Call of Duty: Black Ops

[Failed]

Christmas week of 2008 had held the record until now.

An excellent Q4 for gaming, with so many amazing games out that year!!!

[Jaynestown]

I have no idea why the COD series is so successful, Black Ops is too difficult on Normal difficulty and too easy on Recruit difficulty, the storyline is disjointed and just plain boring, the cut scenes especially are just tedious and uninteresting and the characters are all just really unpleasant. At least in COD4 there was some affinity with the characters, in this you just don't care whether they live or die.

I only bought this because I got it in the deal in Tescos, my plan was to complete it and then trade it in and get my money back but at this point I can't even be bothered to complete the single player, it's just so dull!

[Lukehi]

I too picked it up from Tesco with the point bundle.  Couldn't even be arsed to open it, traded it at Gamestation the next day for £34.  Good times.

[Jaynestown]

I've been trying to get through the single player this afternoon but it is just one long cut scene after another with very little action in between. If this didn't have Call Of Duty in the title I suspect it would get very low scoring reviews, it's just not very fun to play at all. I will try and persevere and finish the campaign by the end of the weekend and then trade it in before next weekend, there's not even any point me playing the multiplayer as I'm crap at COD MP anyway!

[Maibs]

I have no idea why the COD series is so successful

Multiplayer, some people i know wont touch singleplayer at all, and the rest like me, will start it after a few months when mp starts to get boring, COD is all about online and co-op experience now.

[Failed]

i'm finding MoH is a much better SP experience than CoD7 was.

[ASYLUM NINJA]

Would agree with that, the story was much better, pity it felt unfinished from a technical point of view wish they had a few extra months to iron it out also no annoying sam worthington voiceovers

[Failed]

I like the way MoH feels when your shot, feels more solid than CoD.

[ASYLUM NINJA]

Bullets seem to have more of an impact on your character feels like being hit i guess rather that absorbing them sponge like, but the explosions and the grenade damage radius are woeful. COD7 is one cut scene after another and the multipalyer is almost as uneven as before found MOH multiplayer gave a greater chance of geating a few kills

[Failed]

i agree, the grenade is a little off, but it can't detract me from a great game.

[GamerMan316]

Pachter is spouting again!

Is Black Ops about to offer online subscriptions?
Activision could introduce "all-access" package, reckons Pachter

Call of Duty: Black Ops could be about to offer an online subscription plan.

That's according to industry analyst Michael Pachter, who told Industry Gamers he feels Activision is just biding its time where online multiplayer fees are concerned.

"Activision apparently worried that announcing multiplayer subscriptions before the launch of Black Ops would hurt sales," he said.

"It's likely that around 60 - 70% of the people who buy Black Ops do so to play online multiplayer, and a greater number of the first week purchasers.

"Even if Activision retained fully free online multiplayer, the mere mention of a 'premium' subscription service will tick off some consumers, and there might have been a backlash at the precise time that they needed to set records. They decided not to take that risk."

While Pachter admits he has no inside information on Activision's intentions on the matter, he outlined exactly how he thinks such a plan would or should work.

Want to hear the Pachter Plan? Take a seat. Can we dim the lights please?

Over to you Michael:

"I think everyone will be offered the same multiplayer options for free that they have now. In addition, I see premium items offered as virtual goods for a modest fee--let's say $1.

"There will be special weapons, armour, vehicles, etc. offered, and the quantity will keep growing, in the hopes that some meaningful percentage of gamers who play online multiplayer (I think it's around 14 million active users) pony up $1 or $2 per month on virtual goods.

"I think that the company will 'tier' its offering by offering a $5 per month subscription to Black Ops that includes ALL virtual items for free, plus access to all map packs released as long as the player remains active.

"There are probably going to be three $15 map packs, so that feature alone has a perceived $45 value, and I'm sure that there will be dozens of virtual items, so the $5 subscriber will perceive some value from subscribing.

"In addition, the $5 subscriber may be offered exclusive tournaments, game play modes, ladders, achievements, and any other features that Activision can think up to induce them to pony up more money.

"Next, I think Activision will offer a $10 subscription to ALL Call of Duty games. Anyone paying $10 per month gets virtual items, ladders, tournaments, achievements, game play modes and map packs for CoD MW, CoD MW2, Black Ops and World at War, and as long as their subscription remains alive, they will get the next game and the one after that.

"There are a total of 7 map packs (I think) available now, and will be another 3 next year, so for $10 per month, a player will get all 10 map packs. Not a bad value.

"Next, I think Activision will offer a $15 monthly subscription that is an 'all access pass', allowing subscribers to play WoW, StarCraft II (look for monetization there), the new Bungie game (when it comes out), all CoD games, and whatever they do with Guitar Hero (maybe free downloads of songs), on an unlimited basis.

"WoW subscribers will love this, since they already pay $15 per month. Of course, they'll have to buy copies of CoD in order to play, but this could spur growth on the PC online side of the game, and Activision would be able to keep all of the revenues, while they have to share with the console manufacturers for Xbox 360 and PS3 subscriptions.

