Call of Duty 4 reclaims Xbox Live top spot, double XP this weekend
It appears some of the enthusiasm for Grand Theft Auto IV's multiplayer has waned, as the title has dropped to number three for top Xbox Live titles for the week of May 26. Old stalwarts Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 raced to reclaim the throne, with the latter title once again taking the top spot.
To express gratitude, Infinity Ward's iamfourzerotwo said that this weekend will provide double experience points for all COD4 players. That will apply to both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Additionally, the variety map packs will now show up as often as normal maps (they are currently twice as likely to now).
To express gratitude, Infinity Ward's iamfourzerotwo said that this weekend will provide double experience points for all COD4 players. That will apply to both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Additionally, the variety map packs will now show up as often as normal maps (they are currently twice as likely to now).











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
LameDuck @ Jun 4th 2008 11:07PM
Ahhh heck yea, boyyyyyyyyyy!
Seriously, is anyone else sick of playing with the kids on Halo3? My nephew and his friends make the most craptastic maps, my favorite being one where you get warped into a ditch at every move if you don't know where you are going and you can't get weapons unless you know where they hide them. When you play with them, you spend all your time hunting for the weapons pile that they are guarding anyway.
But hell, giving one team a pistol and the other team rocketlaunchers is fair, right? Them little tards booted me once becuase I was picking them off in one hit with a pistol. MWHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 4th 2008 11:14PM
Actually the main reason I quit COD a couple months ago was because more and more halo kids were migrating in and not only bringing their immature mouths with them, but also their cheap halo tactics with them. Totally ruined the game for me.
Obie @ Jun 4th 2008 11:22PM
Its amazing how many people fail to use the "mute everyone but your friends" feature on Xbox.com.
I have been playing since November and not heard anyone on my headset except buddies.
LameDuck @ Jun 4th 2008 11:28PM
Yea but that is... boring. If they had it where you could just mute certain players then that would be better. The only problem I find with this game, and XBL/PSN in general, is people making fun of me for having a country accent. You know, lets forget that the guy that has been making fun of me for 30 minutes sounds like Lil' John with a c@#$ stuck in his mouth. Then again it could be the whole "southren==retarded, inbread redneck" mentality the US has now-in-days. Idiots.
ANYWAY! That doesn't happen all the time, just mostly when I'm pwning or sucking and I'm the type of guy that usually stays in the top 3 or 4.
Shmil @ Jun 5th 2008 12:37AM
LameDuck, you can mute just select people in halo 3, in a game hold the back button to bring up a list of the players and score, used the d-pad to scroll through the names and X mutes the player. Also complaining about your nephew's map is a pretty worthless argument against halo 3
xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 5th 2008 8:39AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there's also an easy-mute function like that in CoD4, as well. Hit the back button, and then press X when highlighting a loudmouth's profile.
JJ Rooster @ Jun 5th 2008 8:48AM
Lameduck, in XBL you can mute anybody by bringing up the guide button and finding that person in your "recent players" list. You can mute them, send them a negative rep or file a complaint against them too. It's very satisfying.
LameDuck @ Jun 5th 2008 10:30AM
Thanks! I hardly ever mute anyone for being jackasses, I typically use the rage they cause to focus on killing them... even if they are on my team...
It's nice to know that there is a way to keep me from going bezerk and just muderating everyone in the game. You guys rock.
giantenemycrab @ Jun 4th 2008 11:08PM
It was bound to happen. Look, GTA 4 was amazing, a blast to play, groundbreaking, but it lacks(IN MY VIEW) what the previous GTAs possessed: replayability. Once you beat the story and sampled some of the multiplayer, it really loses it's effect.
I never even beat the San Andreas story but I played that game for so many hours it's scary. SA was fun to just drive around, explore, and sandbox, but it's just not there in GTA 4.
Hopefully DLC will add this, then in my opinion, it will be the greatest game of all time.
BananaBoat @ Jun 4th 2008 11:15PM
GTA4 is basically GTA 3 and Vice City/San Andreas without the fun. No fun weapons (where is my flamethrower? Where is my chainsaw?), no sky diving, no flying planes, no underwater swimming, no *list continues for awhile*. It was a good game, but not what I wanted.
