Shooters get a lot of attention in a lot of different ways and few games have been fawned over as much lately as HALO 3, Orange Box (Half-Life 2: Episode 2, Portal, Team Fortress 2), Crysis, or Call of Duty 4. Then there’s Unreal Tournament III, Resistance, Timeshift, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Hellgate: London, Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Red Steel, Shadowrun, Soldier of Fortune Payback, Blacksite: Area 51, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Even, in many ways, the inimitable Bioshock qualifies. Not all are good, but some are great, maybe even “best game ever” material.

So why did we see so many this past year (and before you ask, yes, I’m aware some were technically released in 2006)? Part of the answer might be found in the types of technology they’re pushing, making them great showcases for what new gaming platforms can do.

There were also some hotly anticipated sequels released, with HALO 3 in particular having the “biggest day in entertainment sales ever.” Multiplayer features have also been a big draw, keeping players hooked for the long haul. And, of course, there’s also the socio-political pressure that’s been put on the genre since day one (though, ironically enough, most of the attention has been focused on Manhunt 2, which isn’t a shooter at all).

Taking all of that into account, maybe it was just a perfect storm of sorts — one grand coincidence created by the combination of a strict holiday deadline and finally-finished development times.

But 2008 looks remarkably different with fewer First Person Shooters on the docket. Thinking of the top of my head, only three stand out – Ubisoft’s delayed HAZE, hype-machine Killzone 2, and, well, Duke Nukem Forever (good one, Broussard!). There will unquestionably be others, but it looks like my original fears were unwarranted. I’ll no longer need to be writing that article.

So, with the FPS taking some much needed time off, what other genre will we be sick and tired of by the end of next year?

2008: Year of the Free-Roamer?

It’s a no-brainer that Grand Theft Auto IV is going to rule the gaming scene. Whether it comes out in the Spring (as planned), or in the Fall (as expected), it will serve as the anchor for free-roaming sandbox games to sail into port. Like a ship-load of liquored-up seamen on shore leave, though, we should probably hope they don’t overstay their welcome.

Remember what happened last time? Free-roaming elements shoehorned into every orifice of a game which otherwise might’ve been good, checkpoint races that take you from zero to frustrating inanity in four seconds flat? A redux of this kind of game design without appropriate context built around it would be unfortunate for an industry that really needs to start finding new ideas.

That said, I’ve got a feeling that we’re in for a few tasty treats. Last year’s GTA clone du jour, Saints Row, should be having another go-around. Up against the king itself, this time, the court jester’s got to become the assassin. Or at least some sort of bizzaro-world, evil twin assassin, considering that the more Volition tries to differentiate itself from its inspiration, the closer it seems to come to it.

“Saints Row has a much darker and more sinister story that leads your character down a path of betrayal, revenge, and redemption against the city that left him for dead, although we’ve blended that with the same light-hearted humor from the original.”

That’s from the official announcement press release. Bittersweet story of revenge with cheeky, culture-skewering laughs thrown in to balance out (or sometimes compliment) the wanton bloodshed? Sounds like a crib notes version of Grand Theft Auto to me.

If Volition’s up to the task and rolls out a quality product, though, I don’t think anybody’s willing to complain.

Speaking of inspiration, ‘08 should see at least two from the school of Crackdown (and hopefully expanding on its great, but underdeveloped concepts). Prototype comes from the makers of Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, another last-gen free-roamer, and from the recent footage shown at the Spike Video Game Awards, it looks like your character’s super-destructive powers improve the more you use them.

Sucker Punch’s Infamous, of which we’ve seen nothing since E3, also looks to hit next year. Featuring a similarly-endowed avatar, it’s easy to draw comparisons to Prototype, but from what we can glean, it leans more towards a super-hero morality tale. The early trailer seemed to imply that you would do more than just play around in a sandbox, you’d shape it, and that you might have the delightfully villainous ability to destroy man in the process.

Assuming other titles like L.A. Noire and Mercenaries 2 also show up in ‘08, sandbox games look poised to, er, rule the sandbox once again.

2008: Year of Game 2.0?

Game 2.0’s a fancy term, but it’s not at all a new concept. The idea that a someone could effectively change, hack, or recombine elements of a game has bred a healthy, if somewhat exclusive modding community. I say “exclusive” because of the technical know-how often needed to produce any worthy results, let alone something other people would actually enjoy fooling around with.

