Santa Monica, U.S.A. — With little more than two weeks to go for one of the most anticipated entertainment launches in history, Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, kicks things into high gear with the release of the new Call of Duty: Black Ops II live-action trailer helmed by visionary director Guy Ritchie and featuring Robert Downey Jr. The explosive :60 second high-octane piece, titled “Surprise,” was unveiled on network television in the U.S. on Monday Night Football and will rollout worldwide across high-profile telecasts including elite European football matches.

Reflecting the global phenomenon that is Call of Duty, a franchise which appeals to both mass and enthusiast audiences, several additional celebrity cameos round out the cast. Omar Sy, one of France’s top comedic actors, and a huge Call of Duty fan in his own right, makes an appearance, and core gaming fans will recognize Internet phenoms FPSRussia as well as iJustine.

To support the launch blitz, Activision teamed up with Bad Robot Interactive to release a Call of Dutytakeover to Bad Robot’s mega-hit Action Movie FX app, which is a free download available now on iPhone and iPad. The app enables fans to film real world environments with their phones, only to bring mayhem to them using Call of Duty: Black Ops II near-future weaponry. Additionally, fans can use the scan function in the app, to unlock and unleash exclusive new weapons for use in the app from the upcoming game.

“With Call of Duty we are re-writing the rule-book of how games are marketed. This is more than a product launch, it’s become a cultural event. And, what Treyarch has created this year with Call of Duty: Black Ops II is nothing short of the most innovative Call of Duty title yet,” said Tim Ellis, CMO, Activision Publishing. “So our mission is to meet this creativity with the most dynamic and far-reaching launch campaign we’ve ever done. Everything we do is geared toward reaching our fans – the best community in the world – to celebrate with them the launch this November 13.”

This year, more than 15,000 retail outlets worldwide are scheduled to open their doors at midnight on Tuesday, November 13. Additionally, Activision will support the game through a global outdoor advertising campaign that will run in eight cities and across more than 450 media placements around the world with support from the media agencies OMD and MEC, respectively.

Promotional partners in North America include Xbox 360 and LG, as well as retail partners Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Target and Wal-Mart. Throughout the campaign, Activision has worked with LA /Amsterdam based agency 72andSunny on overall creative direction and The Ant Farm on a series of heart-pounding gameplay trailers that have been viewed in the millions.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II launches worldwide on November 13, 2012, on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC. The title is also expected to be released in North America on November 18, 2012, for the new Wii U game system from Nintendo.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II is rated “M” (Mature – Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs – content suitable for persons ages 18 and older) by the ESRB.

More information on Call of Duty: Black Ops II can be found at http://www.callofduty.com/blackops2 or on www.facebook.com/codblackops. Fans can also follow @Treyarch on Twitter.

Watch the official trailer below:

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EX3D, the collection of high-quality passive 3D glasses, now features a new and exciting range of special gaming glasses, the EX3D Dual View Eyewear collection of comfortable special gaming glasses, available in UK electronic stores from September 2012, enable multi-play gamers to see only their own screen – in full screen.

From November, gamers will also be able to enjoy improved visual clarity with the new EX3D Call of Duty Gaming Eyewear. Both new ranges will be shown at IFA 2012 Berlin for the first time in Europe (hall 25, stand 169).

EX3D Dual View Game Eyewear will retail in the UK at £35 and comes as a set of two glasses, one with two left lenses and one with two right lenses. They individually filter passive 3D signals for players playing a split-screen game.

As a result both players only see their own screen whilst playing on the same TV set, which makes cheating obsolete and competing against each other even more fun.

The Call of Duty Black Ops II Eyewear is manufactured under license. The glasses feature high contrast lenses to increase subtle game details and improve shooting accuracy, and adjustable nose pads allow for a contoured, custom fit. The collection with several individual models will be available in UK electronic stores from November 2012 and will retail from £25.

“After we introduced EX3D to the European and UK market last year, the feedback we instantly received was that the high level of comfort and design combined with superior functionality perfectly addressed the requirements of contemporary 3D consumers”, says Günther Herrmann, Director of Business Development EMEA at Marchon 3D.

