The man responsible for mowing down 77 people has testified at a trail today that he trained on video games, more specifically, a game called Modern Warfare 2.

He was also addicted to World of Warcraft which he played up to 16 hours a day. He wasn’t sure about all the targets he was going to bomb, but he had two in mind.

“The first two were clear: the government quarter and the Labour Party headquarters. The third, I was not sure,” he said

“But then I thought: There are not many better targets in Norway.”

Norway does not have the death penalty but Breivik wanted it, and laughed at the idea of going to prison or a mental asylum for his actions.

One thing someone can learn from Modern Warfare 2 is how to spray-and-pray (I kid), other than that, putting the blame on video games for psychopathic actions like these is totally unwarranted.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Via CNN.

A Californian Superior Court Judge has allowed a $400 million lawsuit against EA, brought on by Activision, to proceed. Jason West and Vince Zampella, the co-founders of Infinity Ward, had initially filed a suit against Activision claiming that they had been fired in order to avoid being paid over $36 million in royalties for Modern Warfare 2. Activision filed a counter-suit claiming that EA representatives met with West and Zampella whilst they were still employed by Activision, which constituted a breach of contract. EA had initially asked for the case to be dismissed to due a lack of evidence, but the fact that the suit has proceeded implies that Activision have a strong enough case to be argued.

Thanks to Gamasutra for the info.

It’s no secret that Infinity Ward are working on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the next entry in this long running series, and according to a new online rumour, it’s going to be a prequel to their super hit 2007 title, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

An ‘unnamed source’ told this to the site thisisxbox.com. This is the very same source that revealed Black Ops’ name and a lot of other info a year ago.

The source says the story will focus on the famous character from Modern Warfare 2, Ghost, and explain how he becomes one of the cool-looking masked soldiers in Task Force 141.

The source also says that the game will also have players revisiting locations from Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 from a different perspective. Also, the game will not be developed on a new engine. One last and staggering report- Modern Warfare 3 will not, after all, be released this year.

Although it has been rumoured several times before, sometimes by IW workers themselves, that the game will hit the shelves this year, the source says otherwise. Does this mean that the Call of Duty franchise will take a much needed break this year? Or maybe Sledgehammer will be filling in the shoes this season?

Stay tuned, we will let you know as soon as we get our hands on the news.

According to Activision, Call of Duty: Black Ops has made over $1 billion dollars worldwide.

The game has made more than $650 million in its first five days, surpassing the $550 of last years Modern Warfare 2.

“In all of entertainment, only Call of Duty and Avatar have ever achieved the billion dollar revenue milestone this quickly”. said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.

“This is a tribute to the global appeal of the Call of Duty franchise, the exceptional talent at Treyarch and the hundreds of extraordinary people across our many Call of Duty studios including Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer that work tirelessly on the franchise.”

“Our ability to provide the most compelling, immersive entertainment experience, and enhance it with regular, recurring content that delivers hundreds of hours of audience value, has allowed Call of Duty to continue to set sales and usage records.” he said.

“This extraordinary milestone was achieved because of the tens of millions of passionate Call of Duty players around the world… This unique level of community engagement has enabled Call of Duty to become one of the world’s most engaged online communities.” he added.

Source

Shit just got real.

Call of Duty: Black Ops released just a day ago and it has already overthrown Modern Warfare 2 and took the crown of the biggest entertainment launch in history for itself.

Call of Duty: Black Ops sold 5.6 million copies (approx) on launch day in NA and EU combined. This beats Modern Warfare 2’s 4.7 million copies sold in last year.

“There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year’s five-day global sales record of $550 million,” said Acti head Bobby Kotick.

“The game’s success underscores the pop culture appeal of the brand. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the finest game that Treyarch has ever made and raises the bar for online gameplay by delivering the deepest and most intense Call of Duty experience yet. The Call of Duty franchise has over 25 million players around the world that are engaged in billions of hours of online gameplay, and we are committed to supporting them with new content and features on a more frequent and regular basis.”

The game has made $310 since its launch on November 9.

Madness, really.

