DestroyRepeat

Tag: playstation network

  • Modern Warfare 3′s second Elite Drop is a good entry.

    Modern Warfare 3′s second Elite Drop is a good entry.

    I reviewed the first batch of Elite Drops recently, as Activision continues the MW3 Content Season this year. In February, only one map was released and it’s called Overwatch. In March, three maps were released. Black Box was the only multiplayer map, and they bundled two Spec Ops missions with this drop; Black Ice, and Negotiator. Well, they’ve all been released onto PlayStation Store, and I went and downloaded them with my ever so nice Call of Duty Elite pass.

    MW3 Multiplayer Drops:

    Overwatch: You’re going to be a-top a high-rise building that’s under construction. It’s a good map for all types of gameplay, but like Highrise in Modern Warfare 2, you’re going to have to be worried about campers and snipers all around. The problem with the map is that the middle of the map cramps your style. You won’t see a lot of snipers on any side of the squared circle, instead, you’ll find them rushing through the sides. The only mode[s] that’s perfect for this map is domination and other team modes. Forget trying FFA in here, forget trying Kill Confirmed here. Forget it. This is obviously a team-based map.

    Black Box: In this map, you’re in the streets of a suburb. Where the president’s U.S. aircraft crashed into. This map is better. You will find all types of players in this map. And likewise, players use all types of locations in Black Box. You’ll find campers, run n’ gun, snipers, strategic players, you name it. But what I do see more of in this map is players actually move. In my opinion, I think it’s a varied map, and I love it. It’s only problem is that a bit, too much. A lot of the buildings have many rooms. Not everyone is going to be able to memorize the map entirely.

    MW3 Spec Ops Drops:

    Black Ice: This is not “just another Spec Ops map.” Quite on the contrary, in fact, this is one of the most unique DLC I’ve seen yet for a first person shooter. Sure, you may have played this type of snowmobile chase in Modern Warfare 2, but it is still unique for a DLC. You are going to be in the ice-cold snow this time, and you’re on a snowmobile rushing through the cliffs. These cliffs offers you two paths to duke it out with your foes. It’s all fast and furious in here.

    Once you’re finished with evading your enemies and killing them off… You will come to a stop. From here, you’re going to go inside the cave and battle it out with your foes.

    Negotiator: This is also another unique map but only because you start out with no weapon. You need to steal it from the enemy in front of you, and you have to act fast before another hostage in front of you is killed. From here, the game puts you in a cat and mouse race for rescuing other hostages. Not only do you have to be fast, you need to be precise in order to keep your hostages safe. I dunno about you, but I think that’s unique.

    Stay Tuned for more impressions of Modern Warfare 3′s maps in coming weeks and months. The content drops so far are part of the content season that Activision is holding throughout the entire year.

  • MW3 Content Drop Schedule for PS3 owners

    MW3 Content Drop Schedule for PS3 owners

    Beachhead Studios has been on a roll lately with content drops as of late. In January, Beachhead released the first content drop called “Liberation,” and “Piazza.” Then in February, they dropped the second downloadable content. Recently, Activision released teasers for the third content drop called “Black Box”, and two Special Ops content drops called “Black Ice,” and “Negotiator.” This set of Elite Content Drops are headed to Xbox Live first on March 13th.

    But, what about PlayStation 3 owners? Well, Activision recently dropped an e-mail to all Call of Duty Elite members saying that the Overwatch will arrive to PSN on March 29th. Not only that, MP1st got their hands on some juicy details about when Black Box and the Spec Ops missions would arrive for PS3 owners with a Call of Duty Elite subscription. MP1st said it would arrive around April 12th, if the [second] screencap mistake is anything to go by, that 4/12 date may not be the actual date. But it pinpoints when we can expect it.