“3D Gaming is now a rapidly growing area, and building on our core expertise in developing high-quality 3D eyewear, we have now extended the functionality of 3D TVs by using our patented filtering shielded technology to create a truly exciting gaming environment. The glasses work with every passive 3D TV set, passive 3D gaming monitors and passive 3D projectors – and they take gaming to the next level.”

The EX3D collection utilises patented M³D technology from Marchon3D, a developer, manufacturer and worldwide distributor of passive 3D glasses. With the technology, three-dimensional images can be reproduced through curved lenses in high definition. The wearer can move and turn their head freely while wearing the glasses, without causing any distortion.

The EX3D glasses are attractively designed, offer a high degree of comfort and 100% UV protection. Hard and anti-glare coating reduces scratches and reflections to improve screen view and life of the lens. Each model in the EX3D collection is certified according to both RealD and MasterImage.

These two leading 3D projection techniques together cover about 80 percent of the 3D cinema market. EX3D is the only brand to meet both certifications.

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Unlike their competitors, Sony wasted no time getting to the most important topic for any gamer during its E3 presentation: games. Unfortunately, not all of the games shown were to everyones liking.

Beyond: Two Souls, developed by Quantic Dreams, the makers of Heavy Rain, was announced at the beginning of the show. Much like Heavy Rain, story and cinematic seem to play a large role in the game and follows the protagonist, Judie Holmes, over the course of her life.

Sony fans itching for some Super Smash Bros. are fortunately in luck; PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale aims to fill that niche. Battles are based around getting points, which players can obtain through defeating others and special moves. Big Daddy from Bioshock was confirmed as a playable character; other 3rd party characters may be included.

Sony also touched on their online service, PlayStation Network (PSN), revealing that over 200 games are due for release on the service within the next 12 months, including titles like The Unfinished Swan PSN and PS1 titles available online are also headed toward the Vita.  Fans can look forward to PS1 classics like Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy 7.

In addition, PlayStation Plus members can also expect to get great deals on content and online games, a smart move that will hopefully get more people to sign up for the service.

A Call of Duty game is in development for the Vita, along with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation (AC). Liberation is the first Assassin’s Creed game to feature a female assassin as the lead, has touch screen capabilities, and was built ground up for the Vita. There are also extras that can be unlocked when the game is linked up to Assassin’s Creed 3 on PlayStation 3. The games will give Vita owners something to look forward to in the coming months.

The latest flagship game in the AC series will have an emphasis on water, with controlling ships on the high seas as an important part of the game. A special and realistic weather system will also be in place in the game. Both Assassin’s Creed games will take place in America during revolutionary times.

Far Cry 3 multiplayer was also shown. The mode will include 4-player co-op and feature missions made specifically for multiplayer. Looking a little rough at this time, the game still has a ways to go in development, but looks to be a fun experience.

Sony, however, went wrong announcing Wonder Book: Book of Spells. Utilizing the PlayStation Move, players can cast spells and embark on quests in a Harry Potter themed world. The game is, however, nothing like the games fans were expecting and is more reminiscent of a point-and-click game meant for children. Many fans voiced their disapproval of the software and the lengthy amount of time devoted to it. 

Toward the end of the conference, a trailer for the new God of War game, subtitled “Ascension,” was shown. Fans of the series will be delighted to know that the game looks to follow its predecessor’s closely in terms of game-play and gore. A multiplayer mode will be included, up to 8 players can join in games of competitive team play where players will battle for control of the map. A release date of March 12, 2013 has been announced.

Sony closed its show with The Last of Us. Created by developer Naughty Dog, responsible for successful franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and the Uncharted series, the trailer for the game was by far the highlight of Sony’s conference. It features two characters, the ruthless Joel and the young but wise Ellie, trying to survive in a zombie infested post-apocalyptic world. While the concept might seem overdone, Naughty Dog breathes fresh life into the wasteland with fast and action-packed game-play.

While Sony had some high points and some low points, many fans overall were disappointed. Many games they expected to be shown or announced were not touched upon, such as Kingdom Hearts 3. Other than The Last of Us, there were no big surprises, and many hated Wonder Book: Book of Spells. Luckily for Sony, The Last of Us was enough not to alienate fans, but they definitely will not attract any newcomers with the show.

