Earlier this evening, the GAME British Academy Video Game Awards were held in London, and here at Game Rant, we’ve got the full list of winners and nominees for your viewing pleasure.

The show was hosted by the comedian Dara Ó Briain, with various C-list celebrities taking the stage to present individual awards. Ó Briain was in top form throughout the night, with hilarious geeky jokes keeping the crowd entertained throughout.

Without further ado, here are the categories and nominations, with the winners in bold and marked with asterisks:

Best Action Game

• *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves*
• Assassins Creed 2
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Left 4 Dead 2
• inFamous

Best Family and Social Game

• *Wii Sports Resort*
• The Beatles: Rock Band
• Buzz Quiz World
• Eyepet
• New Super Mario Bros Wii
• Guitar Hero 5

Best Online Game

• *FIFA 10*
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Battlefield 1943
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
• LittleBigPlanet PSP
• Singstar: Take That

Best Audio in a Videogame

• *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves*
• flower
• DJ Hero
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Left 4 Dead 2

Best Handheld Videogame

• *LittleBigPlanet*
• Gran Turismo
• Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
• Scribblenauts
• Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box
• Locoroco Midnight Carnival

Best Strategy Game

• *Empire: Total War*
• FIFA Manager 10
• Plants vs Zombies
• Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising
• Halo Wars
• Football Manager 2010

Best Original Score

• *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves*
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Assassin’s Creed 2
• Pixeljunk Shooter
• Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince

Best Multiplayer Game

• *Left 4 Dead 2*
• Halo 3 ODST
• Battlefield 1943
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• The Beatles: Rock Band

Best Gameplay

• *Batman: Arkham Asylum*
• Uncharted 2: Among thieves
• New Super Mario Bros Wii
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Pixeljunk Shooter
• Assassins Creed 2

Best Sport Game

• *FIFA 10*
• Colin McRae: DIRT 2
• Wii Fit Plus
• Forza Motorsport 3
• Wii Sports Resort
• Football Manager 2010

Best Story in a Videogame

• *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves*
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars: Director’s Cut
• Assassin’s Creed 2
• Dragon Age Origins
• Brutal Legend

BAFTA Ones to Watch

• *Shrunk!*
• Quick as Thieves
• Colour Coded

Artistic Achievement

• *flower*
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Assassin’s Creed 2
• Street Fighter IV
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

GAME Award, as voted for by the British Public

1. *Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2*
2. Assassin’s Creed 2
3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Game of the Year

• *Batman: Arkham Asylum*
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• FIFA 10
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Asssassin’s Creed 2

The show finished with a tribute to Shigeru Miyamoto, who became the first Japanese man to be awarded the Academy Fellowship.  As the closing video proved, it was a well-deserved award, given to a gentleman who has truly shaped modern video games. Miyamoto’s acceptance speech was inspirational . As someone who’s first videogame was Super Mario 64, I thought he was absolutely brilliant. The award could not have gone to a better person.

What do you think of the Award winners? Do you agree that Uncharted 2 had better audio than Left 4 Dead 2? – I don’t! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: BAFTA

Here we are, less than two weeks away from the release of the first new multiplayer maps for Modern Warfare 2.  Eager gamers are already chomping at the bit to get their hands on these, but now there is even more reason to get excited: the weekend after the maps launch, gamers who play Modern Warfare 2 over Xbox Live will earn double XP.

As a friendly reminder, Modern Warfare 2’s Stimulus Package features a total of five multiplayer maps.  Bailout, Salvage, and Storm are brand new areas, while Crash and Overgrown are remakes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare maps.

There has been some very public back and forth between Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 and EA’s Battlefield: Bad Company 2 lately.  Both games are getting new multiplayer maps on March 30th.  Battlefield’s two new maps are free to people who bought new copies of the game. The Stimulus Package contains more than twice as many maps, but is coming out at the controversially high price of 1200 MS points ($15).  Perhaps the double XP weekend will take some of the sting out of the cost for MW2 players.  What do you think?

Modern Warfare 2’s double XP weekend kicks off April 3rd and runs through April 5th.

The shots that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 took at Modern Warfare 2 in the game were few and far between (though quite funny).  But lately they have been increasing to a higher level.

