Launched in 2019 for Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch, it’s a remaster of 1999’s Crash Team Racing, Naughty Dog’s take on a kart racer involving the series’ characters. However, it also incorporates content from sequels Crash Nitro Kart and Crash Tag Team Racing on top of revamped visuals (which stretch the definition of “remaster”).

Several new additions include online multiplayer, new cutscenes in Adventure Mode, and the Pit Stop, which players can use to unlock post-launch content. The addition of microtransactions was criticized, but Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled otherwise received positive acclaim at launch for its gameplay, faithfulness to the original, and presentation. Check out our review here for more details – we gave it an eight out of ten.

Microsoft has announced that Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled will release for Xbox Game Pass on December 4, later this week. The acclaimed kart racing remake launched in 2019 for consoles and received widespread acclaim, and is certainly worth a look for subscribers who haven’t already played the game.

Earlier this year, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy became the first Crash title to launch for Game Pass. Other Activision Blizzard games available on the service include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Diablo 4, and Spyro Reignited Trilogy.

In our review of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled back in 2019, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “It’s been a while since Crash and his friends got behind a wheel, but Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled proves that they clearly haven’t lost their touch.” Read the full review through here.

Start your engines and get ready to race in 3…2…1…

CRASH TEAM RACING NITRO-FUELED IS COMING TO @XboxGamePass DECEMBER 4! 🏎️ 💨 pic.twitter.com/IdrFeWHabF

— Xbox (@Xbox) December 2, 2024

Early access went live on November 2nd for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign. It’s the direct follow-up to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, last year’s sequel to the 2019 reboot, which ended with the tease of Makarov as the next antagonist. There was already concern about churning out a new game in just a year.

Rumors circulated about this year’s premium release being an expansion, but no, it’s a sequel. Maybe good ol’ Activision decided to expand it into a full game. Maybe it didn’t just take whatever content was meant to ship, slap a $70 price and call it a day?

It’s unknown how that whole decision-making process went down, but a handful of hours later, there’s justifiable rage. Some have reported finishing the campaign in about 3 to 4 hours, while others wagered it was about 2.5 hours. Some completed it and managed to refund the game on Steam.

But say you believe HowLongToBeat, which specifies about five hours or so to finish the campaign (with the cutscenes constituting about 37 minutes of the total runtime). Maybe you play on the highest difficulty and die continuously. That would extend the playtime slightly. Not the worst, though every other Call of Duty title has had a longer playtime. On top of that, most didn’t ask for $70. However, this is an expansion sold for the price of a game without the campaign to justify its asking price.

Now, some won’t mind a traditional set piece-heavy campaign which is a few hours long, even if the story is nonsense and insignificant, or that you need to download Call of Duty HQ, which is Modern Warfare 2 with a different name and launch it from there. However, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 doesn’t offer that.

It offers one decent mission (the opening) and then bombards you with some of the laziest-designed missions since all of Redfall. Those epic missions with crazy set pieces have been reduced – instead, you’ll spend a good chunk, say, about half the game, in Open Combat missions.

They’re not the worst idea on the surface. You enter a large environment that looks suspiciously like Verdansk from Warzone and can take different approaches to complete objectives. There are weapons and equipment to discover, and it’s possible to stack armor and go guns blazing on enemies, sneak around stealthily and much more.

There are even vehicles to control, and you can change loadouts mid-mission since the enemies will adapt to your tactics. It’s like the Revenge System from Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain! Kojima – er, Activision has done it again!

In practice, Open Combat missions are just an excuse to throw you into a large environment with insultingly easy objectives to complete. You can ignore everything to finish them and leave. Even if you want to go around shooting enemies, their AI is horrendous – snipe one enemy without a silencer and not only will nearby allies not care, but they may not even register the noise. Forget a Hitman-style sandbox with numerous creative ways to kill your targets – these Open Combat missions are nothing more than a single-player version of Modern Warfare 2’s DMZ. And DMZ isn’t really all that popular or fun to begin with.

So the traditional campaign missions range from “meh” to boring, with some of the worst storytelling in the franchise yet (which is saying something). The Open Combat missions are a snooze fest, at best and lazily designed at worst. To top it all off, you have to pay $70.

