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Watch Call of Duty: Ghosts Gameplay Before E3

Activision has announced that you’ll be able to catch a 30-minute early look at Call of Duty: Ghosts gameplay levels and behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the Infinity Ward team a day before E3 in a special ‘All Access’ event.

Hosted by Geoff Keighley and Justine Ezarikou, you can either tune into Callofduty.com, or watch it on Xbox’s Machinima app on Sunday, June 9 at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET.

Also, make sure to keep your sights on MP1st where you’ll be able to catch gameplay footage right from the event. If you don’t want to miss a thing, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Crysis 3: The Lost Island DLC Launches Today for PC and Xbox 360, Later for PlayStation 3

Crysis 3 fans can look forward to more action in the tropical setting of the Lingshan Islands later today as Crytek is launching Crysis 3’s first set of DLC, The Lost Island.

Taking place in the same setting as the original Crysis, The Lost Island introduces four new maps, two new game modes, and two new weapons.

Check out some of the new modes and their descriptions below:

Frenzy

Frenzy adds a new dimension to deathmatch, with a weapon loadout that cycles every 60 seconds keeping tension high as players can only respawn during the next loadout change. An intensifying radar sweep keeps track of every move. Only the most skillful Hunter will win.

Posession

In Possession, players secure the single objective flag for the longest time in order to win, but once the flag is secured they become the hunted, permanently tagged in the enemies HUD. Possession also boasts a team based variant, where co-ordination and teamwork will ensure victory.

Crysis 3: The Lost Island DLC will be available on the Xbox 360 and PC soon, tomorrow on the PlayStation 3. We’ll update with links to the DLC once it’s available.

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Halo: Spartan Assault Announced for Windows 8 Devices

They may not be getting Halo 4, but fans on Windows-powered devices can look forward to a top-down action shooter set in the Halo universe, exclusively for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.

Available this July for $6.99 USD, Halo: Spartan Ops will provide an accessible, pick-up-and-play experience for fans and newcomers alike, developed by 343 Industries in conjunction with Vanguard Games.

The game is set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4 as you fill the role either Commander Sarah Palmer or Spartan Davis stationed aboard the UNCSC Infinity, taking part in the first missions of the Spartan Ops program. As you play, you’ll dive even deeper into the backstory of Human-Covenant wars.

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Check out some of the key features below:

  • Original “Halo” gameplay. An action-packed, single-player campaign spanning 25 missions in battles never before experienced in the Halo Universe, all played from a top-down camera view
  • New and immersive storyline. An original story set between the events of “Halo 3” and “Halo 4,” experience a new war with the Covenant, the first missions of the Spartan Ops program and the rise of Commander Sarah Palmer, all with best-in-class graphics and audio
  • Built for simplicity. A unique fusion of touch and consolelike controls for easy pick-up-and-play gaming, with the added flexibility of keyboard and mouse controls on Windows 8 PCs and tablets2
  • Integration with “Halo 4.” Earn experience points (XP), all-new Achievements, and unlock emblems for your “Halo 4” Spartan career, with additional integration features available after launch
  • Nonstop competitive fun. Compete against friends in Leaderboards or hone your skills against an onslaught of Weekly Challenges while collecting more than 40 in-game Achievements and Medals
  • In-app purchases. Grind to earn upgrades or speed up your training by purchasing credits for boosts, unique weapons or armor abilities
  • Only on Windows. Available only on Windows 8 PCs and tablets and Windows Phone 8 devices.

In addition, 343 Industries has teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to create “Halo: Initiation,” a 3-part comic series which reveals Commander Sarah Palmer’s back story and how she became a Spartan-IV. It also leads directly into the missions of Halo: Spartan Assault.

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Analyst Predicts Next-Gen Console Price Points: $399 Xbox One and $349 PlayStation 4

Michael Pachter, analyst for investment firm Wedbush Morgan, suggests $399 and $349 price points for Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4, respectively.

In a note to investors, Pachtor estimated that the bill of materials for the Xbox One runs at around $325, while the PlayStation 4 runs at about $275, hence their retail price points.

In the case of Microsoft, however, Pachtor notes that the option of an available subsidized price may be possible through a multi-year subscription from a broadcast, cable or ISP provider.