In a video recently released by EA, Yankees star pitcher C.C. Sabathia and Bad Company character Sweetwater are featured in a clip titled “Friends Really Against Grenade Spam.”  This is obviously a parody and response to Modern Warfare 2’s controversial “Friends Against Grenade Spam” video.

The video itself is mildly funny, and gets the point across, but everything surrounding the video is much funnier.

The first and most obvious point is the name of the video.  The title, “Friends Really Against Grenade Spam,” is really what Infinity Ward should have chosen for their video.  We all know what the acronym for theirs spelled out, and frankly it was an idiotic and immature decision on their part.

Secondly, and my favorite part, is that the video features Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia.  As you may know, the Modern Warfare 2 video starred Phillies pitcher Cole Hammels.  As you also may know, the Yankees beat the Phillies in the World Series, four games to two.  A nice touch by the guys over at EA.

Lastly, a small thing, but the video on Youtube is actually a real response to the Modern Warfare 2 video (which you can see on the Youtube site below the video itself).

I’ve gotta say, I love all this competition between the two games, especially since I enjoy them both.

Source -- Battlefield Blog

If you’ve spent any time in Campaign or Special Ops mode for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 then there’s no doubt you are familiar with ‘The Pit’.  This is the first level in either mode that you play in the game and the folks over at The Gadget Show have gone out and recreated the level in real life.

This coming Monday, March 22^nd, 2010, Jason Bradbury from The Gadget Show, on channel 5 in Ireland and the UK, will be going head to head against a former special forces agent in a reality vs. virtual reality competition to see who comes out on top.  Jason will be going through the the level on his Xbox 360 while the special forces agent does the same thing on the real life course recreated from the game.  Both participants will be score on time and accuracy.  Any guesses as to who will come out on top?

For those of us unable to catch the show when it airs in order to see the results, I’m sure there will be some videos posted online soon after.  Check back here for links to the video after it airs on Monday night.  For now, check out the trailer below.

Source: The Gadget Show

On March 30th, Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 (a.k.a. the 800-pound gorilla) will be offering up some brand new maps, along with two classics that you may remember from the original Modern Warfare. The map pack will include the new levels “Bailout”, “Salvage”, and “Storm”; the two remakes are “Crash” and “Overgrown”.

“Bailout” is a large apartment building with multiple floors for close combat, “Salvage” on the other hand is an industrial park filled with tons of heavy machinery, and last but certainly not least there is “Storm” which takes place in a snow covered junkyard that is filled with crushed vehicles and debris.

The expected price point of these maps was the standard $10 or 800 points, however, according to Major Nelson’s blog it would appear that Activision will be keeping true to its new persona and charging $15 (1200 points). This move is sure to piss off a lot of consumers and sway the public’s favor even more in the direction of ex-Infinity Ward employees Jason West and Vince Zampella.

Are you going to pick up these maps? How long do you think it will be before Battlefield: Bad Company 2 takes a shot at MW2’s DLC price point?

Just to clarify that last point – the Bad Company 2 maps are releasing for free on the same day…

The Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has managed to pick up the former heads of Infinity Ward, Jason West and Vince Zampella. An interesting move because not many game developer companies have been represented by talent agencies, but with the huge success of the Modern Warfare franchise, it’s no surprise that West and Zampella count as top tier talent.

West and Zampella are of course the two Infinity Ward heads who were removed due a debacle with publisher Activision over the Modern Warfare franchise. There are now reports that Activision is holding back on promised bonus payouts to remaining Infinity Ward employees and that morale is lower than you can imagine.

What could this mean in the long run? I’m sure that the CAA will have no problems finding the pair a job at another publisher to develop what could be another hugely great franchise. Or maybe the two have already started thinking the future of Modern Warfare and what could lie beyond it. There are a great deal of questions to be asked, but unfortunately, no further information has been provided at this time.

Source: LA Times

I know what you’re thinking, it’s been on all our minds since March 1st – after the sudden firings of Infinity Ward’s  top brass, Jason West and Vince Zampella, why didn’t the rest of the Infinity Ward team simply stand up and follow them out the door and on to greener pastures – where they’d be free to make contemporary combat games until the end of time?

