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Escalation Officially Announced

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Escalation Announcement

Callofduty.com has officially announced the second content pack for Black Ops. Titled Escalation, it features four new MP maps and an “epic” zombie map. Not that I didn’t already post this, but now instead of being leaked info, it’s official.

No pricing, but it’ll most likely be $15, because Activision knows they can get away with that price. And they’re right: I’ve been bored with Black Ops for ages now, alternating back to CoD4 and MW2 instead, and I’ll still buy this pack; it’s all about the zombies. Black Ops Content Pack 2 ‘Escalation’ comes out May 3rd, exclusively for Xbox Live. It’ll probably be out a month later on Playstation Network, followed by taking forever to appear on the PC.

Brink: Ready And Able

Saturday, April 9th, 2011

This game isn’t getting nearly enough attention: high customization, parkour, team based multiplayer, beautiful graphics. It’s been described as a cross between Team Fortress 2 and Mirrors Edge. I totally agree with that, except for one thing extra: MOLOTOV COCKTAILS!

Brink comes out on May 17, 2010.

Black Ops: Escalation

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

This leaked add for the second Black Ops map pack reveals a few things. First, it seems the map pack’s title is Escalation. Second, it seems that four new MP maps are included and are titled Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, and Stockpile. Not very imaginative if you ask me, but maybe we’ll be able to toss unfortunate victims into the gator pit. Third, the zombie map will be called ‘Call Of The Dead’ ‘Survive’ ‘Call Of The Dead’. The pack is slated for May 3rd, according to the ad, and will be released on Xbox Live first. Of course all this is subject to change, although the ad does look legit. I think I’ll still be playing MW2.

Where First Person Shooter Baddies Hail From

Monday, April 4th, 2011

This is an infographic on a list of first person shooters from 2001 onwards, and the country of origin for the various bad guys featured in them. Ok, no surprise here: a lot of Russia and China. And sometimes, both Russia and China. Ha! That’s as likely as a union between North and South Korea… Oh, that’s on here too. Throw in some Middle Eastern countries, a bit of South America, and the once-listed Nazi Germany and you have yourself a nice cocktail of conflict.

This infographic came from Geekologie.

The Closest Damn Thing To An April Fools Prank You’ll Get Outta Me: Duke Nukem Plays With Several Turds

Friday, April 1st, 2011

The title explains it all, except this ain’t really a joke, just completely immature toilet humor. Man, I totally hate to see this game being delayed a whole ‘nother month. Oh, NSFW and all that; you know the drill, it’s Duke after all.

Red Storm Interactive On NC Now

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

This video from UNCTV shows the process by which Red Storm Interactive collects the sounds and looks of multiple firearms to further enhance the quality of their own games. They do this by recording the weapons shots at a range, then later having advisers come in with real weapons so they may record all the individual features. This insures the firearms are accurately modeled in their games, especially compared to other development studios. This is something I personally appreciate, because too many times I’ve heard firearms in games that just look and sound completely wrong. If you ask me, the extra effort is well worth it.

Zombie Killing Spree

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

TheFilmFestRejects have possibly created one of the best zombie vids available on Youtube to date! It’s a sweet combination of gear, guns, and the undead, with a score system to match. And it’s all done with a comic filter that simply looks beautiful. However, the film does suffer a crime against reason: at the time of writing, it was only at 152 views. Spread the word to remedy this immediately!

Duke Nukem Forever Delayed Again. In Other News, [Insert Something Obvious Here]

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Duke Nukem Forever was almost literally taking forever to be released. It suffered countless engine changes, numerous, non-engine related delays, and even the studio developing it closing down for good, all over a 14 year period. Then, the one game we thought would never be released was finally in sight. Many gamers jumped for joy when they saw it in playable form at PAX Prime 2010, or the trailer on the internet made from nearly-complete gameplay, and all the media outlets saying the same thing: DNF will be relased March 3rd! Finally!

