Modern Warfare 4 Rumor Debunked by Voice Actor

The voice actor who plays Captain Price has debunked rumors of a new Modern Warfare sequel. After reports last week that he claimed to be working on Modern Warfare 4, actor Bill Murray (no, not the Ghostbusters/Caddyshack Bill Murray) now says on Twitter that the report is “not accurate,” adding that he “told the guy I was doing a special new Modern Warfare for China, not MW4.”

Last week’s report suggested that Murray said “Yeah, on Monday I am off to meet Infinity Ward about the next game, Modern Warfare 4, I’m doing work on the sequel to Modern Warfare 3, it carries straight on and I only ever appear in the Modern Warfare games.” At the time, Infinity Ward simply commented “Interesting news today, but it’s not true. We’ve not talked with any voice actors, so all news is speculation.”

Murray is likely referring to Activision's partnership with Chinese publisher Tencent, which led to Call of Duty Online in Japan. Other previous Modern Warfare 4 rumors, including alleged information about new game modes and levels, remain unconfirmed.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Minecraft Beats Modern Warfare 3 and FIFA 13 on XBLA

Minecraft is being played by more people on Xbox Live Arcade than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 or FIFA 13.

As posted by Major Nelson, the Microsoft Live activity chart for the week ending October 15 shows Minecraft (Xbox 360 Edition) has topped the charts for the very first time, beating out retail heavy-hitters Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and FIFA 13. They had to settle for second and third places, respectively.

A quick scan through previous chart updates shows that Call of Duty games have pretty much nabbed the top spot for the past four years. It's another colossal milestone for the game, which was recently revealed to have sold four million copies on Microsoft's console, making it the best-selling XBLA game ever.

The Microsoft Live activity chart counts how many unique users are playing a game whilst connected to Xbox Live. In addition to Minecraft, Modern Warfare 3 and FIFA 13, the rest of the top five is rounded out by Call of Duty: Black Ops and Borderlands 2.

Minecraft was the recipient of a massive patch last week, which brought with it a host of changes to the game. A full list of the latest additions and changes to the game can be found in the Minecraft Wiki.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and has a vested interest in mines, being Welsh and all. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Favela Returns to Modern Warfare 2

The Favela map has returned to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Following the removal of the map due to religious controversy, a new 17MB title update has now restored the map to Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer rotation for PlayStation 3 players.

Earlier this month, the map was removed by Infinity Ward following complaints from Muslim gamers over a quote from the Prophet Muhammad that appeared in one of the level’s bathrooms.

We’ve reached out to Infinity Ward for information on exactly what’s been changed in the update and when players on other platforms can expect Favela to return. We’ll update this story with any comment we receive.

Source: MP1st

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Details of New Modern Warfare Leak

A possible new Modern Warfare title in the Call of Duty series has been revealed thanks to a leak from Neversoft.

The report, which appeared on Se7enSins, doesn't make it clear whether the game would serve as Modern Warfare 4, or instead slot elsewhere in the series as a prequel.

“

It’s another MW game. There’s something called, ‘Drone Survaillance’ [sic]. They’re working on ‘HALO’ jumps (High Altitude; Low X.) There is a level under ice. There is cloaking tech. Something called a ‘Dominator UAV’.

It's also important to note that the report is completely unverified and should be taken with a huge pinch of salt.

Despite this, the Neversoft source has made notes on what they saw, explaining, "It’s another MW game. There’s something called, ‘Drone Survaillance’ [sic]. They’re working on ‘HALO’ jumps (High Altitude; Low X.) There is a level under ice. There is cloaking tech. Something called a ‘Dominator UAV’."

Though it's not a lot to go on, if we don our speculation hat for a minute there's a fair amount to be gleaned. Drone Surveillance seems to tie in with the technology on show in Modern Warfares 2 and 3, especially in the storyline of the latter. HALO jumps are fairly common set-pieces in games these days, but could point to a mission where we're tasked with going behind enemy lines. The fact there's a level under ice really doesn't tell us much... other than one mission could take place anywhere from Russia to Canada.

An alternative to this is it's set during nuclear winter and the game isn't a Modern Warfare title at all, instead moving even further into the future after Black Ops II. The last reported item, a cloaking device, lends credibility to this idea as we've certainly never seen invisibility in the Modern Warfare series so far.

