It’s been a hard last two years for Activision, though the game publishing giant never showed it. After Infinity Ward all but disappeared and a serious lawsuit between the developer’s founders against Activision for unreceived bonuses, a major portion of Infinity Ward’s staff left to create Respawn Entertainment, now working with Activision’s biggest competitor EA. After Modern Warfare 2′s lackluster single-player and cooperative play modes, there were serious concerns whether Activision and what was left of Infinity Ward could pull together a proper sequel in two years time.

Modern Warfare 3 not only puts those sentiments to rest, it blows them the hell out of this world.

Infinity Ward spokesman Robert Bowling was right when he said that MW3 is Modern Warfare‘s gameplay with Modern Warfare 2‘s technical excellence. Like the classic original, MW3 is a three-part masterpiece cut in two halves, a single player campaign and 16 cooperative missions playable solo, online or split-screen; and a deep, feature-filled online multiplayer made to last for months of continual play, if not years. MW3 is packed to the brim.

The single player campaign is a huge improvement over MW2′s mess of a story, which threw characters in and out of play on the whim of a single plot line, held like a thread for players to reach for but never get. Like teasing a cat with string. No,  MW3 offers a coherent story, well defined goals and characters, and understandable events that make sense. It doesn’t pack the overall punch of the previous two cinematically, with nuclear explosions in space and on the ground, or watching two men beat the stuffing out of each other while pulling a knife out of your chest. What MW3 does have is amazing action during gameplay, without quick-time events. That is a real achievement.

What MW3, which was co-developed by Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, and Raven Software, does so beautifully is that it gives players just the right amount of combat. It doesn’t get boring, it doesn’t get tiresome, and you’ll never go “oh this again?!” Levels and areas are unique, cityscapes are vast and pretty damn impressive, and there’s a real feeling of grandeur at the scope of some segments. It’s not like God of War 3′s full boss-as-a-level or the urban jungle of Crysis 2. Instead, MW3 delivers very focused, very story-driven gameplay. There’s no player choice, but that’s not the point. The point is to have a ton of action sequences that kick ass, and that’s exactly what we get.

I’m particularly impressed with the cover system, or lack thereof. For years I’ve spouted that FPS games should use cover, albeit no game has done a good job at it. The three developers, however, have found a very simple trick around it: conform the cover to players. Now instead of cover fully shrouding players, it’s at gun-level. That means you can shoot over walls at actually at enemies, all while standing or crouching. Players can still get shot, but they’re much more hidden than in other games, where cover leaves players exposed when firing. It’s a wonder no one has thought of this ingenious concept before.

Cooperative play, once again called Special Operations (or Spec-Ops), pits one or two players in various missions with simple objectives. Free the hostages, capture the president, steal data, etc. Nothing too fancy, but every mission actually fits with the story’s overall plot in some fashion, although some don’t actually occur in the game. Players will be both the good and bad guys, will go in stealth and walking-tank body armor. It’s the closest thing, unfortunately, that players will get to full campaign coop, but even then Spec-Ops is tremendous fun. And those are only the missions.

Survival mode  pits two players against a never-ending wave of enemy combatants. Each new wave brings harder, stronger enemies with better guns, better armor, and more chemical and explosive devices. Suicide bombers, dogs with bombs strapped to them, juggernauts (remember those walking tanks? Yeah, you fight them), attack choppers, etc. Whatever you see in the game can come and bite you in the ass. Meanwhile, players have a full arsenal of purchasable items available, spread across three computers for armor, weapons and artillery. Each kill earns money, and specialty kills (head shots, melee kill, killstreaks, etc.) earn even more. It doesn’t take long for these teams of two to feel overwhelmed by the overbearing onslaught of weapons fire, and there is no end. Play on until you’re downed on any of the multiplayer maps.

Survival mode is incredible fun, so much so that I’m surprised that it’s only a two-player mode. Two players just aren’t enough, especially on larger maps. Considering how fun this mode is, and how it’s basically Modern Warfare’s answer to the bi-annual Call of Duty title with Zombies, it really needs to work with more than just two players.