…And then Gearbox Software Head Honcho Randy Pichford had to release this video:

To his credit he does seem genuinely surprised the game is taking another month to be released. And he knows the fans are out for his blood, now. Just keep an eye on it, Randy! First it’s a month, then it’s 6 months, and before you know it, March 3rd, 2024 is the new release date. But that’s all right, because his head will have been on a pike long before that time.

Crysis 2 Has Arrived

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

So Crysis 2 came out yesterday. I’ll admit with all the other games coming out it kind of went unnoticed by me, but I’ll be picking it up anyway. After all, who doesn’t want to be a soldier in a super powered nanosuit defending New York City from an alien invasion? If you need a bit more convincing, however, just check out this vid:

He’s like The Predator in that suit! Except, you know, in a good video game. And if the previous Crysis was any indication, you’ll need a PC of near Brainiac-level computing power to even hope to run the game on its lowest settings. That’s why I’ll stick with the 360 version, thank you very much.

Bid On A Full-Sized Ghost

Monday, March 21st, 2011

In Modern Warfare 2, Ghost was Task Force 141’s mysterious operative who always wore sunglasses and a balaclava with the image of a human skull’s lower jaw on it. Despite his status as a secondary character (outside of the comic book, of course) he was one of the more popular characters in the game, especially since he shares a VA with Gaz, from the previous Modern Warfare. Originally only available to Infinity Ward and select partners, now it’s your chance to own a full-sized standee of this famous character, brand new in box, while benefiting Japan via #PlayForJapan in the process. Plus, the shipping’s free, which is a very nice bonus.

You can bid on the statue via eBay.

Batman: Arkham City “This Ain’t No Place For A Hero”

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

With a proper blend of action and story, Rocksteady released what was truly the first great Batman game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, in 2009. Now, they’re planning to do it again with the upcoming sequel, Batman: Arkham City. Since the events of the last game, Warden Quincy Sharp, now the Mayor of Gotham, bought out large portions of the city’s slums and had them converted into a pseudo-prison housing both the inmates of Blackgate prison and Arkham asylum, with a private military contractor serving as the guards. In addition to this madness, the warden of the new Arkham is Hugo Strange, a dangerous and calculating individual that has deduced Batman’s true identity. From this video, it looks as though the game is coming along nicely, and new features such as an updated ‘detective mode’, improved combat, and improved mobility are much welcome additions. Arkham City doesn’t come out until October, so there’s plenty of time left to finalize and perfect the game, which is both a blessing and a curse. After all, who wants to wait to hear Mark Hamill’s expertly performed Joker this one last time?

Homefront Launch Event At GameStop

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

I’m no stranger to launch events at my local GameStop, and for Homefront we decided to do something a little different. With the approval of the store manager, I was allowed to promote my own website as well as give away a few goodies to the other attendees. Of course this meant I had to dress the part, and since I am the Tactical Fanboy…

That means lots of MultiCam. Specifically a 5.11 Tactical MultiCam Rapid Assault Shirt, Arc’teryx Talos Pant, Eclipse Releasable Body Armor Vest, and a Crye Precision Airframe helmet to top it all off. With the chops on it I think it looks like a modern Hoplite helmet, but maybe that’s just me.

The main attraction at the launch event was a viewing of Red Dawn. Partly because both Homefront and the afore mentioned film are written by John Milius, but mostly because of Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen. As expected, copious amounts of jokes involving Roadhouse and cocaine were involved. Also, Dirty Dancing and tiger blood. Never gets old, really.

We also happened to use the special carnage counter found on the DVD as a vehicle for the giveaways. It’s a large banner that shows up periodically during the movie and counts how many casualties for both Soviets and civilians as well as the number of explosions that occur. The attendees tried to guess how many of each before the film ended. Those that were closest won one of several prizes, as seen below.

The lucky winners:

A few other goodies, like misc. patches and load-bearing clips were given away as secondary prizes. I also got my ass handed to me in Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, twice*.