    I would like to point out that the content season will continue until the year is through:

    January: Two Multiplayer maps
    February: New map
    March: New map, two new Spec Ops missions
    April: Two new maps
    May: New map, new Spec Ops mission
    June: New map, new Spec Ops mission, new game mode
    July: Two new maps
    August: New map, new Spec Ops mission, new game mode
    September: New map, new Spec Ops mission

    If you’d like to know what I thought of the first two content drops “Liberation,” and “Piazza” head on over to this article I did.

  • Modern Warfare 3’s first Elite Drop is a good entry.

    Modern Warfare 3 was released on November 8th, 2011 with record shattering numbers. Just a week after release, Activision reports that MW3 made the company 775 million dollars at retail. Actisvision created Beachhead Studios to create Call of Duty Elite, a social network for Call of Duty fans, which also doubles as a digital distribution service that happens to have a premium subscription model.

    There are 4 ways to get Call of Duty Elite Premium: Buy Call of Duty Elite vouchers at participating retailers, buy Call of Duty Elite from the Call of Duty Elite website or apps, buy Call of Duty Elite from the PlayStation Store, or Xbox Live Marketplace, and finally, buy the Hardened Edition of MW3. MW3 Hardened Edition may not be available at all participating retailers anymore, but if you do find one and you have at least $100 to spend, do it. Because not only are you buying the game, you’re also paying for Call of Duty Elite Premium, in addition, you get Call of Duty Elite Founder Status.

    I got MW3 Hardened Edition for my PS3 shortly after my birthday.

    Since January, Beachhead Studios has been providing Xbox Live subscribers a chance to download 3 content drops on Call of Duty Elite. On Februrary 28th, the two content drops that arrived to Xbox Live subscribers on Jan 23th, were released to PlayStation 3 owners. I had a chance to play these two maps called Liberation, and Piazza.

    So, how were the maps?

    Liberation: Liberation is a huge map. It’s perfect for snipers. The problem is that the map doesn’t really have variety. Rushing from A to B will result in being killed by a sniper from afar. The map design makes the map look a little rough. Some parts are darker than others which makes Aiming Down the Sights a little harder because some character camos blend in very well into the overall color palette. The other problem that I have is the flow of the map. You would think that the map design is a circular flow, but that’s not the case because the middle of the map have a few places where players can camp and shoot you from the building, or when you come out of one of the bunkers at the center of the map. My biggest gripe is some areas such as the turrets locations don’t really have a good, and wide area for where the turret is placed, so you end up sitting there for nothing, unless you find a player coming through the tunnel or whatnot.

    I like the map, but it’s not for everyone. And definitely not for every situation.

    Piazza: I don’t know if I like this map or not. Let me make things clear before I get started here. I love most of COD4’s run n’ gun maps, especially maps like Crossfire, and District. Piazza is more or less much like District, but except that it’s in sunny, daylight time. Piazza has too many complicated areas to be considered a run-n-gun map, and the worst part is that the spawn system sucks. Forget camping; you will always find someone to be spawning right behind you. It’s a beautiful map, it’s easy to see enemies in places, but in other places it’s not so easy. The spawn system really kills the map entirely.

    The only thing that’s good about the map packs so far is that there’s an Elite Playlist designed exclusively for Call of Duty Elite members.

    Stay Tuned for more impressions of Modern Warfare 3’s maps in coming weeks and months. The content drops so far are part of the content season that Activision is holding throughout the entire year.

  • The first week of MW3 sales and earnings are here

    The first week of MW3 sales and earnings are here

    As reported before, Activision had broken day-one records with Modern Warfare 3. How about what did the first week sales look like for Modern Warfare 3? Activision posted a press release today talking about the sales metrics for Modern Warfare 3. Activision also received day-one metrics from Microsoft and SCEA about Xbox Live, and PlayStation Network total logins, and plays.

    According to the stats given by Microsoft and SCEA, more and more people want to play an online Call of Duty game. Even more so a Modern War game. In the next few months, we’re going to see a rise in players since after all, Christmas is just around the corner.