Image Courtesy of  PlayStation.Blog.Europe

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Johnson Ting, a digital concept artist from Malaysia, had a knack for all that is mecha and video game related. In this portion of his interview, he gives readers insights into his college life, inspirations, and his future goals in the art world.

Toonari Post (TP): If you could make the perfect piece of artwork what would it look like?  What medium would it be in? How would you achieve “perfection”?

Johnson Ting (JT): I don’t think I can achieve ‘perfection’. To me, one of the best moments in creating a work is the process of trying to make it ‘perfect’, but you can never achieve it. It’s the ‘trying to make it perfect’ part that is the part where you gain a lot of knowledge. We’re all students of art, no matter our age and our qualifications, we’re always learning. If we ever stopped learning, the purpose of creating better art is lost. The art could end up being soulless. A painting without the artist’s effort and passion is just.. dead.

TP: If there was any art medium that you wish you could master, what would it be and why?

JT: It would be the digital medium. It’s one of my most frequently used mediums and my favorite. I love it a lot, so if i could be given a wish to master it, then why not?

TP: What is your college life like at One Academy of Communication Design? Did your classes help your skills and give you inspiration for the future?

JT: To be honest it was rather unexpected, not how I imagined an art school to be like. The college focuses more on fundamentals and technical skills. In my opinion, it helps a lot, building a strong foundation for future purposes. What I like most about the college are the lecturers, not just the stuff they teach, but the part when they share their opinions about art and what their life as an artist is like.

To me, that is something you can’t buy, it is just priceless. The people I met during my college years are some of my proudest moments. Being able to meet great people and masters helps a lot in boosting one’s dedication towards art.

TP: You will be graduating soon, how does it feel to be finishing your degree? Any worries about what comes after graduation?

JT: Not really. Worrying doesn’t help, action does! I’m already a concept artist in a game studio a few months ago before I graduate. I’m switching to a full time concept artist afterwards. There are some worries, but if you’re sure on what you’re going to do and where you’re going to be, then there’s not much to worry about actually. Believe in yourself and fight for the best.

TP: Outside of art what is your life like? Tell me anything about yourself that you would like.

JT: Enjoying being alive! I’m grateful of the life I have been given and I often go out to a quiet place with a pen and a sketchbook. Seeing people interacting with each other, enjoying the view, and the breeze in your hair, it’s just amazing to be able to do so. I usually catch movies with friends and join as many outdoor activities as i can, hiking or cycling especially.

Interacting with mother nature is just relaxing and you can also gain a lot of inspirations from it. If I had the time I would just go around driving, enjoying the drive and the music, just great.  Oh, and games!

TP:What are your goals in life? Do you plan to continue art as a hobby or make it a career?

JT: My goal in life is to be a part of a team creating a successful game title, like Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Gears of War, etc. Being a part of a team creating something epic is always something I have aspired to do and it’ll always be my main goal in life. Opening a studio with a bunch of fun people is also one of my goals! And yes, it’ll be my lifelong career and I’m really grateful that I’m fortunate enough in being able to achieve these goals.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

JT: Yes, I do. It’s something you don’t really know or notice. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures, everything we do affects our art. How we grow up, what we like to eat, where we lived, what we like to play, who we know, it’s all connected. It subconsciously changes the way we draw and it’s what makes us all unique. Everyone is special, everyone is unique, that is what makes us all one of a kind.

Image Courtesy of   rhinoting

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Modern Warfare 3 blazes into 2012 with the debut of all-new multiplayer maps Liberation and Piazza. The front line of the Modern Warfare 3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite, nine consecutive months of epic downloadable content that commences January 24th for Xbox Live users.

Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, revealed recently that the content will be available first for Call of Duty Elite’s premium members on Xbox LIVE, followed by additional platforms at a later time. From January through September, Call of Duty Elite premium members on Xbox LIVE will receive regular updates of all new content totaling at least 20 content drops.

The Modern Warfare 3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite will include a broader variety than ever, with brand new multiplayer maps, Special Ops Missions, new game modes and more. While Call of Duty Elite premium subscribers get the new content first, as promised, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 fans who want to buy the content a la carte as they have in the past, will be able to purchase the content via Modern Warfare 3 Content Collections.

