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Pro-Hitler Video is a Call of Duty Elite ‘Staff Pick’
You’d expect to see videos showcasing epic killstreaks and particularly inventive death-dealing chosen to be highlighted as staff picks on Call of Duty Elite‘s Theater pages. You might not expect to find Adolf Hitler there, though. And yet, there he is. Alongside how-to videos where players show other players how best to wield certain weapons,…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 16, 2012 -
Live, Without a Net, Prototype 2‘s Latest Trailer Falls from a Rooftop
There is no gameplay in this Prototype 2 trailer, which went out late Friday. But there is some rather badass live action, explaining the backstory of protagonist James Heller. He is burning alive with the Blacklight virus—and his desire for revenge upon Alex Mercer. Prototype 2 arrives April 24. If you’re wondering about the vocals,…
By Owen Good Published April 14, 2012 -
The Norway Killer Who Used Call of Duty to Train Won’t Be Able to Use Insanity as a Defense
Anders Behring Breivik—the man who confessed to killing 77 people last year in the worst mass murder Norway has ever seen—has been found to be legally sane by court-appointed psychiatrists, according to the Associated Press. The new finding—by psychiatrists Terje Toerrissen and Agnar Aspaas—negates a previous assessment by other mental health professionals, which had declared…
By Evan Narcisse Published April 10, 2012 -
Cloud Patrol is an Addictive Little Shooting Gallery With a Skylanders Hook
When Activision first announced the toy-meets-video game concept of Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, Apple’s iPhone was on the list of supported platforms. Today we finally get to see how the colorful plastic warriors interact with iOS in Skylanders Cloud Patrol. Rather than the story-driven adventures of the console, PC, and 3DS versions of Skylanders, Cloud Patrol…
By Mike Fahey Published April 5, 2012 -
GameStop Begins Buying and Selling Used Skylanders Toys
GameStop might not accept your band game instruments as trade anymore, but the company does have its eye on another sort of colorful plastic toys. Gaming website Pixelitis recently received information about a Skylanders trade-in program being tested at several U.S. GameStop locations. Having spent the months following Christmas 2011 fielding calls from desperate children…
By Mike Fahey Published April 4, 2012 -
The Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure Cycle is Complete
All good and terrifically frustrating things must come to an end, and for countless parents, children, and collectors the release of the final three Skylanders figures marks the end of an era, to be followed later this year by the beginning of another. Prepare to plug those last three holes in your Skylanders roster as…
By Mike Fahey Published April 4, 2012 -
Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is Much More Than Meets the Cover-Based Shooter
While I loved Transformers: War for Cybertron, at the end of the day I realize it wasn’t much more than a cover-based shooter with robots. High Moon Studios is taking steps to make sure Fall of Cybertron is much more than that. As game director Matt Tieger puts it, War for Cybertron was about proving…
By Mike Fahey Published March 29, 2012 -
Transformers Prime Rolls Out From TV to DS and 3DS This Fall
Activision’s announced that they’re going back to the Energon well one more time with the just-revealed Transformers Prime title. The game—available exclusively for the Nintendo DS and 3DS—ties into the popular animated series currently running on The Hub cable channel.
By Evan Narcisse Published March 15, 2012 -
Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD Feels the Same But Different
While at GDC, I talked to skating legend Tony Hawk about the upcoming re-make of the releases that made him an icon to a generation of gamers. He thinks it’s great but, of course, he would. Me? I found myself surprised at how much I missed the unique style of extreme sports offered by the…
By Evan Narcisse Published March 12, 2012 -
The Real Stars of Prototype 2 Have Spinning Blades on Their Heads
You know what sold me on the original Prototype? Protagonist Alex Mercer leaping onto a helicopter and punching his way inside. I’m sure Prototype 2’s James Heller is a compelling new hero, but what about the whirlybirds? Ah yes, here they are. Radical Entertainment and Activision, keen on the importance of proper helicopter destruction and…
By Mike Fahey Published March 12, 2012 -
Activision Wins Small Battle in Large Call of Duty Lawsuit
Publisher Activision took home a small victory in its longstanding legal battle against Call of Duty creators Jason West and Vincent Zampella earlier this week, convincing a Los Angeles judge to drop a fraud claim against it, according to a news report. Bloomberg reports that State Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle dropped one of two…
By Jason Schreier Published March 9, 2012 -
‘We Can Bring Back the Best’ of Tony Hawk, says, uh, Tony Hawk
We caught up with Tony Hawk, pro skater, to ask him about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, the high-definition update of everyone’s favorite levels from the first two Pro Skater games. Here the skateboarding legend tells us his favorite levels, and why they deserve a remake in the first place.
By Mike Fahey Published March 8, 2012 -
Stan Lee as a Playable Character in The Amazing Spider-Man, Can You True-Believe It?
The interwebs are abuzz with the news that comic book legend Stan Lee will upgrade from his usual cameo role to playable character in Activision’s Spider-Man movie tie-in. Seriously? I will give the good folks at addict of fiction this: Stan Lee does indeed say he is going to be a playable character in Beenox’s…
By Mike Fahey Published March 1, 2012 -
Peter Parker Fights Marvel Comics’ Horniest Super-Villain in This Amazing Spider-Man Trailer
Superhero movies flirt with distaster when they try to throw more than one antagonist at the main character. But, superhero video games? They thrive on that formula. So, in the first of what we have to assume will be many unveilings, Activision’s rolling out a look at how old-school bad guy the Rhino will look…
By Evan Narcisse Published February 24, 2012 -
The Call of Duty Game That Never Was
I love behind-the-scenes insights into the making of my favorite games. Although I usually watch or read them after I’m finished with a title, instead of before one is released, I enjoy reading and watching the stories of the production itself. Any successful game, large or small, takes a remarkable amount of coordination and dedication.…
By Kate Cox Published February 21, 2012 -
Activision Removes French Games Journalists From Alleged Blacklist
Remember that purported Activision blacklisting of French website Gameblog that had everyone up in arms over the weekend? And that comment by Activision that said everything was just a big misunderstanding? Well, whatever that misunderstanding was, it’s been cleared up. Gameblog reported that they received a call today that effectively resumes communications with Activision. Editor-in-chief…
By Evan Narcisse Published February 21, 2012 -
Reporter: Activision Blacklisted Us Because I Refused to Pull Call of Duty Sequel Story [UPDATE]
Yesterday, reports that a sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops would hit this year circulated all over the internet, sourced to a product page that went live on Amazon. Gameblog.fr reported on this apparent slip-up, as did other French websites, but they refused to pull the story when asked by Call of Duty publisher…
By Evan Narcisse Published February 18, 2012 -
Black Ops 2 Reportedly Outed by Amazon as This Year’s Call of Duty
French game site Gameblog.fr reported earlier today that Amazon’s French digital storefront leaked details about the next installment in Activision’s blockbuster FPS series. The site claims that a product page for the sequel to the 2010 Call of Duty title went live on Amazon.fr and that, after they reported this, Activision France requested that the…
By Evan Narcisse Published February 17, 2012 -
Activision Boss Bobby Kotick Has a Coca-Cola Board of Directors Position and a Smile
President and CEO of Activision Bobby Kotick joins the board of directors of The Coca-Cola Company today, applying his business talents to the makers of the most popular carbonated beverage in the world. Can flavor-based DLC be far behind? [Coca-Cola – Thanks, Tal!]
By Mike Fahey Published February 16, 2012