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Sets New Five-Day Entertainment Record Grossing More Than $775 Million Worldwide

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Becomes Best-Selling Video Game Launch of All Time at Each of the Top-Five Retailers in North America

    Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced today that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has shattered theatrical box office, book and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell-through in dollars. The game established an all-new five-day worldwide sell-through record of more than $775 million, exceeding the record of $650 million set a year ago by Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops and $550 million two years ago for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.

    “With $775 million of sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in its first five days, Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for three consecutive years across all forms of entertainment,” said Robert Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard. “Life-to-date retail sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded $6 billion worldwide, which makes Call of Duty one of the most valuable entertainment properties in the world. We expect continued sales momentum, as reviews and audience enthusiasm suggest that this is the best Call of Duty game that we have ever made. Online play for Modern Warfare 3 is at record levels and we continue to see high online play for both Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which ranked as the #2 and #4 top-played Xbox LIVE games for the week of November 7, according to Major Nelson.”

    “As I have said all year, we have been singluarly focused on making a spectacular game for our fans, and nothing else. Our incredible teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have done just that,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 continues to thrill core gaming enthusiasts as well as draw new people into the medium, which is not an easy balancing act. But it takes more than a great game. I would also like to thank our incredible team for the pulling off the launch of the year, as well as our retail partners around the world. But most of all, I want to thank our fans. They are our toughest critics, and our biggest supporters, and none of this would be possible without them.”

    In addition to beating all previous first-and five-day theatrical box office, book and video game sell-through records, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 set two new records on Xbox LIVE.

    According to Microsoft:

    1.  More than 7.0 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 by the end of launch day, November 8, a 19% increase over last year’s 5.9 million multiplayer hours logged playing Call of Duty: Black Ops last year’s launch day.
    2. More than 3.3 million unique gamers played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in one day on November 8 up from 2.6 million unique gamers for Call of Duty: Black Ops.
    3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 set a new record for concurrent players on Xbox LIVE with 3.3 million simultaneous users on November 8.

    “The Call of Duty franchise returned to Xbox 360 this year with another record-breaking launch. More than 7 million multiplayer hours were played on Modern Warfare 3 on day-one of launch on Xbox 360,” said Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft. “And with the exclusive first access to new multiplayer content, we’re proud Xbox 360 is home to the largest and most engaged Call of Duty community.”

    The game also set a new franchise mark for the number of simultaneous online gamers playing Call of Duty on PlayStation Network on its first day, and was the best-selling video game launch of all time in North America on Amazon.com and at Best Buy, GameStop, Target and Walmart.

    “In just over a week, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been hugely successful on PlayStation 3, and continues to drive millions of gamers globally to PlayStation Network with its unprecedented and engaging online multiplayer experience,” said Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA). “The Call of Duty franchise is one of the biggest entertainment brands on the planet, delivering gameplay experiences like no other which is why we’re also excited to bring the Call of Duty franchise to our highly-anticipated next generation portable, PlayStation Vita, where we expect fans will continue their dedication to the most amazing Call of Duty experiences whether in the home or on the go.”

    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Strong Language and is available now for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. For more information visit www.callofduty.com/mw3 and www.callofduty.com/elite.

    There has been rumors about a possible PlayStation Vita version. That had been speculation up until that press release up there. That alone confirms that PlayStation Vita is indeed getting a Call of Duty game. We don’t know what game it’s going to be at this point.

    PlayStation Vita releases February 22nd, 2012 in the United States. There’s also no date for the Call of Duty game, so everything’s up in the air.

  • COD7 Updated for Xbox 360 and PS3

    COD7 Updated for Xbox 360 and PS3

    Treyarch released updates for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3:

    Call of Duty: Black Ops for PlayStation 3:
    6/29/11 (Patch 1.10)
    • Security Updates.
    • New playlists – Flags and Bombs
    • C4 can no longer be warped to player carrying bomb in S&D and Sabotage.
    • Removed erroneous “Reset to Default” message when trying to load a DLC map you do not have.
    • In-game icons (care package icons, etc) no longer appear in the Create A Class menu.
    • Setting your console date in the future no longer causes inaccurate timestamps in Recent Players
    • Additional weapon balancing.
    • Ninja Pro Perk no longer makes sounds when mantling or diving to prone.

