The Sci-Fi fans just shed a tear for what could have been. In an interview with GamePro, Modern Warfare 2 scribe, Jesse Stern, admitted that Infinity Ward actually considered a far fetched alien, and even undead, scenario for their latest CoD sequel:

“In the beginning we talked about having things in Modern Warfare 2 like outbreaks, viruses, chemical warfare, and even outlandish things such as aliens and the living dead,”

Guess those “CoD on Mars” rumors back in 2008 had at least a little truth to them. Sci-Fi fans shouldn’t give up hope completely though. News of a third Call of Duty team being hired by Activision leaked a few days ago, which means we may end up gunning down aliens while fighting off zombies in a futuristic CoD title after all.

If ever you wanted more proof that Activision just can’t get enough of the Call of Duty franchise, here it is. It now seems that two dedicated teams and a yearly sequel release isn’t enough for the publishers overactive CoD drive.

The tail end of a LA Times article discussing the sheer magnitude of Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 launch reveals that, in addition to Infinity Ward and Treyarch, a third mystery team has been signed to create yet another CoD release. Could Activision seriously be toying with the idea of releasing a semi-annual Call of Duty title? The option would allow them to offer three flavors of CoD; past, present, and future.

A source close to the matter believes that a massively multi-player version of the game is being considered as well. Call of Duty MMO anyone? The possibilities really are limitless considering Activision’s propensity to milk its franchises like a little kid trying to suck every last drop of their beverage through a straw until you finally scream out “STOP THAT!”

We’ve sent an email off to Activision requesting a comment and will definitely update you the moment we hear back.

[Thanks LA Times]

Last night I posted a rumor about the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 being a console port. Reading through the Digg comments, specifically the complaints directed towards the game and Infinity Ward, I was met with the same immature, aggravating garbage that I’ve been reading for the past month.

If I sound bitter, it’s because I am. The amount of vitriol pouring out of the internet over the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 was unbearable before it even started. That’s right. It’s so awful, it defies time and space.

I’m not a console gamer. I’m simply a gamer and I play on consoles and PC. All of my friends are on Xbox Live so that’s the version I bought, so I admit I was never affected by changes to the PC version. But here’s the thing: despite my anger towards PC gamers, I don’t necessarily disagree with them. I’ve never even thought about it, because I’ve been trying as hard as I can to avoid every one of you. I’m all for organized protests, but that’s not what this is, because most of you decided to scream at the top of your lungs, bang pots and pans together, and throw your shit at the walls.

And the only logical step anybody took, starting a petition, failed because of shit like this. I feel your guys’ pain. I really do. If I was a serious PC gamer like a lot of you, I would probably be just as disappointed. But the way people acted, and are still acting, needs to stop. This isn’t directed at everyone. Some of you are very sane, but for every John Kershaw there are ten slobbering idiots smashing bricks over their heads and threatening to never support Infinity Ward again, all the while playing Modern Warfare 2 on Steam.

If you guys think you can convince IW to patch in dedicated servers, a lean function, and all the other stuff you’ve been deprived of then, by all means, continue in a civilized and organized fashion. If not, wait until they butcher Modern Warfare 3, and then don’t fucking buy it. Or at the very least, play it offline and avoid looking like hypocrites.

The raging fires of rage surrounding the PC version of Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are already face-meltingly hot and now the above screenshot, supposedly taken from the PC version of the game, suggests that it’s just a console port.

I say “suggests” because there are commenters on the Digg page where the image originated that question its validity. That’s right. I waded through the cesspool that is the Digg comment section and found not only the worst contributions that the internet has to offer, but a few comments suggesting that the image is a fake or that, if it is real, it doesn’t necessarily mean the PC version is a console port. One user suggested that Infinity Ward simply shares code across multiple platforms.

There’s “The News”, and then there’s “Duh News” … kind of like “Da Bears” only spelled differently and way less comical. So without further ado, let’s get to it.

Infinity Ward’s Creative Strategist, Robert Bowling, commented on the relationship between their studio and Treyarch (both of which put out Call of Duty games) in a recent GameTrailers’ interview. Host, Geoff Keighley, asked how Infinity Ward felt about another studio developing sequels for a title they created, whether or not they collaborate, and if there was any “rivalry” between the two teams. Here’s what Robert said:

“The teams are completely separate. And our design schedules and our design philosophies are completely different tracks. It’s not like they might be leapfrogging in terms of franchise but the design state of mind from the teams at Infinity Ward and Treyarch are completely different. We don’t work together, we don’t collaborate.”

