EDGE has published the results of the recent British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards today, the winner of “Best Game” being Super Mario Galaxy. A scheduling change meant that some games from 2007 were entered this year, so Mario Galaxy and Call of Duty 4, two of the gems of 2007, swept up plenty of awards. See the full list after the jump.

Best Game
SUPER MARIO GALAXY
Nintendo/Nintendo

Action and Adventure
FABLE II
Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios

Artistic Achievement
LITTLEBIGPLANET
Media Molecule & XDev Studio Europe /
Sony Computer Entertainment

Casual
BOOM BLOX
Electronic Arts LA/Electronic Arts

Gameplay
CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE
Infinity Ward/Activision

Handheld
PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE CURIOUS VILLAGE
Level-5/Nintendo

Multiplayer
LEFT 4 DEAD
Valve/Valve

Original Score
DEAD SPACE
EA/EA

Sports
RACE DRIVER: GRID
Codemasters Studios/Codemasters

Strategy
SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION
Firaxis Games/2K Games

Story and Character
CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE
Infinity Ward/Activision

Technical Achievement
SPORE
Electronic Arts Montreal/Electronic Arts

Use of Audio
DEAD SPACE
Electronic Arts/Electronic Arts

BAFTA Ones to Watch Award
BORO-TORO
Adam Westwood, Graham Ranson, Yves Wheeler, Matthew Booton, Owen Schwehr (DarkMatter Designs)

GAME Award of 2008
CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE
Infinity Ward/Activision

Personally, I got bored of Mario Galaxy pretty quickly, and got bored of LittleBigPlanet even faster. You might have guessed that I think Left 4 Dead should have won, and you’d be right. Left 4 Dead has way more zombies than Mario Galaxy.

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

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Bungie’s lead AI programmer Damian Isla praises Activision and Infinity Ward’s hugely successful FPS, Call of Duty 4. Even going as far as saying that Halo could learn a few things from Call of Duty.

“We have a lot to learn from their success too, they did some very innovative things to keep people going and their experience-rewards system was something that we paid a lot of attention to,” Isla explained.

“I think it’s a great game and single player obviously is fantastic… they did a hell of a job with their set pieces, of scripting certain moments that they were really sure the player was going to actually see and experience first hand. The way that they use those moments to craft the player experience…Halo has a lot to learn from.”

While both games are extremely outstanding and have a strong fan base, the battle for the most-played game on Xbox Live continues between Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4.

It’s good to hear that Bungie is willing to learn from other successful games so they can make their titles better. Because we all know improvements can always be made to make any game better.

Source: gamesindustry.biz

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

 

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.

Activision has confirmed Treyarch is working hard at Call of Duty 5 for 2008, and once again is taking a step back and opening the once thought closed doors to World War 2.

Ever since the release of Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4, fans have been craving nothing but “Modern Warfare” in all it’s glory. Unfortunately, for all the Call of Duty 4 lovers out there, you are going to have to wait for COD 6 before being able to return to the modern style of combat you have grown to love.

The only advice I could give to you as a fellow gamer is just keep on wishin’ for the best — and with that, here is my COD 5 wish list.

Call of Duty 5 Wish List

1. Longer campaign
2. Co-op campaign mode
3. Add a guest system for online play.
4. Dedicated Servers
5. Introduce the M2A1-7 Flamethrower
6. Multiplayer-Be able to pick from all countries dealing with WWII and all weapon classes produced by each country.
7. Larger multiplayer maps.
8. Newly added game types.

9. Multiplayer introduces medals, achievements, and an updated in-game ranking system.
10. Multiplayer map editor and forge.
11. More in-depth story line focusing on specific characters on the axis and allies.
12. DLC (downloadable content)
13. Updated and accurate matchmaking system.
14. Free roam, more exploration, and open ended decisions that could affect your campaign mode.
15. Infinity Ward develops it “Ha Ha, that’s not going to happen.”

If you just absolutely don’t want anything to do with Treyarch and its WWII’ness, then you must wait for Call of Duty 6 in 2009. And if you are looking forward to the return of the WWII era, give us a shout in the comment box on what YOU would like to see in the next Call of Duty.

The few, the proud, the unbelievably freakin’ lucky. Head on over to the official site for COD4 (charlieoscardelta.com) and if you manage to get the beta info pages to load, that is exactly how you will feel.

