Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Call of Duty Elite will be free

Following speculation that COD Elite would be a subscription based-service, Robert Bowling, the Creative Strategist for Infinity Ward, announced on Twitter that Call of Duty Elite will be free for everyone and that paid-for features of the service are yet to be decided. Speaking on Twitter, Bowling, whose online alias is FourZeroTwo, said:
COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM.


Bowling also stated that more details on the service will be released tomorrow, adding that players will not be charged for anything that was previously free:

Absolutely not. Nothing is being charged for that was previously free. More details coming in the morning. Give it a read.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Complete Breakdown of the MW3 Reveal Trailer

This is a complete breakdown of the MW3 Reveal Trailer.

The Modern Warfare 3 trailer starts off by showing us events in America.

MW3 New York Invasion

As you can see, it looks as if New York is under a full-blown attack. We have warships in the Hudson River and attack helicopters and fighter jets in the sky. Many of the surrounding skyscrapers are on fire and have suffered heavy damage.

MW3 stock exchange New York

The next scene shows us the New York Stock Exchange building and a hovering attack chopper. This is interesting because one of the multiplayer maps listed in the MW3 leak a few weeks ago was called Exchange. Will we have a multiplayer map that is based on the New York Stock Exchange?

Missile MW3 submarine

In the above scene, we're shown a submarine, which is launching a missile from the Hudson River.

M4A1 Modern Warfare 3

In the above scene, a fellow soldier is tossing you some ammo. I'm not an expert on weapons, but the other soldier in this scene looks as if he is holding the M4A1 assault rifle, which was a multiplayer weapon in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

MP5 MW3 London

In the next scene (above), we're shown what is happening in London, England. As you can see, Big Ben is in the background. Here, we are shown a group of soldiers that are equipped with the MP5 Sub Machine Gun. It looks as if the MP5 has a Holographic Sight. In case you didn't know, the MP5 was an SMG in the COD 4 multiplayer. The MP5K variant was an SMG in the MW2 multiplayer.



Here, we're shown British soldiers/SAS/Police members firing upon an encroaching truck / van. Later in the scene, the truck flips over. As you can see, British police cars are strung along the road. The fact that they're firing upon a truck suggests that England is dealing with a terrorist threat rather than a foreign invasion.

London Underground MW3 Train

For some reason, it looks as if we're chasing after a train in the London Underground. This is the second level of the Modern Warfare 3 campaign. During this level, which is called "Mind the Gap", you take control of Sgt. Marcus Burns, who is an SAS soldier. During this mission, you drive a pick-up truck through the subway while chasing a train that is filled with enemy soldiers.

Toppled train London MW3

Later on in the scene, a truck smashes into the front of the train carriage, causing it to slide off track and topple over

MW3 France Paris

For the next scene, we're brought to Paris in France. As you can see, the Eiffel Tower is shown in the background.

Paris Call of Duty

In this scene, two sets of uniformed soldiers are fighting against one another. This suggests that France is trying to fight off an invasion. Has Russia invaded France as well? Has another country sided with Russia?

MW3 Gendarmerie

Here, we're shown a van belonging to the Gendarmerie. It is being chased by a Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunship, which is firing at through the glass roof. In case you didn't know, the Mil Mi-24 is/was used by the Soviet Army from 1972 onwards. The National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie nationale) is a French paramilitary force that is in charge of public safety. It also carries out civilian policing duties.

Famas MW3

This is an interesting scene because it looks as if the soldier on the left is using the Famas. In case you didn't know, the Famas is manufactured in France. It appeared in Modern Warfare 2 as a burst-fire Assault Rifle and later in Black Ops as a fully automatic Assault Rifle. Another point to note is that these are American soldiers in France (you can see American flags on their uniform). What are American soldiers doing in France? I'm not entirely sure what weapon the soldier on the right is carrying. Whatever it is, it looks as it has a suppressor.

Paris Modern Warfare 3

There's nothing that can really be said about the scene above except that it looks as if Paris is being engulfed by a large battle. The vehicle above doesn't look like a Humvee. Instead, it looks like a private military vehicle (French paramilitary?).

MW3 Germany

Next, we're shown what is happening in Germany. From the scenes we are shown, it looks as if Germany is also dealing with an invasion in MW3. This begs the question. What country or countries are invading the US, France and Germany? I intentionally left England out of that list because judging from the trailer, it looks as if the British are dealing with a terrorist group and not an actual invasion. I could be wrong about that, mind you. In the scene above, a M1A1 Abrams tank is clearly visible. This is an American tank. Are the US involved in Germany as well?

Berline MW3

In this scene, an airstrike is being carried out on a tank. The aircraft is a US A-10 Warthog. The tank is a Russian T-80 tank.