It’s a fair question, and this latest rumor, courtesy of Kotaku, may help answer it.

A source close to Kotaku states that Activision is deliberately withholding bonus payouts from the team, essentially using  said bonuses as leverage against their potential disloyalty.

Since Modern Warfare 2 reportedly hit over a billion dollars at retail, that’s some serious cheddar the company is holding back.  It has long been standard operating procedure at Infinity Ward to pay low, but reward high; but this latest move by Activision could seriously impact the staff and their ability to, you know, make mortgage payments and buy food – and all they did to put them in the doghouse was make the biggest selling game of all time.

Again, I want to stress that this is a rumor.  But, if this really is the current state of affairs at Infinity Ward, it is precisely the kind of ugly corporate behavior that moves fans to boycott products. Also, if this rumor turns out to be true, I will be one those fans boycotting Activision-branded games.

If the rumors are true and this is actually happening right now, how does that affect your opinion of Activision?  Is it enough to steer you away from Activision-branded games in the future?

Source: Kotaku

After what seems like an eternal wait, the first map pack available for Modern Warfare 2 will be available for download through Xbox LIVE on March 30.

Contents of the map pack has yet to be officially be announced, but I think we have a good idea of what to expect.

In addition to the map pack release, Xbox LIVE Silver account holders will be able to get a sample of online gameplay in Modern Warfare 2 during the time-period between March 12th to the 15th during a special Multiplayer Unlock period.

I’m glad to see that the lawsuit between Activision and ex-Infinity Ward CEOs, Jason West and Vince Zampella, is not affecting the release of content gamers are certainly happy to see.

However, this is far from a real resolution in the matter, and we at Game Rant will continue to report on more information as it becomes available.

Stay tuned for details regarding the maps, release date for the PS3 version of the DLC, and other Modern Warfare 2 news here on Game Rant.

Are you still playing Modern Warfare 2? What are you most excited to see in the new map packs?

While the whole Infinity Ward vs. Activision battle rages on, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 surpassed a milestone this week. Robert Bowling, a Creative Strategist for Infinity Ward posted a tweet saying “…annnd we JUST hit 25 MILLION unique players on Modern Warfare 2. Insanity! Also, got a lot of #MW2 DLC details coming this week! FINALLY!”.

Sure, 25 million players is no Farmville, but its still enough people to make the Modern Warfare population higher than that of North Korea.

Also as a bonus, if you’re suffering from some Modern Warfare 2 “mapathy“, it looks like you’re in luck. There should be some new maps coming out for Xbox 360 on March 30th.

Source: Robert Bowling

As many of you know, there has been a bit of a debacle between the head honchos of Infinity Ward, Jason West and Vince Zampella, and Activision. Long story short, Infinity Ward is suing Activision for the hefty sum of $36 million in damages for unpaid royalties. The cause of the problem, on paper, is West and Zampella were “insubordinate” and breached their contract with Activision.

How did the former heads of Infinity Ward breach their contract? Unfortunately, but understandably, the contracts in question were not attached to the Complaint and are unlikely to be released to the public. However, West/Zampella refer to a series of contracts between themselves and Activision in the Complaint. Keep in mind that the terms of these alleged contracts were not between Activision and Infinity Ward, which was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision, and that the Complaint sets forth merely allegations and not actual evidence.

The first employment contract was for a three-year term, which began in 2003 after Activision purchased Infinity Ward. This initial contract gave Activision the option to extend it for two more one-year successive terms and Activision picked up this option. By doing so, West/Zampella were still under contract through October 2008. After the successful release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2007, Activision allegedly wanted to extend the contracts of West/Zampella in order to create a sequel. Factually, that’s where things began to get murky.

Apparently, West/Zampella did not wish to extend their employment contracts with Activision, but ultimately did so based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the parties dated March 31, 2008. Because this document was not attached to the Complaint, it is unclear as to whether it incorporated the terms of the previous contract in 2003 (most likely) or whether it was an actual contract at all. As alleged, this Memorandum extended West/Zampella’s employment until October 2011, but Infinity Ward was required to produce Modern Warfare’s sequel by November 15, 2009. In return, West/Zampella would receive complete control over the Modern Warfare brand (post Vietnam-era forward) and Infinity Ward, would receive royalties and other forms of compensation in addition to their original contract, and would be allowed to develop new intellectual property at Infinity Ward.