Geoff then brought up the fact that Treyarch made use of the CoD4 engine that Infinity Ward developed, to which Bowling responded:

“They licensed our Call of Duty 4 engine from our last game, but other than that… From a business standpoint, that’s all on Activision’s side. The teams are very focused on what we’re doing and we really don’t let what happens in another game impact that.”

Well duh. First off, I love Geoff. That’s like asking a guy how he feels about another guy banging his girlfriend periodically because he can’t have frequent enough intercourse with her to meet her needs. In this scenario, “the girl” is Activision’s bottom line and “sex” is Call of Duty. The moment Activision realized the magnitude of a hit they had on their hands, they became CoD nymphos, and wanted to crank out a sequel every year. In order to do that, they brought in another studio. Enter Treyarch.

Of course there is a rivalry. Is Infinity Ward going to say that publicly? Chances are slim. Robert admitted that the leasing of their engine was a “business decision” on the part of Activision, and that’s probably the closest we are going to get to a direct comment on the subject so you’ll just have to read between the lines.

I’ll drive my point home by referring to our analogy again. You’re Infinity Ward, and you get behind closed doors with “the girl” knowing full well she is comparing you to that other guy every time you go at it. You had better believe you are going to want to make sure she knows damn well that there is NO comparison.

Infinity Ward may not be able to meet the aggressive release schedule that Activision demands, and they may decide in the future that they no longer want to work on Call of Duty at all, but as long as they do, they are going to do everything in their power to make sure Activision, and more importantly, we as gamers, know exactly who “the man” is — and Infinity Wards is “the man” when it comes to CoD. End of story.

If you’re lucky enough to live next to a Blockbuster that’s throwing a midnight release party for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you can head on over to check out a pre-release demo starting at 9:00 pm, whether or not you pre-ordered the game. Hit the jump to check out the full list of participating locations.

Atlanta 2002 Howell Mill Road    Atlanta    GA    30318

Chicago 724 N. Green Bay Road    Waukegan    IL    60085

Cleveland 4517 Mayfield Rd.    South Euclid    OH    44121

Dallas 5960 W. Parker Road    Plano    TX    75093

Denver 7777 E. Hampden, Unit 228    Denver    CO    80231

Detroit 610 N. Lapeer Road      Lake Orion    MI    48360

Houston 1743 Fry Road    Katy    TX    77449

Las Vegas 8460 W. Farm Rd.    Las Vegas    NV    89131

Los Angeles 5006 Rosemead Blvd.    Pico Rivera    CA    90660

Minneapolis 68 W. 66th St.    Richfield    MN    55423

New York 701 W. Montauk Hwy    West Babylon    NY    11704

Orlando 11849 East Colonial Dr.,    Orlando    FL    32826

Philadelphia 500 Route 38 West    Cherry Hill    NJ    08002

Phoenix 3244 South Mill Ave.    Tempe    AZ    85282

San Antonio 8725 Marbach Road, #205    San Antonio    TX    78227-2378

St. Louis 332 Festus Center Drive     Festus    MO    63028

San Diego 5620 Balboa Ave., Suite B101    San Diego    CA    92111

San Francisco 3097 Alamo Drive    Vacaville    CA    95687

Seattle 530 SW Everett Mall Way    Everett    WA    98204

Washington, D.C. 815 Rockville Pike      Rockville      MD      20852

Video game censorship in Germany is as common as… well, Common, so it’s no surprise that the controversial airport scene from Modern Warfare 2 will be altered for the German audience. While I have no doubt that Germans can handle it (at least as well as the rest of the world can) the German version of the game will allow you to play out the airport level, but treat you to a game over if you shoot any civilians.

While I’m glad that they didn’t remove the level entirely, I think it’s not fair to limit a game based on assumptions of how the consumers will take it. Infinity Ward has said that gamers will be given the option to play the level or not, so automatically deciding that all of Germany can’t make the choice is more offensive than the level itself.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. What do you guys think? Any German readers upset about this, or are you okay with it?

Thanks Destructoid

PlayStation 3 website PS3-Sense has posted a slew of images that offer a better look at the Modern Warfare 2 airport massacre than the previously leaked blurry video footage. However, upon closer examination, I’m going to guess this was the work of the Russian Fashion Police. Have a look for yourself.

