http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/index.php?topic=Call-of-Duty-4-Xbox-/ Call of Duty 4: Modern warfare XboX LIVE and Playstation 3 news, mappack, updates and release dates. Call of Duty: World At War News en-gb http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/E3-Wii-Call-of-Duty-World-at-War E3 2008: Wii Call of Duty: World at War Impressions by Aaron Thomas, Nintendo gave the world a brief look at the next Call of Duty game for the Wii, and we picked the trailer apart for info. As part of Nintendo's E3 press conference, Reggie Fils-Aime unveiled a number of games for the Wii. Some of these games, such as Animal Crossing: City Folk, were shown in depth, whereas others, such as Call of Duty: World at War, gave us just a quick peek at what to expect. Details are scarce on COD: World at War, but we were able to glean a few details from the brief trailer, which showed the Wii version of the game for the first time. For starters, the game appears to be set in World War II (like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions), given that the weapons on display seemed to fit the time period--and it has the words "World at War" in the title. A standard rifle was, of course, part of the arsenal, but most interesting was the flamethrower, which was used liberally throughout the jungle areas as well as the remains of a war-torn city. The impressive inferno of the flamethrower made short work of the few enemy soldiers foolish enough to get close. One obvious way in which World at War will differ from Call of Duty 3 for the Wii is that it will make use of the Wii Zapper (the plastic shell that holds a remote and Nunchuk to simulate a gun). That's great news for folks with a Zapper gathering dust in the corner, but that's not the only exciting news. World at War will feature co-op play so that you and a friend can join together to crush the enemy. It's unknown at this time whether or not you'll be able to play cooperatively via the Internet, or if you'll be able to play the entire campaign with another person. Although the official release date is a vague "coming soon," Call of Duty: World at War is already an impressive-looking game. The visuals were a cut above most Wii games, and there was no shortage of explosions to keep the action intense. We expect World at War to be on the show floor, so check back soon for more detailed impressions. Watch the Nintendo Wii - E3 2008 - Call of Duty Press Conference HD Trailer Direct Link : http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/staticpages/index.php/E3-2008-Wii-CoD-World-at-War http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/CoD-World-at-War-xbox-ps3-news Call of Duty: World at War - Highly Detailed, New Info by x CHEFS x A recap of 2 more Single Player levels that we were shown on the Community First Look event. Both look 100% unique, and appear to be a great deal of fun. - Single Player Level: Sniper (unofficial name) You enter the level as a Russian soldier dizzy and confused, the screen is shaking and everyone around you appears to be dead. Voices of German Infantry can be heard until they eventually appear; the enemy platoon walks past you apparently checking bodies to make sure they are dead. Once they move on, your senses set in and you come back to awareness. Across from you awakens a Russian sniper, who is apparently a higher rank because he guides the mission from here on out. Enter actual Gameplay. The sniper instructs you to take his rifle since he is unable to wield it, due to a wound. You take the rifle from him and he teaches you how to snipe, waiting for the perfect moment, being the hunter. You hear and see German infantry walking about and he instructs you to wait as a tank rumbles by. At this point you take aim for your first kill shot and wait until a soldier strafes behind a sitting German, pull the trigger – bang, down the two of them go with a single bullet. You waited and waited, only firing your kill-shot when the roar of planes overhead deafened your shot not to reveal your existence. A dog did take notice however and comes after you and your comrade. In the demo, a skilled hip-shot took down the mutt; perhaps a melee would be even more rewarding. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/More-Xbox-problems-for-Microsoft More Xbox problems for Microsoft British tabloid the Mirror is reporting that Microsoft is facing a massive repair bill for it's Xbox 360 Elite console. It looks like the 'red ring of death' strikes again for Microsoft as their prestigious Xbox 360 Elite console succumbs to faulty hardware. The Mirror is quoting a figure in the region of £500 million (€630 million) for the cost of repairing the faulty consoles. The fourth generation of of the Xbox 360 was considered to be resistant to it's predecessor's problems but now hundreds of owners are returning their £290 consoles which are subsequently being sent to Germany to repair. Last year 230,000 Xbox steering wheels had to be recalled for overheating whilst £500 million was spent on recalling power cords that caught fire. Although 12 million Xbox consoles have been sold since 2003, experts say 33% will experience overheating problems. In a statement Microsoft said: The majority of Xbox 360 owners enjoy a great experience with their console. Anyone with a problem should call Xbox customer service. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/COD4-Will-Not-Utilize-PS3-Firmware CoD4 will not be using the latest improvements featured in the PS3 firmware. Here's the word from Fourzerotwo: "With the latest Playstation 3 firmware now available, I see a lot of questions regarding how it effects Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. At this time, we have no plans to patch in Trophy support for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for the PS3. Much like DualShock rumble addition to the PS3, the support for these new features have come much to late for us to add it to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare due to our current production schedule. We would have loved to have these in the game at launch if the support was available, or shortly after." Definitely a bummer for the PS3 players. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox-PS3-World-at-War-News-Pics Screenshots Call of Duty World at War - Airplanes More Call of Duty: World At War News you can find here : http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/index.php?topic=Call-of-Duty-WaW-New http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox-Live-gametrailer-cod5-waw CoD: World at War trailer to debut via XBL this weekend. Beginning Saturday, June 21st and will be available until Sunday, June 22nd. Call of Duty fanboys be prepared to get your Xbox Live downloading fingers ready this weekend, because Activision is set to premiere a brand new Call of Duty: World at War trailer via Xbox Live this weekend. A new World at War game trailer will be available for download exclusively from the Xbox Live Marketplace beginning Saturday, June 21st and will be available until Sunday, June 22nd. So, we advise hopping on the XBLM sometime during your ritualistic Saturday morning cartoon viewing and Lucky Charms eating to download the latest glimpse at what Acti has planned for the CoD franchise. Here's to hoping World at War knocks our socks, shoes and pants off. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/CallofDuty-WorldatWarRevealed Call of Duty: World at War Revealed Published June 17, 2008 The next Call of Duty® is being revealed! You can watch the premiere of the worldwide reveal trailer for Call of Duty: World at War only on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace June 21. Call of Duty: World at War completely changes the rules of engagement by redefining WWII gaming and thrusting players into the final tension-filled, unforgiving battles against a new ferocious enemy in the most dangerous and suspenseful action ever seen. Powered by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare™ technology, Call of Duty: World at War brings an uncensored edge to combat, as soldiers face the most harrowing and climactic European and Pacific battles in which an enemy, who knows no surrender and no retreat, will fight to the last breath, unleashing an arsenal of lethal surprising tactics. Peril and danger lurk throughout the battlefield as players combat the unknown risk of the new chaos of battle. From the remains of Russia and the ruins of Berlin, to the beach and jungles of the deadly Pacific Theater, the volatile action takes on added depth as players employ new features that previously were only available in multiplayer, including perks, rankings and online stats in up to four-player cooperative gameplay, and take advantage of the new infantry and vehicle-based weapons, like the potent flamethrower, that will set the battlefield ablaze. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/COD-World-at-War-Xbox-Live-trailer Call of Duty: World at War Trailer on Xbox LIVE Marketplace Next Week ! Video premiere this Wednesday on Xbox LIVE Marketplace Microsoft today announced that the first trailer for Call of Duty: World at War will be premiered via Xbox LIVE Marketplace on June 21-June 22. In the works at Treyarch Invention, the studio which developed Call of Duty 2: Big Red One and Call of Duty 3, Call of Duty: World at War will take place in the Pacific theatre (and partially in Russia's advance into Berlin). For the first time in Call of Duty's campaign 4-player co-op is supported over Xbox Live - and it supports meta game perks as in CoD4's online mode. Scheduled to hit the store shelves during Activision 2009 fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2009. Call of Duty: World at War will be available for PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and DS, as well as for Wii and PS2. Press release : “The next Call of Duty® revealed! Watch the premiere of the worldwide reveal trailer for Call of Duty®: World at War only on Xbox LIVE Marketplace June 21-June 22. Call of Duty®: World at War redefines WWII, challenging players to survive the most harrowing and climactic battles of the Pacific and European theaters.” More on CoD5 here : http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/index.php?topic=Call-of-Duty-5-News http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Call-of-Duty-5-weapons-Vehicles-news Features in Call of Duty 5 : the weapons, the co-op, the setting, the multiplayer, the developers, thevehicles, extreme AI and the CoD4 engine. There have been several questions from fans about this game. Who is developing it? Where will it be set? What's going to happen with the multiplayer? What if it turns out like Call of Duty 3? Thanks to a world exclusive preview in the latest issue of OXM, we can now answer those questions for you, with the following features making up the essential points about the game... It is being developed by Treyarch - Confirmation that it will, in fact, be Treyarch handling it as most expected. It will be set in World War II - Following Call of Duty 4, the series will be returning to World War II and in particular, the battle of the Pacific between America and Japan. European assaults will also feature, such as the Russians advancing on Berlin. It will be called Call of Duty: World at War - Note that it will NOT be known as Call of Duty 5, as the series is now doing away with numbers, a la Tony Hawk. It will be on a two-year cycle - This means Treyarch has had more time to develop Call of Duty: World at War. This was a problem that blighted Call of Duty 3, which was completed in 11 months while the team was also trying to create a separate Call of Duty game for last-gen consoles. Multiplayer is left intact - Treyarch will be adding to Call of Duty 4's popular multiplayer rather than taking away, with the main addition being new vehicles. Perks will still be there along with a new 'leader' system, that gives you extra perks when sticking close to the team's leader. It will use the Call of Duty 4 engine - Good news for those who loved Call of Duty 4's fluid shooting action is that by using the same engine, this should feel largely the same. The biggest difference between the two are the environments are now more destructible. Japanese tactics! - The main new gameplay advance for the series is the unusually aggressive tactics of the Japanese as they set ambushes, hide in trees, flank fearlessly, hide in the ground... creative director Rich Farrelly says World at War has more in common with survival horror than war movies. Four player co-op - Call of Duty: World at War will have split screen for two players, online co-op for four players! New weapons - The main new addition being the flamethrower, allowing you to set fire to grass and trees, flushing out Japanese soldiers waiting to ambush you. Vehicles - Be prepared for all out war with a multitude of WWII vehicles to use http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/CoD-5-Xbox-360-NEWS-DETAILS-PS3 First Call Of Duty 5 Images And Details, Xbox 360 Is The Lead Version "Call of Duty 5: World at War will utilise the Call of Duty 4 engine but the developer has also added various enhancments, such as the ability the burn down buildings and foliage. The game takes place primarily in the pacific, with the US forces fighting Imperial Japan. Frank Kearsy, military advisor and Gulf War Veteran, has made sure that the way the Japanse fight is both tenacious and shocking. You’ll also be fighting as the Russians, who are invading Germany. With the Nazi forces on the back foot they will start fighting even more ferociously in an attempt to defend their strongholds such as in Berlin. There is also a new party system that will allow the leader to issue commands to his troops in single player. Mutliplayer perks are also back, including some of the favorites from Call of Duty 4, but there will also be new ones that better suit the time period. The game also features new weapons for the series, such as the flamethrower, which according to OXM, can melt the skin off of your enemies and set ablaze grass and wooden buildings. You are also able to shoot throw materials depending on the strength of the material." "And this time Treyarch has specific teams working on all the different versions, with the Xbox 360 version acting as the lead." But this Game will also be released for Wii, DS, PS2, and PC . More CoD5 pictures and details you can find here : http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/index.php?topic=Call-of-Duty-5-News http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Double-XP-Call-of-Duty-4-Xbox-live by Fourzerotwo Call of Duty 4 Retakes #1 Spot on XBOX LIVE - Double XP for all ! According to Microsoft’s Major Nelson’s report, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has retaken the #1 spot as the most played game on Xbox LIVE, knocking GTAIV to the #3 spot. This is on the heels of the news that we just passed the 10 million copies sold mark! THANK YOU to everyone who consistently continues to play the game every night!! To show our appreciation, as always we’re going to be holding a Double XP Weekend this weekend starting Friday morning and going till Monday (yes I know… we always say that, but we’re really going to cut it off at Monday this time… maybe). The Double XP will be available in ALL PLAYLISTS and will be on both platforms Xbox 360 and PS3! In addition, we will be tweaking all the playlist map rotations a bit so that the Variety Map Pack no longer shows up 2:1 to old maps. Therefore all maps (old and new) have an equal chance to come up in map rotation, so you won’t be seeing Chinatown pop up 8,000 times or any other new map over and over again. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/PS3-CoD4-Double-XP-playstation Hey Everyone -- We'll be flipping the Double XP switch to 'OFF' on Wednesday, as well as adding the new Variety Map Pack maps to the existing play lists at that time. So, come Wednesday morning / afternoon, no more Double XP and you'll be able to play the new maps in all playlists. by Fourzerotwo http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/PS3-Map-Pack-not-working-Region-disc Playstation users can be victim to the Map Pack region locking debacle. You MUST purchase the version of the map pack which is compatible with the version of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game disc that you have. But not knowing this ( and how could you ? ) you bought the wrong version of the mappack. You just went over to your 'local' PSN store and bought the mappack. First: Buy the right mappack when knowing your BLES code: All PSN Stores have been updated to allow you to match the stores BLES code to your disc, when you click on the Map Pack in the Store you are taken to a little explanation of the map pack. At the very bottom their is a little explantion telling you that the map pack you are about to download only works with the following BLES code, Example : German Store states - BLES-00149. To confirm your Disc Matches that BLES code on the playstation store just look on your Disc, just below the PS logo. If you have another BLES code then would be normal for your country, example: you have the UK version Disc (BLES-00148) but you live in Germany this means that when you download the 'German' map pack it wont work because they are not the same ident !! Second : When you downloaded a Map Pack and the BLES codes dont match then you can get a REFUND ! 