“We believe the ability to watch live TV from a cable, telco, or satellite set-top box through Xbox One could entice an MSO to drive subscriptions through a subsidised box in exchange for a multi-year contract,” he says. “The ‘always connected’ requirement for the Xbox One likely means that a broadband connection will be required, suggesting to us that ISPs may have an incentive to offer a subsidy as well.

“In addition, Microsoft could conceivably subsidise the Xbox One through prepaid Xbox Live Gold subscriptions (as it has done on a limited basis in the past) or premium Skype functionality as well. Similarly, Sony could subsidise the PS4 through prepaid PlayStation Network subscriptions, but unlike Microsoft, it does not have a history of doing so.”

Wedbush Morgan also expects a round of price cuts for the current-generation Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, something that was already mentioned to be a part of Microsoft’s plan for the Xbox 360. They expect around another $50 off each consoles by the time next-gen platforms roll around.

What do you guys think? Do those sound like reasonable prices for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4? Sound off below!

Source: GamesIndustry

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Dark Souls 2 Releases March 2014, According to E3 Banner

E3 is just one week away and already we are receiving news from the convention grounds.

Taking advantage of the available space, Namco Bandai has slapped a massive banner over the convention, confirming the release month of Dark Souls 2.

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Image courtesy of AllGamesBeta.

New Concept Art Released By From Software
New Concept Art Released By From Software

That’s a long time before the release and with the PS4 and Xbox One slated to release this year, perhaps Namco and From Software are planning to release a next-gen version alongside the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC versions.

If you missed the 12-minute gameplay premier, make sure to watch it below.

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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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Grand Theft Auto V Fans Piece Together Los Santos Map [Updated]

A group of hardcore Grand Theft Auto fans recently took the trouble to gather every single snippet of Los Santos, the fictional city in which Rockstar’s upcoming Grand Theft Auto V takes place, and has placed all pieces of the map together to create one big map.

This is, of course, the work of fans and isn’t official GTA V material, but what the group was able to come up with is quite impressive. The entire map is made up of snippets teased by Rockstar through various marketing material. Check it out!

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You might notice some familiar pieces that were derived from snippets shown off in GTAV’s pre order bonus items.

Source: NeoGAF, via VG247

Update

A couple of users on the GTAForums also have their own more elaborate take on the Los Santos map, using in-game images and other techniques. You can see exactly how they did here.

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Thanks to MP1st reader James for bringing it to our attention.

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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The Last of Us First Multiplayer Gameplay and Screens Released, New Details Confirmed

Previews for The Last of Us multiplayer are starting to flow in, confirming many of yesterday’s leaked details and showing off some freshly new screenshots and gameplay footage.

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Taken from Nowgamer’s preview, GamingEverything has rounded up all the details, which can be seen below.