I count at least three identical purple sweater and blue jean girls, three untucked navy blue polo shirt with cream khaki pants guys, and three untucked blue  flannel button down with cream khaki pants guys. There must be an unspoken Russian fashion rule against having that many like dressed people in the same confined area.  A little more variety in clothing selection and I’m sure this entire mess could have been avoided.

In all seriousness, if you don’t like, or want to play, a game with this type of content in it — the solution is simple, don’t buy it. It’s rated M for Mature for a reason.

Source: PS3-Scene (via /gamer)

Before I begin: Spoilers.

I tried not to put anything in the title to spoil anything for anyone who wants to pop their MW2 cherry on their own Xbox, PS3, or PC. Don’t read on if you’re in this category. This appears to be footage of a level in the game that has the player take control of a terrorist and massacre civilians in an airport. Not hostile ones, either- they seem very helpless.

This will obviously cause a lot of outcry about the game, probably even from the mainstream media. However, this is completely without context at the moment, and I urge you not to get up in arms about it. Done correctly this could be an excellent statement about terrorism (or something along those lines; like I said, we’ve no context at this point). Being offended by something like this without knowing fully what it is about is for Fox news, not for gamers. There is a fine line, however- if it goes wrong and the context and statement isn’t clear enough, this could be a disaster. Obviously, the game will get huge amounts of press either way, and will sell a billion zillion copies.

We reported a rumor regarding the possibility of third person gameplay in Infinity Ward’s upcoming shooter Modern Warfare 2 less than an hour ago. The main supporting elements at that time consisted of supposed leaked in game video and a screen capture of what appeared to be a game mode selection screen.

In addition to the above, we’d like to now add a promotional email from G4TV’s X-Play to the mix, and ultimately a confirmation from Infinity Ward community manager, Robert Bowling, that seals the deal.

A recent PR email sent to Ripten from G4TV teasing Modern Warfare 2 Exclusives on X-Play, the promotional copy promises a look at MW2 “never before seen Co-op play from two wildly different perspectives”. And just when it looked like G4TV was going to be on the hook for spilling the beans, Infinity Ward’s Community Manager, Robert Bowling, came to the rescue by confirming the game’s third person mode outright.

According to Bowling, Modern Warfare 2 will in fact contain a third person mode available in private matches only. “It’s not something you can toggle on and off in ANY game,” Once initiated, it will force that view on all players in that private match until the next match. He added that this will be “another cool way to play the game,” and that you will “still have the option to play gametypes normal as well.”

That said, you can catch what will surely be a pretty in-depth preview of Modern Warfare 2 complete with team interviews and looks at several gameplay modes (and their perspectives) on G4TV’s X-Play at 6:30PM on G4TV or G4TV.com.

We here at Ripten enjoy games quite a bit. (Well, some of us. The jury’s still out on that shifty Naylor character.) In fact, one of our highest-rated games of 2007 was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. All things considered, you can see why we’re really excited for Infinity Ward & Activision’s latest foray into the Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare 2, and this trailer does nothing to satiate our hunger.

The trailer, titled Infamy, is the newest trailer for Modern Warfare 2, and it’s amazing. No spoilers, but there’s a rather large reveal at the end of the trailer, and I have no doubt that it’s making a lot of people excited. Maybe this is just me, but does this trailer make anyone else wish that there was a Call of Duty movie? Yes?

Good.

Shacknews reports that with the release of Modern Warfare 2, a 250Gb Xobox 360 bundle will become available. The hard drive is the biggest available on the 360, and the box itself will feature a “limited edition” paint job.

This news comes straight from an Activision event that I bet you wish you were at. The multiplayer portion of the game was shown and played by attendees, who now must be quite smug. I hate to make predictions, but I reckon this game will sell more than 8 copies in its first day. In fact, I’m willing to put money on it. You can even quote me on it. As for the bundle, well, at $400, it’s pretty steep. I think most Call of Duty fans already own a 360, or at least another platform to play it on.

Even though it’s been known that two downloadable map packs for Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would be hitting the Xbox 360 first, it now seems that those same two map packs could be the only DLC we seen coming out for the upcoming sequel.

Discussing Modern Warfare 2’s “online content,” Activision’s Publishing CEO Mike Griffith was noted saying, “We plan to launch two separate map packs for this title.” He then went on to say that over 8 million Call of Duty map pack DLC have been sold on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Infinity Ward only released one map pack for the first Modern Warfare, while Treyarch has released three map packs for Call of Duty: World at War, the third just being released yesterday. With so much popularity for downloadable content and new map packs, I think it would be stupid for Infinity Ward not to take advantage of the opportunity to please their fans and of course make more money for themselves.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 hits the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 10. Damn, I can’t wait!