402 stated that all non matched BLES codes will be refunded. You can try to contact Sony in the country you live in to make sure you get a refund for that wrong mappack. --------------------------------------------- The PS3 CoD4 Map Pack will not run with any Version, German , UK, US, HK whatever. The Region Lock on the Map Pack was done by INFINITY WARD. Not by SONY. Sony already contacted IW to bring up a sollution a.s.a.p. SONY appologizes for the inconveniace… http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/PS3-DLC-Double-XP-Weekend-CoD4 It’s time! The Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ Variety Map Pack is available now for download through the PLAYSTATION®Network. To celebrate the launch, we’re hosting a Double XP Weekend, where players can earn twice as many experience points as they the new Variety Map Pack playlists on the new multiplayer maps starting at 12:01 GMT, Friday, April 25 through 11:59 PDT, Sunday, April 27 - although in all reality it’ll probably stop around Monday morning or so. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Region-Locked-PS3-CoD4-mappack PS3 CoD4 Variety Map Pack is Region Locked Heads up for international users purchasing the Variety Map Pack for the PS3. The Variety Map Pack is Region Locked, which means that you MUST purchase the version of the map pack which is compatible with the version of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare game disc that you have. For example: If you have the GERMAN version of the game, you MUST purchase the GERMAN version of the map pack. If you have the UK version of the game, you MUST purchase the UK version of the map pack. Just make sure that the Disc version and the Map Pack version matches up. If you have an UK version of the game, DO NOT purchase a German version of the map pack. It won’t work. The same goes for any other mismatched version. For those of you who may have already purchased the incorrect language for the game disc you have, we are currently talking with Sony regarding any options you may have. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Playstation-3-CoD4-Mappack-PSN-buy The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack for PS3 will be available on the PlayStation Network on Thursday April, 24 for both the US and Europe! Also this weekend it will be PS3 Variety Map Pack Double XP Weekend Extravaganza ! Double XP Weekend: It will let PS3 players gain double XP for their in-game accomplishments. So you get Double XP from 12:01 AM GMT on Friday, April 25 to 11:59 PM GMT on Sunday, April 27. I am sure if the PSN-store cant cope with an extreme high amount of downloads they will add some extra Double XP days. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Playstation-3-update-2.30-store Playstation 3 system update is now available. Update 2.30 The new PS store is now up and running. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/PLAYSTATION-Store_CoD4_PS3_Maps PLAYSTATION 3 Call of Duty 4 Double XP and 'Play With Infinity Ward' Planned The new Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack is still undergoing certification by Sony. Things are probably busy on Sony's side with the upcoming re-launch of the PLAYSTATION Store and all the new content coming in the weeks ahead. No firm release date has been confirmed just yet. In the meantime, Infinity Ward's 402 assures PLAYSTATION 3 COD4 gamers that there will be a Double XP weekend and a "Play With Infinity Ward" event when the Map Pack is released. Xbox 360 COD4 gamers will have the Call of Duty 4 LIVE Fire Weekend 2008 this upcoming weekend, and previously had the Double XP event when the Map Pack was released for the Xbox 360. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/SonyPS3-News-PlayStation-3-News On The PS3 Side of Things. I was originally hoping we’d have all the details finalized for the upcoming launch of the Variety Map Pack on the PS3 by last week, but it’s been taking a bit longer than expected. The only thing we’re waiting on now is official dates, all the logistics are essentially worked out. I got word today that the Variety Map Pack for PS3 has went amazingly well through Certification at Sony and they plan on having it available on the brand spanking new PSN store in the coming weeks. I’ll have an exact date for you in the very near future. I’ve seen mock-ups of the new PSN store and it looks cool, lots of new features to play around with so it’s going to be great to have the Variety Map Pack as one of the first new things available when it launches. We’ll also be hosting a ‘Play With Infinity Ward’ event with the PS3 community when the map packs hit, I’ll post up details on that as soon as we have a firm date, as well as a Double XP weekend is in the works. Again though, I was hoping we’d have the dates of all of this finalized by now, but I will post EXACT details and dates for the Launch of the map pack, the release of the GOTY Edition, and when you can expect Double XP weekend and Play with the devs to start. The good news is we’ll be having all the same great promotions (i.e. Double XP Weekend, Play with Devs) on the PS3 just like we did on the Xbox 360 when we launch the Map Pack! by 402 http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/CoD4-Variety-Map-Pack-second-opinion by Chris Wilcox The new CoD4 Maps are out - and well abused at this point - but many people are feeling that they got less than their money’s worth. Only three of the four maps are currently in public rotation with the smallest map, Killhouse, rarely being seen outside of a private match here and there. The other three are (IMO) playable, but far from replacements for any of the standard maps. Here’s a quick rundown of my opinions of the three - Creek; aka “Sniperland McSnipersville” This map has is basically a valley with a ridge on each side next to the team start spawns, where you’re practically guaranteed to find half of each team in a gillie suit. Fortunately, most people don’t actually understand how to successfully snipe, and therefore the map allows for plenty of knife-in-the-back type revenge killing. Best game mode : Sabotage The movement of the objective lends itself to the larger size of the map. Worst game mode : Search and Destroy Far from being a balanced map, the ‘defending’ team has all of the advantages. - Broadcast; aka “Cubicle Death Room” Spacious, fairly balanced, lots of camping spots… almost too many. Expect to run around corners and get shot in the face, time and time again. The office hallways do provide some good cover for firefights, as well as alternate routes for flanking. Best game mode : Headquarters Maps with lots of camping spots are made for headquarters, as you can generally get ‘dug in’ to easily defend almost any spot at which the HQ spawns. Worst game mode : Headquarters Unfortunately, once ‘dug in’, it’s fairly hard to extricate enemies - particularly ones with automatic weapons, claymores, and grenades. - China Town; aka “Another Dead End?” This map does have its warm fuzzy spots, featuring a few strategically annoying mounted machine guns, circular grated gaps in brick walls ideal for shooting from cover (and bouncing your own grenades back into your face), and screaming neon decor. Best game mode : Search and Destroy A rather large building smack in the middle of the map allows coverage for both A and B objectives, making it ideal for the defenders. Of course, if the attackers can take and hold said building, they’ll practically cement the win. Worst game mode : Deathmatch Multiple buildings, their associated firing lanes, and long, straight views from the mounted machines guns, make this quite a frustrating deathmatch round - unless you’re the one getting the frags. All in all, I’m enjoying the new maps, but none are going to replace my