Call of Duty: Black Ops gets 3D support

Call of Duty: Black OpsCall of Duty: Black Ops will have full 3D support say publisher Activision. That means so long as you have a 3D-ready HD TV or a PC with active shutter 3D glasses, you’ll be able to play Call of Duty: Black Ops in 3D.

Activision claims that 3D will deliver ‘true depth of field and an unprecedented level of immersion that is perfectly suited for the Call of Duty Black Ops experience.

“Development of stereoscopic 3D began as an R&D project, but once we saw what the technology brought to the Call of Duty experience, what a great fit and how immersive it was, we knew that we had to develop it for Black Ops. Aiming down the sights of your weapons, flying in helicopters, rappelling down mountains, and moving through highly detailed environments are just some of the awesome experiences you will have in 3D with Black Ops. “said Mark Lamia, Studio Head of Treyarch, the developers of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

He added: “we made sure the experience is seamless for gamers to use with a simple menu option to enable stereoscopic 3D or disable it at any time whether playing in the [Call of Duty: Black Ops] single player campaign, multiplayer or Zombies.”

This is the latest in a line of Call of Duty: Black Ops announcements.  Only last week did Activision confirm that Call of Duty: Black Ops will see the return of the popular multiplayer zombie mode, originally introduced in Call of Duty: World at War.

Call of Duty: Black Ops will feature an all star cast and is set for release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on November 9th. For a taster of what you can expect from Call of Duty: Black Ops, you can watch a multiplayer trailer here.

So Train2Game, what do you think about this latest Call of Duty: Black Ops announcement? Will playing Call of Duty: Black Ops do much to enhance the game? Or do you think it’s too early for Activision and Treyarch to be pushing 3D into Call of Duty: Black Ops?

As usual, you can leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

FIFA 11 breaks records with 2.6 million sales

FIFA 11FIFA 11 has become the fastest selling sports title of all time. Publisher EA has confirmed that 2.6 copies of FIFA 11 were sold worldwide in the mere days that it’s been on sale.  The popularity of FIFA 11 has already grossed EA $150 million in sales.

EA state that other ‘notable accomplishments’ for FIFA 11 since the games release include:

state that other ‘notable accomplishments’ for FIFA 11 since the games release include:

  • FIFA 11 sell-through is estimated to be up 29 percent over last year’s record-breaking launch. FIFA 11 is estimated to have grossed more than $150M at retail.
  • October 1-2 – the first two days after FIFA 11 launched in Europe – was the busiest two-day period for online gaming in EA SPORTS history. Fans registered more than 18.6 million online connected EA SPORTS game sessions overall, including more than 11.3 million of FIFA 11, in that two-day period.
  • FIFA 11 has earned 58 review scores of 90 or better around the world, including perfect marks from Gameblog.fr, Eurogamer Italy, PlayStation Life Style and Match magazine and Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK. GamesMaster Magazine (UK) proclaimed that FIFA 11 is “the best football game ever,” while OPM UK raves FIFA 11 is “as close to footballing perfection as we’ve ever seen in a videogame.”

President of EA Sports, Peter Moore, has lauded the record breaking success of FIFA 11.

“This is a landmark achievement for EA SPORTS – we’ve shattered sales records at retail, critics are praising FIFA 11 as being one of the most authentic and innovative titles ever, and fans are connecting and competing with other gamers around the world and have logged a record number of online connected game sessions.” He said.

Moore also announced that FIFA 11 ‘The Ultimate Team’ DLC, due for release in November, will be free.

“We’re thrilled at how fans embraced FIFA 11 last weekend, and we are excited to be able to offer one of our most popular game modes – FIFA 11 Ultimate Team – for free this November.”

The release of the much anticipated FIFA 11 saw retailers engaging in a price war in order to attract customers, while its success naturally saw FIFA 11 topping the GFK Chart-Track All formats software chart, whilst becoming the third highest selling debut week title in the UK.

If you’re still yet to be convinced by FIFA 11, find out how you can play not only the FIFA 11 demo, but also the PES 2011 demo in this previous Train2Game blog post.

So Train2Game, what are your thoughts on the success of FIFA 11? Is it good for the games industry? And have you played FIFA 11?