Source: Shacknews

Damn I can’t wait ’til this game comes out! Just check out the above trailer showing online multiplayer footage from Modern Warfare 2 complete with new maps, new weapons and even a new killstreak bonus that gives you the option to “unlock and personalize your killstreak loadout”. Oh, and remember that AC130 you used to rain down on your foes in the campaign mode from the first MW? Yessir, it’s back and this time you’ll be able to use it in online multiplayer. Hurry and press play to check out the awesome online gameplay to come this November.

Yessir! Even with Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 coming out in a matter of months, looks like Treyarch isn’t giving up on World at War anytime soon. It seems like Map Pack 2 just came out yesterday and we’re already hearing that Map Pack 3 is in the works and is set to be released sometime in August (I’m sure with another double XP weekend!)

Map Pack 3 will feature three new multiplayer maps, “Battery”, “Revolution” and “Breach”. There will also be a new Nazi Zombies map called “Der Reise” which translates as The Journey, or The Voyage.

I’m pumped that Treyarch is still working hard at World at War DLC as it gives Call of Duty fans something new and fresh to play until November and the release of MW2.

Source: OXM

Yesterday, we brought you an unboxing video of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition, courtesy of Infinity Ward community manager fourzerotwo. The Prestige Edition was fully packed, with an art book, a copy of the game, a download code for COD Classic on XBLA and/or PSN, and a pair of night vision goggles. Ridiculous, right? Of course, with the inclusion of night vision goggles, everyone assumed this bundle would skyrocket into the $300 range easily, but fourzerotwo & Infinity Ward announced today on Twitter the actual price at $149.99 for both PS3 & Xbox 360 versions.

While I’m glad it’s not two kajillion dollars like our in-house analyst had predicted, $149 is still a lot to pay for a game bundle. I’ll probably be picking it up, provided I have the cash in November when it’s released, but that’s because I can think of 149 different uses for the goggles. What about you guys? Is anyone willing to plunk down a Benjamin and a Grant* on the full Prestige Edition, or will you just go for the $60 regular edition/$80 Hardened Edition?

*I promise, I’ll stop talking in dead presidents… eventually.

The box art for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been revealed by Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling. Also worth noting is the fact that, after a little back-and-forth action, it looks like the Call of Duty moniker is official. Hit the jump for the full picture.

*gasp* Man, that title is a mouthful.

The second Call of Duty: World at War (seriously, I refuse to call it Call of Duty 5.) map pack just hit, and while presumably thousands of people are having fun with it right now, you might’ve just hoped it would hit the proverbial online bargain bin soon enough, even though it’s a measly $10. Well, now you don’t have to, because we at Ripten are giving away 5 PS3 codes and 5 Xbox 360 codes for the map pack.

Of course, we can’t just give them to you. That would be crazy! No siree- but you can hit the jump to see what you can do to win a code.

(header image by AgentMOO. Play his game, yo!)

To win one of these codes, all you have to do is make a drawing in MS Paint (or Paintbrush for Mac, Tuxpaint for Linux, or whatever) and leave a link to the picture in the comments below, but don’t forget to tell us which console you want the code for. The drawing can be of anything- as long as it’s gaming related, and the Ripten staff will choose the 5 best PS3 artist drawings and the 5 best Xbox 360 artist drawings. The main point of the contest is that you absolutely cannot use anything other than a rudimentary paint program. You can even use an iPhone paint program if you want to, but if we see any hints of Photoshopping, GIMPing, Paint.NET-ing, or A.viary-ing, your painting will not count.

Keep in mind though- best doesn’t necessarily mean most skillfull. If your drawing is though provoking, or funny, or artsy, or even just totally outrageous enough to make us like it, then you’ll probably win. That’s not to say that skillful artists won’t win- you can make a drawing of anything, as long as the drawing is related to video games. It doesn’t have to look like a Monet, though- Pollacks and Picassos are just as welcome.

You can submit as many masterpieces as you want, but make sure you leave a link to them before midnight (between Tues. & Wed.), Tuesday June 23rd, one week from now. Get to it, guys!