beloved Vacant, or my ‘love to hate’ Shipment. Considering they’ve sweetened the deal with double experience points for the weekend, I’d say they’re worth the $10… http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Call-of-Duty-4-Variety-Pack-run-down by Daniel Golding We give you a run-down of the maps and our verdict. Downloadable content is an interesting proposition. Sometimes, it’s obviously a case of a quick cash grab to swell profits for particular game. Other cases prove to be more intriguing - well-planned downloadable content can reinvigorate a flagging game, or simply cement its position at the top. Such is the case with the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack, released on Xbox Live last Saturday. Call of Duty 4 has been the top played game on Xbox Live for many weeks now, and it’s easy to see why. The game blended arcade shooting action with a brilliant RPG-lite upgrade system that guaranteed the almost addiction-like levels currently exhibited by fans. But there was another ingredient: the maps were perfectly balanced, and very few are regularly skipped in playlists. So the release of the new maps is cause for both trepidation and excitement amongst players. What flavour does the Variety Map Pack add to the already good content? If we were to overuse the food analogy (and, dear reader, we would be loathe not to), then we would suggest that the vital ingredient that the Variety Pack adds is spice. The four maps contained in the downloadable content provide a breath of fresh air: from a change in geography and play style to a complete change of look and feel to an old favourite. The rear of the Broadcast map is based on the single player level Charlie Don't Surf. The first map in the pack is Broadcast, which is possibly Call of Duty 4’s biggest (we have the surveyors working around the clock to bring you the results, however). It’s based on the TV station area from the single-player level Charlie Don’t Surf, and that in itself makes for an interesting change from some other multiplayer maps. Broadcast is both an interior and exterior map - to the west of the circular station is a car bay, and beyond that lie several buildings that are perfect to regroup at when another team dominates the station itself. This makes for excellent distance combat, for scoped weapons and snipers. It is difficult for players with close-quarters weaponry to make it to the station while under fire, but by the same token, defending the station is not an easy task if players provide covering fire from the dark, and difficult to see into buildings to the west. The interior of the station is quite large, and offers several entry points from the front and open entrance to the rear stairwell. Once inside, it is a series of labyrinthine corridors and large open rooms. Visually, our favourite area is the large computer cubicle room from the single player level, though in practice this is often avoided, as it provides little cover from the potential massacre-points above. However, it provides excellent hidey-hole gameplay for one-on-one play. The problem we had with Broadcast is that unless the map is crawling with players, the style of play can vary too wildly. The strengths of the map are lost if there are ten players trying to find each other in the vast, and vastly different areas. Either play it with a large group, or go for one-on-one cat-and-mouse play. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Call-of-Duty-4--LIVE-Fire-Weekend-xbox "Just like at the launch of the game, Xbox Live is hosting another Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare LIVE Fire Weekend starting Friday, April 18th through Sunday, April 20th. Get ready for some wild multiplayer action as we celebrate the release of the Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ Game of the Year Edition with a LIVE Fire Weekend. We’ve got a 72-hour Play & Win Sweepstakes, a special GamerchiX event, an opportunity to play against the development team from Infinity Ward, and even a chance to mix it up with Mixed Martial Arts champion Jens Pulver." ------------------------------------------------- Note from Claire Claws: Because of USA LEGAL REASONS.... (?) It became a fact that all contests or prize-events organized by Infinity Ward or other CoD4 releated Companies are strictly USA only. They just dont like to mention this in their "global" announcements or the Europeans and etc. just dont exist in their world. -------------------------------------------------- But click READ MORE if you want to read rest of the announcement. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Call-of-Duty-4-Clans COD4 Clans Xbox 360 COD4 Clans FragDominant Sons of God (Hardcore Christian Gamers) DarkSquadron The Crew Only on Point Team We Come in Peace Elite Force-187 Army of Affliction Soldier of Silence South of the Border   Control   Team iPro PS3 COD4 Clans Nemesis Six Feet Under [eVo]Lved Team Hawk Vision Valor Victory Stealth Ruthless Aggresssion PRoFe$$ioNaL $KiLL$    http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/PS3-MapPack-CoD4-Certification-Sony PS3 DLC In Certification The Variety Map Pack DLC and patch required to add the maps to the game have went to Certification at Sony last night. " We’re shooting for a worldwide simultaneous release, so all users can expect to have it at the same general time frame when it finishes certification. We’re working to see if we can secure a firm release date to pass along to you guys now, and I’ll post that as soon as I have it." by fourzerotwo In addition the PS3 map pack should be hitting the PSN store around the same time the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year Edition for PS3 hits store shelves. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Call-of-Duty-4-Double-XP-EUROPE There's still a few more hours to get "Double XP" in Call of Duty 4 on the Xbox 360. The COD4 Variety Map Pack release this past Friday brought the Xbox Live Marketplace to a crawl, so Infinity Ward has extended the Double XP through today, ending Tuesday morning... ( They talking USA time again and the morning has only just begun in USA. Have asked 402 if he can add a CET time to his announcements.... ) http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Error-Xbox-call-of-duty-4-maps Error messages getting you down? Don’t worry, we’re aware and we’ve made Microsoft aware as well. It seems that the rush of people attempting to download the new Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4 that went live today at 6:30 AM has caused some users currently attempting to download the maps to receive the message: “Can’t retrieve information from XBOX LIVE, please try again later. Status Code: 8015000a” http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Downloadable-Content-Xbox As you now know, the Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare went up on Xbox Live at 6:30 AM this morning. I wanted to give you the details on how it all works for now and how it’s all going to work in a couple of days. Once you’ve downloaded the maps you’ll notice two new playlists: Variety Team Deathmatch Variety Team Objective These two playlists will only contain the new map packs on the Team Deathmatch and Objective gametypes, and is currently the only place you can play the new maps. Players on these two new playlists may be able to grab some extra XP this first weekend, so keep your eye on it closely. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/LIVE_Marketplace_Xbox Today the release of the new Variety Map Pack DLC for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare became a fact. Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack will cost 800 MS Points to download. Game Downloads From Xbox LIVE Marketplace Xbox LIVE® Marketplace offers tons of all-new content for your existing Xbox 360 and Xbox games. Whether it's new multiplayer maps for your favorite shooter, extra cars for a race game, or new quests for that role-playing game, you'll find it on Marketplace. Some content packs are free, while others may set you back a few Microsoft Points. Check out the latest extra for your favorite games and play them in a whole new way. With the release of Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™Game of the Year Edition in april 2008 a token to download the Variety Map Pack wil be given extra for free. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Variety_Map_Pack_CoD4 Robert Bowling (402) has announced that despite what above banner may say, Infinity Ward is pushing certification of the Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack for an on-time release for April 3rd or 4th, however it may slip into next week. As of right now though, I’m being told that it’s a good chance it will be released worldwide (except for Japan) tomorrow night (Thursday) or Friday morning. If I get a more exact confirmation or hear if it will slip into Monday I will let you know immediately when I find out. By: César A. Berardini Extra note : "It is being told that it’s a good chance it will be released worldwide (except for Japan) tomorrow night / early-Friday morning.” PLAYSTATION 3 gamers should have the COD4 Varitey Map Pack by end of April 2008. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/XboxLIVEMarketplace Variety Map Pack and Game of the Year Edition (800 MS Points) Exclusive Xbox 360 Map Pack Release Date! Recruits and soldiers alike, get the Battle-Dress Uniforms ready! Activision and Infinity Ward are planning a new offensive with Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™Game of the Year Edition. Scheduled for release at all retailers nationwide on April 1, the Game of the Year Edition of Call of Duty 4 includes a token to download the Variety Map Pack and a series of four new multiplayer maps available in early April for Xbox 360®. The Variety Map Pack will also be available for download from Xbox LIVE® Marketplace, giving you multiple ways to experience the newest multiplayer action from the blockbuster hit title. Map Details The Variety Map Pack includes four new multiplayer maps. "Creek" is a wide-open village ravaged by combat where concealment is the difference between life and death. In "Broadcast," fight throughout an enemy communications building with confined corridors and wide-open parking lots. "Chinatown" is a foggy downtown district, lit only by a full moon and the neon glow of the city. "Killhouse" features a desolate training warehouse filled with a variety of building mock-ups and soft and hard cover points. The worldwide best-selling game in units of 2007, according to The NPD Group, Chart Track, and The GFK Group, and winner of more than 50 editors' choice and game of the year honors, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Intense Violence, Strong Language, Blood and Gore. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox_Live It can be you can't sign in to Xbox Live. Rumour is : there is some server maintenance and getting all ready for Call of Duty 4 update. The last update crashed Live for hours and it was not fix completely for days.... But there are now people that got 'updated'. They see a changed layout when logged in via PC. We will keep an eye on what's going on and if needed we report extra news on this here. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/PS3_patch_Call_of_duty_4 By Frank Caron Modern warfare addicts have long been clamoring for some new Call of Duty 4 content, and Infinity Ward recently announced that a map pack was on the way for the title. The company has now detailed the new content and mentioned a new patch for the PlayStation 3 version of the game. Included in the map pack are four new maps: - Broadcast - Its size and alternate routes make "Broadcast" great for large team games. A large, multi-story television station with plenty of window vantage points creates the perfect setting for floor-to-floor combat. - Creek - A large, wide-open village in the woods, "Creek" consists of heavy foliage, which is great for sniper cover; a deep ravine that offers an excellent vantage point for ambushes; an underground cave that provides an alternate evasion route; and various multi-floor houses that populate a patchwork of connected farmland. - Chinatown - A modern revision of the classic Call of Duty "Carentan" map, "Chinatown" takes players to the foggy downtown district of a Chinatown. It's a night-time setting, but the cityscape is well lit by the full moon and the glow of brightly colored lanterns and neon lights from local businesses. - Killhouse - "Killhouse" is an enclosed warehouse made of plywood structures, mock-ups and speed-run courses used for training, creating the right mix of obstacles for small team games or free-for-alls with a variety of soft and hard cover points spread throughout the entire ground level "Creek" sounds a bit too much like "Overgrown" for my liking, but the other maps should help to justify the 800 Microsoft Point ($10) price of this "Variety Map Pack" when it hits the Marketplace this April. There's no word on a PlayStation 3 release of the map pack yet, but Infinity Ward has revealed that the original COD4 patch released last December is finally coming to the PS3 version sometime soon. Hopefully the maps won't be far behind, lest Infinity Ward begin to lose Sony-centric fans. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox_Gamerscore About Gamerscore corrections A gamerscore correction occurs on a player’s LIVE account when they gain achievements through avoiding game play and the use of external tools. LIVE is committed to keeping the service free of this type of behavior as it violates the LIVE Terms of Use. When abnormal achievement or gamerscore activity is found, LIVE modifies the gamerscore of players who meet specific and automated criteria. A LIVE player who obtained their gamerscore in this abnormal way will: - Find their gamerscore reset to zero. - Be unable to regain all previously earned achievements. - Be labeled as a “cheater” for the community to view. While players who have been identified by these criteria will start from a zero gamerscore, they will still be able to gain achievements for future games. In other words, we give them another chance to earn future achievements by earning them as other “fair” players do. The original gamerscore correction will remain permanent without any way to appeal. Questions and answers - Under what circumstances does LIVE correct a specific gamerscore? Specific and automated criteria are used to determine if a player has earned achievements by using tools that circumvent the game or avoid game play entirely. A player who meets these criteria has their gamerscore corrected. - How does LIVE know a player has been cheating on their gamerscore versus another player? We look for abnormal achievement and gamerscore activity using criteria that identifies users who have used external means to earn achievements without really playing the game. Users who play games legitimately to earn an achievements are unaffected by this. - Does being a “cheater” change a player’s experience on LIVE? http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox_360_owners CoD4 mappack : April 3 for Xbox 360 owners It's been confirmed that the new maps, Creek, Broadhouse, Killhouse and Chinatown, will be available for download on April 3rd for the expected 800 Microsoft Points. "'Creek' is a wide-open village ravaged by combat where concealment is the difference between life and death. Then in 'Broadcast' you can fight throughout an enemy communications building with confined corridors and wide-open parking lots. 'Chinatown' is a foggy downtown district, lit only by a full moon and the neon glow of the city. 'Killhouse' features a desolate training warehouse filled with a variety of building mock-ups and soft and hard cover points." There has been no mention of the PC and PS3 release date of these new Call of Duty 4 maps yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we find out more information. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Playstation_3 Call of Duty 4 Playstation 3 gamers in US can now download the patch update. Infinity Ward confirmed the patch has been released today (3/18/08) for US Playstation 3 gamers. The COD4 patch didn't make it out in the same time from Sony Europe, so gamers in that region will have to wait until tomorrow to download the update. From Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling: "Just got word from Sony EU that they didn’t finish the roll out in time today and will be available tomorrow (UK Time) so they will finish making it available for EU / Oceania users to download tomorrow (UK time), but no exact time has been given. Sorry everyone, this was scheduled to all go out at the same time today (as the Sony US did)." http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/CoD4_PS3 That’s right… just received word from Sony that they are on the final stages of certifying the PS3 Feature patch and will be definitely be seeing it go live to users this week and I may be getting an update as soon as tonight as to the exact time to expect it. I’m thinking you’ll be able to enjoy all the new features as soon as the next few days, but I’ll update you with I have a firm answer on that. But the official word is, it’s coming this week for sure, possibly very soon. 402 http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox_360_CoD4 By: Tom Price Ordinarily, multiplayer map packs aren’t the most exciting things. But this is Call of Duty 4 we’re talking about, the biggest multiplayer phenomenon since Halo. Players who’ve been playing for months may have advanced past the prestige level, but have played every single map in every single mode many times over, most likely. It’s time for some new stuff. Developer Infinity Ward invited TeamXbox and their office mates at IGN and Gamespy down to their offices in the San Fernando Valley to get some serious hands on time with the game to road test the new maps. We played the four new maps – Creek, Chinatown, Broadcast and Killhouse – for about four hours, our butts handed to us repeatedly by the IW crew. But we did some handing ourselves, you can be sure. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect from each when they go live sometime in April. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/New_version_Call_of_Duty_4 Activision has confirmed the release of a new version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The new stock keeping unit (SKU) will go under the moniker 'Game of the Year' and is set for release in April. The new SKU will feature the full game, along with a token that can be used for downloading the upcoming map pack, which is due out in April. In case you like to be reminded how good a game is every time you take it out of its box, Activision has also played with the packaging to display the various accolades CoD4 has attracted. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox-price-cut According to Dutch retailer Bart Smit, the rumored price cut of the Euro Xbox 360 is happening!! As previously speculated the Xbox 360 Elite has dropped from €549.95 to €399.95. The Pro Console (which includes Viva Pinata and Forza Motorsport 2) goes from €399.95 to €299.95. While the Arcade bundle is down from €279.95 to €199.95. At €199.95 the Xbox 360 Arcade would become the cheapest console of this generation in Europe (!), edging out the Nintendo Wii which retails for €249.95. The Microsoft camp has stated that the key to better sales in 2008 is the European market, where Microsoft is forced to fend off the strong PlayStation brand awareness and the popularity of the Nintendo Wii. However, considering Xbox 360's popularity in the Western market we don't recommend North American buyers begin holding their breath for a price-drop just yet. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/360_patched The Call of Duty 4 title update for the Xbox 360 is now live. Fresh out of internal testing and recently stamped with a Microsoft Certification, the new feature patch contains lots of new stuff including Kill Cams and Host Migration. This news courtesy of Infinity Ward’s Communication Relations Manager via the Infinity Ward forums. When you sign into Xbox Live with COD4 you will receive a prompt for it. The PS3 version of the patch is “currently finishing up it’s final internal testing and should be heading off to Sony for it’s own certification in the near future.” http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Update_Now_Live_360 Update starting today. If you put your copy of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in the Xbox 360 you’ll have new gameplay tweaks to look forward to. In addition to minor things such as maps added to various game-type rotations, players can now check out new killcams and enjoy smoother overall performance. Here’s the complete list of the upgrades: CLICK READ MORE http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/multiplayer_maps_for_Xbox_360_and_PS3 Activision and Infinity Ward confirmed that new downloadable multiplayer maps are on the way this spring.`In development for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the upcoming downloadable content will thrust gamers into new combat zones across a variety of intense multiplayer locales. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox_360_patch By James Orry Activision's modern-day FPS is the most played Xbox 360 game by users connected to Xbox LIVE. According to Microsoft, for the week beginning February 4, Call of Duty 4 has held on as the most played game by Xbox 360 gamers connected to Xbox LIVE. Over recent weeks the game has been battling it out with Microsoft's Halo 3, which had for a long time been the chart leader. Guitar Hero III takes third place, Gears of War is at No.4 and Rock Band - still only available in North America - takes fifth place. The top selling Xbox LIVE Arcade title is the newly released Poker Smash, followed by Rez HD, Chessmaster LIVE, Metal Slug 3 and UNO. New Xbox 360 CoD4 patch almost ready http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Modern-Warfare-multiplayer-PS3 Update on the status of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer servers for the PS3 and let you know exactly what's been happening, why it's been happening and what's being done on the server-side to address it. To do this; Steve Pearce, Chief Technology Officer of Activision Inc., gives us a break-down of the situation and the upcoming server maintenance to address it. ------------------------------ Firstly, on behalf of Activision and DemonWare, I’d like to apologize for the difficulties you’ve experienced while playing the PlayStation 3 version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare during the holiday season. The fact is that we’ve experienced an unprecedented load on the DemonWare backend servers, which has steadily increased since late December beyond our expectations. In spite of all of our planning and precautions, the extreme load revealed several issues. These issues triggered unscheduled downtime this past month. As we encountered issues, we deployed additional hardware and/or optimized the server infrastructure to keep the service up and running. However, while the servers were active for the vast majority of the time, many players experienced significant wait times repeatedly when joining games. To overcome this issue, we’ve implemented a fix today, which should dramatically improve the time it takes to join an online game. And, in order to make additional improvements we are briefly taking the servers offline tomorrow, Wednesday January 9th at 4:00 a.m. PST As a rule, we try to avoid scheduled downtime whenever possible. However, at this juncture we will need 1-2 hours to update a number of server infrastructure components. We apologize for any short-term inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your ongoing support and patience. Our expectation is that the server load will continue to increase as system bottlenecks are removed. So in the coming days, we will continue to monitor our system and make further optimizations and improvements as necessary. We will be deploying additional hardware to improve our database throughput and load handling. In addition to the added hardware, we are further optimizing components of the underlying server software to improve performance. We hope to be able to hot deploy these updates while the system is live. In the event that the system requires further scheduled downtime, we will post a message both here and in-game via the “Message of the Day” to keep everyone informed. Rest assured that we are taking every possible action to insure that your Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare online PS3 experience is smooth and trouble free. We apologize for the trouble this has caused and ask for your understanding and cooperation as we get things sorted over the coming days. Thanks, Steve Pearce CTO, Activision http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Call-of-duty-4-Cheat-codes-xbox Completion bonuses Successfully complete the game on any difficulty setting to unlock the cheat menu and Arcade mode. The cheat menu can be found at the options menu while playing the game. Cheat options