"The trick is managing this without destroying sales of the game. They will tread very carefully, and will make sure that they let consumers know that they are NOT taking anything away, but are merely offering a LOT MORE VALUE for a little bit of money."

Activision boss Bobby Kotick has hinted towards Call of Duty subscription fees in the past, but has said they would aid in benefiting the player.

[GamerMan316]

Activision: 'We Will Never, Ever Charge' for COD Multiplayer

Call of Duty continues to be a massive money maker for Activision, with the recent Black Ops once again setting entertainment records. The rumor has been going around for some time now that the publisher would soon look to monetize all the hours gamers spend playing it online, and recently Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter outlined his thoughts on a subscription plan. For its part, however, Activision is insisting that it will not look to charge people to play online in the future.

Speaking to IndustryGamers as part of an in-depth interview on the business (stay tuned for more next week), Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg told us that charging for multiplayer simply just won't be happening - not now, not ever. "Are we going to be charging for multiplayer? The answer is no. The experience you have out of the box, connecting with the online community to play Call of Duty is absolutely integral to the experience and we'll never charge for that. It's not going to be something we'll attempt to monetize; it's part of the package," Hirshberg stressed.

Further commenting on Pachter's assertion about a variety of online subscriptions, he continued, "Nothing we or anyone else tries is going to work if it doesn't have tremendous value for people and add a tremendous value to the gaming experience. He's probably looking at meta-trends in the world and in culture about online services and new ways things should be monetized from Netflix to cloud-based computing. So there are certainly a lot of behavioral shifts towards long-standing online relationships... But at the end of the day, all I'm trying to get across is I can unequivocally say we will never, ever charge for the multiplayer."  

So there you have it. Do you think this will hold, or will Hirshberg have to eat his words sometime next year?

[GamerMan316]

No Call of Duty: Black Ops double XP weekend this week
Microsoft clarifies

The Call of Duty: Black Ops double XP weekend which was revealed in Microsoft's Free Live weekend newsletter will not be happening this week. Microsoft community manager Graeme Boyd has tweeted that this was an error.

A Black Ops double XP weekend will be happening at some point, but it won't be this weekend. Which, sadly, means that those planning to jump online for some free Xbox Live gaming this weekend will not be able to take advantage of the experience multiplier.

A second newsletter will be sent out to Xbox Live subscribers, clarifying the error. All other advertised promotions will be taking place during the Free Live weekend, which begins this Friday, November 26 and lasts until Sunday November 28.

[dfusioness]

oops major balls up, never mind ha ha ha 

[GamerMan316]

CoD: Black Ops - latest patch detailed
Multiple fixes for Xbox 360 version on the way

Treyarch has detailed the fourth title update for Call of Duty: Black Ops on Xbox 360.

The patch, which is due to be submitted to Microsoft for testing and approval today, is just one of "many more to come", so don't be too disheartened if it doesn't fix a gripe you might have.

Here's the list of fixes, straight from the dev's mouth:

Issues Addressed:

* Resolved several issues with parties getting disbanded unexpectedly.
* Updated handling for UPnP-enabled routers to improve matchmaking conditions where users had strict or moderate NAT types. Also added in-game communications so that all players are aware of their NAT type in the Player Match party lobby.
* Addressed issue that prevented the "Load MP by Default" option from saving when other specific option combinations were set.
* Prevention of exploit that allowed players to keep custom classes and killstreaks after prestige.
* Addressed an issue where Flak Jacket Pro would not always protect against ground fires left by Napalm Strikes.
* Prevention of users losing their killstreak reward when switching classes at the start of a new round in round-based game modes.
* Addressed an issue where the incorrect perks would appear when spectating another player under certain circumstances.
* Added round start explosive delay to China Lake grenade launcher to give it the same round start limitations as other explosives.
* Contracts will now reset when the player Prestiges.
* Prevention of Valkyrie rocket exploding upon release under rare conditions.
* Prevention of Gunship failing to give player full control under rare conditions.
* Prevention of an issue where a player will get teleported outside the map boundaries under very specific circumstances.
* Additional security measures to enhance detection and banning capabilities.

Gameplay Tuning:

* Limit the ability to re-roll supply drops using Hardline Pro to Care Packages only, no other killstreak drops.
* Added a negative influencer to all spawn points to decrease the chances of spawning near an enemy. This will further improve spawning protection on top of previous updates.
* Additional sound mix tuning for Ninja Pro users - increased ranges and volume of enemy footsteps, and removed player footstep sounds on concrete material types.
* Increased headshot multipliers for sniper rifles. Sniper rifles with suppressors equipped will now always be ensured one-shot kill headshots.
* Subtle increase in sniper rifle accuracy when scoping in.
* Added a render delay to the red diamond player indicators that appear when controlling the Gunship, Valkyrie Rocket and Chopper Gunner. When a player first spawns, this will not appear for a period of time.
* Additional minor reductions in knife lunge.