So what went wrong? Well, we all know that Modern Warfare 2 was released prior to the alleged deadline in the Memorandum of Understanding (November 10, 2009, to be specific), so West/Zampella held up their end of the bargain on that issue, if true. And generally speaking, if West/Zampella had violated their contract at some point prior to the release of Modern Warfare 2 and Activision took no action, Activision would have likely waived its right to terminate on those grounds. However, such conduct could have affected the enforceability of the Memorandum of Understanding…provided it was enforceable in the first place. Without access to the actual employment contracts, we can only speculate.

From an internal memo disclosing Activision’s intent to search for documentation from Infinity Ward, Electronic Arts was the only company specifically listed, triggering speculation that West/Zampella were looking to bring their expertise to a competitor in some capacity. If such evidence exists, one would think that it would support Activision’s position, but again, without the employment contracts, we would be speculating. However, the employment contracts must have contained a “trade secret” clause of some kind and more than likely also contained a “covenant not to compete” clause. As such, improper contact with a competitor would be a breach of contract and a terminable offense.

Notwithstanding this, what we do know is that Activision loves Call of Duty, and has released one title annually. According to a source for Kotaku, Infinity Ward is not a company dedicated to one game per year, but rather it works on a game for a two-year cycle before releasing it. On its face, this schedule hurts Activision’s bottom-line since the titles are sales monsters.

We also know, based upon their own words in the Complaint, that West/Zampella did not want the Call of Duty franchise to become watered-down and did not want Infinity Ward to focus all of its energies on future installments. For that reason, West/Zampella likely expressed an interest in creating a new intellectual property at or near the completion of Modern Warfare 2 and this probably went over like a lead balloon with Activision.

Coincidentally, as of the contract termination and firing of West/Zampella, Activision quickly tapped the newly formed studio, Sledgehammer Games, headed up by the creators behind Dead Space, to create the latest Call of Duty title with a target release date of 2011. Activision was clearly not caught flat-footed in this dispute, which tends to support the notion that it had a plan in place. Either that, or the company is excellent at damage control.

Sadly, the lawsuit’s consequences may not be limited to just the two companies. While the demand for $36 million clearly is the big headline, West/Zampella have also filed a count for Declaratory Relief stating that they are entitled to control over the Modern Warfare brand. Their lawyers’ next step will probably be a motion for temporary/permanent injunction, which could halt development on all Modern Warfare-related titles. Unless there is a quick settlement regarding this issue, an injunction could be put in place for months.

Unclear in all this is whether the upcoming Map Pack, which was already in the works prior to the firings, is in jeopardy. West/Zampella may have already signed off on this content prior to their dismissals, but if not, an injunction would prevent Activision from releasing any “Call of Duty game set in the post-Vietnam era, the near future or the distant future… without the written consent of Jason West and Vince Zampella.” It is unknown whether a “map pack” is considered a “game” as defined in the contract. If the dispute does prevent Activision and Infinity Ward from releasing the “map pack,” Microsoft may have a cause of action for a breach of contract, since the first map pack was scheduled for a timed-exclusive release on Xbox 360. That is, if the contract between Xbox and Activision does not contain an exception for non-performance that would apply to this scenario.

Activision has yet to answer West/Zampella’s complaint. It should make for very interesting reading and keep on the lookout for possible counter-claims against Infinity Ward’s former heads. The counter-claims will likely set out the specific reasoning for Activision’s actions to date.

While all of the above may be interesting to the game industry or those who like Court TV, what does this mean for gamers and Infinity Ward going forward? Infinity Ward’s community manager, Robert Bowling (aka fourzerotwo) has left the company. Part of the success of Modern Warfare 2 was Infinity Ward’s ability to maintain the game with new patches that affected gameplay exploits and cheating. Bowling’s role as a go-between the gaming community and the company has been invaluable to that end.  With his departure, I fear the company may end up becoming a shadow of its former self.