Remember, all of this is just speculation based around an unverified report at this stage, though it's interesting to think what it could mean for the series if true. We've reached out to Activision for comment, and will be sure to update the story once we hear anything.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Hybrid Review

The doom and gloom of brutal sci-fi warfare may be a far cry from the bubbly color and cutesy sheen of developer 5th Cell’s most famous franchise, Scribblenauts, yet the studio’s creative touch doesn't shine as brightly in its new divergent online-only multiplayer shooter -- at least not on the surface. Hybrid masks its highly innovative third-person combat with generic factions, standard weapons, and a presentation that's been cribbed many times before. But underneath all of that lies some of the craziest, most unique multiplayer mayhem I've hopped into in a long time.

Hybrid's three-on-three matches have teams of alien and human combatants gunning the hell out of one another across a medley of stark futuristic battlefields. While many of the weapons, play modes, and settings feel all too familiar, the bizarre way battles play out makes for a completely fresh, thrilling experience. Instead of running around freely on foot, everyone is stuck fighting from behind cover for most of the game. The only way to move around the map is to zip between fortified positions by picking another patch of nearby cover and making a wild, jetpack-aided beeline to safety. It's way cooler than it sounds. A lot can happen in the time it takes to rocket between locations, and the unpredictable ting of danger that comes with each commitment you make adds to the excitement.

Once you hit the air, you automatically fly to your selected destination, freeing up your focus to spray bullets at foes in any direction as you move. There's some built-in maneuverability to let you dodge and boost as you go, and selecting a different cover spot within view lets you change course on the fly. You can also tap a button to make a split-second retreat if things get too gnarly up ahead, which happens often. You could get blasted out of the sky in mid-flight or wind up landing face-to-face with a foe waiting for you on the opposite side of the barrier you just flew to. Firefights flow at a crazy pace, forcing you to keep a close eye on enemy positions and pull off turn-on-a-dime moves to stay alive.

Midair jetpack-fueled duels add chaos to Hybrid's cover-based shooting.

Successful kill streaks up the ante by letting you summon multiple tiers of AI-controlled robot drones to aid in battle, ranging from massive well-armed bots that pack a mean punch to heat-seeking ninja droids that emit a horrifying screech as they zoom in to insta-kill a single foe. In addition, unlockable special abilities and perks make leveling up feel satisfying and add nice depth to combat, since they expand your death-dealing repertoire with fun extras like teleportation, a self-destruct sequence, drone hacking grenades, increased firepower. You can only equip one cool-down ability and one persistent perk at a time, but there's a staggering amount of room for strategic variety.

Brisk one-off matches offer intense bursts of trigger-happy bliss on their own, but the fact they also play into a larger persistent global meta-game is what makes blasting from one battle to the next so addicting. Since you're recruited for one of the two warring factions from the get-go, every round you fight in a given territory earns points for your side and helps level-up your base in that region. Capturing territories takes a lot of joint effort but rewards your faction precious dark matter orbs that push you closer to winning the war. The meta-game is well underway, though there's plenty of contested territory left to capture before the season wraps up with a winner and everything is reset.

Source : ign[dot]com

Final Modern Warfare 3 DLC Plans Revealed

Activision has announced the final pieces of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s season of content.

On August 9th, the Chaos Pack will launch on Xbox 360, offering a brand new Special Ops Chaos Mode, three new Face Off maps and four new Special Ops missions. The Face Off maps include Vortex, U-Turn and Intersection (previously released for Elite subscribers on Xbox 360 in June and PlayStation 3 in July). The Special Ops missions include Vertigo, Arctic Recon, Light ‘Em Up and Special Delivery.

On September 6th, the Final Assault Pack will launch, adding five new multiplayer maps. The maps include Boardwalk, Gulch and Parish (which leaked out earlier this week) as well as Decommission and Offshore, which hit Xbox 360 in July.

As always, the packs are arriving first on Xbox 360. Each pack will be available for $14.99 (1,200 Microsoft Points), but the content will arrive first to Premium Elite members for free. This will mark the end of Modern Warfare 3’s content season, which includes 29 separate pieces of content overall.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Total Recall Review

You can forget about getting your ass to Mars because this version of Total Recall is set solely on Earth, a dystopian and post-chemical warfare future where there are only two areas of the world left inhabited by humans (a renamed Britain and Australia, but strangely a Britain where only Kate Beckinsale’s character has an English accent).