  • Multiplayer ties into the story and world of the single-player experience
  • Multiplayer modes are like a 4v4 deathmatch of sorts
  • This has you and three allies taking on another group
  • Respawns are limited each round
  • Choose from different weapons and loadouts
  • Bring two weapons to each game and a selection of passive buffs and game-wide benefits
  • All maps can be navigated in different ways, such as clambering over objects to reach higher ground or sneaking around the back of a building to enter through the back
  • Looting caches litter the ground throughout each map
  • Each of these has a selection of items, including the ability to craft additional weapons to use in that round
  • Pick a faction before beginning a match: Hunters or Fireflies
  • Difference between the two is essentially aesthetic
  • You’ll be put into a crew once you decide
  • Crew is filled with NPC survivors, initially five but increasing exponentially with each match played
  • Start on Week 1, Day 1
  • Objective: survive for as long as you can
  • It ties into the lore of the world well, though the details of this are provided with little more than a menu screen with a radar on the right
  • Radar includes a dot that represents every survivor you have in your group
  • Need supplies to keep your group alive, which is initially fairly low but as the group increases in size so will the requirements
  • Gather supplies by taking them from the bodies of anyone you kill in a match or converting claimed gear from loot caches into supplies
  • Every match counts as a day
  • Necessary supplies are deducted after each day
  • Leftover supplies are bundled into a total, which acts as an XP system enabling unlocks of new weapons, upgrades, buffs and customization options for your character
  • Infected attacks and sickness will cause problems throughout the different days
  • These can be overcome with missions
  • Missions have players completing a different set of actions during a set of matches
  • Ex: special executions, headshots, other trackable statistics
  • Successfully complete this and sick survivors will be cured or more survivors gained
  • Can craft one of six items to assist you
  • Parts for each of these are scattered throughout each map, scavenged from the loot caches that are dotted at specific points
  • These aren’t first-come first-served
  • Every survivor gets their own selection of stash from each crate
  • Contents of each crate are random
  • You may not be able to have a craftable item immediately; need to get extra pieces if you want to really put your supplies to good use
  • Can craft shivs for easy stealth kills, molotovs for setting people aflame, nail bombs, smoke bombs for creating diversions
  • Parts and equipment do not carry over through each round
  • Gear: currency of sorts, earned as you battle through a match
  • Kill enemies, execute headshots, survive the round the longest to earn more Gear
  • Gear can be used for purchases between rounds
  • Armor lets you take extra damage
  • Begin each round with a base set of ammo
  • Can purchase additional ammo and expensive upgrades for each of the two weapons you’re carrying
  • Upgrades are maintained through each round as long as they exist
  • Enabling the customization of passive effects – such as stronger melee attacks and the like – that will help tailor your character to your play style
  • Loadout points prevent players from becoming overpowered
  • Upgraded weapons such as silenced or scoped weapons cost more points, but you’ll unlock more as you ‘level’ up

Looks and sounds pretty cool. Do you think it’s unique enough to hold your interest? Tell us what you think in the comments.

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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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New Halo 4 Update Re-Tunes Weapons, Increases Movement Speed and More, Now Live

Today, developers 343 Industries have introduced a major update to Halo 4’s matchmaking playlists, one that’s been in the works for quite some time now.

Heading into Halo 4’s playlists, you’ll notice a number of important alterations, including tweaks to some of the most popular weapons, an increase in movement speed, and a change in ordinance drop locations.

343i’s Andy “Bravo” Dudynsky and multiplayer designer Quinn DelHoyo go through a few of the new updates, most of which have been inspired by community feedback and that have been in testing for weeks now, in this video presentation below.

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If you’re interested in checking out some of the specifics and finding out what exactly has changed, check out the final state of weapon tuning right here.

Are you a hardcore Halo fan? What do you think of the new changes made to Halo 4’s gameplay in today’s update?

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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The Last of Us Multiplayer – Leaked Details Points To DayZ Style of Multiplayer

Only two weeks from launch, Naughty Dog has kept absolute silence on the matter of the multiplayer portion for The Last of Us, promising that they would show us more real soon.

As fate would have it though, the recent demo released for the game this past Friday was cracked and inside it contained some rather juicy information.

It’s important to keep note that these leaks aren’t 100% confirmed, though the recent trophy list posted by IGN had a trophy titled “Populace”, which requires a player to build a clan of 40 members, supplying some credibility to the leaked info.

The leak was extracted from the recently released demo of The Last of Us. It’s a pretty long list of content, and for those who wish to see it, you can do so by clicking here. Otherwise, Gamespot forum member Tonitorsi posted a good summary of the information.

SURVIVE 12 WEEKS

“A small group of Infected have been spotted heading in our direction.  Improve the training of the clan to fight off the Infected and attract new members.”

“You gained [A] clan members by fighting off the Infected attack.”

“You were able to partially improve the training of your clan.  You gained some clan members by fighting off the attack.

“You were able to dramatically improve the training of your clan before the Infected attacked.  As a result, you gained the maximum new clan members. Marauders have been raiding camps in the area.  Improve the training of the group to fight off the Marauders and attract new members.”