Online multiplayer…with a few days of playtime, it’s hard to say just how good online play is. The game is made to last through the next year, and that’s very clear with just how long it takes to level up weapons. While in one night I managed to level up to 20, I couldn’t clear a single weapon even 10% through in that whole time, using it nonstop. Weapons leveling is just as important as personal rank, if not more important, because it opens up new features for weapons, such as weapon perks, attachments and camo. Unlike MW2 or Black Ops, it takes a long time to really unlock new weapons and get the most out of them.

Several new gametypes are included, though the standout is Kill Confirmed, a twist on standard Deathmatch. Players must not only kill enemies, but collect their dogtags before enemies get them first. Without those dogtags collected, kills don’t count. It makes the game a tug-of-war, where players have to keep an eye on both the enemy and their own teammates, to collect any and all tags. Because it’s easy to steal an enemy’s kill, as well as lose your own.

The perk system has also been upgraded to match three different playstyles. Traditional killstreaks (now called pointstreaks) can earn standard strike packages under the Assault class, where three perks can be gained and used by players as they get kills. The Support class doesn’t reset it’s pointstreak when killed, but has limited access to what perks are available, and none of them can hurt the enemy. Instead, the support class has access to reconnaissance and general support abilities, but no calling in airstrikes or missiles. Finally, the Specialist class starts with no perks, but each kill adds a new perk, so players can theoretically become a powerhouse if they don’t die and have a raging pointstreak.

Multiplayer in MW3 is excellent, plain and simple. I’m not a huge fan of the maps, and think that there are far better maps in the past few Call of Duty titles, though MW3 does have a few gems. Too few, however.

There is one major aspect of MW3 that was a disappointment; the score. Modern Warfare 2 was scored by the good folks at Remote Control Productions (the Hans Zimmer studio, which also produced the scores for both Iron Man films, Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, Inception, etc.), and there are several scenes that even now stand out in my mind because of the incredible music. MW3 had nothing of the sort. The score was simply there, simply good enough to move the game along but not enough to make any impact.

As I sit here, completing this review, my biggest thought is to just go back and have fun. That’s really what Modern Warfare 3 is, a good time, and it offers that excitement for all sorts of players. The solo campaign is a mad dash of action and shooting, with an exceptional normal difficulty and challenging hardened and veteran modes. Cooperative play meets two standards, mission play and the never-ending survival mode, a great way to kill 20-30 minutes and really test your skills. And to round it all out, a very deep multiplayer that will keep players enthralled, equally excited and passionate, for months, if not years to come.

Editor’s Choice

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

The first and official trailer for Modern Warfare 3 debuted a few days ago and it backs up the rumors we heard about earlier this month.

As suspected the game will release November 8th, 2011.  It will take place in multiple countries including England, Germany, USA and France.  Vehicles are most certainly in the game, but at this point it’s a bit difficult to tell if they’re scene oriented or can be used throughout the boards.

The game is being developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games.

While Activision hasn’t made an official announcement regarding Modern Warfare 3, Kotaku says that they’ve already got the deets from multiple inside sources. First off, the game is said to release on November 8th, 2011.

According to the sources, the games plot will center around multiple cities spread throughout the world. The game is said to start where the last one left off, which was the US attempting to stave off a Russian invasion of the US.  The single player campaign will once again involve a variety of characters, including a Russian Federal Protective Services agent, SAS Operative, tank gunner, and AC-130 gunner as well as a few key characters from the previous installments.  Expect to play about 15 missions, with the first starting with the invasion of Manhattan by a Russian force and the last occurring in Duabia.

Vehicles are back in this installation, which are said to include an AC-130 gunship (gunner position) and tank.  The multiplayer mode should largely remain the same, at least at the core, but the rumor states that Infinity Ward has added two new modes, “Survival” and “Mission”.