*(Thankfully) not pictured

When midnight rolled around, I was first in line once again. Three launches in a row, suckers! All kidding aside, I also got the copy of Red Dawn as a bonus, since I didn’t actually own the film. That should complete my John Milius collection, I think.

As for Homefront, I’m enjoying what I’ve played so far. The campaign’s pretty ‘meh’, but the online is pretty damn fun. If you’re looking for a decent multiplayer experience, you could do way worse.

And now, for all the new readers I (hopefully) recruited at the launch event:

I’m a proponent of using social media to my advantage, despite not totally understanding why it’s so popular. So add me via the following methods to keep up with the latest Fanboy news, or play a few games online. Whatever works best:

Xbox Live: Tactical Fanboy

Twitter: @Tacfanboy

Facebook: Tactical Fanboy

Weapons I’d Like To See In Modern Warfare 3 A.K.A. Please Don’t Pull A Black Ops Again.

Monday, March 14th, 2011

Ever since the Call of Duty series went ‘modern’ there has been an increase in firearms that just don’t belong in the game and/or are being used by the wrong forces. It started simply with the MP44 being featured in multiplayer that takes place in 2011, along with Ultranationalists having access to MP5s (CoD4), and has spiraled into rifles like the FAMAS being used by Russian forces in both 1968 (Black Ops. lolwut?) and 2016 (MW2). While I can’t claim what other firearms Russia might integrate into their arsenal in the future, I think it’s safe to assume they won’t be using French guns. Or TAR 21s. Or Striker shotguns. Or… I’ll shut up now.

The point is it wouldn’t hurt for the devs to do a little research into what weapons specific forces would actually use, instead of replacing accuracy with the rule of cool. What follows is a list of guns I want to see in the next CoD game, provided it’s actually MW3. If it’s not, and instead ‘CoD: It’s In Space and Totally Ain’t Halo’ is the next title, I better see a Gauss Rifle, dangnabit!

MP7A1

H&K’s answer to the FN P90. A damn cool weapon, it fires the armor piercing 4.6x30mm cartridge from either a 20, 30, or 40 round magazine. It’s practically a firearm that combines all the best aspects of both a SMG and AR into one beautiful package. Ever since I used it in Medal of Honor multiplayer I always wondered how grossly overpowered it could be in CoD. Maybe we’ll see it, maybe we won’t. But I sure hope we do.

AK-74M

AK-47s and Russia go together like peanut butter and chocolate. We get it. But believe it or not, there’s more to the AK family than just the classic 7.62×39 spewing death-dealer. Now I’ll admit there was also a Middle Eastern militia in both Modern Warfare games, and they most definitely would be using AK-47s (and other variants), but the Russian forces themselves? Not likely. There’s also the AK-100 series rifles to consider, and since the games do take place in the near future, I could see them having widespread use. Anyway, it would just be more accurate to see an AK-74M in the hands of a modern Russian infantryman, and not an F2000. That’s all I’m saying.

XM-25 Grenade Launcher

25mm, airbursting, high-explosive, pre-programable grenades. This thing practically screams overpowered, doesn’t it? Already in deployment in Afghanistan, it’s seen incredible success, ending engagements almost as soon as they begin. Plus, I’m sure they could find a way to balance it in-game. After all, they’ve managed to make guns less impressive than they are in real life. I’m looking at you, AA-12.

That’s just a small sample of what I’d like to see, especially since this article’s getting a bit longer than I originally intended. But you get the general idea: keep what makes sense, dispose of the rest and replace them with something else; something period appropriate. Hell, it wouldn’t hurt to have two AK variants in the same game. Bad Company 2 did it with the AN-94 Abakan and AEK-971 Vintovka, after all. And I’d also like to hear what you want to see in the next CoD game. Or how you feel about how inaccurate the weaponry has been in the current CoD games. Game developers say they read stuff like this, after all.

REDRUM: The Shining 2 (A Duke Nukem 3D Mod)

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

What’s better than an interactive tribute/sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’? One staring Duke Nukem of course. Although the premise of a “U.S. Marines Special Operative” (yes, that’s seriously Duke’s role in this game) being recruited to deal with the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel and all it’s supernatural horrors is a little ‘out there’, the amazing attention to detail of the mod more than makes up for it.

