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Bizarre-developed Bond opts for EastEnder over Daniel Craig
by Christopher Grant 
{ Nov 11th 2009 at 1:58PM }
According to Adam Croasdell, the EastEnders star (it's a long-running BBC soap opera, for the non-British amongst us) has wrapped up voice work on the game. "Oddly enough I have just played James Bond in the new James Bond video game -- how weird is that?" Croasdell told BBC Asian Network, as reported by the Press Association. "I think video games and the making of that type of technology, being in a funny one-piece suit and being shot with 60 cameras, I think that's sort of the future."
We're right there with you, Croasdell! Oh, and you better get used to that one-piece suit ... Activision has plans to milk that Bond license before it expires in 2014.
[Via Digital Spy]
As easy as 1.23 million: Modern Warfare 2 breaks first-day UK sales record
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 11th 2009 at 1:29PM }
Smashing through the estimated 631,000 units sold by 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, Infinity Ward's slick shooter grossed £47 million (roughly $78.3 million) in first-day sales, which ELSPA and GFK-ChartTrack pair with 1.23 million units sold. Sold to adults, of course! "So, as an 18-rated video game, it is important that this game is not played by children, and parents should be appropriately vigilant," said Rawlinson. "We ask everyone to make sure they check the packaging of games to ensure they are suitable for their players, especially as we enter the festive season when video games are one of the most popular gifts of the holiday."
We hope you don't take offense, people of the UK, but some of you have awfully high-pitched voices online.
Virtual WoW pet sells out [update: the Monk is back!]
by JC Fletcher { Nov 11th 2009 at 12:30PM }
It's the Make-A-Wish pledge that makes us believe that this is less a nefarious plot to deprive players of their fake pets and more an error in Blizzard's shopping system -- probably triggered as a result of too many people buying the Monk. We fully expect WoW players to be given the opportunity to waste their money on this pet (for a good cause) soon.
Update: The Pandaren Monk is once again available for sale. Blizzard told us that a "minor technical error" caused the Monk to display as out of stock.
[Via WoW.com]
Eyes-on: Modern Warfare 2 night vision goggles
by Justin McElroy { Nov 11th 2009 at 10:20AM } 
We've opened our eyes in the blackness and seen the green-tinted future, and now we want to share our vision with you.
(And yes, we'll be giving the whole thing away soon.)
PSA: Modern Warfare 2 won't unlock on Steam until Friday
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 10th 2009 at 2:00PM }
It looks like the game was initially delayed to unlock at midnight on Thursday, but at some point this morning, an additional 24 hours was tacked on to the postponement. Valve and Infinity Ward still haven't commented on why Steam users are being forced to wait -- we'll see if we can get an answer from them.
The Onion reveals Modern Warfare 3, most 'realistic' military experience yet
by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 10th 2009 at 12:30PM }
The Onion has the WORLD EXCLUSIVE first details of Modern Warfare 3, which developer Infinity Ward is apparently putting the "final touches on." There's so much scrumptious information in the Onion report, it's almost like the respected media source made the whole thing up.
Modern Warfare 3 will blow away its predecessor in the realism department, being the most "true to life" installment of the game ever produced. A "majority" of gameplay will have players hauling equipment, cleaning vehicles, experiencing home sickness and "filling out paperwork." Check out the full report after the break. We're so bummed we weren't invited to the reveal junket, which had journalists sleeping in the Pentagon and being briefed in "the war room" (which actually has a sign: "No Fighting Allowed!").
Modern Warfare 3 will blow away its predecessor in the realism department, being the most "true to life" installment of the game ever produced. A "majority" of gameplay will have players hauling equipment, cleaning vehicles, experiencing home sickness and "filling out paperwork." Check out the full report after the break. We're so bummed we weren't invited to the reveal junket, which had journalists sleeping in the Pentagon and being briefed in "the war room" (which actually has a sign: "No Fighting Allowed!").
