Back when the game was released there was some confusion over whether or not Modern Warfare 2 would be called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or just Modern Warfare 2. Well, Infinity Ward and Activision released a statement that would officially deem the title just Modern Warfare 2. However, is the fact that the game is no longer called Call of Duty going to hurt its success?
Yes, and no, according to tracking firm OTX who says that the brand awareness of the game has been halved due to Call of Duty being removed from the title. However, the firm then went on to say that they are still expecting the game to make a killing:
Even without the Call of Duty association, it is still perceived as a much have title” – OTX spokesperson
I don’t know about you guys but I’m definitely going to be purchasing Modern Warfare 2 along with pretty much every other Xbox 360 owner I know. The fact that it dropped the Call of Duty moniker is less of a bummer than the assumed fact a Nazi Zombie equivalent won’t be present.
Read (Kotaku)
EA is really taking out the big guns in an attempt to take down Blizzard and their World of Warcraft — Recently announced is the merger of Warhammer Online developer Mythic and Mass Effect developer, BioWare.
These two merged studios will form a new RPG/MMO studio group with most all of the executives from both studios staying onboard. However, Mark Jacobs, co-found of Mythic, has left EA yesterday June 23rd, 2009.
Both of these studios have come up with some great stuff, now let’s just see if they can pump out a game that will be enough to send Blizzard packin’.
It seems that late night talk show host, Jimmy Fallon, has challenged Tiger Woods to a friendly game of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for the Wii. Of course, the athelete accepted and the match will go down this Thursday on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Sure, it will be fun to see Jimmy Fallon play Tiger Woods at his own game but it will be even more fun to just watch Tiger Woods actually playing his own game. I wonder if he’s good.
Read (Joystiq)
It seems that the highly anticipated King of Fighters XII has been delayed by SNK. Originaly dated for a July 16th release, the official release date has been changed to just a “July release”.
This could mean July 17th or it could mean July 30th, we don’t really know. However, we do know that SNK decided to delay the game so they can make some last minute improvements to the title.
Does SNK have what it takes to beat Capcom’s Street Fighter IV with The King of Fighters XII? Let’s wait and see.
Read (Kotaku)
Nintendo has revealed the box art of the upcoming Metroid Trilogy for the Wii, and it looks rather impressive (depending on how easy you are to impress when it comes to box arts). The plastic game box will be included in a metal casing, and will also include an art book, all for $50.
The Metroid Trilogy will include Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes from the GameCube, and of course, the Wii hit Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The trilogy is slated for release this August.
When the original America’s Army 3 dev was shut down, many thought that patches would take a lot longer, since the new developer will have to adjust to everything.
However, that appears not to be the case, as the new developer has released the second major patch in a week, addressing a number of issues. The new changes include:
- Removes Password from AA3Launch.log
- Fix for MBS not working after server changes to a new map
- Fixes TeamReady in Mission Preplanning
- Updated authentication SDK to improve reliability and performance
- Fix for freezing on training mission load
- Improved performance on loading maps/training missions
- Fixed several small memory leaks
- Fixed performance issue with server that caused it to load UI elements into the server (where they aren’t needed) and thus use up additional CPU and memory.
- Modified training authentication so it is more efficient
- Modified AMD negative delta time exception handling so it no longer stops the server or client, but just logs the event
- Fixed Admin add Player Admin
- Fixed Admin kicking of players. Now works properly with Soldier name and has optional kick by player ID
- Add new AdminListPlayers to get list of players and their player ID’s
- Removes most of the server log spam, especially that tied to missions and mission setup and ROE
- Fixes several issues related to ROE firing off when player is bleeding, asphyxiating, or falling after being wounded by ROE
- You can now strafe on ladders so you don’t get stuck in Pipeline or Obstacle Course. Strafe too far and you fall off, just like AA 2.x
- Modified program startup to clear out any old ATS temporary files
- Improved scoring messaging support for training missions
- Fixes several scoring issues
- Optimizes more of the authentication code and adds better exception handling in it
- Adjusts STS (stats) integration to better detect invalid objects to avoid crashes
- Fixes issues with single player stats not correctly initializing all of the time
- Adds feedback to UI when player purchases training until purchase is complete (says “Purchasing”)
- Modifies MBS to track how many players are playing vs. how many players are on the server (player + Spectators) and now MBS browser only shows the number of players (so the count won’t exceed max players)
- Turns HUD off whenever menu is activated (still an issue with battle planner activation the first time, however)
- Adjusts the close menu logic to always close properly so double menus should no longer happen
Team 17′s hilarious 2D multiplayer “shooter” Worms 2: Armageddon is coming to Xbox Live Arcade. Originally released 1999 as a successor to Worms Armageddon, Xbox Live owners will on July 1 get a chance to (re)live one of the best Worms games to date. It will retail for $10 (800 MS Points) on XBLA.
You remember that supposedly leaked Metal Gear Solid: The Movie poster we showed you a few weeks ago, right? Well if The Dark Knight main man Christian Bale is to be believed, that poster was fake, considering it displayed him as playing the main character.
In a recent interview with MTV Multiplayer, when asked if he’s been approached for a Metal Gear Solid movie the actor responded with a modest “No”.
Either way, I don’t think there is any question over whether or not Christian Bale would make an awesome Solid Snake. Get on that Sony!
We first heard about the Wireless Xbox 360 Microphone back in the beginning of April when Microsoft unveiled some new Lips DLC.
Well, it seems that Microsoft has again set their sights on the wireless mic as they have said the peripheral, which is compatible with Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Lips, and even Disney Sign It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year, will ship to retail this fall.
The Wireless Microphone is expected to cost $49.99. Hey, you didn’t think a Microsoft developed product would be cheap, did you?
Read (Ripten)
The iPhone might not be taking off as the next big thing in portable gaming, but some companies have figured out how to use the App Store as an effective marketing tool. A short time ago EA announced that iPhone and iPod Touch owners could get a little hint of what was to come in the Mass Effect sequel by downloading a prequel game called Mass Effect Galaxies.
Now we find out via AppGamer that if you play through the game it gives you an option at the end to log in with your EA account. If you do, you get this message: “Your reward for completing the game is already waiting for you in Mass Effect 2“. I’m sure EA is hoping the story will spread and prompt some people to buy the iDevice game, but I somehow dbout that it’s anything terribly exciting, possibly a new skin or some minor perk or stat boost.