So will this be the final installment of COD?  Since Activision has the habit of sucking as much life out of a series until it won’t sell any more, such as Guitar Hero, it’s really the gamers who decide if the series will continue on.  So will you buy another installment of COD: Modern Warfare?

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Ealier this week Activision mailed dogs tags containing the URL Findmakarov.com.  No additional details were revealed, but visit the site and you’ll find a 5 day countdown timer in the ilk of Call Of Duty. Since the launch of COD 7 is easily more than 6 months away, our skills of deduction have deduced that once the timer reaches zero Activision will reveal the deets on the next Modern Warfare.

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3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Tight controls, stiff buttons
• Excellent art decal

Cons:

• Rubbery feel, bad for sweaty hands
• Rear buttons are too small to press
• $50 is steep for a wired gamepad

When a controller releases for a console, that’s really not a big deal these days. Not unless it comes from the big three, or if it offers something special. In fact, most manufacturers stopped trying outright because they simply couldn’t compete, for a number of reasons. Madcatz didn’t, and has partnered with Activision’s fast-selling and soon to be commercially acclaimed shooter. Does it make the cut?

PrecisionAIM got its name from the unique build of the controller. The shape is not all that different from the standard Xbox 360 gamepad, but it likewise doesn’t feel the same. At first, the differences are so moot, it just feels odd. Not good, not bad, just odd.

But as I settled in and broke the controller in a bit, those slight differences suddenly weren’t very slight. That’s because the smallest changes to a gamepad, one which is used tens of hours a week, are surprisingly significant.

With the PrecisionAIM, the face buttons are flat as opposed to rounded, which gives them easier grip, yet they are less clicky, and feel more rubbery to press. The D-pad is very soft, and far too similar to the current Xbox 360 controller design, which makes it feel junky. The analog sticks have smaller faces, and are more difficult to latch a thumb onto.

In fact, the rubbery feel of the PrecisionAIM influences much of the controller. Two rubber pads sit on both sides of the controller, intended to better the grip. It does, except for people with sweaty hands, for whom it does the exact opposite. The tighter triggers, after a good hour, actually put a strain on my hands, something I’d never felt before with any gamepad. Finally, the two rear buttons, which can take the place of any two face buttons, proved small and difficult to push unless I changed my grip style.

For a good two hours, I played poorly with the PrecisionAIM. In games like Halo: Reach, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Blood Stone and others, my performance was cut in half. But as I kept playing and acclimated to the new controller, I started playing better and better, especially in one specific field. And it ain’t from the glowing read thumbsticks.

The tighter analog sticks are intended for, guess what, precision. With a sniper rifle or any precision-based weapon, I was shooting better than I had in years. One game of Halo: Reach ended my count at 17 headshots with a sniper rifle, and four more with the DMR. The standard 360 controller is looser and is thus easier to move too much or too far, whereas the PrecisionAIM is very tight, and allows for slight, controlled movements much better than other gamepads.

Other button changes also proved to be a benefit instead of a detriment to gameplay. The Start and Back buttons are quick, easy to press and very clicky buttons. I always hated having to reach over and press them on the standard 360 controller, and that isn’t a problem with PrecisionAIM. The bumpers at first felt like they lacked firmness, but are actually tighter as well. They require less push to press, and have a satisfying click for each press. And the analog stick buttons (R3 & L3) are much, much easier to push, without being too easy to accidentally press.

That leaves just the grip on the analog sticks, and the rear buttons. Unfortunately, both are not up to par with PrecisionAIM’s biggest competitor. Grip on the analog sticks could be a deal-breaker. I found myself constantly fixing my grip on both sticks, because even without sweaty fingers, my thumbs just slide off of the thumbsticks.

In effect, the slippery nature of the controller as a whole ruins the rear buttons. A tighter grip is required on the controller to keep it steady, more pressure is needed for the thumbs to make sure they don’t slip, and that leaves the rest of your hand clutching the controller for dear life. It won’t give you arthritis or aching hands, but you won’t be pressing those rear buttons either. To press either one, I had to let go with my middle finger (on either had), move it up a centimeter, and press. That’s not nearly as easy as just hitting the button it’s meant to replace.