Obviously, both companies and gamers alike would like to avoid such problems and for this to conclude happily. Is this just merely a case of Activision yanking the rug out from West/Zampella because they couldn’t meet Activision’s desires? From an outsider’s standpoint, if a company fires the CEOs of a company who made a game that sold $1 billion of product (and don’t forget those night vision goggles!), that seems like a very bad move.

Creative control of a game is one of the most important parts of a video game. Do I think it should remain in the hands on the developer? Absolutely; they’re the ones making the game after all. I would rather play a game that brings a fresh and new experience to me other than a previous game with different skins, and I am willing to wait two years for that to happen. As the publisher, a list of possible inclusions isn’t unreasonable, provided the development team are capable of meeting it. I understand that as a developer, a company must meet some requirements of the publisher, though it shouldn’t be a back and forth power struggle. Technical abilities versus a list of do’s is something that needs to be looked at by both publisher and developer alike, if that doesn’t happen… Well, you can get situations like this.

It’s my belief that people in the game creation business should be in to bring fun to people. Making money is nice, but if you’re committed to making great products for people to enjoy, gamers pay for them. That’s the the short story for Modern Warfare 1 and it’s no different for Modern Warfare 2. Gamers paid for a great experience and that’s what they were delivered. I don’t feel Activision’s actions here have little merit. If they want to make money, they can release another Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, or another sequel a franchise that’s done well for them. I chide Activision’s actions wholeheartedly and can only hope that West/Zampella find the restitution they very much deserve for creating one of most socially impacting entertainment juggernaut franchises ever in Modern Warfare.

Source: Kotaku, Joystiq, Daily Informer

According to sources at Activision, the much anticipated ‘Stimulus’ map pack DLC from Infinity Ward for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is expected to drop sometime in April.

Luckily for us The Tech Game revealed a set of exclusive screens of the upcoming map pack and has since updated their post with a compilation video.

Take a peek for yourselves after the jump:

The screens definitely look legit -- though there’s been no official word from Infinity Ward or Activision.

The new map pack is expected to contain two maps from the original Modern Warfare: “Crash” and “Overgrown” as well as three new maps: “Complex”, “Compact”, and “Storm”.

What are you hoping for in the new maps? What else would you like to see in future Modern Warfare 2 DLC.

The Stimulus’ map pack is scheduled for release in April.

Source: The Tech Game

Activision has finally issued a response to Infinity Ward’s lawsuit (details can be found here), citing that Jason West and Vince Zampella’s actions are “disappointing.” I don’t think it’s the “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed” one either. The statement follows:

Activision is disappointed that Mr. Zampella and Mr. West have chosen to file a lawsuit, and believes their claims are meritless. Over eight years, Activision shareholders provided these executives with the capital they needed to start Infinity Ward, as well as the financial support, resources and creative independence that helped them flourish and achieve enormous professional success and personal wealth.

In return, Activision legitimately expected them to honor their obligations to Activision, just like any other executive who holds a position of trust in the company. While the company showed enormous patience, it firmly believes that its decision was justified based on their course of conduct and actions.

The whole situation feels off to me. I don’t want to believe that it’s just a money grab from a company who just sold $1 billion worth of Modern Warfare 2 to the public. But if Infinity Ward has a legitimate claim here, then Activision could be in some trouble. It’s an unfortunate situation, to say the least.

Source: G4

I was rather torn on how to feel about Killzone 2. Did it meet visual expectations that were previously presented at the initial E3 trailer? Perhaps not, but it came damn close, which is certainly saying something for a game that was coming in to a lot of skepticism. The gameplay was pretty solid and engaging, though I’m sure fans of Halo or Modern Warfare 2 found it a bit trying, especially with the sluggish aiming (which was later patched).

Though Sony isn’t really one to give up a potential cash cow franchise and what better way to… revitalize this particular game by introducing stereoscopic 3D and use of the PS3’s motion controller (aka The Arc). How exactly would this change Killzone 3’s gameplay? One obvious one being a more immsersive shooter experience, which is certainly an experience a lot of shooter fans want. The Wand peripheral, though? That might require a bit of selling on Guerilla Games’ part. Perhaps this could be one of the first games that can be enjoyable using a pointing peripheral, something I’m not sure I would like initially.