Collect the indicated number of Intel Pieces (enemy laptop computers) hidden throughout the game to unlock the corresponding cheat option: click read more for full list http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Xbox-360-Call-of-duty-4-modern-warfare The new action thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward Inc., Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™ delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever. The epic title also features the added depth of multiplayer action for an all-new community of persistent, addictive, and customizable gameplay. Authentic advanced weaponry: Featuring an available arsenal of more than 70 authentic weapons and gear including assault rifles with laser sites, claymore mines, .50 caliber sniper rifles, and machine guns, as well as accessories like night-vision goggles and ghillie suits for maximum concealment, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has you locked and loaded to accomplish your mission. Coordinated assault and support: Delivering the most visceral action thriller ever, cover modern battle from the soldier to the satellite, where the need for air support is critical to success. The rapid deployment gives you an adrenaline rush as you fast-rope from tactical helicopters, ride in an armada of attack choppers, utilize jets to remove enemy strongholds, and even engage hostiles from thousands of feet above the ground inside a state-of-the-art aerial gunship. Cinematic graphics and sound: Featuring stunning next-generation graphics, experience the cinematic intensity of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Amazing special effects, including realistic depth of field, rim-lighting, character self-shadowing, texture streaming, as well as physics-enabled effects enlists you into the most photo-realistic gaming experience ever. Combine the lifelike graphics and the realistic battle chatter with the Call of Duty award-winning sound design and get ready to face battle as you have never before. Unparalleled depth of multiplayer: Multiplayer builds from the success of Call of Duty 2, delivering a persistent online experience for greater community interaction. The create-a-class options let you customize gear that is best suited for play, to experience points enabling unlockables and perks, all the way to matchmaking and leaderboards for the latest in tracking, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's multiplayer is set to deliver easily accessible and addictive online play for all. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Call-Of-Duty-4-Xbox-360-and-PS3 When Medal of Honour games started losing breath a few years ago the first Call of Duty game came out of nowhere and made a small revolution within the genre. For the first time players were able to fight alongside hundreds of allied soldiers (remember the Russian campaign?) instead of playing the lone wolf behind enemy lines. But much like its spiritual predecessor the CoD games started losing momentum with the third instalment. Is Modern Warfare another step down on the road to mediocrity or did the jump to modern times give it the needed boost to return to greatness? Almost WW3 If you had to guess where CoD4 takes place being based on the recent events most of you would probably go with the Middle East. If you had the northern parts of the Middle East in mind you struck gold, else your guess was close enough by most standards. I’ll not go out and list all of the countries (which mostly remain unnamed anyway) so you’ll have at least some surprises along the path, but the story is full of clichés and plays out like a typical Tom Clancy novel (Ultranationalists kill the president and take over the country, NATO forces step in and singlehandedly catch the leaders while simultaneously dealing with the hundreds of military supporters, you know how it goes). Corny as the story is it is still a big step forward from previous Call of Duty games. I mean sure, games like Halo 3 or Half Life 2 still leave it in the dust, but compared to no story at all (following the course of history moving from one battlefield to the next can’t really be considered a story) this is a major improvement. Even better, the trademark Call of Duty multi-person storyline approach really expands on this. Playing as either Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish of the SAS (What kind of nickname is soap anyway?!) or Sergeant Paul Jackson, United States Marine you’ll follow two separate war operations (one lead by the SAS and the other by the US) until things escalate enough that the two countries start working together in a joint effort to stop the crisis. Surprisingly enough there are some crucial turning points in the war, some of which will literally come out of nowhere taking you by complete surprise. In a true military thriller you’ll also get to play a segment taking place 15 years ago, re-experiencing the assassination attempt led by Soap’s Captain (then lieutenant) Price (who has the apparently required SAS officer trademark moustache). Modern Warfare Like many I was expecting CoD4 to play more or less like the previous games in the series, with only slight changes made to the gameplay mechanics. Well, apparently the alteration of environment and time frame were not the only major changes made to the game. First and foremost, the game is now a lot more tactical and you’ll die in a hail of bullets if you try gung-ho tactics (especially at higher difficulty levels). Great, another candidate for the ever growing list of “shoot them from cover” games... Well, not exactly. For the first time ever the game makes a huge distinction between cover and concealment. Hiding behind wooden planks will keep you safe in most games, but you’ll be dead within seconds in COD4 with bullets piercing the relatively thin layer of wood behind which you are hiding. “Fine, I’ll just hide behind walls and avoid fragile looking fences” most of you are saying. Not so fast buster, even walls can’t protect you from bullets of a high enough calibre. In fact, thick metal objects are the only thing which will reliably keep you safe from incoming fire. You might think that this is not realistic – after all, shooting at a wall will usually stop the bullet just an inch or two in. You are probably imagining shooting at brick walls while most of the Middle East buildings aren’t made out of bricks but mostly just a cheap (and therefore fairly brittle) mortar. With that in mind it makes sense that you’ll want at least a wall of two between yourself and the enemy shooting at you. This principle works both ways. Enemies shooting at you from windows won’t be able to just crouch out of harm’s way – a well aimed barrage at the part of the wall they are hiding behind will usually at least injure them, if not kill them. This might not be World War 2 with its massive invasions and thousands of soldiers on a single battlefield, but you’ll still kill a countless hostile soldiers per mission. The impressive thing to note here is the huge diversity of approaches you’ll take to kill them. When playing as Sergeant Jackson you’ll be a part of a squad most of the time, so you’ll be jumping out of cover, killing a few enemies and than running for safety as your teammates cover you or do the same. You’ll never really have to sneak around, but you’ll come across a few situations where you’ll be on the defensive, trying to keep incoming hordes of Ultranationalists at bay. Playing as Soap couldn’t be more different. Being an SAS member you’ll never really make offensives, staying in the shadows with your squad mates most of the times. Don’t worry, the game doesn’t turn into a Splinter Cell clone in the SAS parts of the game, but the action will be a lot more tactical and sneaky. Instead of running into ambushes like his American counterpart, Soap and his colleagues will usually be the ones setting them up, taking advantage of the low light conditions they are operating in. Lieutenant Price’s flashback assassination takes on another approach – sneaking around in his camouflage suite all of his kills are supposed to be quiet and when possible unnoticed, right up to the final crucial shot taken a few hundred meters away from the target. You’ll also get to play as a nameless Thermal Imaging TV operator on an AC-130 Gunship, but that on rails shooting mission is more of a diversion than an actual gameplay feature. Online