Visit http://www.unrealaudio.net/theshining2/download.htm for information about the mod, including screenshots, downloads, and the short story the mod itself is based on.

Find Makarov – A Modern Warfare Fan Film

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

This is the trailer for ‘Find Makarov’, a fan film based on Infinity Ward and Activision’s Modern Warfare property. The website where all of this started, findmakarov.com, led many fans and media to believe it would lead to some information on Modern Warfare 3. However, Activision was quick to debunk these rumors, saying there is currently no plans to announce the much anticipated title, or any CoD game for that matter. Instead it’s a creation of We Can Pretend, a creative collective based in Toronto, Canada. Although this doesn’t have anything to do with MW3, the awesomeness of the film does take some of the sting out of not hearing about a new Call of Duty. Also, I keep reading it’s a ‘trailer’, and that term usually means there will be a much longer film out at some point. If it retains the same quality then it’ll definitely be something worth waiting for.

Gears Of War 3 Beta Access

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Many gamers have questioned how they’ll be able to access the Gears of War 3 beta if they didn’t feel like buying the awesomeness that is Bulletstorm. Well, it’s GameStop to the rescue! If you pre-order, or have pre-ordered, Gears of War 3 from GameStop, you are granted a beta code that will allow you to enter the public beta on April 25th*. The private beta will open up seven days eariler, on April 18th, giving those who gave Bulletstorm a chance a whole week of practice before everyone else joins in.

There are also some in-game bonuses for those who participate in the beta. First, playing one match will unlock the ‘Beta Tester Medal’ for your gamer profile in GoW3. You also have the chance to unlock both the ‘Thrashball Cole’ character model and ‘Gold-Plated Retro Lancer’ just by playing the beta.

You can find all the details at GameStop.com

*Note: At the time of writing, I received an automated phone call from GameStop alerting me to the beta promotion. It also mentioned the public beta starting on April 22nd. Until I can get some more info, consider April 25th to be the official date.

Battlefield 3 Trailer: Fault Line Episode 1 “Bad Part Of Town”

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

The first part of an episodic gameplay trailer for Battlefield 3, the upcoming release from DICE. The game already looks amazing, running on a pre-alpha build, and it looks suitably realistic compared to other recent war titles. I’ve also noticed the models of the scope and rifle look very similar to those found in Medal of Honor’s multiplayer. The second part of the trailer comes out on the 16th this month.

The Gunny Does Bulletstorm Right

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

In case you didn’t know, Bulletstorm came out today. Sadly, I missed the launch party, so there won’t be any entertaining article about me standing outside in a sixty-person-long line for 2 1/2 hours. However, to make up for it, allow me to link to a couple of videos that perfectly demonstrate what Bulletstorm is all about. As a serious bonus, these videos star both R. Lee Ermey and Brian Posehn, who are both seriously hilarious. Seriously. I also must warn you these videos are definitely NSFW, due to rampant, creative swearing, hyper violence, and multiple references to Full Metal Jacket. Enjoy!

Link: Bulletstorm FMJ Parody – NSFW

RAGE – Untethered Trailer

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

A new release from Id software that looks to combine the best of both Fallout and Borderlands? Yes please! Too bad we have to wait until September 16th to enjoy it.

Zombie Island Announcement Trailer

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

From what I could dig up it’s a FPS (First Person Shooter) that takes place on a resort island called Banoi that undergoes a zombie infestation. And unlike most other zombie titles, you won’t be loaded with firearms and be a one-man zombie killing machine. Instead, the goal is survival, reportedly using anything you can get your hands on to fight back the undead hoard. This includes kitchen knives, pipes, even tree branches, and items can be combined to improve their usefulness. However, since you’re an Average Joe, your not the most competent fighter alive. To remedy this, an in-game skill tree can be used to improve your character’s combat proficiency. Character models also feature real time damage, and individual bones can be destroyed, so one poorly placed blow can be the difference between a headless zombie, and one just missing a jaw. Plus, based on the trailer, it seems to be taking a more emotional and realistic look at a zombie outbreak, which is just fantastic, provided some group doesn’t bitch about there being zombie children.

