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Bungie and Blizzard Both “Enormous” Investments
We already knew The folks behind World of Warcraft and Starcraft are hard at work on a totally new massively multiplayer online game. We didn’t know that Activision Blizzard was pouring gobs of money into it. Ditto for the new game from Bungie, the creators of Halo. Bungie has inked a deal with Activision to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 6, 2010 -
The 8-bit Version of DJ Hero Comes Complete With Chiptune Mashups
The man responsible for the 8-bit version of zombie shooter Left 4 Dead has turned his “de-make” skills to another recent franchise—Activision’s DJ Hero. Pixel Force: DJ Hero, as it’s known, is musically true to its 80s roots. The chiptune mash up you hear in the first trailer for Eric Ruth’s latest retro creation blends…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010 -
Bungie Is Done With Halo: Reach, Now Focused On ‘New Universe’
The next chapter in Bungie’s development history is well underway, according to its new publisher Activision. With Halo: Reach having “gone gold,” the team responsible for Halo (until now) is shifting its focus. Activision execs said during today’s investor call that “the majority of the Bungie team has moved into their new space and is…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010 -
True Crime: Hong Kong Exported To 2011
Activision did its part to thin the typically obese late year release schedule today, delaying True Crime: Hong Kong to next year. Originally planned for release this fall, the PS3, PC and Xbox 360 game will hit in 2011. Why? According to Activision, the delay was granted “in order to give the development team more…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010 -
The Vulture Is Circling Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
In normal Spider-Man continuity, a burglar Peter Parker lets escape kills his Uncle Ben. In Spider-Man Noir continuity, former circus freak Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture, eats Uncle Ben. You can avenge the Vulture’s dinner in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Technically Spider-Man Noir already took care of vengeance, killing the Vulture in issue four after the…
By Mike Fahey Published August 5, 2010 -
Download The Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Single Player Demo Right Now
Doesn’t matter if Modern Warfare 2 was originally released in fall 2009, the single-player demo has finally hit both Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network. If you weren’t one of the 20 million who bought the game, check it out.
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 5, 2010 -
How Activision Pissed Off Pro Paintballer Greg Hastings
Activision has lost a fan in Greg Hastings, the paintball playing pro who lent his name to two Activision-published games. According to Mr. Hastings, the mega publisher not only tried to “steal” his franchise, but also his identity. Hastings, who also has a game to promote in Greg Hastings Paintball 2—this one’s published by Majesco—tells…
By Michael McWhertor Published August 5, 2010 -
Could DJ Hero 2 Multiplayer Actually Be Entertaining?
Multiplayer in the original DJ Hero was a plain vanilla affair that stripped some of the coolest elements from the single-player game for simplicity’s sake. DJ Hero 2 throws simplicity out the window. Forget adding a singer. That’s certainly novel, and the opportunity to mix up the music they are singing to screw them up…
By Mike Fahey Published August 4, 2010 -
A Modern Warfare 2 Single-Player Demo Appears
In case you’ve been trying to decide whether or not to buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the past nine months, Activision has released a single-player demo on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live to help you decide. Generally I associate post-release game demos to be signs that a publisher is afraid an…
By Mike Fahey Published August 4, 2010 -
StarCraft II No Match For World of Warcraft, At Least In Day-One Sales
Not all chest-thumping is equal. Those StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty first-day sales figures publisher Activision heralded today? They are less than half of the World of Warcraft first-day figures for that game’s last two releases. Today: Blizzard Entertainment said StarCraft II sold “more than 1 million copies sold worldwide, making it the best-selling PC…
By Stephen Totilo Published August 3, 2010 -
New Soundgarden Album Packed Inside Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock
Soundgarden is releasing their first album in 13 years on October 5, but you can get Telephantasm: A Retrospective a week earlier, packed inside launch copies of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. When Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock launches on September 28 for the Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, fans will gain access to…
By Mike Fahey Published August 3, 2010 -
Activision Boss Loses Legal Battle Over Sexual Harassment Case
Activision boss Bobby Kotick has lost a legal stoush with renowned lawyer Patricia Glaser over a 2007 sexual harassment case involving Kotick’s private jet and one of its former flight attendants. Kotick and Andrew Gordon, the head of the LA branch of Goldman Sachs investment bankers, run a company called Cove Management, which was created…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2010 -
Call Of Duty Map Packs Downloaded Over 20 Million Times
Complain about the cost of Call of Duty map packs all you want; it doesn’t stop Activision charging a ton for them, and it’s certainly not stopping people from buying them. The publisher revealed today that over 20 million map packs for the Call of Duty franchise have now been sold. That’s not just Modern…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2010 -
All You Need To Know About Warriors Of Rock’s Quest Mode
Technically all you need to know about the Quest Mode in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is that Gene Simmons from Kiss is in it, but some additional information on the Warriors and their powers doesn’t hurt. I’m getting a little tired of music games at this point, but if I had to choose between…
By Mike Fahey Published July 29, 2010 -
Call Of Duty: Black Ops DS Declassified
Developer n-Space returns to the Call of Duty franchise this November with a portable companion to Black Ops on the Nintendo DS, complete with helicopters, stealth jets, and six-player online multiplayer. n-Space has done some pretty amazing things with the Call of Duty franchise on the Nintendo DS. Nintendo’s handheld is the last platform that…
By Mike Fahey Published July 28, 2010 -
Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock Also Features These 22 Tunes
In addition to more than 20 minutes worth of Rush, the next Guitar Hero will feature these 22 newly revealed songs, ranging from the darn good Blue Oyster Cult’s “Burnin’ For You” to the ear-searing “Unskinny Bop” by Poison. Amazon offers a look at and a listen to the newest soundtrack additions for Guitar Hero:…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 26, 2010 -
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions’ Hidden & Obscure Costumes
The Spider-Man of Activision’s Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions has an impressive wardrobe, with an old-school Amazing outfit and a futuristic suit from the year 2099. At Marvel’s video game Comic-Con panel today, Spidey’s wardrobe rapidly expanded. In addition to the Noir, Amazing, Ultimate and 2099 outfits, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions also features unlockable versions of Spider-Man’s cosmic…
By Michael McWhertor Published July 23, 2010 -
He’s The Juggernaut, Spider-Man!
Activision has released a pair of new videos for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, showing off the unstoppable Juggernaut and the slightly more stoppable Scorpion 2099 in action. While it’s nice to see Juggernaut making an appearance in a Spider-Man video game, helping add a little more of that gameplay variety McWhertor liked so much from his…
By Mike Fahey Published July 23, 2010 -
First War For Cybertron DLC Dated, Priced, And Set To Music
Activision confirms the downloadable content details leaked earlier this month for Transformers: War for Cybertron, with five “new” characters and four new multiplayer maps coming in the first character and map pack, due out next week. I put the word new in quotes, because of the five “new” characters, three were retailer-exclusive preorder bonuses. Jazz,…
By Mike Fahey Published July 22, 2010