Overall Summary of the Multiplayer Leak:

  • New feature called “Clans”
  • The clan-based system and recruiting is essential to survive hordes of infected (possibly AI or player based clans)
  • Possibly free-roam / Big open maps
  • You can Craft weapons / Items in Multiplayer from all the supplies you gather
  • The Multiplayer has certain random events (sort of like RDR) that happen in your playthrough. Some of which can threaten or help your clan
  • The Multiplayer has mini-missions structured for you like surviving a certain amount of time, etc
  • You can train Clan members (in what way, its still not clear)
  • Depending on how well you train your clan members, you can do rescue missions to free hostages taken during the outbreak
  • You’ll need to gather supplies to survive (your clan can gather supplies too to be well equipped)
  • You can aquire medicines / antibiotics from looting dead bodies throughout your playthrough
  • You have 3 matches to complete a Mission (how this works its still unclear)
  • Uncharted 3-like, Loadouts makes a comback
  • Character Customization possibly back too list of usable items for crafting/weapons for MP (This is a bit Spoiler-ish, so be carefull)
  • Crouching makes you more accurate by reducing weapon sway
  • Mission performance determines how many people you  gain or lose
  • Mission performance also determines how many One-Use Boosters you earn
  • You can spawn next to your teammates
  • Boosters are back from UC3, but completeely redesigned and works in a colossaly different way (non-spammable and some are one-time use)
  • There might be certain parts of the maps that are contaminated with viruses, you’ll need to search/loot for masks or risk getting infected
  • Your teammates / Clan members can get infected

Seems very familiar with the Arma II Zombie mod, DayZ, minus most of the realism, of course. It’ll be interesting if this will be able to emulate the same success as it, since we aren’t typically use to having multiplayer games function as this. So, what do you guys think?

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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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Microsoft Registers Multiple Domains For Halo: Spartan Assault

While companies often claim domain names just to protect their IP, the timing of this being so close to E3 definitely raises an eyebrow.

Using it’s usually domain management and brand protection, MarkMonitor; Microsoft has registered three new domains pertaining to the Halo series.

The domain: SpartanAssault.net, HaloSpartanAssault.net, and Halo-SpartanAssault.net have all been recently registered to Microsoft, though as it currently stands none are up nor do they redirect to anywhere else. It might be slightly presumptuous, but it’s fairly safe to say we’ll be hearing more about Halo: Spartan Assault this month at E3.

What do you think Spartan Assault is? Could this be the title of the previously announced live-action series? A sequel? Or something else? Speculate in the comments below.

Thanks, Fusible!

MP1st Staff

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Crysis 3 Double XP Weekend Event Leads Up To Lost Island DLC Release

Crytek has just recently announced Crysis 3 first DLC, The Lost Island, which will introduce four new maps that take place in the same tropical setting as the first, original Crysis, two new game modes and two new weapons.

To celebrate, the studio is turning Double XP for Crysis 3 multiplayer all weekend. That means you get to earn twice the XP on either the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or PC starting now until Monday, June 3, a day before The Lost Island launches for all platforms.

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See you on the battlefield!

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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New Halo 4 Skins Tied Exclusively to Action Figures, Coming this October

Continuing the trend of monetizing personalization, 343i has announced a new set of McFarlane Halo 4 action figures that will include DLC codes for weapon and armor skins in Halo 4.

In total, you will find 5 new weapon skins and 3 armor skins that will be exclusive to the ‘Halo 4 Series 2’ action figures. As a frame of reference, the ‘Halo 4 Series 1’ action figures currently sell on Amazon between $7-$25.

Check out all the skins in the gallery below.

How do you guys/gals think the skins look? Any intentions of collecting all of them? Let us know in the comments below.

MP1st Staff

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Robert Bowling’s Studio Stormed, Cops Have Showdown With Life-Size Call of Duty Statue

It’s always a scary situation when someone points a gun at you, and that’s exactly what happened to former Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling last night.

Upon installing new panic buttons at Robert’s independent game studio, Robotoki, someone decided, during the end of the work day, to push the button.

Our studio is equipped with a ‘panic’ alarm in case of an armed threat, which was installed yesterday. One of our designers, who shall not be shamed, pressed it on his way out because apparently when boys find buttons that they are unsure of, their first instinct is to push it.

So after pushing it, everyone went home for the day, leaving their lonely studio head to receive the assault of their actions.

he told Polygon.

It was then that the police arrived, and with no entrance at the front of the building they decided to go around from the other side, where they then spotted a “gunman” staring out the windows of the office.