Remember, all of this is merely a rumor… but some rumors can turn out to be true.

Killzone 3 is slated for a 2011 release.

Source: CVG

A few days ago, Game Rant reported on the trouble brewing between Activision and Infinity Ward, which ended with studio heads Jason West and Vince Zampella being ousted. Now it seems they aren’t going to just let Activision push them out. According to G4tv, they have filed a lawsuit against Activision for “breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, wrong termination in violation of public policy, and declaratory relief.” In normal people terms, that basically means Activision didn’t compensate Infinity Ward as was outlined in their contact, and to make matters worse, they terminated West and Zampella unlawfully.

Even bigger than financial compensation, though, is that West and Zampella are fighting for the rights to “Modern Warfare-branded games.” This is a huge deal, because if this lawsuit actually goes through, then that means IW will no longer be able to develop and Activision will no longer be able to publish games under the Modern Warfare brand. Those rights would leave with West and Zampella.

It’s crazy to think that just recently Infinity Ward was on top of the world, with one of the best-selling games in history and what seemed like the backing to do pretty much whatever they wanted. Now they have lost the CEO and CTO of their company, and they could very well lose the game franchise that made them famous. This is really a sad turn of events all around.

Source: G4tv

I know that Battlefield: Bad company 2 comes out today, but this video isn’t really promoting Modern Warfare 2, as much as it is simply showing some great moments of failure.  We’ve all experienced disappointing times like these, and this video not only reminds us of them, it also provides some serious laughs.

Set to the perfect musical choice, this video is a must see for fans of, well, hilarity.

Here’s to all the hilarious fails that are sure to happen as we begin our new careers in Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

At Nintendo’s recent Media Summit, the gaming giant finally announced dates for several highly anticipated games.  It’s an impressive list, both in terms of the pedigree and the sheer number of releases.  Japanese blockbuster Monster Hunter Tri in April;  Fan favorite Super Mario Galaxy 2 in May;  Treasure’s  Sin And Punishment: Star Shooter in June;  Metroid: Other M, co-developed by Nintendo and Tecmo’s Team Ninja, also in June.  My non-scientific methods conclude that this is the most dense, title-rich stretch of important releases in the history of the Wii.  But why now?  And what’s on the horizon?

Nintendo is a company that knows its market.  It has a precise, almost surgical understanding of the worth of its intellectual properties.  Last fall, Nintendo launched New Super Mario Bros. Wii into a landscape that most publishers had pretty well surrendered to Activision’s Modern Warfare 2.  At the time, people were asking, “how can a kiddie game compete with MW2?”  New Super Mario Bros. Wii was too easy.  It was too hard.  It was too much like the DS game.  But Nintendo, as always, held firm.  New Super Mario Bros. Wii has now sold in excess of ten million copies worldwide.

My point is this:  Nintendo knows how to strike, and when to strike.  It leverages the strength of its internal properties and executes right on time.  So why is the company essentially “using up” two of its most storied franchises, Mario and Metroid, during what is traditionally the slowest time of the year?  There can only be one reason: this fall, Nintendo is dropping something big.  Really big.

There are a number of possible answers as to what, specifically, Nintendo’s big fall reveal will be.  I claim no special insight into their plans — this is pure speculation on my part — but I’d like to explore a few very real possibilities.

A New Legend Of Zelda

This game is no secret, and has got to be the first thing that jumps to every mind.  Eiji Aonuma, caretaker of the series since Majora’s Mask on N64, has discussed the new Zelda’s development on several occasions,  noting that it would be very different from the last few installments of the series.  He has even made public his hope to have a playable version at E3 2010.  But is this one game enough for Nintendo to completely front-load its Wii release schedule?  I’d like to suggest, without jumping too far ahead, not by itself.

A New DS

You can’t read a game site lately — Game Rant included — without tripping over scores of DS2 speculation.  I don’t think there is any doubt that DS2 is coming, and coming soon.  Perhaps Nintendo wants to clear its slate of Wii releases in order to focus exclusively on DS2.  After all, the DS is the best selling handheld game system in history.  There is clearly a lot of anticipation for the DS2 (or whatever its name may be).  The market is there.

