Call of Duty: Black Ops Multiplayer Overview

The guys over at Inside Xbox had the chance to get up close and personal with Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer mode. Instead of only covering the new Wager mode, they also took the time to learn about all of the other new features found in the game’s multiplayer component. New features such as character customization as well as cinema mode are explained. Sit back, relax and enjoy about 7 minutes of Black Ops multiplayer goodness.

Steve Jobs: “We’ve Sold More Handhelds than Nintendo and Sony Combined”

Today Steve Jobs took the stage at his yearly music conference at the Apple Yerba Buena location in California. Every year, Jobs takes this time to showcase some of the upcoming products its iPod line of music players. This morning was no different as Jobs presented on lookers as well as live-streamers 3 new additions to the iPod family.

If you recall back to earlier this year during the iOS4 presentation and the announcement of the upcomming Gamecenter, Apple made it very clear who it’s competitors are by showing off some rather glaring statistics and differences between Nintendo and Sony’s effort, and what the iPhone and iPod Touch platform has achieved in less time. Today Jobs calls them out both again. This time by letting them know who wears the handheld crown. Take a look at the slide below.

Xbox 360 Controller D-Pad Finally Redesigned

That headline is not a typo. This post goes out to all those brave left thumbs we’ve lost along the way. Thumbs who’s owners refused to purchase a fightpad (or stick) and instead decided to just push through it, no matter how thick and gross the callus got. This one is for you. No more having to fear playing fighting games on the 360.

Ok, on a serious note, earlier today Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb posted on his blog a quick hands on video with the upcoming wireless controller as well as some fresh press shots to boot. Not only has the D-Pad been revamped, the color scheme has also gone a totally different direction from what we’ve all become used to for the last 5 years. Gone are the candy colored X, Y, A, and B buttons and in are 4 different shades of gray. At first it may say sound like it’s new look seems a bit boring but upon further investigation it’s actually pretty slick, and dare I say – industrial or Apple-esque?

The pad will cost you 65 greenbacks (with a packed-in Play and Charge kit) when it hits store shelves on November 9th. This leads one to believe that Microsoft is banking on gamers coming in for Black Ops and leaving the store with a brand new controller to go with it. Gamers in Europe can snag one of these later on in February. I’m wondering when the Slims will start getting this thrown into the box as well as what happens to those that ran out and bought the newer systems this summer. Hit the jump to check out the press shots as well as Major Nelson’s quick video tour.

[Major Nelson]

Views: 201

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Special Edition PSP 3000 Bundle

If you thought that Sony would release another God of War PSP title and not accompany it with it’s own bundle again, I’d like to have what you’re having. We all knew it would happen it was just a matter of finding out when and what color it would be. Thankfully the guys over at the Playstation Blog have received the complete lowdown and decided to share it with the masses. Here’s what you’ll find inside the  entertainment pack bundle:

• Black and Red Two-Toned PSP-3000
• God of War: Ghost of Sparta UMD Game– After God of War concludes, Ghost of Sparta begins with the story of Kratos’ ascension to power as the God of War.
• God of War: Chains of Olympus PlayStation Network Downloadable Game Voucher – Before the events of God of War, experience Kratos’ journey during the 10-years of servitude to the Gods of Olympus in one of the most highly acclaimed action titles of all time!
• Kick Ass – UMD Movie
• 2 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo

The inclusion of Kick Ass makes this a must buy in itself. Hit the jump to check out the high-res gallery!

No Call of Duty: Black Ops Beta For You… Not Yet At Least

It’s still only August, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t wetting themselves at the thought of getting  some Call of Duty: Black Ops loaded into their console of choice later this fall. The hype is getting so out of control that  even the search engines (Bing, Google) completely milking it for all it’s worth are getting into the mix by throwing around search result ads for an Black Ops Beta. This news has obviously made it’s way around the internet in record time and into the inbox of Treyarch community manager Josh “@JD_2020″ Olin who has decided to remedy the issue immediately via twitter. Here’s what he had to say:

“Bing / Google / <any search engine here> ads for a #CODBlackOps BETA are not official ads. As always, if I don’t say it, it’s not official!”

No reason to get upset. Just take what Josh said at face value. It’s not official until he says so, and hopefully he says so on September 1st during the completive multiplayer reveal, which is tomorrow!

Do you think we will see a beta? Talk about it in the comments!

[Twitter] VIA [HipHopGamerShow]

ShockCast Episode 28 – “Halo Vs PS Move: Who Will Rule in September?”

With two major launches just around the corner we decided what better time than now to discuss who will have a better launch and following months leading up to the holidays. That’s right, the gloves are off, and we’re pitting Microsofts golden goose, Halo: Reach up against Sony’s entry into the motion space, the Playstation Move. For our second topic, thanks to a recent editorial from Tyler, we discuss Rhythm games and the genre as a whole. Where they’ve been and even where they’re going. For our third segment, we brought in a topic we were set to discuss during this week’s DualCast but as you know we didn’t have a chance to record this week, so we took time out of the ShockCast to make up for it. That topic was social responsibilities in MMO’s and some people’s inability to balance a healthy lifestyle after succumbing to gaming addiction. All that and much more in this week’s show. Make sure to give it a listen!