“The mammoth launch of Modern Warfare 3 and the breakout success of Call of Duty Elite were just the beginning.  Call of Duty Elite provides an ‛always-on’ connection to our fanbase, and the MW3 Content Season is the ultimate way to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Call of Duty community and provide tremendous value to Call of Duty Elite premium members,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.

“With the Call of Duty: MW3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite we are delivering on our promise of more new content, more often, and with more variety than ever. With three studios collaborating on the first season, the breadth and depth of material on tap is truly extraordinary. It’s rare you can successfully execute both quantity and quality, but thanks to the expertise of our developers, the reach of Call of Duty Elite and the passion of our fans, we intend to deliver.”

All content drops for Call of Duty Elite premium members will occur once a month, starting in January for Xbox Live users and will continue through the year, ending in September. During the first three months of 2012, Activision will release five different content drops on three occasions in January, February and March, first on Xbox Live, followed by additional platforms at a later time.

The first two Content Drops will be multiplayer maps—also playable in Modern Warfare 3 Survival Mode—that throw combatants into a war-torn Central Park and an Italian seaside village. Liberation is a vast, militarized landscape, ripe for long-range sniper and LMG fire, with mounted turrets on either end that lend power to anyone brave enough to expose themselves in exchange for deadly firepower. Piazza is the idyllic Italian getaway that is anything but, where tight corners and branching pathways pose great risk at every turn. Close-range combat dominates in Piazza, where attacks from behind, above and below are an ever-constant threat.

The third Content Drop will be available for download in mid-February and two additional Content Drops will go live in March, as premium Call of Duty Elite members will receive new content once a month through September. Also in March, the first Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection will be available for purchase by the entire Call of Duty: MW3 player community on Xbox Live.

To celebrate the launch of each new content drop, Call of Duty Elite will run specialized events for real-world prizes throughout the nine-month Season. Additional details about the Modern Warfare 3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite and Collection series will be announced throughout the year.

Published by Activision and developed by Beachhead Studio, Call of Duty Elite is a comprehensive social gaming network offering a deep and innovative service for all registered Call of Duty players. Call of Duty Elite provides “always-on,” universal communication between the platform and the game. Players can access Call of Duty Elite via web or console—to connect with friends, plan multiplayer matches with their Clan or social Group, configure load-outs, access comprehensive stats and interactive heat maps, and much more.

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Activision Publishing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, announced recently that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 crossed the $1 billion mark in sales since its launch on November 8, 2011, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.

Highlighting the trend of interactive entertainment gaining a greater hold of audiences worldwide, the game achieved this milestone in just 16 days, eclipsing the record set in 2009 by the feature film “Avatar,” which reached the $1 billion milestone in 17 days.

While 2011 box office revenue is on the decline – down 4 percent this year at $9.4 billion, compared with $9.8 billion in 2010 — the number of people purchasing and participating in gaming is on the rise, with no sign of slowing_. With more than 30 million gamers, the Call of Duty community now exceeds the combined populations of the cities of New York, London, Tokyo, Paris and Madrid.

“Engagement of our Call of Duty audience continues to rise around the world” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. ”Call of Duty as an entertainment franchise has made an indelible mark on popular culture and its broad and continued success is further validation that audiences increasingly value interactive experiences over passive experiences.”

Call of Duty is now amongst that rarified group of sustained franchises like “Star Wars”, “Harry Potter”, “Lord of the Rings” and the National Football League (NFL) that attract or engage tens of millions of people every year or every new release.

Our Call of Duty Elite is one of the fastest growing online services ever with more than six million players registered since its launch November 8, 2011 and over one million premium subscriptions sold to date. By comparison, the premium subscription services of Netflix, Hulu Plus, Sirius XM and Xbox LIVE, did not reach one million paid subscribers until almost one year after launch.

“Call of Duty has become that rare entertainment franchise that transcends its own genre. Core gamers love it, as our stellar reviews show. But every year, new people are drawn into Call of Duty,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. ”And while the franchise continues to set records, our fans still seem to want more, demonstrated by our record setting start on Call of Duty Elite.