Exchange Modern Warfare 3

For this scene, we're brought back to the New York Stock Exchange building. Soldiers are running across the street while flares lie in the background. Admittedly, the flares look like enemy tactical insertions.

During this scene, Makarov's voice cuts in and says:
Is doesn't take the most powerful nations on earth to create the next global conflict. Just the will... of a single man.


Patrol in Modern Warfare 3

The scene aboves shows us a military patrol. I can't make out what weapons they are carrying. It looks as if one of the soldiers might be holding an RPD LMG.

terrorists

It looks as if the soldier above is carrying an AK47. Is the soldier Russian? It looks as if a Russian BTR-80 personnel carrier is present in the background. Are those civilians being rounded up in the background?

AK47 Modern Warfare 3

The soldier above is holding an AK47. Men in plain clothes (civilians or terrorists?) are being lined up.



I've heard a lot of people saying that the guy above is Ghost. Who knows? MW2 brought with it a lot of unexpected twists. Who's to say that a character called Ghost won't return from the 'dead' in MW3?

Breach MW3

Here, we're shown special operatives (SAS?) breaching a door. This shot kind of reminds me of that first mission in Call of Duty 4 where they have to infiltrate the ship. The men above are using the MP5 SMG.

Underwater Brooklyn MW3

It looks as if this is one of the Modern Warfare 3 level's. As you can see, you're in a flooded New York tunnel, which is littered with cars and tankers. On the sign, it says that Brooklyn is 1.5 miles away (I think).

AC130 MW3

This is another exciting scene as it shows the AC130 in use. In case you didn't already know, the AC130 was a popular killstreak in MW2. The operator had the choice of three types of on-board weapons. Because this is the campaign mode, it is not entirely certain that the AC130 will return as a killstreak in the MW3 multiplayer.

Minigun MW3

The above scene shows you inside of a helicopter, taking control of a minigun. You're firing at a Russian Mil Mi-24 gunship. I'm guessing that this level will be full of air fights.

MW3 gameplay

This looks to be another piece of in-game footage. By the looks of things, you're driving a speedboat through the Hudson River, New York. The guy in front of you is holding an MP5 SMG. As you can see, warships surround you and it looks as if a large battle has taken place.

If you have any insights into the images above, please leave a comment below.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The noobtube will be returning in MW3

As suspected, the grenade launcher will be returning for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Leaked screenshots earlier this month depicted a number of weapons; one of which was the m320 Grenade Launcher (seen below).

Noobtube MW3

Speaking on Twitter, Robert Bowling said:

Grenade launchers are a valuable tool in modern arsenals. There is no doubt they need rebalancing from MW2, but not removal. #MW3

MW3 will not be released for the Wii

According to FourZeroTwo, the acting Community Manager for Infinity Ward, no Wii version has been announced for Modern Warfare 3. Speaking on Twitter, Robert Bowling (FourZeroTwo) said:

No Wii version has been announced, currently available for pre-order on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

This is disappointing news for Wii owners, as the previous Call of Duty title, Black Ops had a Wii version on launch-date. This doesn't rule out the possibility of MW3 being released on the Wii in a later date. In fact, Call of Duty 4 was released for the Wii under the title Call of Duty: Reflex after the game had already been released for the XBox, PS3 and PC.

MW3 wii

Monday, May 23, 2011

MW3 Gameplay Trailer

Tonight, Infinity Ward released the first gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Dedicated servers for MW3?

Update. Dedicated servers WILL be featured in MW3.

Well, it looks as if dedicated servers will be available for Modern Warfare 3. During a Twitter conversation with Robert Bowling, the Creative Strategist at Infinity Ward, user irishstorm_IRL stated:

If IWNet is confirmed for MW3, I'm not going to touch it. Learned that mistake from MW2.


Bowling's replies to the topic of Dedicated Servers was pretty telling:

To be fair, your problems were not with IWnet, but with the lack of options (like Dedi) that it offered... Correct. Matchmaking makes it more accessible, Dedi make it more reliable.


Has Robert Bowling finally realized that IWnet is not a substitute for dedicated servers? Has the fact that Black Ops included dedicated servers changed his mind? Or was it the backlash from PC players over MW2? I'm guessing it was the latter.

Offical MW3 Forums due to open after reveal trailer

Speaking on Twitter, Infinity Ward's Creative Strategist Robert Bowling stated that the offical MW3 forums would open for business after the MW3 trailer reveal, which is due to be shown tomorrow.

@siwelmail There is no official #MW3 forum yet, but there will be soon (after the first gameplay trailer on May 23rd).


Robert Bowling