The only problem with this theory is the simple fact that the original DS is still selling.  Fast.  DS routinely outsells all other platforms during a given month, and Nintendo is not one to walk away from money.  The latest DS iteration, DSi XL, hasn’t even launched in North America yet.  The money-train is simply running too fast.  My guess is that DS2 is slightly further out than this fall.

Continue to Part 2 for what else Nintendo may be releasing this fall. A new game? Wii HD?

]]> http://gamerant.com/game-rant-speculates-nintendo-future-wii-hd-zelda-mario-jeff-11189/feed/ 15 http://gamerant.com/uncharted-2-interactive-achievement-awards-jeff-10750/ http://gamerant.com/uncharted-2-interactive-achievement-awards-jeff-10750/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:38:07 +0000 Jeff Schille http://gamerant.com/?p=10750

Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves stole the show at yesterday’s Interactive Achievement Awards, bagging Game of the Year and nine other awards.  Have a look at the full list of winners:

• Game of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Casual Game of the Year: Flower
• Fighting Game of the Year: Street Fighter IV
• Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year: Dragon Age: Origins
• Sports Game of the Year: FIFA Soccer 10
• Racing Game of the Year: Forza Motorsport 3
• Outstanding Achievement in Game Design: Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Adventure Game of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Social Networking Game of the Year: Farmville
• Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year: Brutal Legend
• Action Game of the Year: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Family Game of the Year: The Beatles: Rock Band
• Outstanding Innovation in Gaming: Scribblenauts
• Outstanding Achievement in Animation: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Story -Adapted: Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Outstanding Character Performance: Batman: Arkham Asylum – Joker
• Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Outstanding Achievement in Story – Original: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack: Brutal Legend
• Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Outstanding Achievement in Portable Game Design: Scribblenauts
• Portable Game of the Year: Scribblenauts

There is not a lot to argue about here.  I suppose Brutal Legend’s Strategy award is a bit of a surprise, but I love that its endless supply of epic metal tunes snagged the Soundtrack award.  Similarly, while some may suggest that the idea of Scribblenauts was better than the execution of the actual game, no one can deny its creativity.  Finally, as much as I loved Mark Hamill’s Joker in Arkham Asylum, I would absolutely have given the performance award to Nolan North for his amazing work as Nathan Drake.  But that’s just me.

The Interactive Achievement Awards have been presented by the Academy of Interactive Arts And Sciences since 1996.  The Academy itself is comprised entirely of people who actually work in the games industry, and as a result, these are probably the most credible awards given to games (sorry, SpikeTV).

A full list of the credits for each winning game is available on the AIAS website.  So how did your favorite games do?  Are there any awards you would change?

The hugely popular Call of Duty franchise doesn’t take breaks. There has been a brand new Call of Duty game released each November since 2005, and 2010 doesn’t look to be any different. Call of Duty 7 rumors and speculation abound, and here’s a few of the juicier ones for you to gnaw on while you’re taking a rest from noob-tubes and knifing.

Since Infinity Ward finished Modern Warfare 2 just this past fall, it’s a safe assumption that Call of Duty 7 is being made by the backup crew Treyarch. Treyarch garnished some praise for their latest iteration in the franchise, World at War, and will likely try and carry those positive points into their next game. So what am I trying to say with that? Zombies. World at War’s zombie mode was an instant hit, and you can bet there will be some form of it in the upcoming game.

Where will our game take place though? Treyarch has been quoted saying that they won’t be returning to a World War 2 setting, and while that doesn’t narrow the playing field down, various other leaks are all pointing toward Vietnam. Rumored to take influence from movies like Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, and Apocalypse Now could mean something great is in the works.

Something else to consider–Activision itself has said that the new game is in no way expected to reach the sales of Modern Warfare 2. They expect a more competitive environment than during last year’s release and are lowering their expectations accordingly. If they’re expecting less sales, are they lowering funding accordingly? Can we expect less of a game as a result?

In the end there’s nothing substantial to base any predictions on. Still, there’s plenty of questions to pose. With Infinity Ward still neck deep in multiplayer DLC, it will be interesting to see what kind of multiplayer Call of Duty 7 will implement. I can’t see them creating competition with themselves, but it might be unavoidable when you’re releasing a new game annually.

