Infinity Ward posts (Subscribe to this feed)

CoD4 overtakes Gears of War, Infinity Ward planning update

by Griffin McElroy { Nov 18th 2007 at 12:45PM }

We like us some Call of Duty 4, and based on Major Nelson's top ten Xbox Live titles for this past week, so do a lot of other gamers. The game placed second in the rankings, right below Halo 3, and right above a certain quartet of steroid infused, uber-masculine gunhavers.

Infinity Ward isn't resting on their digital laurels, it would seem. Though the game has only been out eleven days in the states, they're already talking updates. The biggest change in their first planned update is a fix for the game's often fickle matchmaking and host selection, one of the few black marks against the title. Also, games will no longer end abruptly if the host drops out, and server performance on games with large numbers of players will supposedly improve. You can read the full list of gameplay changes after the jump.

Continued →

Joystiq hands-on: Call of Duty 4 multiplayer

by Kevin Kelly { Aug 10th 2007 at 7:56PM }

We've already had a first look at Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and we've seen the multiplayer video that was pre-alpha, but this was the first chance for us to snatch up the controller and get our hands dirty in the actual game. Sure, it's a beta build, but the first thing we can say is yes ... it does look that good.

The second thing we can say is yes ... it does look that good, and then some. Activision had an event at a trendy bar / club in Los Angeles yesterday, and we were among one of the first groups to get our game on outside of Infinity Ward. Despite some major router issues on their end that delayed things by a couple of hours, the game still managed to blow us away thoroughly.

Gallery: Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat

Continued →

COD4: Modern Warfare demoed & beta announced

by David Dreger { Jul 11th 2007 at 8:30AM }

Infinity Ward's Jason West demoed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, showing off the game's visceral visuals and gameplay. The mission seen takes place 15 years prior to the present in the game, with you and your sniping partner infilitrating a base. The graphics are crisp, and the lighting, explosions and smoke look especially realistic. The trailer has some intense firefights and some heavy duty missile blasts.

To show that all good things come in threes, Infinity Ward announced an Xbox Live exclusive Public Beta and gave a URL to watch for developing info. This looks to set new standards in contemporary combat games.

Today's most pre-alpha video: Call of Duty 4 multiplayer

by Ross Miller { Jul 2nd 2007 at 12:01AM }

While not as visually or aesthetically appealing as the Children of Men-esque landscape in a previous trailer, this footage from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer match gives a feeling for how their designing death match, as all we see in thirty seconds is our perspective shooter running in with a rifle, switching to pistol and getting shot. Thrilling.

The game is still in pre-alpha but already looking pretty. You know the drill: video embedded after the break.

Continued →

Call of Duty 4 footage shows bleak cityscape

by Ross Miller { Jun 21st 2007 at 1:55AM }

Over at Game Videos there is some new footage from a very early, pre-alpha build of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The scene, entitled "Bog Rescue," takes place in a desolate, urban environment that reminds us of the backdrop for the last one-third of the film Children of Men.

Much of the combat takes place through night vision goggles, and a visible laser shoots out from your gun to the turret -- when you see a wall of laser sights shoot out from flanking buildings, you get a feel for the atmosphere developers Infinity Ward are going for. Video embedded above.

New Call of Duty 4 trailer astounds in a non-WWII kind of way

by Peter Vrabel { Jun 20th 2007 at 7:30PM }

We have to admit we weren't really excited at the last Call of Duty reiteration, Call of Duty 3. A fine game, to be sure, but we couldn't overcome the been-there done-that feeling. Then the announcement and subsequent first peek at Call of Duty 4 in action, which did more than generate a frenzy of renewed interest. We had long since grown tired of WWII shooters and now, the leader of WWII shooters was going all modern. We took a peek at the latest trailer and literally, were blown away. The lighting on your fellow solders, the smoke entrails from heat-seeking rockets, the spinning and exploding helicopter: jack the sound up as you watch and you may find yourself sharing similar "OMFG" sentiments. Call of Duty 4 is reported to be on track for an Xbox 360, PS3 and PC release, sometime this fall and it's definitely on our "must buy" list now. How about yours?

COD4 gameplay video: old game, new tricks

by Richard Mitchell { Jun 20th 2007 at 3:30PM }

If you're getting tired of World War II game, then you are in luck. Today GameVideos brings us the first gameplay trailer for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The video is unquestionably modern, featuring laser sights, gun-mounted grenade launchers, and night vision goggles. However, it's also clear that the game maintains the feel of previous Call of Duty titles, really making you feel like you're in the center of the action. The video takes place during a nighttime operation, and all the aforementioned gadgets are put to good use. Give it a watch and tell us what you think.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Gallery: Call of Duty 4

Call of Duty dev rejects Live Anywhere

by Ross Miller { Jun 15th 2007 at 6:55PM }

Infinity Ward's studio head Grant Collier, who we reported yesterday was unhappy with the overuse of sandbox gameplay and destructible environments, told IGN in an interview that there was no interest in using Live Anywhere for PC and Xbox 360 cross-play.