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I was in my office when they arrived and saw them coming up our stairs, guns drawn. They yelled for me to put my hands up and walk towards them slowly, then took me into custody and out of the studio until they cleared the rest of the rooms and floors.

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Luckily no one was hurt, and the incident was written off as a misunderstanding.

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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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Borderlands 2 – A Meat Bicycle For Two: Krieg’s Origin Story

Recently, the folks over at Gearbox Software have finally put to rest any speculation regarding how Krieg, the latest playable character class to Borderlands 2 became a vault hunter.

Check out this brand new video that briefly explains how Krieg got started.

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Krieg The Psycho is available now on the PC, MAC, PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms for $9.99 USD.

Don’t forget to also check out our recent round up of information regarding the upcoming and final campaign add-on for Borderlands 2’s season pass, Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep.

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

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Halo 4 – The Final State of Weapon Tuning, Update Incoming June 3

343 Industries is gearing up to launch a brand new multiplayer update for Halo 4 that will change up the way a lot of the game’s weaponry works across all War Games playlists.

The studio has been working hard over the past few weeks to rebalance and fine tune almost every weapon available in the Halo 4 sandbox, from the DRM to the Battle Rifle and the Magnum to the Warthog’s Chain Gun.

Today, the team has updated the Halo Waypoint with the final list of changes that will be implemented this Monday, June 3, across all Halo 4 playlists. In addition, multiplayer designer Quinn DelHoyo notes on Twitter, that “this update is huge. Weapons, movement speed, refreshed maps w/new weapons, vehicles, and cover, and 2x layer Overshield,” and that “base speed is being increased 10% across the board.”

Check out the weapon-specific details below:

Battle Rifle

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  • The Battle Rifle damage has been increased. The Battle Rifle is now capable of killing in four bursts.
  • The Battle Rifle rate of fire has been slightly decreased.
  • The Battle Rifle red reticle range (range at which auto-aim benefits kick in) has been decreased.
  • Two bursts from a Battle Rifle followed by a melee will now kill an opponent (2-shot melee).

Carbine

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  • The Carbine damage has been increased. The Carbine is now capable of killing in seven rounds.
  • The Carbine accuracy has been increased (projectile spread decrease).
  • The Carbine red reticle range has been decreased.

LightRifle

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  • The LightRifle zoomed rate of fire has been increased.
  • The LightRifle un-zoomed rate of fire has been slightly decreased.
  • The LightRifle red reticle range has been increased to match the updated DMR range.

DMR

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  • The DMR red reticle range has been slightly decreased.

Assault Rifle

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  • The Assault Rifle damage has been slightly increased. The Assault Rifle now kills in three less rounds.
  • The Assault Rifle auto-aim angle has been reduced.
  • The Assault Rifle projectile spread has been decreased.

Storm Rifle

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  • The Storm Rifle damage has been increased. The Storm Rifle now kills in three less rounds.
  • The Storm Rifle auto-aim angle has been reduced.
  • The Storm Rifle projectile spread has been decreased.

Suppressor

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  • The Suppressor damage has been increased. The Suppressor now kills in three less rounds.
  • The Suppressor auto-aim angle has been reduced.
  • The Suppressor projectile spread has been decreased.

SAW

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  • The damage has been increased to maintain double the damage-per-second of the Assault Rifle.

Magnum

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  • The damage has been slightly increased. The Magnum is still capable of killing in six rounds.

Vehicles

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  • The damage has been increased on both the Mantis and Warthog Chain Gun.

A few new matchmaking updates are also arriving this Monday. You can catch the full details here.

Lastly, 343 writes that, on Monday, the team “will be playing online from 5-7 PM PDT in a selection of playlists which will likely include Rumble Pit, Big Team Infinity Slayer, Capture the Flag, Team Objective, and possibly more.” Full details are incoming later this week.

Excited for #Halo4Turbo this June 3, as 343i has been dubbing it on Twitter?

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Crytek Announces First Crysis 3 Multiplayer DLC – The Lost Island

After dropping a few hints and teasing their fans with imagery of new settings and weaponry, studio Crytek has finally announced The Lost Island multiplayer DLC for Crysis 3.