There will be plenty who say that you’re also paying for Multiplayer and Zombies. What about those who don’t want to play Multiplayer, whether because of matchmaking or simply because it’s not for them? Forget the fact that all of the Core 6v6 maps from Multiplayer are also reused from Modern Warfare 2 (2009). Those who care about single-player can’t even jump into Zombies, which has been round-based and soloable in previous titles.

No, they need to play the new and improved Zombies, which is…a PvE extraction shooter, once again set on a Warzone-style map where they must gather resources and extract. It could be acceptable, if not great, but that leaves the campaign, and those who put down their money, expecting something resembling triple-A quality, are out of luck. But at least you can go back and replay any mission in the campaign and try different loadouts. Maybe that will increase the fun factor.

After asking “What” and “How”, one has to wonder: “Why?” Why is this an acceptable standard for campaigns? Yes, it’s Call of Duty, and yes, the same annoying tropes apply across games. But aside from Ghosts and that one Black Ops game that will go nameless, you could at least be assured of a solid campaign. Not only does Modern Warfare 3 fall short of that, but it’s way below the worst entries.

Remember 2011’s Modern Warfare 3 and the missions it delivered? Remember Spec Ops? Remember the finale and the deaths of beloved characters that meant something, where playing Captain Price felt special? That era is long gone, and it’s a shame.

While it’s tempting to direct your ire towards the developers, remember: This was supposed to be an expansion for Modern Warfare 2. The fact that it requires Modern Warfare 2 to run more or less confirms that. Even with so many studios involved in development – Sledgehammer, Infinity Ward, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Treyarch and so on – it would have been a miracle to get a full-fledged release with no reused content out this year, that too at a high level of quality.

Of course, Activision doesn’t care about that or you. Its only objective is to release a new Call of Duty and reap that sweet $70 (with microtransactions, and no, it doesn’t matter if they’re cosmetic only). Granted, it’s one of the highest-selling franchises in the world, year in and year out, so assuming that people would buy it, regardless of quality, isn’t the worst financial plan.

Then again, this is the best year for video game releases since, oh, maybe 2007. It’s not like you have games like Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Final Fantasy 16, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, Dead Space, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon – the list goes on – that people could spend their money on instead.

But hey, if things do go wrong, and fewer people are willing to put down their money than before, Activision is now owned by Microsoft. They can pick up the pieces and figure out what to do. Maybe layoffs for developers who had nothing to do with the decisions that led to this mess.

Long story short, if you buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for whatever reason, don’t play the campaign. There’s no “so good, it’s bad” appeal or innovative features that stand out amongst the never-ending boredom. The story exists for no reason but to set up the inevitable Modern Warfare 4. Maybe the backlash will become big enough to lead to changes. Perhaps things will improve slightly next year, and we’ll all forget about it. Time, as always, will tell.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Minimum requirements include Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400, 8 GB RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960/GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon RX 470 with 2 GB VRAM and up to 32 GB for Hi-Rez Assets Cache. The recommended requirements include a Core i7-6700K or Ryzen 5 1600X, 16 GB RAM and either a GeForce GTX 1080Ti/RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6600XT with 8 GB VRAM.

Those seeking to play competitively or in Ultra 4K will need a Core i7-8700K or Ryzen 7 2700X, 16 GB RAM, up to 64 GB for Hi-Rez Assets Cache, and a GeForce RTX 3080/RTX 4070 or Radeon RX 6800XT with 10 GB VRAM. Nvidia DLSS 3 with Frame Generation is supported, which should help with performance.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10th for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PS4. Check out the latest trailer outlining PC-exclusive features here.

Developed by Beenox, the PC version offers over 500 customization options, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat and Nvidia RTX support. Like last year’s title, it will also be available on Battle.net and Steam, and based on the footage, players can expect another strong port. Of course, how strongly the anti-cheat holds up after multiplayer goes live remains to be seen, as always.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 releases on November 10th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. Its open beta returns this weekend, with pre-orders having early access. Sledgehammer Games promised improvements and will update players on slide timing, spawn selection and operator visibility. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is currently still available for pre-registration on Google Play and the App Store, and according to Activision, over 45 million players have already pre-registered for the game.