Users report Modern Warfare 2 Trophies misfiring
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 10th 2009 at 11:00AM }
While we're not certain Trophies are distributed for ... the feat mentioned above, it does seem that the PS3 version of Modern Warfare 2 is experiencing some trouble rewarding Trophies to its players. The problem seems to be with a pre-launch patch which, for some reason or other, disables the game's unlockable incentives. A fix for the issue has been discovered by a few fan sites, but we've contacted Infinity Ward to see when we can expect a more official solution to surface.
Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
by Kevin Kelly { Nov 10th 2009 at 3:01AM }
Wait, didn't everybody already buy this?
Even if your willpower or geography has kept you from picking up Modern Warfare 2, you're probably reading this as you drive to go do just that. Activision's marketing people like to call this one the most anticipated game of the decade, and there's no doubt it will sell oodles of copies from now until Modern Warfare 3: Even Moderner. But is it worth the hype? I spent some serious time pounding plastic to see if Infinity Ward's latest has the fun to back it up and you can find out what I thought right after the break.
Just pull over first, okay?
This is Modern Warfare 2's official launch party
by Andrew Yoon { Nov 10th 2009 at 12:00AM }
Funnily, a good percentage of people waiting on line already had a copy of the game. Why bother going to the launch event, then? Perhaps the swag proved too enticing: XL Modern Warfare 2 t-shirts and the chance to oogle at IGN's Jessica Chobot were more than enough reason to wait on line for upwards of an hour.
Considering this is arguably the biggest game release of the year, the event ended up being a bit underwhelming. Other than the dozens of Xbox 360 demo kiosks (with nary a PS3 in sight), Activision didn't offer much else to see or do. For the sake of this blogger, a more "ridiculous" marketing budget would have offered a far more spectacular launch party, one filled with fireworks, ninjas and dedicated servers.
Activision establishing 'Call of Duty Endowment,' donating $1 million to war veteran aid
by Ben Gilbert { Nov 9th 2009 at 12:00PM }
Though he's mostly known for facepalm-inducing hard business quotes, Activision head Bobby Kotick thoughtfully commented, "How do you expect people to actually join the military if when they leave the military they can't integrate back into the free market they're supposed to be protecting? The joblessness rate that [veterans] should have should be far less than the national average, not more." The foundation's first donation will be for $125,000 to the Paralyzed Veterans of America and will go towards the opening of a vocational rehabilitation center.
For the UK's best Modern Warfare 2 deal, head to the grocery store
by JC Fletcher { Nov 9th 2009 at 9:30AM }
Tesco is also offering a big price cut on Modern Warfare 2: it's £25 with the purchase of another bestselling game (The Guardian specifies "top-20" games), or £39.70 on its own. Tescos, which are open all the time anyway, will begin selling the game at midnight tonight, as will five Sainsbury's locations. Unless they're like stores in the US, in which case they began selling them last week.
Select GameStops in NY, OH and PA selling Modern Warfare 2 already [update: Activision responds]
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 8th 2009 at 11:30AM }
Poor, poor GameStop. As the gaming public's anticipation for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 approached critical mass, they faltered in their loyalty, and took their business to small "mom and pop" game retailers who had broken the game's street date. Fortunately for the retail juggernaut, Activision showed compassion for its plight, and agreed to let certain GameStops in a few Northeast states start selling the game before Tuesday in order to help combat these vicious local businesses.
We've been receiving tips all morning from folks living in New York and Pennsylvania (and Kotaku reports Ohio as well) stating that they were able to find the game on sale at their local GameStop. If you live in one of those Northeastern states, you might want to go ahead and call your local 'Stop to see if it's one of the stores which was granted special permission. If it is, then you can go straight to hell, you lucky jerk.
LGJ: Read the fine print!
by Mark Methenitis { Nov 7th 2009 at 2:00AM }
Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq ("LGJ"), a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:
Well, after the incident with Courtney Love and Kurt, it looks like the whole issue of famous musicians in games is back in the press with No Doubt suing Activision over Band Hero. A one time event is an anomaly, but twice in just a few months suggests something else. Of course, both of these all tie back to the contract, and since I'm a transactional attorney who spends the majority of most days negotiating and drafting agreements like these, I'm hoping I can shed a little light on what might be causing the problems. Since I wasn't involved in these particular negotiations nor have I read these contracts, all of what I'm presenting is speculation.