    Call of Duty: Black Ops for Xbox 360:
    6/23/11 (Title Update 10)
    • Security Updates.
    • New playlists – Flags and Bombs
    • C4 can no longer be warped to player carrying bomb in S&D and Sabotage.
    • Removed erroneous “Reset to Default” message when trying to load a DLC map you do not have.
    • In-game icons (care package icons, etc) no longer appear in the Create A Class menu.
    • Support for Annihilation map pack, available June 28th on Xbox LIVE!
    • Fix for a rare crash related to weapons.
    • Game no longer crashes when Xbox LIVE servers are down.
    • Additional weapon balancing.
    • Ninja Pro Perk no longer makes sounds when mantling or diving to prone.

  • Mega Man Universe revealed!

    Ask anyone, I love Mega Man – No wait, I am extremely passionate about anything Mega Man. So, late yesterday afternoon, Capcom unveiled Mega Man Universe for XBLA, and PSN. They’ve been teasing surprises since E32010. And they kept going, it would be at Comic-Con, but this announcement isn’t the big, earth-shattering Comic-Con surprise they’ve had up their sleeves. Nonetheless, everyone is confused as to where Capcom seems to be going with Mega Man Universe. And what kind of game is it? Capcom released a press release, and a trailer for the game:

    Capcom Entertainment, Inc., a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Mega Man Universe is coming to Xbox LIVE online entertainment network and PlayStation Store. Mega Man Universe, the latest entry in Capcom’s long-running Mega Man series, will be a revolutionary take on the seminal classic, setting course for a new chapter in classic gaming.

    Mega Man games are beloved by fans all over the world. Since their debut in 1987, Mega Man has remained a videogame icon, having starred in more than 140 titles over the last 22 years. The connection he’s made with pop culture at large has extended beyond games and into cartoons, toys, clothing, comics, kid’s meals, and more. Part of that popularity is driven by the series’ ability to evolve over time yet consistently retain the addictive gameplay experience that sets Mega Man games apart.

    For the next chapter in this legacy of excellence, Capcom aims to deliver the most creative Mega Man experience yet. In Mega Man Universe, imagination is the star of the game.

    “We are thrilled to finally be able to announce Mega Man Universe,” said Kenji Inafune, Head of Research and Development Management for Capcom Entertainment. “This game will break the mold and challenge the conventional wisdom of what a Mega Man game can be. When fans finally get to see it, I believe they’ll envision their most far-out Mega Man dreams coming true.”

    Inafune is committed to helping craft a Mega Man experience that meets the highest expectations of Capcom fans. Most recently Mega Man 10 echoed this fact when its classic design and compelling gameplay made it one of the most sought after digital downloads of the year. Gamers can expect Mega Man Universe to bring the core experience fans want while delivering on the promise of innovation that Capcom is known for. Its official: classic gaming will never be same again.

    Here’s the announcement trailer of the game, enjoy!






    I will post an article about the possibilities of what Mega Man Universe is. There’s a lot of ’em.

  • Resurgence Pack is worth $15

    Its been a while since I’ve talked about anything related to Modern Warfare 2. I posted an article about Resurgence Pack in May. It was not available for PS3 until July 6th. I have gone ahead and purchased the Resurgence Package for the PS3 version of MW2. Is it better than Stimulus Pack? In a word: Yes. This is the map pack you want.

    There are 5 maps in all; 3 are brand-new, 2 are old maps. I’m going to break them down and review what makes them charming ….Or not charming.

    Trailer Park: I think this map is great. Its mostly a run n’gun map, but this map has too many camping spots that make it easy for campers, and it’s a little harder to counter them in some game modes. Domination for example, one of the flags will be located at the far end of the map, where the truck is. Its lower, so every time you go there, CHECK your corner[s] because campers use this spot to their advantage. Especially when people come through a trailer truck. So, when you’re in the trailer, check windows first. However, it is easy to win bombsite matchtypes.