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The Lost Island introduces four new maps to Crysis 3’s multiplayer, all set within the within a tropical island location off the coast of Ling Shan – the setting for the original Crysis game. The map pack also includes two new game modes, Possession and Frenzy, along with two new weapons, the Claw and Rhino.

We’re guessing that these new achievements/trophies will also be available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 players.

Expect to get your hands on this new content June 4 for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for 1200 Microsoft points or $14.99 USD.

Check out the four new multiplayer maps below:

Crossing

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Coastline

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Ascent

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Creek

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David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Call of Duty: Ghosts Weapon Camo Trailer, Now Available for Pre-Order on Steam

Call of Duty: Ghosts is now available for pre-order on Steam for $59.99 USD, available November 5, 2013.

There are a number of details to be read in Steam’s description of the game. Check it out below:

About the Game

“Outnumbered and outgunned, but not outmatched.

Welcome to Call of Duty®: Ghosts, an extraordinary step forward for one of the largest entertainment franchises of all-time. This new chapter in the Call of Duty® franchise features a fresh dynamic where players are on the side of a crippled nation fighting not for freedom, or liberty, but simply to survive.

Ten years after a devastating mass event, the nation’s borders and the balance of global power have been redrawn forever. A superpower no more, its economy and government in ashes, the country’s once-mighty military struggles to stave off complete collapse.

As what’s left of the nation’s Special Operations forces, a mysterious group known only as ‘Ghosts’ leads the fight back against a newly emerged, technologically-superior global power.

Fueling this boldly reimagined Call of Duty® universe, the franchise’s ambitious new next-gen engine delivers stunning levels of immersion and performance all while maintaining the speed and fluidity of 60 frames-per-second across all platforms.”

Key Features

  • The Introduction of a New Next-Gen Engine: Call of Duty®’s new next-gen engine ushers in an unprecedented level of innovation, delivering stunning and lifelike characters, gorgeously rendered environments, and authentic real-world animations, all brought to life by advanced lighting systems and visual effects that redefine forever the signature standards Call of Duty® fans have come to expect from the critically-acclaimed series.
  • A New Call of Duty® Universe: For the first time in franchise history, players will take on the underdog role with Call of Duty®: Ghosts; outnumbered and outgunned, players must fight to reclaim a fallen nation in an intensely personal narrative. Gamers will get to know an entirely new cast of characters and locales in a world unlike any that Call of Duty® has explored before.
  • The Next Generation of Multiplayer: Armed with a new next gen engine, Call of Duty®: Ghosts redefines the franchise’s hallmark multiplayer experience. Dynamic maps bring earthquakes, floods, and user-initiated events that fundamentally alter the flow and strategy of every fight. Also, with unparalleled character customization, players have total control to tailor-make their soldier. These are just two of the many innovations going into the Call of Duty®: Ghosts multiplayer experience.

In addition, Black Ops 2 gets a brand new trailer for the Ghosts pre-order bonus: a Ghosts weapon camo for use in Black Ops 2.

[youtube id=”ylm4U2WA1ZU” width=”618″ height=”378″]

David Veselka

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Infinity Ward Making COD: Ghosts for Next-Gen and “Bringing it Down” For PS3 and Xbox 360

Activision’s VP of production, Daniel Suarez, sheds some light on how Infinity Ward is going about developing Call of Duty Ghosts simultaneously on next gen and current consoles.

Speaking with Digital Spy, Daniel noted, “I can’t talk specific differences, but I will say from a general standpoint, we’re going to be making the game for next-gen and bringing it down for the current generation.”

“The current generation [version] will look better than any current generation version we’ve done to date. There are things that we’re doing on next gen that will port down, or at least work on current generation that weren’t done before,” he continued.

Daniel goes on to reiterate Activision’s yearly commitment to deliver the best Call of Duty game ever made, stating “…the priority right now is delivering the best next gen game we’ve ever done. I think you’ll see that, from our perspective, we’re going to deliver the most stunning Call of Duty game.”

“The experiences you’re going to have from a visual standpoint, a gameplay standpoint, are all going to come over to the current gen, but they’re just going to be that much more better next gen.”

Which platform are you going to buy Call of Duty: Ghosts on? Will Infinity Ward’s next effort be one of your next gen purchases?

Be sure to catch the latest news and editorials on MP1st’s dedicated Call of Duty: Ghosts page.