It’s being developed by Polish developer Techland, who are most famously known for the Call of Juarez games. If you ask me, going from a Western series to a modern day Zombie game is a pretty big leap, especially considering the abundance of the Zombie theme in current culture. Still, considering the game has been in development for at least 3 years, and the vastly different tone when compared to similar titles, this looks like it’ll be a huge hit when it finally gets released.

Whip, Kick, BOOM Bulletstorm Trailer

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

A trailer for the upcoming game Bulletstorm, which further shows off the skill shot system that rewards players with points for creative kills. These points then can be used to purchase better in-game weaponry and abilities. Although the music is a little too ’12-year-old’s MW2 sniper montage’ for my taste, the game does look sick (in a good way) and is sure to have uptight “parenting” groups in a rage when in comes out on the 22nd. And as the video reminds you, Bulletstorm isn’t going to pre-order itself; you have 5 days.

Duke Nukem At The 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

This is footage from the opening video at the 14th annual Interactive Achievement Awards. In it, a series of Chuck Norris-esque jokes precede Duke’s appearance, which is in turn interrupted by Claptrap from Borderlands, another Gearbox Software title (BTW, it’s CL4P-TP for your purists out there). Claptrap happens to be in charge of Duke’s PR, and claims he has to be more like the popular games of recent times. Of course, Duke has a response to everyone of Claptrap’s claims, with amusing results. Also, it’s a little NSFW. You have been warned.

Duke Nukem Forever Balls Of Steel Edition

Friday, February 11th, 2011

Like most new video game releases, Duke Nukem Forever is also offering a limited edition packed to the gills with goodies for those willing to spend the standard extra $10-60. However, I think this is one of the cooler special editions to have been announced in recent times, if only for all the Duke-themed items. It comes with a detailed bust of Duke Nukem with the inscription ‘Carpe Nukem’, 100 page art book, postcard series, radioactive emblem sticker, comic book, foldable paper craft, poker chips, mini-card deck, and radioactive emblem dice. Plus the package comes with a limited edition certificate of authenticity. If you’ve ever been a Duke fan, this is definitely the package for you.

Edit: I just found out that the Balls Of Steel Edition is priced at $99.99, and quantities are limited. You can pre-order from GameStop and Amazon.

Homefront: The Voice of Freedom

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

‘Homefront: The Voice of Freedom’ by John Milius and Raymond Benson is a pretty good read. It details the actions of Ben Walker, a journalist turned resistance fighter and underground radio personality called ‘The Voice of Freedom’ during a Korean occupation of the United States. Wait, what? That’s right, in the fiction of Homefront, North Korea, led by Kim Jong-Il’s son, Kim Jong-Un, ‘peacefully’ reunifies with the South and the ‘Greater Korean Republic’ quickly begins annexing most of Asia, becoming a world power. During the same time period, the USA suffers economically, socially, and militarily, making it a shadow of what it once was. Then the ‘Norks’ get ballsy and launch a cyber attack and an EMP on the US, invade, and quickly start trying to take control of all its resources. And of course they encounter pockets of US resistance, who are hopelessly outmatched, but are driven on by the American spirit. Hell yeah!

While I can’t tell if it’s a straight-up prequel to the upcoming game, or if the events are parallel, I will tell you it’s a good introduction to the story. Homefront releases March 8th.

Brink: A Choir Of Guns

Saturday, February 5th, 2011

Brink is an upcoming FPS by developer Splash Damage, that combines elements of parkour, in-depth weapon customization, and class-based gameplay. Due to the multitude of AAA titles that are being released along side it, Brink hasn’t received a large amount of publicity, but I’m already beginning to see what has the potential to be one of the greatest games of the year. It’s release date is May 17.