Based on both the Philip K. Dick short story and the 1990 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Paul Verhoeven, this retelling of Total Recall follows everyman Doug Quaid (Colin Farrell) whose excursion to  memory implant agency Rekall unleashes hell on him.

Quaid learns he is really Hauser, a double agent whose espionage mission against the resistance (led by Bill Nighy, sadly without a mutant baby torso) has apparently led him to switch sides from serving the nefarious chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston). Hunted by his “wife” Lori (Beckinsale, who is also the wife of the film’s director, Len Wiseman), Quaid/Hauser gets help from resistance member and former flame Melina (Jessica Biel).

While it has a few nods to the 1990 film, this Total Recall brings nothing new to the table, no clever spin or unique take on the story's premise. Love it or hate it, the original movie at least had personality thanks to its absurd sense of humor. It was a truly excessive movie – not the least of all in its violence – but this Total Recall is like a declawed animal. Anything that could have made this version distinct simply isn’t present.

That’s a shame, too, given the vulnerability and much-needed humanity Farrell brings to the proceedings. He’s the best thing in the film besides the practical sets that keep it from being yet another genre film with an entirely CG environment. Beckinsale appears to be enjoying herself as the film’s villainess -- a role that essentially combines the Sharon Stone and Michael Ironside characters from the original film -- but she’s just mere eye candy and a cipher. Also lacking in dimension but blessed with beauty is Biel's Melina, while Cranston's Cohaagen doesn't possess the malevolent glee that made Ronny Cox’s villain fun.

Although executed with technical proficiency, this remake of Total Recall is, ironically given its narrative, without any true identity of its own. It’s a completely serviceable, by-the-numbers action thriller to watch on a plane or while trying to fall asleep with the TV on, but it’s all rather joyless despite its incessant action set-pieces. It’s like a cover song by a decent, but forgettable tribute band. Their rendition hits all the proper notes, but lacks soul.

Source : ign[dot]com

One Night With the Most-Hated Game on the Internet

You’d be hard pressed describing spending the night playing Modern Warfare 3 as some kind of chore, at least to people who only ever really engage with video games casually. Sounds fun enough, they presume. It’s certainly beats laying bricks or pulling beers; it’s not like it’s work.

To closer friends of mine, however, my plan to play MW3 for the night was met with mostly mild bemusement – from regular Call of Duty players and staunch non-fans alike. The former were surprised I’d resisted for so long, assuming I had some kind of long-running beef with the series. The latter failed to grasp why I’d bother and were confused as to when and why I’d suddenly become extraordinarily partial to Call of Duty.

The truth is in neither, really. I don’t feel especially strongly about Call of Duty either way. Not these days, anyhow. I finished the single-player campaign of Modern Warfare 3 at some point during the weeks following its release, shelved it and haven’t touched it since. My favourite Call of Duty title remains Call of Duty 2 and I can’t see that changing in the near future.

I didn’t want to play Modern Warfare 3 because I love or hate the series. I wanted to play it because it’s simultaneously one of the most loved and most hated game ever made.

Very little about the way a game like MW3 will be remembered will actually make sense to our children. According to Activision’s reports more than 6.5 million copies of MW3 were sold on launch day (in just the US and UK alone). It grossed more money in five days than any other form of entertainment ever, nabbing $775 million in less than a week. Even today, it’s still the most-played game on Xbox Live.

The teams at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games know the figures. They can see how many millions of fans are playing every day, every week. But every time they visit Metacritic they’re met with a user score that places it amongst some of the most universally disliked games this generation. Every time they decide to wade through the comments of a Call of Duty article they’re swamped with vitriolic comments from gamers who dislike the series (although can’t help but click).

The strange thing isn’t that there are gamers who don’t like Call of Duty. The strange thing is they’re so much more prominent than the gamers that do.

IGN reader Gabriela Victoria Vivas, 20 years old, from Sydney, Australia works in administration and she’s quick to express just what she enjoys about MW3.

“I love playing because it's a way to interact with your friends and play together,” she says. “It's mainly a social thing nowadays. My fiancé and I play probably three to four times a week when we get home from work.”

“We end up talking while playing Search and Destroy and we just lose track of time having so much fun. We meet new friends from the game and mute the ones that annoy us.”

