I'd say that one of the things that's hard for a player to understand, I'm sure you guys can understand it because you have a lot more insight into the industry, is that Call of Duty 3 was about eight months end to end for development... And it's very hard to make a great game in that time. Call of Duty 3 is a very good game. It sold very well so a lot of people must have liked it... But it's not the game this team could have made if it had the time to polish to the level they needed to... Look at the great games of just this last six months or year. Look at Modern Warfare, look at BioShock, look at GTA 4. What these games have in common is enough time to polish and iterate on it, and I think as an industry we're learning how important that is... I feel like it's a little bit of an underdog story almost. Here's a team that's never had a chance to actually make a game with this much time. Modern Warfare comes along and raises the bar really high and now the team says, we've got to show what we've got, we've got to show up with a great game or else the players aren't going to want to play it. Expectations are so high.

They are, they really are. Treyarch was given a two year development cycle for CoD5, so hopefully that extra time in the oven will pay off. Willing to give World War II another spin if the game dazzles.

World at War First Look [Videogamer]

Quite the leap, no? While we're positive that Call of Duty 5 is coming, we aren't sure whether Infinity Ward or Treyarch or another developer altogether will be holding the reins.

Level Builder - Call of Duty [Treyarch via Gamer]

A new map pack for Call of Duty 3 hits the Xbox 360 today, giving gamers five more maps to run around on for about $10.

The Bravo Map Pack coms with Gare Centrale from the original Call of Duty, Marseilles from United Offensive and three new multiplayer maps that let you "storm hilltop abbeys, maneuver alleyways for the perfect ambush, or battle in the nighttime shadows of a riverside town."

The five maps weigh in at a whopping 950.3 MB and aren't available in Japan. Which do you think is worse, the price or the fact that the maps suck up nearly a gig of space? Brian Crecente

For those of you who can't get enough of re-fighting World War II over and over via Xbox Live, Activision announces new multiplayer maps for Call of Duty 3 to be released sometime 'after the holidays', a period that spans January 2nd, 2007 to the end of the universe as we know it. They have release specifics on the maps themselves, giving you something to wait for until an unspecified amount of time passes. They are releasing one free map, labeled Champs, which takes place in Port Royal de Champs, created for small to medium games. Then for 800 MS points you'll be able to download the Valor Map Pack, containing five new maps set in France.

No word of map updates for the PS3 version yet, and I am assuming they just won't happen for the Wii since it lacks online multiplayer in the first place. even with the maps supporting split-screen play.

Read the full press release after the jump to sample Activision's amazing "forward-looking statements" statement, which is the ultimate in covering-your-assery. Michael Fahey

Activision Reveals Plans for Downloadable Call of Duty 3 Maps on Xbox Live

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec 20, 2006 - Pack up and get ready to move out! Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATVI) announced plans today to release two waves of Call of Duty 3 multiplayer maps after the holidays: the Bonus Map (free) and the Valor Map Pack (800 Microsoft points). The Bonus Map, named "Champs," will take players to Port Royal de Champs, France for classic Call of Duty infantry-based combat that's great for small to medium-sized online games. The Valor Map Pack will contain five new multiplayer maps that will take players through a maze of French locales that serve up settings primed for intense close-quarters action, whether via online, split-screen or System Link play.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.47 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.

The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Activision's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, product delays, retail acceptance of our products, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, litigation and an informal SEC inquiry, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions, integration of recently acquired subsidiaries and identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities. These important factors and other factors that potentially could affect the Company's financial results are described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's most recent Annual report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Readers of this press release are referred to such filings. The Company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in the Company's assumptions or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

I have a lot of tattoos, A LOT. But, one thing I'm lacking is a video game tattoo. There's never been a game I've played that's inspired me enough to have it permanently emblazoned on my body, not mention it would probably clash with most of my 1940's olde school style artwork.

Xbox forum poster GrinDSouL, was so inspired by what he called the "intense action" of Call of Duty 3, that he ran right out and got the back cover art inked on his arm. Unless you're really familiar with the ins and outs of video game box art, you may not recognize this as a game tattoo, but rest assured it is. I give the artist props for his excellent rendering of an otherwise questionable tattoo. But, hey, who the hell am I to talk, I have one of Ralph Wiggum. Flynn De Marco

call me crazy.... [Xbox forums Thanks, Vanden]

Initially I was a little distracted by the controls for Call of Duty 3 on the Wii, but I've really come to enjoy them.

The controls are a little loose for my taste, but I haven't played around much with the settings, so that's not really a big deal. I turned on the motion controls for grenade throwing which has made the act of tossing a grenade change from something done automatically to something that actually requires a bit of finesse and can sometimes end with me blowing myself up.

The graphics are, as expected, no where near the quality of the 360 or PS3, but still quite good enough to not be distracting.

The new way of aiming has made the game a bit more difficult to get through than the 360 or PS3 versions, and the driving, well the driving is absolutely abysmal.