That said, COD4 is everything I wanted, and with it surpassing 10 million in sales, it's no wonder that it's taking it's top spot back. Double EXP is kinda useless though...unless you just feel the need to go another round through prestige (prestige mode destroys me on the inside. I've stopped so I can use the freaking 50 cal)
Alex Bravo @ Jun 7th 2008 6:08AM
Ye I totally agree!!
The story in GTA4 just doesn't progress in the way that it should, GTA4 is defenitely a step back, every mission in SAndreas had me eagar for more because the story had me wrapped up, in GTA4 your little more than a sensless killer who never really accomplishes anything.
The shooting system and driving system is a nice improvement though, but the story is a BIG let down.
mike @ Jun 4th 2008 11:15PM
That picture would ne netter if nikos face was in the background peering from behind a bush
mike @ Jun 4th 2008 11:20PM
*be better
bah this vista. My old Logitech wireless keyboard has vista drivers released but their buggy and occasionaly the keyboard screwes up, inserting random letters
Obie @ Jun 4th 2008 11:17PM
The Return of the King!
xFenixKnightx @ Jun 4th 2008 11:58PM
Lol, Lion King quotes FTW!! :D
Haon @ Jun 4th 2008 11:32PM
Double xp? How about double headshots. Thats all I got left and its a pain in the ass.
JetPogi @ Jun 4th 2008 11:39PM
the shooting part is what is not keeping me from playing GTA4 online only the race is good for me now.
Exo @ Jun 4th 2008 11:48PM
actually, the top live games doesnt mean its most played multiplayer, it means more people are playing it while on live.
you could be in single player and it still counts you
ScottyGEE @ Jun 4th 2008 11:51PM
GTA is great fun with friends... I love free mode.
But when those friends don't play GTA, I go back to Halo. I am thankful that xboxLIVE Australia isn't dominated by kids that I see you lot all complain about =)
mundox @ Jun 4th 2008 11:58PM
yay double xp! wait... who cares?
Wise Guy @ Jun 5th 2008 12:01AM
BORING!!! Halo 3 all the way! COD4 is dumbed down for noobs that can't hack it in Halo! Linear play... no vehicles, no replays or in depth stats..... same old same old!
Halo 3 definitely takes more skill, is way more exciting, and can be seen as frustrating to the untrained and novice players!!!
That's why COD4 is so wildly popular (10 million MULTI-PLATFORM KIDS!!!) Easy kills means NO skills! Flame on Noobs! Flame on!!!
Obie @ Jun 5th 2008 12:00AM
Cocaine is a helluva drug.
Chimaera @ Jun 5th 2008 12:17AM
You're kidding, right?
I can't tell if I smell any sarcasm in that post or not...
Billy @ Jun 5th 2008 1:25AM
Well, that's certainly the most ridiculous comment I've ever read on this blog. Congratulations for being a complete douchebag. Halo 3 > COD4? My word, you are a sad, sad person.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 5th 2008 8:28AM
Try playing a game that only lets you take 2 or 3 hits AT THE MOST before dying, all the while having access to almost the same weapons as everyone else, instead of rushing for the Noob Cannons (Rocket Launcher/Sword, namely) instead of that garbage you're claiming. CoD4 is BY FAR a more balanced game, requiring SKILL over the ability to run directly towards someone and take 40 rounds to the face before melee-ing them to death up close.
Halo 3 was a great conclusion to the Halo story arc (I still play the co-op now and then for fun), but it is a much more gimped MP experience, tailor-made for Noobs who run to grab explosives/swords and then claim they have "Mad skillz, yo".
It's called "realism"...get with the program.
JaKa (Because 666 gives a wrong impression!) @ Jun 5th 2008 10:47AM
"[CoD4]requiring SKILL over the ability[to melee pple to death]"
Especially Martyrdom,Juggy,50 cal MG's and Helicopters? Hey and what about the 1-shot-kill damage that makes this game a camper/K:D paradise? On Halo, a single noob with a Plasma Nade is enough to own a camper.But oh no, on CoD4 campers get fucking 30:3 KD's and call in helicopters to nail even more kills.And don't get me started on weapons.I think that running around in the middle of a battlefield looking for a Rocket Launcher takes a tad more skill than spawning with an LMG on Stopping Power and Deep Impact and owning the shit out of everybody?