    The only best part[s] of the map is simply the swimming pool, and the fact that you can run n’gun, provided you’re careful when running; a lot of campers use the trailer trucks as “cover” so you pay more attention to running than them.

    Carnival: Carnival is the most creative map in any map yet. I think its one of the best ones – and its evident. Robert Bowling said that the map has been in development longer than any of the maps thus far. The team paid a lot of attention to detail in this map. It is also one of the most fun maps to be on, because while there are a lot of camping spots, there is a lot of creative ways to duke it out on the map. I’m sort of disappointed that they didn’t include a room full of mirrors like most carnivals usually have. It would have added an element of gameplay that hasn’t been touched before in an FPS game.

    However, it is very creative, you can walk onto some of the amusement rides – but only to a point. This map is best for team-based games. A lot of the firefights take place almost everywhere, except for the small areas of the map. The one thing I wish, tho, is a night-time carnival, and I mean this in the way that the map isn’t an abandoned carnival, rather, a working-order kind of carnival. But I do understand this wouldn’t work because there isn’t Night Vision Goggles – so once you shoot the lights, it will be hard to walk around.

    Fuel: Now, let me set the record straight. I thought this was a re-hash of Rust, and I thought it was going to be a boring map. I was wrong; Infinity Ward: THIS is how you do a really good, balanced-out team-based map. THIS is how you #%@&ing do it! I say this, because its one of the best multiplayer team-based maps known to man. There’s a lot of integrated rooms, a lot of creative ways to get from A to B. And likewise, it takes long to get from A to B, which helps prolong some matchtypes.

    Yes, there’s some camping, but its not as bad as it is in a lot of the big maps.

    The COD4 maps in Resurgence Pack has gotten a lot of overhaul in terms of overall design. In Vacant, the wall that resides next to the shipping containers are now replaced with a cagey wall. The loading deck building has gotten a bunch of new pipes on when in COD4, it used to be a flat wall. And some windows actually have windows that you can break.

    Vacant: When I first saw the map on YouTube, I was estatic. I thought Vacant looked so Beautiful. GORGEOUS! I had a lot of fun learning the ropes in Vacant for MW2. Almost everyone can see each other without using the darkness to their advantage. I also noticed that the lightsourcing done in this map – I haven’t seen this in any map for any FPS. Good Job, Infinity Ward. I hope this is just a taste of things to come.

    I mean, there are some parts where the light source[s] reflect onto another wall. That is great. Whoever did that needs a raise. Its also in Strike, I’ll get to that in a minute.

    As usual, Vacant is a great map – I had a lot of fun on Vacant in MW2. I had to adjust my style a bit, but its all the same. It takes a little bit of adjustment, nothing major. Other than that, Vacant is GORGEOUS. Absolutely gorgeous.

    Strike: Strike is the one with the most overhauls. Some areas has been changed – excuse me, not some. A lot of areas have been changed. What used to be an empty kitchen changed into a very detailed-looking kitchen, and there’s a back door for it. What used to be an empty restaurant is now a detailed looking restaurant. What used to be an empty bunch of buildings have been added a few stuff here and there. Some areas have been painted in various different colors. But I think in this map you’d need a lot of adjustments – I’ve had some problems with my playstyle because of the enormous amount of changes. What used to be a sniper HQ is now a camping haven. In COD4, you can just waltz in and shoot upstairs, but in MW2, when you went into the room, you’re dead on sight.

    To learn more about how I felt about Modern Warfare 2, and Stimulus Package – the review is here, and the Stimulus Pack article is here.

    This article is a copyright of CarlosX360 Co. Ltd., any use of this article will be liable for a lawsuit.