For the same price as an ordinary Xbox 360 controller, it’s tough to recommend the PrecisionAIM controller. Were it $40, then yes, the tighter controls and stiffer analog sticks would prove to be a great asset for gamers who find their gamepads too loose. Call of Duty fans may still want to pick up a set because of the great artwork, but besides that, there isn’t too much to praise about the PrecisionAIM. For more professional gamers seeking a tighter feel for more precise shooting, the PrecisionAIM is a fine choice to make. For regular gamers, not so much.

You ready for some Black Ops?  It arrives November 9th, which is less than one month from today, but it’s never too late for another trailer, right?  Activision released this one a week ago and it’s already up to 330k+ views.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, like all the past Guitar Hero titles, comes with a brand new wireless guitar controller. While it doesn’t compare to the real guitar for the upcoming Rock Band 3, it’s pretty darn good in it’s own right. How good? We compare it to the past Guitar Hero guitars to find out.

The Guitar Hero franchise is built on, well, guitars. Obviously. The first plastic instrument for the Xbox 360 (not pictured) was wired, but each subsequent guitar is wireless. Numerous changes occurred since the earliest model, each getting closer to perfection. The original developers of Guitar Hero, Harmonix, took a different route for their music games, and frankly I can’t stand those models.

My affinity towards Activision and Neversoft’s guitars has been based on two major factors: the clicky strum bar and the very button-esque buttons. The resounding click of the strum bar gives confidence in each stroke, so I never feel like I didn’t strum, and more importantly, I know when I didn’t. The buttons feeling like buttons, something durable and curiously enjoyable to push. No one cares about realism when there’s 50 notes to play in 3 seconds on the screen. So long as I’m focused on playing well and not worrying about the buttons, I’m happy, and the Rock Band Guitars never gave that satisfactory feeling.

As for the wireless Guitar Hero guitars, not much has changed. The body has grown and evolved, and I like the openings where the sides connect to the base. It’s more convenient to move the guitar slightly by picking it up on the center, where the weight is. That center mass makes the guitar feel solid, more than the others, though I’ve dropped it twice now and both times the attached sides unclipped and fell off. They’re a snap (literally) to put back on.

Everything else is much tighter. The buttons feel just as good as the previous two guitars. (Note to new buyers, if you don’t already know, it takes about an hour to break in the new buttons. During this period, they’ll feel slightly unresponsive. You should continue playing with the guitar for at least two hours before worrying about poor responsiveness.) The strum bar is slightly louder, which can be a bother, especially in quiet settings. Likewise, the whammy bar is identical to the most recent previous model.

The big difference is in the battery enclosure (moved into the guitar neck), which is less convenient than the simple back panel of previous guitar, but barely so. I like that it keeps the weight distribution centered, and helps the neck feel more solid, ever so slightly. The back and start buttons are huge, especially the back button. And, compared to the most recent wireless controller, there is no more touch-sensitive fret bar. I actually told the guys at Activision while playtesting Guitar Hero 5 (or World Tour) that it’s useless, because moving your hand away from the buttons is too hard, and pressing the buttons super fast is actually pretty fun. So it was good to see them remove it completely in favor of a buttons-only guitar.

And playing on it? The best videogame guitar experience yet. With past guitars, I wore an armband because my wrists would hurt from leaning on the sharp edges. Activision fixed with their latest axe. It feels good to hold, mostly because of the centered weight. The strum bar is a tad loud, and I found that playing Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock with headphones is much more enjoyable than with speakers. The openings on the sides, and the larger back button, help gameplay move along faster because there are multiple ways you can strum, all equally comfortable. Prior guitars were very specific in how users could hold the guitar, so it’s nice to finally have plenty of options.