What do you think Call of Duty fans? What kind of features would you like to see added? Is it too early to start thinking about? What would make this game an instant buy?

Source:  OXM

Can’t get enough Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Check out this headset from Mad Catz, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 “Throat Communicator” for Xbox Live.

Recently, my standard headset that came with my Xbox gave up the ghost, so I started looking for a replacement. I would have normally picked up the standard Microsoft XBox Live Headset, but, as a huge Modern Warfare fan, I chose to semi-spoil myself and check out the Mad Catz headset instead.

The headset is different than your average over the ear set-up that comes with the 360. Rather than an earpad and boom mic, the Throat Communicator features a microphone that’s built to go around your neck (with an attached earbud).

It was a little weird to put on at first and the fit was a little snug. Though, I have a pretty big neck – an average sized neck shouldn’t have many issues.

Secondly, the earbud. For me, a person used to listening to my iPod with earbuds, the Throat Communcator earpiece was a perfect fit and very comfortable. However, if you are like the many people that have issues with earbuds, either they’re too big or don’t fit right, this could be an instant non-starter for you.

In theory this is an awesome headset; though, its real-life performance is less than stellar. Unfortunately, the sound quality of the microphone is sub par. During my testing there was a lot of noise on the line and my voice sounded like I was talking into a tin can – underwater. It’s very upsetting that Mad Catz, who were able to bring an intriguing design, just couldn’t get the audio to sound right.

I picked the headset up at Gamestop for $29.99, about twice as much as the standard Microsoft headset. With the product’s cool design, all I wanted was sound quality that was on par with Microsoft’s.

Sadly this headset doesn’t do it – not to mention I got static electric shocks in my ear and throat.

The Mad Catz Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 headset is a very cool looking product. However, with lackluster audio quality, I can’t recommend you run out and buy it. The audio issues are bearable, but I’m still contemplating returning the set.

If I had to do it over again, shopping for a cheap replacement, I’d recommend picking up the standard Microsoft offerings.

Got an XBL headset that you love? Sound off in the comments.

NPD just released their monthly North America numbers for January 2010 and there were definitely a few surprises. On the software side, the Nintendo Wii continued its sales supremacy by taking five of the top ten spots. Leading the way was New Super Mario Bros.Wii, which sold over 650,000 copies, despite being released in November 2009. Mass Effect 2 also made an impressive debut by selling 572,100 copies in only six days, and Army of Two: The 40th Day made a better than expected debut, selling 246,500 copies for the Xbox 360. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 continued its strong performance as well on both the Xbox 360 and PS3. Somewhat disappointing, however, was that both MAG and Bayonetta did not rank in the top ten in sales, even though both had received a lot of buzz before their release.

On the hardware side, the Wii and the DS continued their dominance by taking the top two sales spots, selling 465,800 and 422,200 units respectively. The Xbox 360 sold 332,800 units and nudged out a win over the PS3, which sold 276,900 for the month. Overall sales for the month, however, were disappointing. Software sales declined 13% over last year and hardware sales were down 21%. With so many big titles slated for release in 2010, though, the gaming industry’s fortunes may improve as the year progresses.

Video Game Software Sales, January 2010:

1. New Super Mario Bros.Wii, Nintendo of America, 656,700 (Wii)
2. Mass Effect 2, Electronic Arts, 572,100 (Xbox 360)
3. Wii Fit Plus w/Balance Board, Nintendo of America, 555,700 (Wii)
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision, 326,700 (Xbox 360)
5. Mario Kart w/Wheel, Nintendo of America, 310,900 (Wii)
6. Wii Sports Resort w/MotionPlus, Nintendo of America, 297,600 (Wii)
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision, 259,000 (PS3)
8. Army of Two: The 40th Day, Electronic Arts, 246,500 (360)
9. Just Dance, Ubisoft, 191,900 (Wii)
10. Darksiders, THQ, 171,200 (Xbox 360)

Video Game Hardware Sales, January 2010:

• Wii: 465,800
• Nintendo DS: 422,200
• Xbox 360: 332,800
• PlayStation 3: 276,900
• PSP: 100,100
• PS2: 41,600

Source: Game Informer