-
Black Ops 4’s Blackout Mode Is Starting To Feel Pay-To-Win
New DLC weapons added to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 have its Blackout battle royale mode feeling a little bit more like a pay-to-win game. I really like Blackout, Black Ops 4‘s answer to Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. The gameplay is so smooth that I’ve had trouble diving back into PUBG and H1Z1,…
By S.E. Doster Published July 1, 2019 -
The Human Cost Of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
One Friday afternoon a few weeks ago, the developers at Treyarch held a happy hour event to welcome the summer interns. There was pizza, beer, and jubilation for everyone at the studio behind Call of Duty: Black Ops 4—except the quality assurance testers, who had to leave shortly after they got there. “QA was told…
By Jason Schreier Published June 26, 2019 -
CultureE3Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s Developers Are Still Deciding How Disturbing To Get
In a hotel suite at E3 2019, Infinity Ward studio art director Joel Emslie and single-player design director Jacob Minkoff showed off two levels from the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare campaign. They showed these same two levels to the press this past May, but the messaging around those levels has changed. At this presentation,…
By Maddy Myers Published June 11, 2019 -
Black Ops 4‘s ‘Days of Summer’ Event Is A Big Belly Flop
Call of Duty’s most recent seasonal event, “Days of Summer,” hit Black Ops 4 on June 4 for PlayStation 4, but what was supposed to be fun in the sun turned out to be more like the Days Of Bummer Days of Summer, which will arrive on June 11 for Xbox One and PC, does…
By S.E. Doster Published June 7, 2019 -
Activision Says A Call Of Duty Lawsuit Is “A Direct Attack On The First Amendment”
Back in 2017 AM General, the manufacturer of the iconic Humvee, sued Activision over the military vehicle’s inclusion in the Call of Duty series. That case is still rumbling on, but Activision is now trying to have it dismissed as “nothing less than a direct attack on the First Amendment.” As The Hollywood Reporter report,…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 3, 2019 -
In Ditching Paid Maps, Call Of Duty Finally Gets With The Program
Over a decade after the original era-defining Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Activision said last week that 2019’s Duty will be a re-imagining of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series. Along with the campaign trailer that dropped on May 30, the community also received a dash of hope that Activision might finally be giving Call…
By S.E. Doster Published June 3, 2019 -
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Announced, Will Be A Dark Reboot For The Franchise
Following a cryptic tease Tuesday afternoon, Activision announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the latest installment in the long-running series of first-person shooters. In a new trailer released Thursday, we got our first look at the rebooted Modern Warfare. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released October 25, 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One,…
By Joshua Rivera Published May 30, 2019 -
The Next Call of Duty Is Called Modern Warfare (Yep, Really)
The first Modern Warfare was called Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, so it’s only natural that the fourth Modern Warfare is called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Confused yet? That’s video games for you. News of this year’s strangely named Call of Duty leaked out via YouTuber LongSensation this morning. Activision has been showing…
By Jason Schreier Published May 24, 2019 -
Sources: Call of Duty 2020 In Upheaval As Treyarch Takes Over, Plans Black Ops 5
Next year’s Call of Duty has gone through a major upheaval, as publisher Activision informed developers this week that studios Raven and Sledgehammer, which had until now led the project, will no longer be in charge. Instead, according to three people familiar with goings-on at the companies, Treyarch will lead development on a new Black…
By Jason Schreier Published May 18, 2019 -
Black Ops 4 Update Stokes Debate About Who The Spectre Really Is
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s latest event “Spectre Rising” brings back the series’ most mysterious Specialist, and the community seems torn over the character’s identity. Originally introduced in Black Ops 3, Spectre was a fun Specialist to use for a fast-paced, stealthy playstyle. They could become nearly invisible for a brief period with the…
By S.E. Doster Published May 9, 2019 -
EsportsCall of Duty Esports Is Getting Ready To Change Again
The Call of Duty World League has only been around since 2016, but it’s already making an overhaul that could spell the end of its current format, which mixes weekly matches that have their own cash prizes with bigger bimonthly tournaments. Activision is planning for its blockbuster shooter series to follow in the wake of…
By Ethan Gach Published May 3, 2019 -
Swatter Tyler Barriss has received a 20-year prison sentence, according to Associated Press A longtime swatter, Barriss pled guilty in November to crimes that ultimately led to the fatal shooting of a man over a Call of Duty dispute. Prior to that, Barriss had called in phony bomb threats to the FBI, the FCC, schools,…
By Nathan Grayson Published March 29, 2019 -
Black Ops 4 Goes Old School With ‘Barebones’ Multiplayer
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has finally received the multiplayer mode the community has been begging to play, one that takes away all of the Specialists’ toys. The March 26 update on PlayStation 4 adds big changes to League Play and more Specialist weapons to Blackout; also, the “Ancient Evil” Zombies map is now…
By S.E. Doster Published March 27, 2019 -
Grand Heist’s DLC Maps Help Tell Black Ops 4’s Missing Story
Subtle story clues can be found within Black Ops 4’s multiplayer maps that you might’ve missed. I love Treyarch’s Easter eggs and attention to map detail, and the recent additions of multiplayer maps Casino and Lockup made available with the Black Ops DLC Pass leave behind even more to explore. Treyarch definitely created a very…
By S.E. Doster Published March 26, 2019 -
CultureMorning CheckpointCall of Duty World At War’s Secret Ray Gun Was Annoying For QA Testers
Today we find out what the most popular indie games are on the Switch, learn how to use a calculator to beat a game, finally figure out what plans Google has for gaming, discover Belgium loves a gameshow featuring Tetris and hear a fun story from a QA tester. It’s another installment of Morning Checkpoint!…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 23, 2019 -
Modern Warfare Remastered Did Call of Duty Loot Boxes The Right Way
Since Modern Warfare Remastered is free this month on PlayStation Plus, I decided to revisit some classic Call of Duty. This remake of 2007’s groundbreaking shooter is reminding me how a Call of Duty game can make a loot box system feel more rewarding and less like a money grab. It’s no secret that as…
By S.E. Doster Published March 11, 2019 -
Call Of Duty Blackout’s ‘Ambush’ Mode Forces You To Play Smarter
At first mention of Ambush, Black Ops 4’s most recent Blackout limited-time mode, I initially gave a dramatic groan and cringed. I love playing Blackout, but I loathed the idea of being limited to snipers, melee, and rockets only. I’ll try every mode at least once, but it was sheer stubbornness that kept me playing…
By S.E. Doster Published February 13, 2019 -
Black Ops 4‘s Latest Zombies Update Is A Lurch In The Right Direction
Black Ops 4’s Zombies mode wasn’t a big hit with the community when it arrived last fall, and what’s happened in the months since then hasn’t helped its reputation. But this week’s update is a step in the right direction. In my initial review of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, I professed my frustrations…
By S.E. Doster Published January 18, 2019 -
Call Of Duty‘s Latest Microtransaction Is A Tiny Red Dot
For a game that’s already taking heat from its player base for the price of its extra cosmetic items, Black Ops 4‘s latest offering seems especially difficult to swallow. A red dot reticle showed up in the Black Ops 4 Black Market on December 25, wearing a price tag of 100 COD Points, or about…
By S.E. Doster Published January 8, 2019 -
Blackout Keeps Crashing On The Xbox One X
A recent Black Ops 4 update has made Blackout unplayable for many players on Xbox One X, and currently there’s no fix or update. On December 18, the arrival of Black Ops 4’s Absolute Zero event on Xbox One brought a new Specialist character, tons of new Contraband loot, and an unfortunate Blackout issue that…
By S.E. Doster Published December 27, 2018