We reported earlier yesterday that Halo 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 have beaten Halo: Reach on Xbox Live. Now, stats from Raptr suggest that Halo: Reach has finally dethroned MW2 and become the most played game on Xbox Live. Reportedly, Modern Warfare 2 playtime has dropped 50% since the release of Reach.

Halo 3, Mass Effect 2, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Halo 3: ODST have suffered loss of playtime as well.

It was also reported that 71.5% of those who bought Halo: Reach beat the game within a week of its release. 37.5 percent of them completed Reach on Normal, 22.29 on Heroic and 11.87 on Legendary.

Those are pretty crazy stats. We also brought you Bungie’s stats of Halo: Reach.

Halo: Reach is a very successful game, we know that much at least. But that doesn’t mean it’s as successful online as it is regarding the sales. Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 2 must have damn good online modes (they do), because they have beaten the newly released megaton, Halo: Reach on Xbox Live in the first week of its release.

Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb’s says there are currently more people playing Halo 3 and MW2 online than Reach.

Strange. We’ll keep you posted as more info comes our way.

“We’ve a fantastic game and a fantastic marketing campaign so our ambition is to set another record like we did with Modern Warfare 2,” Call of Duty general manager (EU) Michaël Sportouch told MCV.

“The resources invested behind Black Ops in terms of development of the game and the marketing are the highest ever for Activision. Our ambition is not only to be the biggest game but also the biggest entertainment launch of the year,” he continued.

“We’ve a 60-second ad during the England vs. Bulgaria match, which is our first mainstream communication around Black Ops in the UK. From there it’s going to be non-stop.”

Wow, Black Ops… big stuff, eh? Oh, here’s the newly released multiplayer trailer for Black Ops. It’s awesome. Also, check out our CoD: Black Ops preview here.

Update: This video is no longer available.

The next game in this revered series, Call of Duty: Black Ops, is being developed by Treyarch, the creators of Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War. Though their experiences with the franchise have been nothing out of the ordinary, they seem adamant to deliver perfectly this time around. The multiplayer, as if compensating for the lacklustre multiplayer of Modern Warfare 2, looks brilliant this time around. And for those who’re thinking Black Ops will be just another ordinary CoD game, check this out. Black Ops will be typical Call of Duty, based on a script written by Infinity Ward back in 2003. And not only that, Activision have announced that they have spent more money on Call of Duty: Black Ops than on any other game they’ve ever made, even more than Modern Warfare 2, which was previously their biggest game ever.

Not only are they improving upon what faults Modern Warfare 2 and the previous CoD games had, they’re also retaining some fun things from their previous Call of Duty title, World at War. The popular Zombie mode is making a return. And the special editions look great too.

But the question still remains: just how good will Black Ops be? Will it deliver as well as the developers are saying it will? Will it truly be the best CoD game ever, better even than Modern Warfare? Or will it simply fail to live up to all expectations? Will Black Ops be Call of Duty’s return to form, after the panned (by players, not critics) Modern Warfare 2? Let’s take a look.

Our Expectations From The Single Player

Plot

The stories have always been good in Call of Duty games. Though most of the times they have been typical shooter stories, just ways to pit the players into intense action sequences and dramatic cinematic firefights, they have never been forgettable or lacklustre. The story of Modern Warfare comes to mind when one thinks of good CoD storylines. The story provided for excellently presented, fast paced, relentless action sequences, and several moments in the game sent a chill down our spines.

Modern Warfare had an excellent, compelling narrative with mind-blowing action-packed sequences

Seeing as Black Ops is based on a story written by Infinity Ward back in 2003, there can be no question that players will be treated to the same kind of action-packed narrative and intense, breathtaking levels driven forward by a truly compelling story. Set in the Cold War the game takes place in several locations, like the Ural Mountains, Laos, Cuba, and Vietnam. Some main characters from Call of Duty: World at War, like Reznov, will make a return in Black Ops, thus making it a direct sequel to Treyarch’s previous CoD title.