Shank Review

During this year’s inaugural PAX East show in Boston, there were tons of games on hand. All of the heavy-hitter publishers were there with their fancy gigantic booths trying their best to get the gamers in attendance excited for many of the Summer’s and Fall’s biggest titles. Although there was tons of variety, nothing really caught our collective eyes. That was until we piled into a hotel room that was adjacent to the Hines convention center, where we interviewed Jamie Cheng, the CEO of Klei Entertainment and checked out a rather unknown title by the name of Shank. We all left the room knowing that we just saw the game that was official our pick for “Best of Show.”

It’s felt like forever since we checked out Shank. So was it worth the wait?

Views: 638

ShockCast Episode 27 – “No Cheering In The Press Box Sucks”

This week’s show one of our main topics stems from an editorial that we read on  GamePolitics. In it the writer spoke about game journalists not being taken seriously because they never have the same integrity of, let’s say, a sports writer who delivers purely news and fact to his or her audience. Instead, game journalists always seem to lean in one direction or another. This topic quickly turns into a heated debate as most of us agree that this unofficial  ”no cheering rule” sucks. Our second main topic we discuss the trials and tribulations that occur when you’re a smaller site trying to make a name for yourself in this industry. What separates the real ones with staying power from the fakers? To wrap things up we discuss news from GamesCom as well stories that made waves this week. All in all, another great episode with some great discussions, make sure to give it a listen.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Impressions

Like most of the writers that I spoke to who attended the recent New York City Activision media day, I too was a bit hesitant when it was time to check out the latest entry to the Call of Duty franchise. It was nothing personal against Treyarch, but the previous title by the now defunct Infinity Ward team left somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth. And it wasn’t even about all the hacking that was plaguing the online play; it was because of a story that was so convoluted even Michael Bay would have difficulty understanding it. Thankfully, Treyarch is not Infinity Ward and they’re not trying to be. With Black Ops, they’re just going to do what they always do and that is make a solid game, not just a multiplayer shooter with a tacked-on campaign.

Views: 1182

Friendly Neighborhood DualShocker Invades GamerTagRadio Roundtable

This past weekend, our Editor-In-Chief Yaris was invited out to sunny L.A. for a wild weekend full of sweaty men, grappling, and tights. And I’m not talking about Santa Monica Boulelvard. No,  thanks to our friends at THQ I’m talking Summerslam and a community event for the upcoming Smackdown VS. Raw 2011. While there, Yaris had the chance to hook up with Danny “Godfree” Pena from Gamertagradio.com along with guests Sergio (KonsoleKingz) and Mello32 (StickSkillz) for a quick roundtable about the event. Make sure to listen in as the crew discusses everything that’s been working (and not working) for SmackDown VS Raw series, as well as tidbits on what to expect from SvR 2011 when it hits store shelves this fall. Hit the jump for the link and have a listen.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Preview / Interview with Josh “JD_2020″ Olin

A few weeks back we were invited to an event in New York City where we would finally get the chance to get up close and personal with Treyarch and Activision’s upcoming shooter that you may have heard of. It was Call of Duty: Black Ops… and it was awesome. However, everything we saw was under lock and key until August 18th due to embargo. Well my friends, that day is today. While you can still expect a full impressions post up shortly (like tomorrow) we figure why not take the time to get to know Treyarch Community Manager, Josh “JD_2020″ Olin and learn what to expect from Black Ops before it consumes your life and your online friends list this November. For those of you worried about the online component and cheaters that plagued the launch of Modern Warfare 2 last year, you will definitely not want to miss this.

Sony’s Ultimate Weapon Gaming Headsets Are Sexay

That’s really the only way to describe the just announced Ultimate Weapon Gaming Headset from Sony. This bad boy comes in two very distinct flavors. The first, or “budget” model is the DR-GA200, the second “fully loaded” model is the DR-GA500, and while both will be sporting 40mm drive units and “triple enfolding” designs (whatever that means) only the 500’s will have the ability to pump out 7.1 surround with the help of an external decoder box.

While details, even in the press release, are still to be determined (including the price) the fact that these are all about gaming cannot be denied especially considering that the 500’s will be bundled with a copy of EA’s Medal of Honor this October. What I am trying to figure out at this point is whether or not these bad boys are wireless, which I think is somewhat safe to assume especially with Sony’s obsession with Blutooth technology. Sony is promising that their Ultimate Weapon will allow for “long sessions of wear without the growing distraction of discomfort.” I just hope the price doesn’t cause discomfort in my wallet. Hit the jump to check out the decoder box as well as the full press release.