  • PlayStation Plus revealed, and detailed

    PlayStation Plus revealed, and detailed

    Sony has been indicating for quite some time that they want to launch a premium membership service – in fact, they have conducted a survey about reactions and behaviors towards such a subscription service. It appears that they have been satisfied with the responses, and have resulted in an announcement at this year’s E3. At first, the features, and details were scarce – they’ve remedied this by releasing a trailer that you can see below:

    – Full Game Trial service: Download and play full trial games – you will try out a uncensored, unrestricted game for a set about of time. Once that time is up, you can decide to buy the actual game. This is seen as a game rental service. Don’t go canceling your GameFly account just yet, boys and girls because this is still on the PSN platform, and not retail games.
    – Free-Game-If-You-Subscribe: This service is actually tied to your PSPlus account – the longer you keep your account active, and that means paying the monthly or yearly PS+ subscription(s) – the longer you keep your games. Buying PSplus means you bought the games that is attached to the service – so essentially the PSPlus games are free. If your account expires, you can possibly re-access them. Just like your current PSN account – if you delete them from your HDD, you can re-download them, how? Well, what you downloaded is recorded – those red bags? Those are your games.
    – Special Content: For quite a while, sony has been charging for premium avatars for PSN profiles, wallpapers, and dynamic themes. When you buy the PS+ subscription these special content become free.
    – Discounts: Do you want game discounts? You got ’em. The price of these discounts vary from company to company, and from month to month.
    – Early Access: If you want early beta and demo access, PS+ provides them. Much better than these beta code lotteries that usually happen on the internet. Or with promotional pre-orders.
    – Free access to map packs and DLC’s.

    PS+ will arrive on June 29, just after the release of firmware 3.40 which will be on June 22.

  • Groovy! Earthworm Jim returns to glory!

    Groovy! Earthworm Jim returns to glory!

    Earthworm Jim was a Genesis/SNES game that has earned a lot of “Game of the Year” Awards. Its been at least 20 years now, that we’ve seen Earthworm Jim make a big splash in the industry. Two years ago, we saw the release of [the Genesis version of] Earthworm Jim on Wii’s Virtual Console. Then GameLoft released a port for iphone. And now, GameLoft is going the extra mile by bringing a HD version of Earthworm Jim.

    The game isn’t just a straight up port of Earthworm Jim. They added graphical enhancements (of course, its HD), a bunch of new levels, and 4 player Co-Op? SIGN ME UP!

    Without further ado, the trailer:

    The game doesn’t have a release date at the moment, but it will be released on Xbox Live Arcade, and then a month later, it will be released on PlayStation Network, and WiiWare.

    And, uh…what’s this? Keyboard Cat!?

  • Capcom unveils Bionic Commando Rearmed 2!

    Capcom unveils Bionic Commando Rearmed 2!

    Bionic Commando Rearmed has met with a blockbuster success when it first came out. And now, Capcom comes out with a new Bionic Commando game, set in a 2D world, with 3D graphics just like the original did. The game look like it takes place in Hawaii, how interesting that the announcement’s location was conveniently at the same place the game looks like it’s going to be in! At Captivate 2010, the place of the event was no other than Hawaii. What a way to announce your upcoming game, Capcom! I think this is an absolutely great way to advertise your newest game. The trailer is below:

    As you can see, the game takes place in lush new environments – including the jungle. You are going to be using the grapple hook once again, along with a slew of new weapons. You are going to be leaping, swinging, and grabbing to new locations, new enemies, new bosses. New features include:

    – New Weapons, attacks and enhancements for the the all-purpose Bionic Arm
    – New physics-based puzzles.
    – 2-player co-op.
    – Enhanced graphics and better camera functionality.
    – All new musical score inspired by NES-era sound effects, produced by the same creative mind behind the original Bionic Commando Rearmed soundtrack.
    – Cut-scene art designed by cutting-edge art studio Massive Black, whose previously worked on Infamous, Bioshock 2, and God of War III.

    Are you ready to save the world from a new villain named General Sabio? Next year, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 is going to land on Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network. Price tag? Judging from BCRearmed’s price – $15.

    To read my review of Bionic Commando Rearmed, here you go.