Grave Gamer News & Views — activision

The Red Herb Roundup - May 27th Edition

Welcome, followers and perusing eyeballs alike, to the third installment of the Roundup.  Once again, I’ve taken the liberty of collecting, condensing, and listing news worthy happenings in the gaming world that the Herb missed throughout the week as a sort of bullet-pointed tribute to my failures as an internet blogger.  Enjoy!

• Assassin’s Creed III is coming and Ubisoft will be damned if you’re able to find an excuse not to get it.  Not only will the game launch in October for the PC and your major gaming consoles (Wii U included) but a recent online retail listing may have outed it for the PS Vita.  Take your pick.
• The ongoing legal war between Infinity Ward’s ex-chiefs and Activision revealed that the publisher had paid the Call of Duty developer $493 million in bonuses.  The ungodly amount is claimed by the plaintiffs to still not cover the wages their contracts demanded (which is reported to be enough money to grant the city of Detroit flight).
• Don’t expect to see Bungie at E3 in any official capacity.  They’re just sending guys over to drool over new games like the rest of us.
• On that note, annoying footage of what looks like Halo 4’s multiplayer surfaced.  You’ll see what I mean if you decide to punish yourself and watch it.
• Analysts think Grand Theft Auto V should have no problem selling 14 million copies.  Rockstar always knew how to profit off of crime.
• A brand new franchise in the Star Wars universe is set for unveiling on May 31st.  Lucasfilm confirmed we’ll see more at E3…Guess we abandoned Starkiller, huh?
• Yakuza 5 is happening, now with five playable characters and new improvements to gameplay mechanics like seamless transitions between adventuring and combat and I don’t know why I’m talking to America about this.
• Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection, bundling the once-Wii bound rail-shooters with new Move controls, hits PSN on June 26th for $26.99.  Should you want one game in the collection over the other (I mean Darkside), you can buy the titles individually for $14.99 each starting July 17th.
• Mass Effect 3 is getting the multiplayer Rebellion Pack next Tuesday.  The pack includes two new maps, new characters, and more weapons.  Here’s the part I love: if you redeemed the Online Pass code, the pack is yours for free, which is consistently my favorite DLC price point.
• A patent for “Game-Interrupting Advertisements” has been unearthed, filed by none other than Sony.  I can only presume the patent was filed in an attempt to ruin the fucking future.

Vince Zampella: They say that Modern Warfare 3 would have been a much better game and would have made 700 million more dollars for them and they want us to pay that.

Jason West: We deprived them of our services by being fired and therefore we owe them money.

Referring to Game Informer’s interview with former Infinity Ward heads and Call of Duty creators West and Zampella as candid is a pure understatement.  The tiffs and backstabbing that escalated into the duo’s termination and, appallingly enough, their ensuing legal onslaught with Activision are exposed and laid out simply for anyone willing to spend the time reading the article.

It’s absolutely amazing to see a huge company like Activision fall back on ruthless bullying tactics to get what they want.  The interview reveals that the publisher withheld employees pay in order to guarantee a commitment from Infinity Ward that Modern Warfare 3 would fast line into development.  This was one of several attacks on the studio, done with the intent on wresting control from IW’s heads – effectively planting complete ownership of the Call of Duty IP in Activision’s hands. 

Sometimes even my stoney layer of cynicism can’t protect me from the world’s fucked up injustices.  Again, hear West and Zampella’s story out.

The Future is Unsafe as Hell in Call of Duty: Black Ops II Debut Trailer

2025 plays host to a new Cold War where the height of our technological prowess once again ushers a self-inflicted doomsday.  History may be prone to repeat itself – as are Call of Duty games – but this certainly is a unique departure for a franchise soberly based in the real world.

Future warfare may not be a brand new bag...

Black Ops 2 is Definitely Our Call of Duty This Year

Sent into the site by an IGN reader, the above Target pre-order card officially confirms what the dull roar of the internet has been saying for weeks: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is Activision and Treyarch’s next annual release.

Set for an official reveal May 1st during the NBA play-offs, Black Ops 2 is rumored to actually take place in a near-future setting rather than carry on with the first game’s Cold War backdrop.  Whether this places continuity after Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare timeline is yet to be determined.  More than likely – just as in the first title – we’ll see a narrative that hops from date to date in an effort to tell a more encompassing story; something that Treyarch is getting better at pulling off.

I know Modern Warfare 3’s staleness left a lot of dour fans out there but I’m personally leaving my misgivings for that game and its now fractured development team at the door.  Treyarch, a studio once famous for shitty ports and forgettable sequels, acts as if they have something big to prove every time the CoD ball is in their court.  I’m hoping when Black Ops 2 drops on November 13th this year – in response to MW3’s dulled edge – that Treyarch once again comes out swinging.

Now excuse me while I mourn another year without Space Warfare (you’re fucking killing me, Activision).

Place Your Bets, What’s Call of Duty’s Big Reveal Going To Be?

Rumors galore have been floating about in reference to 2012’s contractually obligated Call of Duty release.  Seeing as how Treyarch has been the series’ off-season developers every other year way back since the games were about real wars, everyone’s been bracing for a Black Ops 2 (which would have the potential of completing the World at War Trilogy that no one cared was a trilogy).

Well, folks, we’ve been through these motions before and it was only a matter of time before Activision would part the curtains for Call of Duty 2012 (let’s just go by years now – it’s easier).  On the series official website, the above teaser can be viewed pointing towards a big unveiling on May 1st during some kind of sports telecast on the Dynamite Channel.

While Black Ops 2 is the most likely successor, the moniker Call of Duty: Eclipse being tossed around the industry muddies odds, though it should be noted that CoD carries brand recognition all on its own enough for Treyarch to call even a direct sequel whatever the hell they want.

My two cents?  I want Activision to succumb to the delightful insanity (or correct dose of acid) it would take to bring Call of Duty: Space Warfare back to life.  I picture satellite strike killstreaks, headshots leaving enemies merciless to the vacuum, and motherfuckin’ laser guns.  Come on, Activision, don’t be afraid to aim for total righteousness this year.