Overall, though, I'm quite enjoying the experience. Brian Crecente

I'm actually a little sorry I missed this. The thought of "unsuspecting" gamers being brought to a TV studio under false pretenses and shoved into a war simulation sounds like it could be good for a few laughs. Especially the physical challenge part. Flynn De Marco

CALL OF DUTY 3 . . . THE REALITY SHOW? [The Last Boss - Thanks, Fronz]

NBA 07
Need for Speed Carbon
Mobile Suit Gundam
Motorstorm
Tony Hawk Project 8
Call of Duty 3
PS3 Music Browser
PS3 Picture Browser
PS3 Movie Browser

Brian Crecente

Holy cow, Call of Duty 3 just hit my most wanted list for the Playstation 3. The game looks amazing, and that with janky YouTube pixelizing our vid. I really like how you have to use the Sixaxis to do things like set detonations and that blur effect after a bomb goes off. Wow, just wow. Videographer Richard Blakeley tells me the game is simply amazing and he's not even a gamer. Brian Crecente

They even have a new mode called "War", where the "teams on the battlefield are fighting for control of strategic areas on the map until one team dominates." Man, we don't know where EA Treyarch gets all these wacky ideas for game modes! Jason Chen

What's the difference between Call of Duty 2 and its sequel? NASA, that's what. Game site 360 MONSTER got a sneak peak at the eagerly awaited FPS and reports that not only can you kill Nazis taking a leak (awesome!), but the game was made with NASA technology. Meaning uniforms were donned by real people and then scanned by the same scanner which looks for flaws in the foam on the bottom of the space shuttle. What does that mean? No clue! But it sure sounds neat. Brian Ashcraft

If It's Good Enough For NASA [360 Monster, Thanks Lee!]

Too bad this is all full motion video (or at least I think it is), because there are moments in it where I seriously thought I was watching live actors. I think the increased contrast and a bit of graininess helped with that effect. Call of Duy 2 is one of the few 360 "launch window" titles that I'm still playing around with now. Brian Crecente

Think you're more than just a Call of Duty 3 gamer? Think you can survive a little intense boot camp training... while a national audience watches?

Activision, Spike TV and Best Buy have teamed up to create a boot camp survival reality show. The Game Head Call of Duty 3 Challenge has an open casting call for 16 gamers with "personality, perseverance and gaming skills" to compete for VIP access to Spike TV's Video Game Awards show, a home entertainment system from Best Buy and a trip for two to Normandy, France.

To apply, create a personal movie up to give minutes long that explains why you should be chosen for the show and send it in by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Sept. 4.

The 16 finalists will be flown to a "top secret military location" where they will play a little Call of Duty 3 and then compete in real-life boot camp challenges. The whole thing will be filmed on location from Sept. 20 through 22 for a later broadcast.

"The Game Head Call of Duty 3: Challenge combines the in-your-face action that the best-selling video game franchise is known for with the intense physical and mental challenges associated with a military boot camp," said Will Kassoy, senior vice president, global brand management, Activision, Inc. "The result will be a reality TV event that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats."

Sounds like this could be a cool little reality show, if it's done right. Brian Crecente

Game Head: Call of Duty 3 Challenge [GameSpot]

JeuxFrance got their hands on some video showing Wi gameplay for Call of Duty 3. According to the Babelfish-translated article, the game will be more open-ended and feature a more destructible environment. Of course, you'll also be playing with that cute Wii-mote.

While the video doesn't show the Wii controller in action (you have to rely on these ultra-gimpy pictures for that) they do show some neat things like a melee combat and the use of tank fire to take out snipers and such. Brian Crecente

Call of Duty 3 [JeuxFrance]

Last week, game publisher Activision held a small Call of Duty 3 event in which the first level was bandied about. Dutch site Shizzle was on hand and reports that the footage looked pretty much like the clip that's been circulating on the internet recently. So, what's new? Shizzle's Karsten writes:

They said Call of Duty 3 would be a PS3 launch game, and the game would not have 1080p output (the game will be identical to the Xbox 360 version, so 720p/1080i).

So, because the two versions will be identical and minus the 1080p gold standard, does this mean the Xbox 360 is making PS3 games uglier? Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Shizzle]

1Up has a look at the upcoming cross platform title Call of Duty 3. Best bit? Mannequins wearing rented costume give the WW2 game its historical accuracy. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Game Videos]

This is what next-gen World War II first-person-shooter Call of Duty 3 will look like. We hope, because this is what has been "leaked." Other details about the upcoming Activison FPS:

• Up close, hand to hand combat and traps to disarm, all requiring fast reflexes in the battlefield.
• More destructible environments gives your enemies (and you) nowhere to hide.
• Split level design means your tactics from sniping to guns a blazing will open different routes for you.
• Execute parachute drops, armoured assaults or SAS commando raids. Riddle battlefields with tank shells and explosives. Drive tanks to topple barricades and invade enemy emplacements.
• Brand new multiplayer engine featuring multiple occupancy vehicles for team based combat.
• Brian Ashcraft

More Here [British Gaming]