As usual, leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Summary: Eurogamer Expo 2010

EurogamerTrain2Game was at the Eurogamer Expo over the weekend and naturally so was I. During my time inside Earls Court not only did I get hands on time with a number of upcoming games, but I also attended some very interesting Developer Sessions.

Future blogs will go into much more detail about my impressions of the Eurogamer Expo, but here is a summary of what I saw, what I played, and  some initial impressions of what I found out.

Killzone 3 looks good in 3D…probably.

The first game I played at the Eurogamer Expo was Killzone 3, which can probably be considered odd that I’ve not played a Killzone title before. (Though I did almost buy Killzone 2 once) The main attraction of Killzone 3 was not only an opportunity to play a game that’s not released until February 2011, but to experience a game in 3D for the first time.

I excitedly sat down, put the PlayStation 3 controller in my lap, then picked up the 3D glasses. Unfortunately, 3D glasses don’t fit over regular glasses, which marred my entire experience. My time spent playing Killzone 3 was effectively played in double vision! It’s bound to be a good game, but I couldn’t get to grips with Killzone 3 due to my need for regular glasses.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood introduces a new type of multiplayer experience.

The Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer mode got its first public showing in the UK at the Eurogamer Expo and due to its popularity, I didn’t get much time to play the game. However, after watching others play the Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood multiplayer mode, it’s clear that it certainly does bring something different to the multiplayer table. This isn’t just aiming weapons in the direction of your enemy and hoping for the best, it’s all about stealth and cunning as you try to take out one specific target. Expect more on Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood later this week.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is rather impressive.

As the evening arrived, the Eurogamer Expo started getting quieter so I was able to sit down and spend a good half hour playing Ninja Theory’s upcoming title Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. I played through the first chapter and a half of the game, and this short introduction suggests that everything is fitting into place nicely. There’ll be a full article about my time playing Enslaved: Odyssey to the West later this week. And in addition to this you’ll see…

insights into the development of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.

Ninja Theory’s Tameem Antoniades provided and interesting Developer session about the production of Enslaved. He took us through how the game was made right from the basic concept, through character design, to script writing with Alex Garland and ‘filming’ the scenes using motion capture. Again, expect to see more about this later in the week.

Now of course this isn’t everything I experienced at the Eurogamer Expo, but is just a mere taster. In upcoming blogs not only can you expect to see more about these games, but also about others including Medal of Honor, Gears of War 3 and Marvel is Capcom 3.

In the meantime, what were your highlights of the Eurogamer Expo?

As usual, leave your thoughts here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm coming December 7th

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm goblinsWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be available from December 7th. The release date of the highly anticipated expansion to World of Warcraft was revealed by publisher Activision Blizzard.

The Cataclysm expansion pack will dramatically change the world of Azeroth, and allow World of Warcraft players to take part in new missions, level their World of Warcraft characters up to level 85 and play the worlds’ most successful MMO as two new races – worgen and goblins.

The official announcement about when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released comes after rumours on fan sites including MMO Champion and WoWHead. CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Morhaime, says World of Wacraft: Cataclysm will be good for both old and new Wow players.

Cataclysm includes the best content we’ve ever created for World of Warcraft. It’s not just an expansion, but a re-creation of much of the original Azeroth, complete with epic new high-level adventures for current players and a redesigned levelling experience for those just starting out.”

“With the help of our beta testers, we’re putting on the final polish, and we look forward to welcoming gamers around the world to enjoy it in just a couple of months.”

Activision Blizzard keenly point out in their press release that the first two World of Warcraft expansions, The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, both broke PC game sales records upon their release. These PC game sales records were broken earlier this year by another Activision Blizzard title, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty. The publisher must therefore be expecting another big payday when World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is released on December 7th!

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will be available on DVD-Rom and as a digital download at a ‘suggested retail price of $39.99’ If you’re so inclined you’ll also be able to pick up a World of Warcraft: Cataclysm ‘special Collector’s Edition packed with bonus items will be available exclusively in retail stores for a suggested retail price of $79.99’

The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm beta test is currently underway, and you can sign up for a chance to participate on the official Battle.net website.