I respect your opinion and love both games but your criticism make you look like a bit of a hypocrite.
PS: "Realistic" isn't a good description for a game which lets you sprint around and noscope with a 50cal Barreta.
PS2: TF2 is better than both of them.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 5th 2008 11:47AM
Jaka:
Well-met. To some degree I can definitely see your side of the argument a lot more clearly now, but still...Sniper/Camper kills are interchangeable between both titles...IMO, it just takes a lot more skill to stay out of harm's way on CoD4 seeing as you don't have a magical overshield to protect you, kind of like in real life.
As for one-hit kills on random parts of the body, that's agreed...I shot a guy in the foot two days ago for a one-hit kill while playing the Creek map...and I actually felt sorry for the guy...sure, in the real world he could've died days later if it got infected or if he bled to death, but not instantly.
As for the question of balance, running for a weapon that nabs instant kills (rocket launcher) isn't quite the same scenario as having to stop a guy with an LMG that can tear through walls...the perks system is there so that players can build on their own strengths while others can edit profiles to better defend against such overpowered players...not to mention that you can easily win a one-on-one quick encounter with an LMG carrier by using a submachine gun with the perk for better hip-firing accuracy, or by using the M16 (a weapon available from the moment you first start in MP) with a short burst or two. In Halo 3, it's basically a race to the "good" (i.e., most powerful) weapons, and even players skilled with the starting weapons won't be able to defeat the nade spamming/rocket whoring of a team filled with randomly-paired people.
So in short, let's just agree to disagree on this one. In my eyes, Halo 3 is a kid's MP game, and CoD4 is more geared towards realism, although both are OWNED in the realism department by Rainbow Six: Vegas 2.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 5th 2008 11:49AM
Oh, and one more thing we both can agree on, Jaka...Martyrdom is garbage...I hope that doesn't make it into CoD5.
343 Guilty Fart @ Jun 5th 2008 1:41PM
I enjoy CoD but after playing a few rounds I always go back to Halo. I prefer Halo precisely because of the '40 shots then melee' that GeneralDeath described. I enjoy how each encounter becomes a little duel with another player, with one player BRing while the other moves in, pulls out a sword, goes for the lunge, only to have the other one toss a perfectly placed sticky and kill the other in mid-lunge. CoD is more of a 'I'm walking, I'm walking, oh-shit-theres-a-guy-pull-the-trigger! Often I get shot and killed with absolutely no recourse, and after awhile it just gets frustrating. Also, I enjoy Halo's color palette, CoD just feels more like the greys-and-browns of Gears.
Wise Guy @ Jun 5th 2008 6:33PM
@ XGeneral DeathX
Apparently, you don't play Halo 3. It's never been about running for the best weapon... because there is no best weapon!!! Every weapon in the game can be countered with other weapons and objects. My guess is you got your ass owned in Halo 3 so you moved onto a game that's unbalanced with cheap perk kills (Martyrdom,Juggy,50 cal MG's and Helicopters) and camping? Skill??? Talk about cheap. At least you can run around on a Halo map. COD4's 1 hit kills encourages everyone to camp or build up cheap perks! There is a lot of strategy to be used in Halo 3 in both objective and slayer matches.... especially when vehicles are involved and you don't have a cannon to go up against one! If you like easy games... COD4 fits you I guess!!
xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 6th 2008 8:30AM
I actually don't have quite as horrific a record on Halo 3 MP as you may think...look up my gamertag, it's the same as my name here...I'm not terrible at it, it's just a boring game to me. I'll break it out for MP at LAN parties every now and then, but for the most part, it's too slow-paced/unrealistic/unbalanced an experience for me.