We are committed to helping everyone connect, compete and improve their game, Call of Duty style.”

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As First-Person Shooters go, this monster of a game is the king of the hill. There are few competitors who can match this level of focused development on a game with so many gameplay options. Infinity Ward has a long history for developing Call of Duty games, each iteration getting bigger and better as the years progress.

Players from Modern Warfare 2 will recognize the feel and gameplay mechanics of Modern Warfare 3; there is something that is unique to the Modern Warfare series that competitors can’t quite duplicate. What this creates is a game that is at once familiar and yet also features new elements for players to experience.

With Modern Warfare 3, the storyline is straight and to the point. Some fans commented in Modern Warfare 2 that the plot was just a touch past the point of confused head scratching, and so that has been tweaked to a degree, focusing more on the seamlessness between missions with noticeable highs intermixed with low points of the campaign. You won’t be bored here.

The visuals of the game are more streamlined and that really appears to be the name of the game this time. Previous Modern Warfare games have felt rushed or chaotic, and while there is no shortage of either in this game, the visuals certainly draw you into the game world. Developers have focused more on realism and less on quick and fast gameplay.

The campaign itself is indeed more fluid, with events planned out to prevent any and all confusion from setting into the players’ minds. You have options in weapons and in gameplay direction, but the flow is overall more cognizant of the players’ choices. You won’t have to worry about ammo or weapons, as there will be plenty of them to be found in the environment.

The Survival mode in Spec Ops is particularly organic, mixing different types of enemies after each successive wave of opponents that are trying to batter you down. Warning, the helicopter will make you cower in fear, if you make it to a good hiding spot at all. Here you’ll either play smart or die fast, and the player must choose their reloads.

Do you want more grenades or more ammo? You won’t have time to get both. This mode puts to shame any comparisons to Zombie Mode from Call of Duty: Black Ops; it’s just leagues apart.

The real draw for most players of Modern Warfare 3 will be the online multiplayer. Beyond the campaign and the reasonably predictable AI, the need to play against a living breathing person is the real advantage of the game. With new weapons and map packs likely to come online, players can expect to have a very customized multiplayer journey.

Experience points are gained for every kill and are also gained for every flag or dog tag collected in new multiplayer modes. The Kill Confirmed mode is one of the new modes available that should lead to a lot of creative strategies to avoid walking into an ambush. This mode will require the player to retrieve the dog tags from opponents that they’ve eliminated.

It means that, yes, you can be fast with a gun, but now you’ll also have to be strategic and not babysit the high ground with a big gun. Happily, all is not lost as you can actually deny the opposing team their points by picking up your teammates’ dog tags before they do. The Team Defender mode is a hybrid combination of Capture the Flag and King of the Hill.

The team that keeps the flag for the longest amount of time will accumulate the most amount of points as most would expect, except that the flag is mobile the entire match and it’s a race to see who can hide or run the furthest without dying. Flag generation will likely lead to no shortage of online trash talking since the first player to be killed is the one who generates the one flag for the whole match.

This should lead to some otherwise hilarious kill footage. The snag in an otherwise seamless game begins in a familiar area that fans are all too frustrated with experiencing. The re-spawning part of the online multiplayer is again an issue that Infinity Ward seems unwilling to address. Players just don’t like getting killed immediately after re-spawning; it just isn’t exciting.

The interactive button press cut scenes in campaign can be an annoyance on the second or third round of play through but are otherwise fine. Modern Warfare 3 is an excellent addition to the Call of Duty series. Its crisp visuals, combined with the better plotted storyline and continually evolving gameplay, make for an exceptionally focused game.

Players will be able to tell, versus Modern Warfare 2′s scattered jumble, that this iteration of Modern Warfare felt like it was developed along a very specific set of guidelines. As a result, the replay value on this game is particularly high, so it is unlikely that there will be many used copies available in the immediate future.

The overall game retains that great First-Person Shooter feel from past versions, and the new multiplayer options create an even greater range of death and destruction than ever before. This is a solid game that for any shooting fan is a must have for their collection.
Image Courtesy of   http://www.callofduty.com

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