Yea, it seems that the announcement of Beta details has caused their site to get somewhat overloaded. On top of that a good amount of other sites are linking directly to their images (which doesn’t help) so visiting those sites won’t do you any good either … unless you want to stare at blank images that won’t be loading anytime soon.

Oh quit your belly achin’ we got you covered soldier! Get yourself together and review the information below … and if you EVER cry in our presence again we will beat you severely.

COD4: MW MP BETA DETAILS

Age: Must be 18 years of age or older to be eligible.

Lead Time: Infinity Ward urges fans not to worry as they promise to give everyone plenty of warning before the Beta goes live. Along with updates via the Beta HQ they will also be posting a countdown clock on their sites homepage.

Availability: Beta is first come first serve, spots will be limited. In other stay on your toes and be ready to move.

Region: Beta will start in the US. Other countries have yet to be decided.

Max Rank: Rank has been capped in the game and therefor you will not be able to unlock every item.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. What are those yellow numbers? How do Experience Points work?
In game you are going to see pretty yellow numbers pop up when you complete objectives, get kills, etc. These are your Experience Points. Experience Points add to your overall ranking during the match. Depending on the matchtype, you will get a different number of points for different actions.

And no, you will not be able to carry your rank over into the final game.

2. Does the Public Beta have matchmaking? How can I play with my friends?
Easy. Select ‘Xbox Live’ from the main menu and then choose ‘Find Game’. If you want to party up with your friends, select ‘Party Invite’ from the same menu. You can also jump into matches your friends are playing by selecting their gamertag through the Xbox 360 dashboard, Friend’s List and the option ‘Join Session in Progress’.

3. Main Menu

Xbox Live:
Find matches, Create A Class, Check your rankings, review progress on challenges, and play with your friends.

Controls:
Setup the controller to your personal preferences and alter game brightness.

Quit:
This is the option you are never going to want to choose.

4. Xbox Live Menu

a. Find Game:
Essentially the Beta’s ‘Go’ button. When you are ready for action, select this option, choose a game type, and unleash your skills.

b. Create a Class:
Build your custom classes. (See: Classes\Create A Class)

c. Barracks:
Check your rankings on the Leaderboards and your progress through Challenges, choose your Clan Tag, and even review your basic player statistics.

d. Party Invite:
Invite your friends to your party.

e. Message of the Day:
Check this section for important Beta updates.

5. Barracks Menu

Leaderboards:
Compare yourself to other players in the Beta in Score, Wins, Kills, and Accuracy. You can view the Global rankings, or limit your view to Friends.

Challenges:
Check your progress on various challenges. Complete these challenges to gain XP rewards and Weapon add-ons.

Clan Tag:
Set your clan tag.

CONTROLS:

Stick Layouts:
Default – Pictured below.
Southpaw – Switches functionality of the left and right thumbsticks.
Legacy – Swaps vertical functionality of the left and right thumbsticks.
Legacy Southpaw – Switches left and right thumbstick functionality of the Legacy layout.

Button Layout:
Default – Pictured below.
Tactical – Switches functionality of the right thumbstick click and the B button
Lefty – Switches functionality of the left and right shoulder buttons and triggers.

Sensitivity Options:
- Low
- Medium
- High
- Very High

Players also have the option to invert their joystick controls and enable/disable vibration.

WEAPONS:

Below are the weapons available to you in the Beta. Keep in mind, this is just a sampling of the full arsenal that will be available to you when the game ships.

ATTACHMENTS:

ACOG Scope: Enhanced zoom ACOG scope.

Grenade-Launcher: Grenade Launcher attachment for assult rifles. THIS ATTACHMENT REPLACED PERK 1.

Grip: Vertical foregrip for reduced recoil.

Red Dot Sight: Replace the iron sights with precision reflex sight.

Silencer: Invisible on GPS when firing, reduced muzzle flash, but shorter range.

GRENADES:

Flash: Device that blinds and deafens the target when detonated.

Smoke: Device that creates a smoke screen when detonated.

Stun: Device that disorients the target when detonated.

SNIPER RIFLES:

Dragunov SVD: Semi-automatic sniper rifle. Effective at long range.

M21: Semi-automatic sniper rifle. Effective at long range.

M40A3: Bolt-action sniper rifle. Effective at long range.

SHOTGUNS:

W1200: Pump action shotgun. Effective at close range.