And FYI, I don't like the .50 cal because it's too overpowered/wild recoil, I never use Juggernaut (it really doesn't make a difference when someone can still light you up with 50 rounds up-close, or still kill you with a sniper round from 100 yards out), and if you read my earlier response to Jaka, you would see that I think Martyrdom is total garbage...one of the cheapest perks invented. Also, using the helicopter is no more unbalanced than giving a decently-skilled player the keys to a warthog/wraith...especially if you have a good support gunner. All the same, each weapon has its own worst enemy (LMG's are heavier, and therefore tougher to wheel around in tight quarters), and even the perks have their drawbacks (you can't mix-and-match every single combination of three perks...much more BALANCED than it could be).
But it's cool that you like playing a game where you can jump 12 feet into the air and float like a pretty, colorful butterfly for 2-3 seconds before landing and slash your friends to death in one hit using a sword that has a lock-on function...weird, but to each his own, I guess. I prefer more realism/speed in my games, and Halo 3 got blown out of the disc drive once the CoD4 beta showed its face last October or November.
Play what you like, but don't start randomly bashing people who play other games as "noobs who can't hack it in Halo"...some of us don't care for brightly-colored bashfests, in-depth stat-tracking (we like to go outside, be physically active, and kiss girls, and even touch them with our real body parts), or vehicles (whoop-dee-doo). Keep your "HaHa STFu N00b" comments to yourself.
Watership @ Jun 5th 2008 12:27AM
Wait. Halo 3 has been having double xp weekends for a few months now. Did Infinity ward just copy them? Sheesh.
nxtiak @ Jun 5th 2008 12:40AM
No they didn't try to copy them.
Halo 3 is TRYING to come back to #1 spot by GIVING double XP points but have been unsuccessful. It's funny how since COD4 took #1 spot MONTHS ago, Halo3 has had several different "championships" and "tournaments" and 2 new map packs. Still can't touch #1. ahhahahah Halo is the sux0rs! :)
Shmil @ Jun 5th 2008 12:42AM
or it could be that Bungie likes their customers, so they give them stuff like this to keep them happy, but I'm sure its all as unscrupulous as you say it is.
Billy @ Jun 5th 2008 1:27AM
Shmil, don't be so naive. You know Bungie wants that spot back, but their game sucks so much ass, the only way they can even hope to be back at #1 is to bribe their customers.
Shmil @ Jun 5th 2008 1:49AM
Billy, I agree with you completely. Halo 3 sucks so much ass that It holds steady in the top 3 games played on xbl. The only people who play it are the madden frat boy jerk offs and racist sexist homophobic preteens. The game is so simple it doesn't take any strategy at all. You have to shoot people in their armor plated chests over 50 times to kill someone whereas COD4 only requires 2-3 on any part of the body to kill someone.
Bungie was a major corporation and only cares about the #1 spot. They have no care for their customers at all, that's why they rush every product they make to get a new version out every year. Of course they wouldn't care about customers enough to put out these dbl exp weekends to give players a chance to play something new. Hell how much can you change how halo is played anyway? Grifball? What the fuck is that? That sounds like some queer shit right there.
/sarcasm
nxtiak @ Jun 5th 2008 12:38AM
GTA4 Multiplayer is one of the worse multiplayer game I've ever played. It's a complete joke.
I traded in my GTA4 (xbox 360) a couple days after I finished story mode.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 5th 2008 10:19AM
I didn't even go so far as to finish the story before I was bored. Traded mine in less than two weeks after purchase.
Bradwart @ Jun 5th 2008 1:33AM
Yeah, this is the game that won't give it's now dated, craptastic multiplayer maps that took about five minutes worth of effort away for free MONTHS after release. Plus, all this '10 million units sold' crap is really tiring. It's a MULTI-PLATFORM release, people. Halo's 8.1 million number was for one console. Plus, instead of investing serious time and effort into honest matchmaking code, they do a cheap lobby system that is in all honesty, broken. Everytime someone pulls out in the lobby, it resets. Lock them into a game. Plus, in Halo 3 Ranked Playlists, you at least have a good chance you are playing with people close to your skill. COD, not so much-n00bs with Generals doesn't mix.
Superstar90 @ Jun 5th 2008 8:39AM
So much for "the greatest game evar!". Just give me San Andreas 2 please, I want more of CJ and the crazy fun weapons.