war Sweet as the singleplayer might be the meat of this package is in the multiplayer. After all, shelling out 60 bucks for 4-5 hours of playtime isn’t the soundest of decisions (not with games like Assassin’s Creed and Mass Effect on our doorsteps). With multiplayer in mind however, CoD4 suddenly is a very sound purchase. Just the sheer amount of gameplay types makes it interesting – you’ve got your regular deathmatch and team deathmatch. But who cares about those with gametypes like Seek and Destroy (think Counter-Strike with bomb planting), Headquarters (one flag CTF), Dominance (Domination mode from UT) and Sabotage (reverse of Headquarters). More importantly however, you can play DM and TDM in either Hardcore or Old school mode. The first one removes all HUD elements and enables realistic bullet damage, making the game play like a very realistic (though slightly fast) tactical shooter. Old school does just the opposite – all weapons become hovering pickups, health is increased and players can jump higher. You can even combine the two modes, resulting in a no HUD, extra damage with high jumps and weapon pickups game. All of the options will take players weeks if not months to full experience, regardless of the platform you game on (though admittedly the Xbox360 has a slight edge here because of achievements and Live!). A next gen war Compared to how Call of Duty 4 can look on a high end computer the console versions are inferior, but that doesn’t mean they won’t take your breath away. Regardless of your platform of choice, you are in for a treat. The character models look amazing and their animation is one of the best ever seen. Sure, there is the occasional animation jump where the transition between two animations isn’t as smooth as it should be, but most of the time it looks like the entire movement of a character has been pre-recorded with motion capture. Environments look amazing as well, with a high amount of detail seen everywhere. The textures are top notch as well, though it has to be said that on the PS3 the texture filtering is a bit more rudimentary, taking away some of the detail (especially on the ground textures). Another difference between the two systems are the shadows. They look good on both, but the 360 version looks more pixelated while the PS3 ones carry slightly less detail in them. But all of that is irrelevant when you see the game in action. Due to the already mentioned high quality environments combined with great character looks and animations, the war literally pops out in full 3D from the screen. When a grenade falls at your feet and you struggle to throw it back you’ll literally start sweating from the adrenaline rush. The same will happen when you are trying to defend a stranded tank against what seems to be countless hostiles. No, CoD4 is not for the light hearted! Some of the immersion is due to the sound. Watching an amazing smoke trail is one thing, but if the explosion that caused it didn’t sound good the experience will be marred. Thankfully, as with previous COD games that isn’t the case – explosions, bullet fire, enemy screams all sound amazing. The orchestral musical score is backed down to more new-age music like guitar riffs and techno thriller loops, but that makes sense considering the time frame of the game. Conclusion When playing games the first impression usually counts the most. Sure, with RPGs or adventure games it takes a while before you can make a decision on how good the game is, but with shooters you can make an educated guess after playing for only a couple of minutes. In this case you can even make a decision after just a few seconds of playing, and if that decision is anything but heartfelt approval you obviously have a strange taste in games. Sure, at its core CoD4 is just a rehash of previous games in a different environment. But for that matter, all of the cars you see today have 4 tires and a steering wheel just like cars from decades ago. That doesn’t meant they aren’t a whole lot better however, does it? http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/XBOXBETATOKEN European XBOX BETA and pre-ordering As we all know shops like to sell products. And we are used to the fact that shops use various tricks to be the shop you buy a product from. We already warned you for shops that use the pre-ordering as selling trick. You can pre-order your game but there is no guarantee that you will get CoD4 sooner then your local shop. ( A week later then all others is a risk you are willing to take when you pre-order.)Now a new variation popped up in Europe. Pre-order of the XBOX CoD4 and you get a token to play the European BETA XBOX.But when you living in EUROPE and you like to play the CoD4 BETA XBOX there is no need to pre-order CoD4 XBOX because entering the BETA is possible without pre-ordering.European XBOX BETA TOKENS NEWS UPDATE 3 :- On Thursday 8th the start of the registration for a BETA XBOX TOKEN in Europe.- On Monday the 10th the start of the EMAIL distribution of the TOKENS.- You need a Gold Account Xbox Live and you must be 16/18 or older. So where do you go to apply for the BETA Tokens ???Ok, so far we could track down 6 websites.UK&Ireland : NOW - www.cod4beta.co.ukUK&Ireland : NOW - www.eurogamer.netOn Friday 7th you can go to:Holland : NOW - www.gamer.nl (1400 Tokens)Belgium : http://chief.be (1400 Tokens) And for France it seems to be jeuxvideo.com.C'est sur jeuxvideo.com que vous devrez vous connecter à partir de ce lundi 10 septembre si vous souhaitez avoir votre clé (Clearance Code) pour la bêta de Call of Duty 4 sur Xbox 360.If we know more Sign-in TOKEN websites we will show the addresses here. Please, lets try to keep visits to registration pages short and only 1 time. So all players get a change to register instead of unwanted website crashes. -------------------------------------------- Australia and New Zealand : NOW - www.xbox.com.au Italy : NO MORE TOKENS - www.multiplayer.it Spain : NOW - meristation US and Canada : NOW - Gamespot.com France : Info page - cod4beta.fr http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/Fourzerotwo-Infinity-ward Before 12 noon PST website was already crashed due of 'Too many connections'. And if lucky you got to see this. http://www.mariannedemooy.com/geeklog/html/article.php/XBOX_BETA   And it happened again.  The official Call of Duty 4 website crashed around 05.00 pm US local time (02.00 Central Europe). Why? Because yesterday a small post was made on their forum by one unknown who was apparently from their Public Relations Team. “ 24 hour notice: But we've been playing the beta internally, and it's so much fun we are dying to play with you. So... let's blow off waiting for the site and just consider this the countdown -- there will be a way for people to register for the beta starting 5pm PST tomorrow. Some of those will be playing as early as tomorrow night... tick tock tick tock.   Details on how to register for your chance to be in the beta will be posted tomorrow at 5pm PST. So stay tuned for details, it will be a limited time offer. “So what else to expect (after the 3rd of August Crash) that this kind of communication would lead to an other crash of the official CoD 4 Website. Thousands of hysterical Kids are camping on that website 24/7 since it went up. So an exact time when you must be present or you miss out on joining the BETA is just the stupidest thing to do. btw. If Europe will take part in this BETA XBOX adventure is still not officially announced.For those who want to know what AC/IW wanted to tell about the XBOX BETA at 5pm PST ; they holding a special First Wave Beta Lotto to determine who will get an early (?) chance at the Beta. They want to start off with 1 group of players. If all goes ok they will get a next group of players into the BETA. But this First Wave Lotto (just send an email) only last for 24 hours.....   Don’t ask me how long the BETA time period will last…. Don’t ask me what, where or when… Don’t ask me if this is also for Europe or Asia…. Don’t ask me if this is instead of all other things that they stated about getting to play the BETA… Don’t ask me how many people will be in this first group of Lotto Winners… All I know is that if it comes to clear and structured information and (very important) information that is meant to be for ALL (worldwide) Fans you can’t get it from the Call of Duty 4 Public Relations Team.  Claire Claws at 05.00 CET ( that is 8pm PST )