Activision

Though we’ve jostled through the gloom of the Second World War all too often, Call of Duty: World at War has a vendetta to invigorate the hearts of the apathetic. Reverting back to the global turmoil of the harsh past, the fatigued backdrop has been met with increasing indifference – which doesn’t come as much of a surprise. But a repeat of circumstance doesn’t always indicate regression. And with roaring energy and thunderous rhythm, this vision has infused an old war with a new breath of life. Continue »

So far Call of Duty: World at War has been conspicuously elusive to any other release date than the broad time frame of autumn 2008. Though, at the X’08 event in Toronto (Xbox Canada’s holiday showcase) an Activision representative confirmed to us that Treyarch’s latest endeavour with the Call of Duty franchise will be hitting sometime this November, no specific day was given.

We’ll bring you our impressions of the two-player cooperative mode soon. And rest assured that even though Infinity Ward is not in the mix this time, it’s safe to say the game is in fine and more than capable hands.

Despite it being a new release into an already bloated genre Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is a mesmerizing and fresh experience. It compels with vibrant visuals and keeps you captivated with addictive gameplay.

In keeping with the Geometry Wars tradition, this second outing is the same dual stick 2D shooter of breezy simplicity. The left stick controls your movement while the right controls the direction of fire. As a single ship facing a few enemies at first, more foes are sent in progressively and, with them, the difficulty ramps up considerably. Continue »

As with any merger, titles that were once considered premiere by their respective publisher are now hanging in the balance. Brutal Legend, developed by Double Fine of Psychonauts fame, was dropped by Activision in its merger with Sierra. The news itself is quite vague, but according to Variety reporter Ben Fritz Double Fine owns the Brutal Legend IP, and are well on their way to a new and “unique” publishing deal.

What that could be can only be speculated upon. “Unique” could be a downloadable release, or it could simply be unique that an original IP actually came out of a publisher merger unscathed. But wise words from Jack Black, who stars in the game, assured us weeks ago that the it would see a release, “I just wanted to represent. I do this video game ‘Brutal Legend.’ It’s coming someday. And these pants are pantaloons. And I went with these purple people eaters.”

You’ve seen the screenshots, you’ve seen the amazing trailer for the movie itself and now you can watch Treyarch’s Quantum of Solace game in action. So how does it look? About the same as those screens, ranging from fantastic to awkward. The best part is a seemingly smooth Rainbow Six Vegas style third-person camera which is triggered while in cover. Couple that with the pace of Call of Duty and you have something to keep your eye on. So count this as proof that Activision’s Bond game is no write-off. However, it may prove unfortunate that the release is tied day and date with the film, like it has many times before with licensed based games.

The new James Bond movie, regrettably titled Quantum of Solace, will not surprisingly be accompanied by a videogame release. A first-person shooter is Activision’s first effort with the James Bond license and while it doesn’t get any points for originality, it could end up being a solid effort. Judging by these new screens the Call of Duty 4 engine has been used decently, although Daniel Craig seems rather zombie-esque.

Update: Here are three more screens showing off the cover system in action.

The war of words is over before it ever started. Not long ago we reported that Noah Heller, senior producer of Call of Duty: World At War, had some bitter words for the Gearbox developed Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway.

JD, Treyarch’s community manager, has offered his apologies on behalf of the entire Call of Duty development team — by way of the official Xbox forums — letting everyone know that,

“ We found those remarks offensive, and they do not in any way represent the feelings of any developer at this studio or at Activision. We hold all of our peers in the development community in the highest regard. We have nothing but respect for the guys and gals at Gearbox.”

And so comes to a close gaming’s brief flirtation with petty infighting akin to daytime TV feuds. And yes, that does indeed make Noah Heller the Rosie O’Donnell of the videogame industry.

[Xbox Forums via Kotaku]