Alex Bravo @ Jun 7th 2008 6:24AM
DAM RIGHT!
CJ was the man...
Niko is cool, but not "ICE COOL!"
skullivan @ Jun 5th 2008 10:42AM
It has nothing to do with the multiplayer. 360 games get placed on that chart simply from people playing them (either single or multiplayer) while connected to Xbox Live.
This just means that people have finally stopped playing the single player. If the rankings were based solely on multiplayer I doubt GTAIV would've ever even topped Halo 3 let alone COD4.
JaKa (Because 666 gives a wrong impression!) @ Jun 5th 2008 10:59AM
Imho, I doubt it would top Vegas 2.
Optimaximal @ Jun 5th 2008 10:49AM
No love for the PC version? Oh yeah, thats because everyone is already Rank 55 because we can't trade the rank in for kudos like the PC version... Either that or everyone is just cheating their way to top-rank.
Sort the fucking PB implementation you idiots!
Optimaximal @ Jun 5th 2008 10:49AM
Dammit... Second PC = Console.
I = FAIL!
noah @ Jun 5th 2008 1:14PM
I'd love to play COD4, but there is no room in my heart ( or the money in my pocket ) to move over from another game that isn't Halo.What can i say? I've been a hardcore Halo-er since Combat Evolved. I understand the bitter hatred for it because of it's game play system and annoying 8 year olds....but what do you expect? It's online gaming! Very easy to mute.
BTW, I heard somewhere on a random forum ( I think at Gametrailers.forums? Not quite sure, though) that Halo 3 's been secretly doing double XP points on one of the matchmaking playlists. Can anybody confirm this? Or is this just another rumor?
Bradwart @ Jun 5th 2008 6:06PM
No, for the month of June, because of all the recent issues in the Ranked Big Team playlist, Bungie is giving Double EXP for the entire month. It's not a secret. They also updated nearly all the playlists to add new functionality, SWAT CTF, etc. Plus, COD hasn't been out as long. As time passes, it will drop. Look at the game on the top of the Xbox Xbox Live list-Halo 2, after four years. COD always gets boring, and 5 is going to probably destroy the series. There is no rewards for reaching the top, only the satisfaction of having ALL your hard-earned work taken from you to start over. Some reward.
Wise Guy @ Jun 5th 2008 6:45PM
I second this. I bought COD4's hype and tried it for a month, both on campaign and multiplayer. The fun factor wasn't even close (in my opinion) to Halo. I played the crap out of Halo 2 online. I like the addition of objects in H3 as well as better weapon balance. Not all games seem fair.. that just goes with online gaming. But the weapons, vehicles, grenades, theater, forge, matchmaking, online stats, new maps, and video clips or photos you can send to people GETTING OWNED... keep me coming back. COD4 gets so boring. I still don't get the hype. The campaign is linear and multiplayer feels so slow and cheap. I like how you can always turn the tides in Halo (countering weapons, escaping to regenerate, stick a warthog that's been killing your team). You can also relive your achievements in theater mode. Theres so much to do. But, I guess the different styles of game play in both games are what attracts it's fans.
xGeneral DEATHx @ Jun 6th 2008 8:34AM
P.s. I apologize to anyone bored by my long-winded troll-feeding session...I just feel so sorry for them every now and then...
Alex Bravo @ Jun 7th 2008 6:21AM
Naaaa im sorry anyone who says halo doesnt require skill is crazy!
If I dont play Halo for a month and then try and play it again I would get owned because Halo is a tactical game. You have to know how to think fast and act in every situation, such as;
...being shot at and then running round a corner and
laying a grenade for that person to get blown up by when they chase you down!
Its that kinda thinking and playing that will make someone stand out in halo, and exceptional player in Halo is much more obvious then an exceptional player in COD4.
Im ranked 43 in Halo and I still learn incredible tricks to get myself out of a sticky situation!
BUT...
COD4 is still MAD FUN!!!
I just cant agree it involves more skill than Halo, and I have no biast opinion because I never get owned of COD4!!
Not trying to start and arguement I just had to voice my "long winded" opinion!!
SORRY, but thanks for reading!!