After being revealed only as Modern Warfare 2 in it’s debut trailer, there was much speculation that the Call of Duty label would be dropped from Activision and Infinity Ward’s upcoming sequel. Well, during their quarterly earnings call earlier this week, Activision’s boss Michael Griffith referred to the anticipated sequel as “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ and “the must-have title of the year”, in which I completely agree.

So it’s been confirmed. Expect to see Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the cover when the game hits stores on November 10.

Source: CVG

Call of Duty isn’t going to stop any time soon. There’s been a new entry in the franchise released every year since 2005 and the last two are still fighting for the top spot on Xbox Live. Modern Warfare 2, the sixth installment, is set to hit later this year. So it comes as no surprise that Treyarch is already thinking about the seventh installment and where it should take place.

Rumor has it that Activision is looking to license music for “Call of Duty 7″ along the lines of Vietnam War-era tunes. Also mentioned was Cuban, African, and Soviet Union music.

The “Vietnam War-era” seems like a major giveaway. It was a major conflict and one that isn’t touched too often by videogames, possibly due to its controversial nature. If the game does take this route, I’m going to shout “Charlies up in the trees!” so often that nobody will want to play with me.

Usually, the tips we get at Ripten HQ have headlines crazy enough (like “Duke Nukem Forever to be released this decade”) that we have to take them with a grain of salt, but with two of the games in the above image already being rumored to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade, and one of them actually being on Xbox Live Arcade already, we can probably take this rumor with the whole can of Morton’s.

In Late March, the Pan European Game Information board listed Call of Duty for Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network, but that information has since been delisted. Last week, the ESRB listed Shinobi for the Xbox 360 as well, even though SEGA hadn’t mentioned anything about the game. No one has said anything about Transformers: Origins, and according to the internet, the game doesn’t even exist. It’s not listed anywhere, and not even rumored to exist. Come on, tri-dub- you can do better than that.

If these games do exist, I bet that they’ll concur with the releases of other games in their franchises. Transformers will probably come out when Revenge of the Fallen does, Call of Duty will probably re-release when Modern Warfare 2 comes out. And Shinobi’s advent will probably coincide with the Ninja Insurrection of 2011.

It’s coming.

When the teaser trailer for Modern Warfare 2 debuted earlier today, a lot of people took notice at the absence of the “Call of Duty” title, wondering if it was a mistake. As it turns out, it was completely intentional. 

The newest entry in the Call of Duty franchise will be simply called Modern Warfare 2, completely dropping the actual “Call of Duty” from its name. I think this is a great idea. Not only would leaving it in lead to ridiculous names like Call of Duty 6: Modern Warfare 2, but I like to think that Infinity Ward broke the mold so much with the fourth entry, that they deserve their own unique title.

Who wants to bet that we’ll still hear the name “Call of Duty 6″ thrown around all the time?

Source: Cinema Blend

The website for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is now live. All you’ll see is an animated wavy green line, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t the most exciting wavy green line there’s ever been. Let’s hope that MW2 sticks to its planned holiday 2009 release.

Who’s excited about the new map pack coming out for Call of Duty: World at War this month? I know for a fact that I am.

Check out this video of Dan Bunting, Senior Producer of COD: World at War, telling us about the four new maps included in the first map pack for the famous shooter. There are three normal multiplayer maps (Station, Nightfire and Knee Deep) and one map for the co-op zombie mode (Verrückt).

The maps will be released for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC versions of WaW. No word on an exact release date or how much the map pack will cost, but expect an announcement real soon.

That’s right COD gamers, you get another whole weekend of double experience points in World at War, so cancel all your ongoing plans! Not only are we getting double experience, but also two brand new multiplayer modes for the playlist: Team Tactical and Mercenary TDM. Team Tactical is a 4v4 mode that has two teams up against each other in random objective scenarios, while Mercenary TDM does not allow for parties but instead has random team match-ups.

The new playlists have gone live today for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, along with the Double XP event running from today, January 30, until February 1. Have fun homies!

Source: CallofDuty.com

As if you didn’t have enough games backtracked to carry you into the New Year, today, at an event hosted by Massive Inc., Activision announced a shitload of new games, though they’re mostly sequels to old titles. Hit the jump for the full details.

As expected, Activision announced yet another game for the Guitar Hero franchise. Whoo. If you haven’t been keeping track, that’s the 9th announced Guitar Hero game from Activision. I mean, jeez, Harmonix only made three in the two years they had the series, and as of Q1 2010 (that’s two and a half years in Activision’s hands) the game will have twelve sequels & spin-offs. The franchise is going to die faster than [some 80's rap star]’s career. Thank you, I’ll be here all night.

Surprisngly, Activision also announced a new Tony Hawk game — one that won’t use the controller and will probably use the rumored skateboard peripheral, along with a new Call of Duty game planned as a sequel to Modern Warfare. The last of Activision’s announcements included a new Bond game, probably based off of the 23rd Bond film in 2010, and an original racing game from Bizarre Creations, which they’ve described as ‘Mario Kart meets Forza.” If it allows me to shoot a blue shell from a Maserati, I’m all for it.

Source: MTV Multiplayer

See the look on that kid’s face? It’s a look that says one of two things. “Man I really gotta go to the bathroom” is one of them. The other one is “Oooh I am stalking behind you and am going to knife you” during a COD4 match.

Unless you game with a mirror in front of your face, you probably aren’t familiar with what you look like when you’re playing something. “Immersion”, a new video gallery from The New York Times Magazine, does that for us, just with one key difference: it’s about kids.Photographer Robbie Cooper took a group of preteens (and maybe pre-pre teens), gave them games like GTA IV and COD4, and recorded their faces as they played.

The results are kind of eerie (watch how straight-faced one kid deadpans “how do you like bullets” as he scores a kill), alarming, and extremely fascinating.

Source: The New York Times

With just a week until the full game’s release, the Call of Duty: World at War multiplayer 360 beta is now open to all Xbox Live Gold members.

I’ve been in the beta for a while now, because I’m so special, but if you’d like to check it out simply head to Xbox Live Marketplace and find the beta in either “New Releases,” “Games,” or “Demos.”

Keep in mind that this is a multiplayer beta only, which features three maps and a current level cap of 44. You’ll have to wait until next Tuesday to play the single player campaign, but feel free to check out our preview.

Cinema Blend

Call of Duty: World at War Image Gallery – Click Here To View

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

Robert Bowling, Community Manager for Infinity Ward, has revealed that the team has been hard at work on a playlist update for their hit shooter Call of Duty 4.

Along with the playlist update, which hasn’t been given a date yet, there is an Xbox Live and Playstation Network double-experience points promotion in the works for the weekend of September 13-14.

Here is a peek of some of the game types we should be seeing in the new update. Bowling has stated that the list is nowhere near complete yet, but it’s a teaser of what we might see soon.

• Hardcore Headquarters – Testing is completed for Hardcore HQ. This playlist has standard HQ rules with Hardcore Settings. Limited HUD, Increased Bullet Damage, and Friendly Fire Enabled
• Hardcore Ricochet Playlist – This is the “No Teamkilling” playlist. Any damage a teamkiller attempts to do to their teammates is reflected onto themselves only. Therefore, if they attempt to shoot an RPG into the ground at the beginning of the match, the only person who will die is the teamkiller. This eliminates the fear of being shot in the back by some asshole, but still encourages players to play tactically and not throw random ‘nades, because if you accidentally hit a teammate, you’re only going to end up killing yourself and they’ll go unharmed. No Teamkilling, No Random ‘Nades. This playlist will include the variant for Hardcore Team Deathmatch, Hardcore Search and Destroy, and Hardcore HQ.
• Sudden Death Sabotage – Sabotage with no respawns. Fast-paced and intense Sabotage. No more hiding with the bomb until time runs out for sudden death. Increased XP per kills to encourage Team Deathmatch mentality. Defend your objective while attempting to secure the bomb and plant on theirs. Once you’re dead, you’re dead. No second chances.
• Second Chance Search and Destroy – Search and Destroy with one respawn each. This completely revamps your Search and Destroy tactics. No longer will a lucky frag or well-placed claymore end your chance of victory. Each player has one respawn, creating longer, more thought-out attack/defend strategies. Eliminate enemy players and cut off their reinforcements while you defuse.
• Bare-Bones Team Deathmatch – Team Deathmatch with no perks and no air support.
• Hardcore Free for All - Free For All with Hardcore Settings.
• Team Elimination (Last Man Standing) – 3 round Team Deathmatch with no respawns. Switch sides each round.
• Multi-Bomb Search and Destroy – Search and Destroy but all attackers spawn with a bomb.

When the Variety Map Pack was released back in April, a double-experience points weekend came along with it, so I’m expecting the new playlists and promotion weekend will coincide this time around as well.

Source: Hexus