I absolutely recommend purchasing the new guitar, if you need to upgrade. There isn’t a big enough difference to switch from either previous wireless guitar, but if you’ve had yours for years and it’s time to upgrade, definitely do so now.

The Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Guitar is available only as a bundle, with the game, on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii. The bundle retails for $100 at all major electronics and videogame retailers.

The price is $79.99 – $50 instant off + no shipping = $29.99!

Activision just announced the second iteration of DJ Hero, DJ Hero 2.  There’s a new bundle which pairs two turntable plus the addition of a microphone.  There is also a color option of white.   Expect a host of new multiplayer modes as well freestyle mode that Activision says gives “virtual DJ’s the ability to crossfade, scratch and sample in over 70 speaker-blowing mashups from the hottest DJ’s and Producers around the world”.  Finally, and as you’ve probably assumed there is now a DJ battle model which pits two DJs against one and other.  Fear not, there is a bundle that includes the game and one turntable so you don’t get stuck with 3 decks.   As of now pricing has not been announced.

To kick things off current DJ Hero owners can download a mix from DJ Hero 2 from June 8-14th on Xbox Live and the Playstation Store.  Well be at E3 next week and see if we can score a hands on.

DJ HERO® 2 TO SPIN HIT MUSIC WITH ELECTRIFYING SOCIAL EXPERIENCE THIS FALL

Two Turntables and a Microphone, Freestyle Gameplay and Host of Chart-Topping Hits From World’s Hottest Artists Highlight Sequel to #1 New Videogame IP of 2009

Soundtrack to Spin Beats From Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Over 85 Others

Award Winning Producer Deadmau5 Joining the Crew as In-Game Playable Character

Free Download of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” Mixed With Deadmau5′s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” Offered to Celebrate Announcement

SANTA MONICA, CA – June 8, 2010 – This fall, living rooms will transform into nightclubs letting budding beat chemists, singing sensations and all of their friends party together by firing up two turntable controllers and a microphone to experience their favorite music as they’ve never heard it before in Activision Publishing Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero® 2 – the follow-up to the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009, DJ Hero®. Picking up where the award-winning DJ Hero soundtrack left off, DJ Hero 2 spins together the hottest tracks blazing up the charts and legendary club anthems from the biggest artists in pop, dance and hip hop including Dr. Dre, The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and over 85 others. Fueling the party will be a host of all-new social multiplayer game modes and innovative freestyle gameplay giving virtual DJ’s the ability to crossfade, scratch and sample in over 70 speaker-blowing mashups from the hottest DJ’s and Producers around the world, including Deadmau5 – part of dance music’s elite – who will be starring as an in-game playable character.

To celebrate the announcement, DJ Hero owners and all of their friends will have the opportunity to download, spin, scratch and battle a mix from DJ Hero 2 as downloadable content. The mix features the sultry sounds of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” Mixed With the blistering beats of Deadmau5′s “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.” The mix will be available for free from June 8-14 on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

“DJ Hero was the best music game of 2009 and with DJ Hero 2 we’re delivering a new easy to pick-up, challenging-to-master experience that all players can enjoy together,” said David Haddad, Chief Operating Office, Guitar Hero. “With new social game modes, the inclusion of full microphone support, all-new levels of creative freedom and an amazing soundtrack, DJ Hero 2 is the ultimate mixer of music and friends.”

“We’re improving upon all the gameplay elements from DJ Hero that gamers loved with the all-new freestyle gameplay and a host of new multiplayer game modes,” said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director, FreeStyleGames. “But we’re not stopping there either as the award-winning soundtrack is getting bigger songs from hotter artists that our talented crew of DJ’s is spinning into hits that fit the gameplay flawlessly.”