But before I begin, I suppose I should answer the simple question, "What is a contract?" I assume that most people reading this have at least some idea, but just in case, it's worth describing in detail. A contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties to perform certain promises in the future. In theory, to form a contract there are five elements: Offer and acceptance, consideration, intent, capacity, and formalities. In reality, it's fairly simple. The parties must have a meeting of the minds, that is agree to the same terms, which is often viewed as an offer by one party and acceptance by the other. Each party must put up something of value, called consideration, for the contract to be valid. The parties must intend to enter into a contract, and be of the appropriate mental capacity to enter into the agreement. And then the agreement is generally recorded in writing, as most jurisdictions have rules that require written agreements, which is then signed by the parties. And that is how a contract is born, in theory anyway.
Well, after the incident with Courtney Love and Kurt, it looks like the whole issue of famous musicians in games is back in the press with No Doubt suing Activision over Band Hero. A one time event is an anomaly, but twice in just a few months suggests something else. Of course, both of these all tie back to the contract, and since I'm a transactional attorney who spends the majority of most days negotiating and drafting agreements like these, I'm hoping I can shed a little light on what might be causing the problems. Since I wasn't involved in these particular negotiations nor have I read these contracts, all of what I'm presenting is speculation.
But before I begin, I suppose I should answer the simple question, "What is a contract?" I assume that most people reading this have at least some idea, but just in case, it's worth describing in detail. A contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties to perform certain promises in the future. In theory, to form a contract there are five elements: Offer and acceptance, consideration, intent, capacity, and formalities. In reality, it's fairly simple. The parties must have a meeting of the minds, that is agree to the same terms, which is often viewed as an offer by one party and acceptance by the other. Each party must put up something of value, called consideration, for the contract to be valid. The parties must intend to enter into a contract, and be of the appropriate mental capacity to enter into the agreement. And then the agreement is generally recorded in writing, as most jurisdictions have rules that require written agreements, which is then signed by the parties. And that is how a contract is born, in theory anyway.
Activision catches both pirates and thieves in Modern Warfare 2 investigation
by JC Fletcher { Nov 6th 2009 at 9:00PM }
When IPCyberCrime found the person behind the sale, the investigator discovered that he was an employee at a retailer, who, with friends, had stolen the bundles to sell on Craigslist. The sellers were turned over to the store's loss prevention department.
That bust led to one of the prospective buyers, named Christian Del Amo, who was raising money on a forum to buy the bundle (allegedly) for the purpose of copying the game and selling the copies, along with other pirated games, on hard drives. IPCyberCrime turned that case over to the Miami-Dade Police Department, who arrested Del Amo.
Obviously, this demonstrates one reason (aside from the whole morality thing) why you shouldn't try to make a business of selling pirated games. Activision has enough money to hire a private investigator, and is not afraid to use it.
Tony Hawk: Ride videos are in-game and out-of-game
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 6th 2009 at 5:30PM } 
We debated which of the two video assets Activision recently sent us for Tony Hawk: Ride should go a the top of the post, and which should be relegated to the unfavorable, post-jump real estate. The in-game trailer is pretty slick, and features that super catchy We Are Scientists jam. (You know the one, you hip guy, you.) However, the gameplay demonstration actually shows the peripheral being used to go on a "sick run," apparently part of a long-standing feud between Activision and Robomodo.
We decided to put the "sick run" at the top of the post, if only because we want you to know that this is exactly how we looked the first time we played the game at E3. Only we didn't crash quite so much, and also, when we finished playing, Tony Hawk himself came up and gave us a high-five with one of his giant hands. Check out the video above, then click past the jump to check out its neglected (but catchy!) brother.
We decided to put the "sick run" at the top of the post, if only because we want you to know that this is exactly how we looked the first time we played the game at E3. Only we didn't crash quite so much, and also, when we finished playing, Tony Hawk himself came up and gave us a high-five with one of his giant hands. Check out the video above, then click past the jump to check out its neglected (but catchy!) brother.