Game 2.0 aims to bring those capabilities down to the average human being, just as Prometheus did with fire. Hopefully no vengeful gods are angered in the process.

Leading the charge is Media Molecule’s Little Big Planet, now firmly locked as a 2008 title. Voraciously cute and brimming with creativity, it puts almost all of the game’s development possibilities in the player’s hands. Levels are completely customizable. If you can do it with physics, you can probably do it in LBP. Likewise, being able to import various stamps and graphics allows you to add your own, unique look to creations.

Often times, though, we don’t know a whole lot about a game’s customization features until later on its development cycle when it becomes a fully fleshed-out concept. It’s tough to say what may or may not come out way in 2008, but this year’s offerings gave us a tease.

HALO 3’s Forge was a great way to appeal to casual modders, stripping away the need to meddle around in screens of code for half a year before quitting, resurrecting your project two weeks later, and then another two weeks later finally telling the whole affair to sod off for good. Plus, we get some really neat things out of it, like Rit Dye’s self-portrait.

And that’s really the spirit of Game 2.0, isn’t it? Flexing your creative muscle and accomplishing things even the original developers would never have conceived?

Some of the other things that have impressed me lately are custom paint jobs. Forza 2’s liveries were a huge hit. Using up to a thousand different shapes, modified for size and color, players have concocted some truly elaborate skins for their cars.

With features like this, Forza becomes just as much a canvas for budding artists as it does a game for car enthusiasts.

Rock Band’s character customization has a similar, if slightly less elaborate, system for creating tattoos to slap on your avatar. Even I was able to construct a basic Pokeball, clearly making my rocker the coolest dude in town.

Ah, and then there’s the unique art of making a complete fool of yourself. Perhaps latching more onto the “unfortunate internet celebrity” bandwagon instead of the “express yourself” bandwagon, Sony’s SingStar lets you record videos of yourself singing like banshee and shuffling back-and-forth as awkwardly as possible in your very own living room! Though it hasn’t hit the US yet (licensing issues, to be sure), the game is beginning to leak out around Europe, and the results couldn’t be more embarassing.

In 2008, modders will continue to mod, but you don’t need to be a coding whiz to participate in the creation of something new. The concept of Game 2.0 is just beginning to hit its stride, dragging every undiscovered genius along with it.

2008: Year of the Downloadable Content?

Not all predictions are hopeful. The DLC model has introduced us to the concept of microtransactions, and we’re bound to see more in the coming years, both good and bad. For every The Godfather cheat in the world, you’ve also got new songs for Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

But if we’re talking about digital distribution in general, then we’re getting some pretty keen stuff through the same channels – fully, downloadable games, many of the “independent developer” persuasion. Highlights of 2007? Everyday Shooter, Super Stardust HD, Gripshift, Warhawk, PixelJunk Racers, High Velocity Bowling, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Bomberman, Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, and others. That’s some serious pedigree right there.

Nintendo’s entering the fray next year with WiiWare (Virtual Console aside, of course), which should only push the phenomenon further.

There’s also the hope that we’ll see bigger titles available online, like the aforementioned Warhawk. Older titles are great (VC, Xbox Originals, PS Classics), but new games are even better. Since we know this is the direction that the industry is moving towards in the future (how can we forget about the crazy success of Steam?), I don’t think it would be far-fetched to say we’ll see a lot of DLC in 2008.

2008: What It Probably Won’t Be

Perhaps the most ideal year will be one in which no particular genre or concept will dominate. We’ll all live together in harmony and skip down Candy Cane Lane as unicorns soar overhead dropping rainbow-colored gumdrops straight into our mouths. Then one bold individual will realize that our utopia is a sham and that human nature always has a way of breaking out of its shackles. We’ll suffer through the Great Fluffy Bunny War for a few years before society can be rebuilt, and then a clever author will write a best-selling book about the whole affair.

Or maybe I’m thinking of 2012, when the Mayan calendar ends. Oh well, we’ll deal with that when we get to it.

Something we can’t deny, though, is the entertainment industry’s penchant for taking a good idea and driving it into the ground. That’s the one constant we can depend on.