DJ Hero 2 will deliver the ultimate way for players to come together and party with a host of new multiplayer modes – including DJ Battles that pit DJ against DJ in mixes produced specifically for battle gameplay – and invite vocalists into the spotlight with integrated on-screen singing and rapping of lyrics and rhymes while bringing the party to life with jump-in/jump-out Party Play gameplay. Featuring the biggest dance, pop and hip-hop hits by the hottest artists everyone knows and loves remixed by world-class DJ’s in an all-new way, the game’s soundtrack delivers over 70 unique creations only available in DJ Hero 2. Further immersing players into the music, the game offers a heightened level of creative input and allows everyone to add their own touch, directly impacting the beats they’re spinning with freestyle scratching, crossfading and sampling. The game will also feature an all-new career-based Empire Mode where players start out as an up-and-coming DJ on the road to becoming the head of a major entertainment empire, all of which is founded solely on their success as a DJ.

Dropping this fall, DJ Hero 2 will invite a wave of new digital disc jockeys to the turntables as the game will be available as a Party Bundle which will include a copy of the game, two turntable controllers and a microphone, offering the ultimate “party-in-a-box.” Gamers who experienced the #1 new videogame intellectual property of 2009 can pick up DJ Hero 2 as a Turntable Bundle featuring one turntable controller and a copy of the game or as standalone software. The game is in development by FreeStyleGames for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 and the Wii™ system from Nintendo. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about DJ Hero 2, please visit www.djhero.com, facebook.com/djhero and twitter.com/djhero.

The fuel that flames the Guitar Hero franchise is slowly burning out.  Rightfully so, because they’re on their sixth iteration of the game, which I’m guessing is the last, unless of course Bobby and co greenlight another – it’s all in the numbers.  None the wiser, here is a teaser video for Guitar Hero 6.

NOTE: You might have to select just the normal bundle from the drop down just under the platform selection.

The makers of Guitar Hero introduce an entirely fresh and innovative way to experience music and rhythm gameplay. DJ Hero features an amazing variety of music across genres – tracks that you love and reflect who you are. Using an authentic turntable controller, you will spin and scratch more than 100 songs into unique mixes and become the life of the party. Get ready for a whole new phenomena in music.

Word hit yesterday that Activision would deliver the second map pack, Resurgence, for MW2 on June 3rd.  We now know that it will cost $15 (1200 Xbox Live points) and contrary to Fourzerotwo, contain two maps (Vacant and Strike) from the first Modern Warfare.  The three new maps are called Trailer Park, Carnival and Fuel.

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Activision has announced that the second DLC for Modern Warfare 2, the Resurgence Map Pack, will hit the Xbox 360 June 3rd.  It will include 5 multiplayer maps, though Activision failed to disclose if it will include all new boards (fourzerotwo says they’re all new) or mimic the first map pack which included two boards from the first MW.  Also not mentioned was a release date for the PS3 or PC, but in all likelihood those will hit a month later.

So will you buy the second map pack (price TBD)?  After all, this one arrives just over two months after the Stimulus Package DLC was released.  Additionally, the next Call Of Duty title, Black Ops, is due later this year (11/9) and is already up for preorder at Amazon.

The makers of Guitar Hero introduce an entirely fresh and innovative way to experience music and rhythm gameplay. DJ Hero features an amazing variety of music across genres – tracks that you love and reflect who you are. Using an authentic turntable controller, you will spin and scratch more than 100 songs into unique mixes and become the life of the party. Get ready for a whole new phenomena in music.

Featuring the best variety and biggest rock stars of today combined with classic rock anthems, Guitar Hero 5 cranks it up again for video game rockers. For the first time ever, players can customize the make-up of their band by rocking with any combination of instruments in-game: whether it be two guitars and two drums, or three guitars and a microphone, any combination is possible, allowing players to experience music their own way.

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year Edition delivers the most thrilling combat action experience available. Take on the world as both a U.S. Marine and a British S.A.S. Soldier. Travel across the globe, relying on your wits and weapons to launch all-out assaults and accomplish stealth missions. It’s the most up-to-date collection of firepower, machinery and military vehicles in the Call of Duty series. Prepare to experience the sophisticated technology and unbelievable graphics of an incredibly realistic warfare experience.

NOTE: S&H should be about $5