So Train2Game, are you a World of Warcraft player? If so are you interested in World of Warcraft Cataclysm? Are you already tempted to attend a midnight launch? And could World of Warcraft Cataclysm replace Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty as the fastest selling PC title of all time?

You can leave your thoughts on World of Wracraft: Cataclysm here on the Train2Game blog, or on the Train2Game forum.

UK Charts: FIFA 11 tops table

FIFA 11FIFA 11 has become the third biggest ever game launch in UK history. Oh, and FIFA 11 has also unsurprisingly taken top spot in the GfK Chart-Track All Formats Software chart.

The achievement means that FIFA 11 is the strongest ever launch in FIFA history, with the only other games with more successful launches being Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV.  FIFA 11 was released on Friday, with various UK retailers attempting to offer consumers the best deal. The record breaking, chart-topping achievements of FIFA 11 mean that last week’s number one, F1 2010, has dropped to second place in the UK chart.

Capcom’s Dead Rising 2 remains in third position, moving ahead of Halo: Reach which drops two places from second to fourth.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock moves up one to fifth place. Ryder Cup fever has played a part in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 re-entering the top ten in sixth position.

Sony PlayStation Move game Sports Champions drops from fifth to seventh, while pushing Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands down one more position to eighth. Toy Story 3 still remains in ninth place. PC exclusive title Civilization V occupies the final place in the GfK Chart-Track top ten, having entered in fourth last week. Former chart topper Mafia II drops out of the top ten and into eleventh place.

The full GFK Chart-Track top ten for the week ending October 2nd is as follows:

1. FIFA 11 (EA)
2. F1 2010 (Codemasters)
3. Dead Rising 2 (Capcom)
4. Halo Reach (Microsoft)
5. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Activision)
6. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (EA)
7. Sports Champions (Sony)
8. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft)
9. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
10. Civilization V (2K Games)

Looking to buy FIFA 11? Check out this link to see where you can get the best deals.

So Train2Game, which of you have got your hands on FIFA 11? Was it always inevitable FIFA 11 would top the charts? And with PES 2011 released this week, will FIFA 11 still be top of the league next Monday? Could Enslaved: Odyssey to the West be a contender?

You can leave your thoughts on FIFA 11, the UK chart and any of the games in it, here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.

Fallout: New Vegas developer diary #3 – Art Direction

Here’s Fallout: New Vegas developer diary number three from Obsidian Entertainment. This time around the main focus of the developer diary is on the art direction of Fallout: New Vegas. This Fallout: New Vegas developer diary is definitely one for Train2Game Art & Animation students!

The developers explain how they make sure that Fallout: New Vegas holds onto the weird 1950’s setting of the post-nuclear world while still adding Las Vegas glamour to the game. There’s a lot of talk about making sure that when exploring the world of Fallout: New Vegas, that the player will feel as if there in the Rat Pack era of the 1950’s.

The designers explain how they’ve given crown jewel of Fallout: New Vegas, which of course Las Vegas, its own distinct classic style, but have made sure make every location in the game world feel truly authentic be the architecture based on the 1950’s, or the earlier Wild West.

It sounds like the artists behind Fallout: New Vegas had a lot of fun designing the famous casinos, which each have their own individual themes. They go so far as to say the Fallout: New Vegas strip is one ‘big artistic playground.’ You can see the Fallout: New Vegas ‘Art Direction’ developer diary below.


The previous Fallout: New Vegas developer diaries are still available if you want a glimpse at how Obsidian handle Tech and Sound, or the story behind Fallout: New Vegas. You can also get a more in depth preview of Fallout: New Vegas in this article.

Of course, you can even get your hands on Fallout: New Vegas from today through to Sunday at the Eurogamer Expo.

Train2Game is also at Eurogamer, and will be giving away the new PlayStation Move controller with a PlayStation 3 320GB slim at Eurogamer 2010.

To enter the prize draw pick up a entry form at Stand 12 in the Career fair. We look forward to seeing you there.

Fallout: New Vegas is released in the UK on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 22nd.

So Train2Game, what you think about the artistic direction of Fallout: New Vegas? What would you add?

You can leave your comments on Fallout: New Vegas here on the Train2Game blog or on the Train2Game forum.