That said, 2008 probably won’t be the Year of the RPG (FFXIII won’t hit until 2009, or later), it probably won’t be the Year of Waggle (it’s either outlived its welcome or already become so ingrained in our collective gaming consciousness that we won’t think about it so much anymore), and it probably won’t be the Year of Sports Games (bold prediction, I know!).

And, thank the gods, it probably won’t be the Year of the FPS again!

For what it’s worth, I’m banking on my very first pick (Year of the Free-Roamer) to be the right one. What about you, dear readers? What do you think will define the world of gaming in 2008?

It bested rivals in the Best Shooter and Best Military Game categories, but lost out to rivals when competing for the Best Graphics and Best Multiplayer awards. Still, in a year packed with such high-quality games, it’s a good haul for Activision.

“We’re thrilled,” said executive-vice president of publishing Robin Kaminsky, “we’re committed to great gameplay experiences.” Praising the developers, he continued, “these awards are a testament to the vision, talent, and commitment of Infinity Ward.”

Ripten noted Call of Duty 4 earlier in the year, branding it with a huge 9.8 score, and stating it had “raised the bar yet again.”

Judging by the award’s 5th year results, the world seems to agree.

Exploitation? At least he doesn’t mince words.

Among the titles that would seem to be eligible are (as mentioned) Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Tony Hawk, a strong front-end towards Activision and Blizzard’s goal of forming “the world’s most profitable games business.”

In the meantime, I’ll be disappointed if all of this doesn’t yield at least one Wii game that uses the Wii Fit board to let you skateboard across the battlefield, blasting enemy soldiers with music from your Guitar Hero guitar like the cowboy from Silverhawks.

Who says innovation is dead?

We want to thank everyone for their time and hard work. The contest was a huge success and we received tons of great entries. In the end we had a three way tie for first place, so after giving it much thought, we decided that the tie breaker would be quality of submissions as a whole.

That said, we are proud to announce Derrick Wilson as the individual who we believe went above and beyond the call of duty, and by unanimous decision was named the grand prize winner of our “Rank Up – Win Big” Call of Duty 4 Contest.

However, we didn’t stop there. Being that there was a three way tie, we decided to give both 2nd place winner Don Londis and 3rd place winner Travis Stewart both a copy of COD4 in their preferred format as well as some COD4 swag.

Again, we want to thank everyone for entering, and remind you to check back often as we have plenty more contests coming up very soon. We leave you with a look at Derrick’s winning entries.

Grand Prize Winner – Derrick Wilson

Derrick’s shout out to Ripten

Derrick in uniform

Derrick in front of the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock

Derrick’s illustrated representation of his ideal COD map

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Derrick beating Call of Duty: Finest Hour

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Derrick beating Call of Duty 2: Big Red One

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Derrick beating Call of Duty 3

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Derrick explains why he thinks the COD series is the best

After playing the Call of Duty 4 Beta until our fingers bled, we decided to bounce a few questions off of Infinity Ward’s Associate Producer Pete Blumel.

One topic that was mentioned a lot during our time online was “spawn protection”, specifically whether or not it would be in the game. We asked Pete and he mentioned that “spawning is part of the beta test.” This is good news for those that constantly found themselves getting ambushed shortly after spawning into a map.

We also asked about customization, specifically character customization i.e. changing of camouflage colors, bandannas, etc. What we were told was that “customization [will come] in character class and weapon skins”. So we think it is safe to say that you will not be able to pimp out your soldier similar to Rainbow Six Vegas, and really — who wants to see a neon pink soldier streaking across a battlefield?

Although we did not notice this next issue during our time online, we received a good amount of feedback regarding the lack of debris created when grenades went off indoors. Pete mentioned that they had not received any such feedback that he could recall regarding the issue. Other complaints were pertaining to the lack of ammo, in which Pete stated;

“Bandolier perk will let you carry more ammo, but you gotta shoot true.”

Lastly, and probably the coolest thing we learned from our email contact with Pete was that the game will feature lots of dynamic entities.

“There are a lot of dynamic entities in the game … Rolling tires are the coolest.”

We do not know exactly what the other entities will consist of or how many there will actually be, but it seems that the team at Infinity Ward has been having fun thinking up creative ways to send tires zipping onto the battlefield.

If you have any other questions you would like us to look into leave a comment below and we will do our best. Stay tuned as we plan to follow this game very closely as it approaches its launch.