Fahed Jaradat

Senior Editor and Co-Founder. Multiplayer runs in my blood. Don't believe me? Ask for a sample! Subscriber

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Call of Duty: Ghosts – “We Needed to Make Something That Wasn’t Modern Warfare,” says Infinity Ward

Call of Duty: Ghosts marks a brand new beginning for Infinity Ward – developers of the highly acclaimed Modern Warfare series dating all the way back to 2007 with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – both in terms of a brand new series and whole new generation of gaming.

Studio head Mark Rubin recently spoke to MCV UK about moving away from the Modern Warfare series and into the wild unknown.

Rubin explained that it was “not a hard decision, but a long decision. We don’t get a chance when making a game to think about the next one until we are done actually making that first game.”

“So when we finished Modern Warfare 3, we had this big brainstorming session that lasted for weeks. Everybody gets to come up with ideas of what we want to do, not just what game we want to do, but moments in games.

“We all really knew we wanted to continue making Call of Duty. We could have done something else, but we wanted to make Call of Duty and we wanted to create a new universe, or a new story at least. We wanted new characters and new experiences.

“The easy thing would have been – as we had finished the arc of Modern Warfare 1, 2 and 3 – to start a new arc within that same universe. That was the first step. But due to a lot of the changes we wanted to make with this new world, it really dictated out that we needed to make something that wasn’t Modern Warfare.”

You can catch the first reveal of Call of Duty: Ghosts below.

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Rubin went on to talk about some of the new talent the studio is bringing on board, on top of Hollywood writer and director Stephen Gaghan (Traffic/Syriana).

“Because we are in LA, a lot of the new talent we were able to bring in was a lot of cool CG guys,” said Rubin. “We hired these two guys, who are amazing, and are basically the top two CG guys in the whole of Hollywood. These are the guys that did the faces and bodies of Final Fantasy: Spirits Within. They did the Beowulf movie. They did the CG parts in The Animatrix. These guys are the kings of lifelike characters in CG. And they work for us now.

“These new guys do everything at cinema level, so they create these art assets which are beyond next, next, next, next gen Beyond PC right now. It is these really big cinema-quality assets. And what we can then do is pull them down onto the various platforms so they are always the best that they can be for that platform. So you never have an average looking game. A lot of little techniques and things that these guys have been doing into Hollywood for years now, we are bringing into gaming.”

Infinity Ward also borrowed techniques from companies like Pixar, from who they acquired their ‘Sub D’ tech license. Rubin explained, “this tech has a pretty material effect on the way the game looks.”

Despite the Hollywood treatment that Ghosts’ might be getting, Rubin insists that “we always felt gameplay isn’t tech-dependant necessarily. But this new tech allows us to make those worlds that we are playing in more realistic. Also, “from a gameplay standpoint, we never felt hindered by the generation or the consoles or the tech. We always try to make it so the player always feels naturally involved in the world around them. The more realistic and natural the environment, the more the player’s imagination melds with that game.”

Call of Duty: Ghosts launches on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC this November 5, later for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Source: MVC UK

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Microsoft to Support the Xbox 360 for the Next Five Years

With Microsoft gearing up for the release of the recently unveiled Xbox One, the company still plans to keep the current-generation Xbox 360 “vibrant for years.”

“We believe over the next five years we can break a 100 million unit installed base,” senior vice president of Interactive Entertainment Business Yusuf Mehdi recently told OXM. “That’s something we’re shooting for, it’s not a financial plan as such, it’s just rough numbers if you will. To sell another 25 million, half of those will probably come from replacements, but half will come from new buyers.”

He added, “and the way we’ll break into those segments is by hitting new price points, getting new classes of entertainment to come with the Xbox, and breaking into new customer segments. So you’ll see the Xbox 360 continue to exist, even as we launch the next generation Xbox One.”

“We think you can go broader than a game console, that’s our aim,” he claims.

Microsoft is planning a huge announcement related to the Xbox 360 at E3 this year, one that the company promises will “keep the console vibrant for years.”

Are you going to be hanging on to your Xbox 360 when the next-generation Xbox One rolls around?

Source: OXM, via GameInformer

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber