Call of Duty

A Haven For Horrible Call Of Duty Players

Along with the return of players-versus-bot multiplayer, Advanced Warfare introduces the wonderful Combat Readiness Program, a mode where people who really suck at Call of Duty multiplayer can anonymously feel better about themselves. There’s no voice chat. There are no names — soldiers are labeled either ‘Friendly’ or ‘Enemy’. Not all of the participants are…

Kevin Spacey: The Kotaku Review

How is Kevin Spacey’s performance in his big video game debut? That all depends on which of the three versions of Spacey Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare‘s campaign is serving up at the time. Warning — the videos below contain mild story spoilers. Mission Briefing Spacey The least enjoyable of the three Advanced Warfare Kevin…

Ten Things I Took Away From Advanced Warfare‘s Campaign

Our yearly installment of Call of Duty is upon us, and while I’m taking a couple of days to play Advanced Warfare‘s multiplayer the way it was intended before posting my review, I have conquered campaign mode, and learned so much in the process. It took me around six hours to make it through Advanced…

Nothing Says Funeral Like a Quick Time Event

In the early moments of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare‘s campaign mode, the player is given a choice — press or hold a button to pay their respects to a fallen comrade, or just sit there awkwardly watching the screen until they get bored and wander off. Not much of a choice, really. Circulating on…

Zombies Return In Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare DLC [Update]

Courtesy of an email today from GameStop, zombies will be returning in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare‘s downloadable content packs. Update: Activision has clarified that the $50 seasons pass will not be required to play Sledgehammer’s version of zombie mode. Zombies may or may not make an appearance in the release version of Advanced Warfare,…

Five Things Every Great First-Person Shooter Needs

I’ve had many people tell me over the years that shooters are “dumb,” because these people believe that shooters are simple games about pointing at enemies and clicking on them until they die. I don’t think that’s true. This has been a great year for shooters, many of which have a lot more going on…

There’s A Great Game Buried Deep Inside Of Call of Duty: Ghosts

Between PC, Xbox One and PS4, I’ve got more than 60 hours logged in Call of Duty: Ghosts. Six of those hours is Story Mode. None of it is competitive multiplayer. I’ve been playing Extinction, the most satisfying Call of Duty experience I’ve had in years. I nearly missed out on Extinction altogether. After spending…

Judge Dismisses Ex-Dictator Manuel Noriega’s Call of Duty Lawsuit

A California judge ruled today to dismiss former dictator Manuel Noriega’s lawsuit against publisher Activision for including his likeness in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. The suit, filed in July, alleged that Black Ops II’s depiction of Noriega was “blatant misuse, unlawful exploitation and misappropriation for economic gain.” Activision fought back hard, recruiting former…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Needs More Kevin Spacey: The Winners!

Last week I asked our image manipulation to rectify the egregious lack of actor Kevin Spacey in games other than the new Call of Duty. Now we have too much Kevin Spacey. See for yourself. This week’s big winner is the ever-amazing Ganonthegreat1. His entry is incredibly subtle, and I should probably explain it. The…

Why Modern Warfare‘s ‘All Ghillied Up’ Is One Of Gaming’s Best Levels

Few people admit to buying modern military shooters for their campaigns, and it’s not hard to see why. The Battlefields and Call of Dutys are derided for being simplistic shooting galleries that hold the player back. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if some game had already done it right?…

Video Games Get Gun Silencers All Wrong

You round a corner. You think you’re in the clear but—oh no!—an enemy is standing guard. How will you ever bring him down without alerting other guards? Aha, your pistol has a silencer. One mouse squeak gun shot later and you’re free. Except that’s not how silencers work at all This video from RagnarRox debunks…

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s PC system requirements have now been revealed on the game’s Steam page. Unsurprisingly, the game is a meaty one—requiring 55 GB of free hard drive space and 6GB of RAM for its minimum requirements. Read the full list of specs below. Also: keep in mind, these are the minimum requirements.…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Needs More Kevin Spacey

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the regular Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare trailerswe’ve been getting over the past few months, is that there needs to be more Kevin Spacey in video games. Let’s fix that. Why are we limiting one of America’s finest actors to a single virtual stage? Not everyone enjoys playing…

“What you’re seeing is Advanced Warfare,” says Kevin Spacey’s Jonathan Irons at the start of this official gameplay launch trailer for November 3’s installment of the Call of Duty series. Well, there you go then.

This Week In The Business: Save Our Spines

QUOTE | “There was a time when spines were pulled out of players, and we don’t have to do that anymore.” – Veteran designer Sid Meier, explaining why he thinks game designers should create a “positive climate.” Elsewhere in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “I can absolutely say that…

Apparently The Scariest Part Of Alien: Isolation Is… A Door

Oh god just look at it. Look at it standing there. All door-like. Also today, we’ve got clips from Call of Duty, Forza Horizon 2, Battlefield 4, League of Legends and more! Watch the video above, then link any of your favorite highlights in the comments, and be sure to check out, like and subscribe…

Last-Gen Call of Duty Buyers Will Get A Free PS4/Xbox One Upgrade

I get the impression that Sony, Microsoft, and Activision reeeeally want you to buy a new console. Activision has announced a cross-buy deal in which all PS3/Xbox 360 digital purchases of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will also net you the PlayStation 4/Xbox One version as well. This applies to all purchased DLC (season passes…

This Week In The Business: A Vigorous Brainwashing

QUOTE | “We do all the things we can to essentially brainwash people into liking it before it actually comes out.” – Former Call of Duty director Dave Anthony, addressing a Washington think-tank about how Call of Duty is marketed and why it’s applicable to unpopular national security measures Elsewhere in the business of video…

The man who wrote and directed Call of Duty: Black Ops argues that the U.S. government should put soldiers in schools to protect them. David Anthony—who is now a fellow at political think tank The Atlantic Council—made his remarks during a talk titled “The Future of Unknown Conflict,” where he also described marketing as a…

Hackers Charged With Stealing From Valve, Microsoft And More

Two hackers, one from the United States and one from Canada, have plead guilty to U.S. federal charges regarding an elaborate international scheme involving the infiltration of gaming companies Valve, Epic, and Zombie Studios as well as attempted sales of counterfeit Xbox One development kits well before the console was released to the public. The…