SUB MACHINE GUNS:

Mini-Uzi: Fully automatic with high rate of fire. Effective at close to medium range.

MP5: Fully automatic with good accuracy. Effective at close to medium range.

Skorpion: Fully automatic with high rate of fire. Effective at close range.

SIDE ARMS:

M9: Semi-automatic with high capacity and power. Effective at close range.

M1911.45: Semi-automatic with medium capacity and power. Effective at close range.

USP.45: Semi-automatic with medium capacity and power. Effective at close range.

ASSAULT RIFLES:

AK-47: Fully automatic with high power. Effective at medium range.

G3: Single-fire with a high capacity. Effective at medium to long range.

M4 Carbine: Fully automatic with low recoil. Effective at medium range.

M16A4: Semi-automatic with three round burst fire. Effective at medium to long range.

LIGHT MACHINE GUNS:

M60E4: Fully automatic with high power. Effective at medium to long range.

M249.S.A.W: Fully automatic with high rate of fire. Effective at medium to long range.

RPD: Fully automatic with good accuracy. Effective at medium to long range.

CLASSES:

Create Class: Reach the rank of Private (rank 4) and you will unlock Create a Class. Here you can customize a class lead-out that fits your specific play-style. Create a Class is all about options—pick your primary weapons, side arms, grenades, attachments, weapon camouflages, and, maybe most importantly, Perks.

Default: Assault, Heavy Gunner, Sniper, Demolitions, Spec-Ops

PERKS:

Perks are how your custom class stands apart from the crowd. There might be a lot of people out there with the M21, but do they have it backed up by Stopping Power and Deep Impact?

There are three Perk groups, listed below. Note you can only select one Perk from each category in building your Create a Class. In the screenshot, our player has chosen Bomb Squad for his Perk 1 category, Stopping Power for Perk 2, and Deep Impact for Perk 3.

Remember, some weapon and attachment settings will limit your ability to equip certain Perks. For example, the Grenade Launcher attachment will fill your Perk 1 slot, meaning you will only get two active perks.

Check out the Beta’s Perks and what category they fall under below. And don’t forget, for the Beta we picked a bunch of our favorite Perks for you to give us feedback on – you’ll have many more Perks to choose from in the full-game.

PERK 1

Bomb Squad: Ability to seek out enemy explosives.
C4 x 2: Remote detonation explosive.
Claymore x 2: Trip activated explosive mine.
RPG-7 x 2: Rocket Launcher with 2 rockets.
Special Grenades x 3: 3 special grenades. No smoke.

PERK 2

Juggernaut Increased health.
Sleight of Hand: Faster reloading.
Sonic Boom: Higher explosive weapon damage.
Stopping Power: Increased bullet damage.
UAV Jammer: Undetectable on enemy radar.

PERK 3

Deep Impact: Deeper bullet penetration.
Extreme Conditioning: Sprint for longer distances
Last Stand: Pull out your pistol before dying.
Martyrdom: Drop a live grenade when killed.
Steady Aim: Increased hip-fire accuracy.

GAME MODES:

On the Beta you will have several Game Modes to pick from. Learn about each below:

Free-for-all
Every man for himself. Kill everyone.
Players: 6-12
Score Limit: 300
Points for kill: 5

Team Deathmatch
Use teamwork to kill enemy players and reach the score limit.
Players: 6-12
Score Limit: 750
Points for kill:10

Team Objective
Domination and Search and Destroy.
Capture flags in Domination, with respawning. Destroy and defend objectives in Search and Destroy, with no respawns.
Players: 6-12
Score Limit: 750
Points for kill:10

Team Tactical
Small Team Deathmatch and Search and Destroy. 2vv2 or 3v3.
Players: 6-12
Score Limit: 750
Points for kill:10

MAPS:

The Beta comes to you with three of our favorite maps – Overgrown, Crash and Vacant. Remember, it’s just a Beta – the full-game comes to you with many, many more maps. To learn more about the three maps included with the Beta, click on the links below. We’ve provided a description of each type of map.

Crash

Downed Sea Knight in a desert town. Fantastic team games.

Overgrown

Large overgrown rural Russian area. Sniper ghillie suits make for good cover.

Vacant

Deserted Russian office. Intense interior fighting.

We are working very hard to access the site and pull the information off. If you see a “PENDING UPDATE” that is because the area we are working on is still unaccessible. Keep checking back with us for updates throughout the day.