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer put it bluntly: "We said no and they didn't call back." Clarifying, Collier said "[it's cool] if you're playing online poker, but who wants to be playing an RTS on a console and have some guy on a PC clicking and dragging all his troops, attacking your base while you're sitting there with your thumb sticks." The keyboard/mouse vs. gamepad argument is a long-standing battle, and clearly Collier feels that they cannot be equals for fast-paced strategy or first-person shooter titles.

Live Anywhere is currently in use by ~~Halo 2~~ (update: nevermind), Shadowrun and the action-packed Uno.

Infinity Ward rejects Live Anywhere

by Dustin Burg { Jun 15th 2007 at 5:00PM }

In an interview with Infinity Ward's studio head Grant Collier, IGN discussed everything Call of Duty 4 and got the company's opinion on Microsoft's Live Anywhere initiative. Grant said that after Microsoft pitched the idea of incorporating Live Anywhere into their games they felt that it wouldn't work with their projects and simply said "no way". Collier says such a system is best suited for "card games or Tetris or something like that" and not the RTS or FPS genres. Microsoft didn't have a convincing argument to Infinity Ward's complaints and didn't respond to them.

Collier's take on Live Anywhere directly conflicts with Microsoft's view of bridging multiple gaming platforms like their latest gem Shadowrun, which is a FPS and incorporates the technology. So, maybe that's why phone calls weren't returned ... they hurt Microsoft's feelings. Big bullies.

Call of Duty dev down on destructible environments, sandbox gameplay

by Ross Miller { Jun 14th 2007 at 3:55PM }

Sandbox gameplay. Destructible environments. Those are a few of the latest video game buzzwords used to sell ideas, and Grant Collier, studio head of Infinity Ward (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare), is not happy with it.

In an interview with IGN, Collier sees a problematic trend with using sandbox gameplay and "total destructibility" without first considering if it will make the game fun. "And total destructibility, you can really ruin the gameplay," he said.

Collier cites Counter-Strike's über-popular Dust map, where the two choke points serve as the focal point of entertainment, and how that could be compromised with destructible environments.

"It's not fun because you can blow up everything," he said, "it's fun because you know where the action's going to be and there's races against time to get to that action."

"So I think right now it's a fad, and the fad will pass, we're not going to be bite on in it - we want the game to be fun first, and destructibility comes second," he said. The over-indulgence may be a fad, but the interaction that destructible environments and sandbox gameplay adds is something that isn't (and shouldn't) go away, and we think Collier would agree that said features, if properly implemented, can potentially augment gameplay.

Call of Duty 4 screens deployed

by David Dreger { Jun 13th 2007 at 12:15PM }

Xboxygen got their hands on 4 more screenshots of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4. Unfortunately, none of the shots are 360° flybys of a given scene, but it'll do. Still, the game seems to be coming along graphically and these screens have some great examples of the engine's explosion, lighting, rain and realistic smoke capabilities. Are you digging the art direction, as well as the move to modern day combat scenarios in this next installment of the Call of Duty series?

[Thanks, gaetge]

Gallery: Call of Duty 4

COD4 trailer assaults Marketplace

by Richard Mitchell { May 25th 2007 at 10:30AM }

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer that was released late last month is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Granted, it's been available in high definition from the promotional CharlieOscarDelta.com website since last month, but this will save you the trouble of registering for a marketing website. For those unfamiliar with the game, COD4 ditches WWII action in favor of, well, modern warfare. Check out the trailer and be sure to check out the 3D screenshot if you haven't already.

Video: Call of Duty 4 3D screenshot

by David Dreger { May 8th 2007 at 11:00AM }

Infinity Ward released a cool 3D screenshot from Call of Duty 4, similar to what Bungie did for Halo 2 all those years ago. This one depicts some soldiers deploying from a helicopter into the battlefield below. The High Definition torrent for the Quicktime VR file can be found at Xboxyde and is definitely worth the look, along with some screen captures of the scene taken from multiple angles. So what do you think of the lighting, models, etc? Do you think modern combat is a step in the right direction for the Call of Duty series?

First look: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

by Dustin Burg { Apr 29th 2007 at 1:30AM }

As promised, the new Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer (embedded above) aired on ESPN and hit the intertubes with a vengeance. And after watching their little teaser, you can color us impressed. Not only is the modern warfare theme a welcome change to the COD franchise, but the shear amount of action and destruction makes us want to go out and preorder Infinity Ward's little gem right now. And if you are interested, they also released an extended HD version of the trailer on the game's official website CharlieOscarDelta.com. Take a look, think it over, and judge for yourself as we know COD fans are eager to see Infinity Ward take back the developer's reigns.

[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]

Call of Duty 4 trailer

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 28th 2007 at 11:52AM }

Sure, you could wait until the NFL draft on ESPN today to see the "exclusive worldwide reveal" of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ... or you can just click the movie above. CoD4 was pseudo-announced earlier this week when advertisements for the game showed up on our own little piece of the intertubes. Now game announcements can come in many forms, either from the actual company, ESRB, Gamefly or even the advertisements on our own website.

It definitely looks like Call of Duty is going in a different direction, for better or worse will certainly be determined by sales. It looks like we've got some nasty "Eastern Europeans" and jihadists. Fighting Nazis is pretty cool across the board, but delving into the modern political climate may hit just a little close to home. Check out the trailer above to see if it reminds you of a stylized version of the six o'clock news.