The company has further confirmed that Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will feature the Verdansk map, which has been specially built for the mobile release of the game and its 120-player battle royale mode. Activision has stated that teams across its Shanghai Studio, Beenox, Digital Legends and Solid State Studios are continuing work on the game while taking player feed back into account.

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is slated to be an all-encompassing Call of Duty experience for smartphones, and according to previous reports, will phase out Call of Duty Mobile once it launches in all countries worldwide.

According to Activision, it’s Sledgehammer Games, albeit in partnership with Infinity Ward. Sledgehammer is also “working closely” with Treyarch on Zombies. Beenox, Demonware, Raven Software and High Moon Studios were already confirmed to be on the project. However, Activision Central Design, Activision Central Technology, Activision Shanghai, Toys for Bob and Activision QA are also involved.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. It’s a premium release, costing $70, with cosmetics and purchases carrying over from last year’s Modern Warfare 2. Both titles and Call of Duty: Warzone are included in Call of Duty HQ, an upcoming one-stop destination for all Call of Duty content.

Along with Infinity Ward, there’s Sledgehammer Games, Beenox, Raven Software, High Moon Studios, Treyarch and Demonware. It’s worth noting that each studio could be working on separate things – Sledgehammer may be leading development, as previous rumors indicated. Treyarch may be involved in Zombies, rumored to be free-to-play, while Beenox works on the PC version (as with previous titles).

Of course, Raven Software is likely working on the new Warzone 2.0 map reportedly coming in December, while High Moon Studios serves as a support studio. Demonware’s products, like Matchmaking+, are used for matchmaking and stats in Call of Duty. We may see some improvements on those fronts in the sequel.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launches on November 10th and aside from PC, other platforms have yet to be confirmed. It is confirmed that skins and purchases from Modern Warfare 2 will carry over into the sequel, a first for the series.

As spotted by CharlieINTEL on Twitter, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile’s page on the App Store was recently updated, with the release date being moved from May 15 to November 1.

In a statement to GameSpot, Activision has suggested that the new release date mentioned on the page is a placeholder, but the company didn’t confirm a launch date or window for the battle royale shooter, mentioning only that it will launch sometime later this year.

“Until confirmed, most online stores simply list placeholder or estimated launch dates,” an Activision representative said. “We couldn’t be more excited about bringing Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile to gamers around the world and while we are still in our Limited Release phase, development is on track and we expect to release globally later this year.”

Earlier this year, Microsoft – which is currently working to have its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard approved by regulatory authorities around the world – said that Call of Duty Mobile was expected to be phased out and eventually replaced by Warzone Mobile. However, Activision said in a follow-up statement not long afterward that it intended to support Call of Duty Mobile “for the long haul.”

Meanwhile, where console experiences are concerned, it’s been claimed that this year’s Call of Duty instalment – which is reportedly set to be a Modern Warfare 2 follow-up developed by Sledgehammer Games – will be revealed in August.

Warzone Mobile’s release date on the App Store has changed from Expected May 15, 2023 to now Expected Nov 1, 2023.

Activision still hasn’t announced a worldwide release date. pic.twitter.com/g2qNs9IFPh

— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) May 9, 2023

Even more content is coming next year, though. Leaker Ghost of Hope revealed on Twitter that Beenox and Toys for Bob are developing a Resurgence Map for Warzone 2.0. It’s reportedly planned to release in mid-2023. Infinity Ward and Raven Software are also involved, with the former “leading the narrative” while the latter is “consulting on gameplay ideas.”

Resurgence is a somewhat different experience from battle royale. The map is smaller, and there’s no Gulag. Allies respawn after a period, which increases with each new safe zone. Scoring kills reduced the respawn timer, but any team that loses allies will have their location exposed to all enemies. It’s a tighter, faster-paced experience that rewards aggression.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is also rumored to receive a paid map pack in late 2023 featuring maps from Modern Warfare 2 (2009) and previous games in the series. It will also allegedly have new campaign content. Stay tuned in the meantime for more details.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launches on October 28th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.

EXCLUSIVE: Beenox & Toys for Bob to develop a Resurgence Map for Warzone 2.0 set to release in Mid 2023. Infinity Ward & Raven to help direct it with Infinity Ward leading the narrative & Raven consulting on gameplay ideas. pic.twitter.com/d84yev27vz

— Hope (@TheGhostOfHope) October 23, 2022