“

The records say MW3 is the biggest thing since Jesus played fullback for Jerusalem.

There’s so much ill-will around the web for the Call of Duty franchise as a whole it’s almost odd to hear someone describe their fondness for it in such plain terms. The records say MW3 is the biggest thing since Jesus played fullback for Jerusalem but you rarely hear gamers speak positively about it. It seems harder for people to qualify why they like it, rather than why they don’t.

Tyrone Lio is an 18-year-old chef based just south of Brisbane, Australia. The social aspect Gabriela touched on is equally important to him.

“You can spend time with friends without having to leave the house and, as a chef, I have the weirdest hours – so I lose most of my social life,” he explains.

It’s certainly easy to get started. The amount of time it takes to go from never having played a game of MW3 multiplayer in your life to waist-deep in your first deathmatch is laughably small. I’ve dealt with packets of Doritos trickier to fight your way into than MW3’s multiplayer component. There’s a certain simplicity here that I didn’t expect (although, from the menus I shuffled through, I suspect it’s also augmented by layers of statistics and tweaks I’ll never understand).

It’s roughly five seconds before I’m killed. The player who did so is one of the few in this match wearing a headset and mumbles that particularly taboo cuss word that begins with the letter c, although I can’t tell if it was entirely derogatory because he’s Australian too and we don’t always use that word pejoratively.

“

This is like handing eight kids a Super Soaker each and setting them loose in your backyard.

I’m temporarily surprised at how smooth everything feels. I get the feeling that, if this wasn’t a Call of Duty game, everyone would be losing their loads over just how robust proceedings feel. But it’s not really war, this. This is like handing eight kids a Super Soaker each and setting them loose in your backyard. The winner is whoever wets everyone else the most. I mostly tried to slowly pick my way around, checking corners and such, and was hacked down every dozen seconds or so by someone jogging past behind me.

At the end of the match another player disparagingly mentions my kill/death ratio in a tone that suggests he thinks I know what that figure actually is at this moment. The one who (possibly) insulted me earlier has won; he doesn’t gloat but it’s not clear whether that’s because he’s just not the type or whether he never expected to lose.

“It's something you can play for 20 minutes, or endless hours in one sitting,” says Nathan Schleemann, 20, also from Brisbane. “It doesn't take a genius to figure out how the multiplayer works; you shoot other people. Because of the ever-increasing technology at our fingertips, we're able to connect and talk to mates, whilst bonding over a mutual love/like for the game.”

I play the game for a few hours. Enjoy would be the wrong word to substitute in there, but so would endure. I’m consuming it like you would the meal you order when a restaurant is out of your favourite dish; it’s inoffensive but not what you like to eat most.

I play until I've had enough. I don’t want to play any more of it but I can see why it works. Funnily enough, it seems the reasons MW3’s multiplayer resonates so well among its faithful player base are more or less precisely the same reasons others hate it. Familiarity.

“So many people dislike it because it's just not innovative enough now,” says Gabriela. “It feels like the same game with a new skin.”

“

You could probably mount a pretty strong argument that Modern Warfare 3 has more in common with something like FIFA that it does its first-person shooter peers.

The first game people tend to compare MW3 to is Battlefield 3. You can hardly blame anyone for doing so, but I wonder if that’s really all that relevant a comparison. You could probably mount a pretty strong argument that Modern Warfare 3 has more in common with something like FIFA that it does its first-person shooter peers. Like the latest FIFA, MW3 is very similar to the title that preceded it, albeit with a few more bells and whistles. Like the latest FIFA, it’s a genre juggernaut.

FIFA is riding high. FIFA 12 is the best-selling sports game ever. EA is not going to jeopardise that. Not right now. It’s going to refine the formula further for FIFA 13, not re-imagine the thing from the ground up. Call of Duty finds itself in the same space. They’re really the same product. Call of Duty multiplayer is a sport, and Activision can’t change the rules now any more than EA can reinvent football.

“Most people hate it because a new Call of Duty gets pumped out each year, generates millions, and the game is so much like the others,” says Schleemann, before hitting the nail on the head. “But it works for them.”

With more than six billion in the bank I certainly cannot say it doesn’t.

Luke is Games Editor at IGN AU. You can chat to him about games, cars and cursing on IGN here or find him and the rest of the Australian team by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community.

Source : ign[dot]com