Prepare to get blown away with the game’s breathtaking story and the exhilarating, fast-paced sequences as we take the role of black ops operatives and get involved in missions behind enemy lines.

The Game Looks Spectacular So Far

Just look at that video and tell me you’re not excited about Call of Duty: Black Ops. With cave exploration, melee fights, tense gunfights, spectacular gunplay, cool explosions, blowing up of entire sections of a forest, enemy choppers and encampments, and aerial combat, Call of Duty: Black Ops looks to be one of the most impressive shooters in the market till date. I mean, what more does one want in a shooter? It has everything! Not only that, the visuals are astoundingly detailed, and the sound effects provide for an involving background.

Even the water looks great. Like there’s this level in which we are trapped in a chopper underwater. We have to break out of our vehicle, swim through the murky water, with dead bodies floating all around you, and sneak into the enemy encampments to blow up their hideouts. All the while, the framerate never really stuttered, in spite of the fact that the screen had to handle a lot of firefights, explosions, and tiny little details like blood and debris.

Link's Crossbow Training! No, not really.

Black Ops will be featuring several things that are new to the Call of Duty series, like the Dragon Breath gun, Ballistic Knives and a Crossbow, with alternative explosive ammunation (thanks, Wikipedia). This time around, the player will also be able to pilot different kinds of air-bound vehicles, ranging from the likes of an SR-71 Blackbird to a hind helicopter.

Black Ops sure looks spectacular, but what good would a Call of Duty game be without the multiplayer?

The Multiplayer

That is the first, and the last (till now) multiplayer footage released for Call of Duty: Black Ops- and it looks nothing short of mind blowing. It’s quite hard to put my finger on what exactly I think is so good about Black Ops’ MP. It must be the fast-paced gunplay, or the strategising of weapons selection to kill of your enemies. Or is it just the sheer excitement and thrill that one gets while playing the MP mode in any CoD title? Either way, I’m excited. Not only does the multiplayer mode improve heavily upon Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it also adds several new features and tweaks that will definitely make this the most replayable Call of Duty title out there.

Vehicular sections for the MP mode will make a return, and thankfully, the handling will have improved upon that in World at War’s multiplayer. PC gamers will enjoy the return of features like lean, and dedicated servers, something that Modern Warfare 2 did not feature. An all new version of Create-a-Class, “Create-a-Class 2.0” will allow for much more customizable perks and as well as appearance items. Primary weapons can now be customized extensively, and not only can players add custom writings and decals to any parts of their weapons (along with the usual attachments), they can even change the aiming point for their weapons.

Black Ops will also introduce all new killstreaks, adding to the depth and addictiveness of the gameplay. The likes of napalm strike, a guided missile and an RC explosive car will be included. Four Nazi Zombie maps will also be available to those who get the Limited Editions of the game. Players will also be able to record their multiplayer matches, and share them online with their friends.

A four player co-op mode will also be available.

To say the least, the multiplayer looks amazing. Not only does it completely make up for the glitchy and buggy multiplayer mode we were given in Modern Warfare 2, it also completely trounces any other MP mode, and blows all competition out of the water. The same thrilling online matches, without any bugs and glitches, and all these new additions will be paradise for all Call of Duty lovers.

So… Just How Good Will It Be?

This much is clear: living up to the name of Call of Duty is no joke. The series is one of the most prestigious franchises out there, and boasts of titles as influential as Call of Duty and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Not only that- Call of Duty games are known to have the best online modes in the market. And with so much to live up to, each new CoD game is threatened to be overrun my overhype and anticipation. But each time, the franchise delivers, and excellently at that. Even Modern Warfare 2, which is known to have a short single player campaign and a glitchy MP mode, is a good game on all grounds. Definitely, then, Black Ops will be no different. And with all the new things Treyarch have been claiming, and the new features that have been announced, Black Ops looks all set to dethroan Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as the best Call of Duty title ever created.

“The Resurgence Package DLC for Modern Warfare 2 will hit @playstation (US) and PC (worldwide) July 6th! For @playstation (EU+) its July 7th.” said Robert Bowling on his Twitter.

Thanks QuickJump!