If you’re not sure of the difference between the regular edition and the Digital Deluxe edition, the latter includes the Nuketown Zombies and Nuketown 2025 bonus maps, weapon camouflage skin, two player card backgrounds, the official soundtrack, and a free download of Call of Duty: World at War — all for only $14 more!

As for double XP and the free weekend, all platforms that the game is available on are eligible to play. It officially starts at 10 am PT, which is just in a couple of hours as of this writing. The free weekend will end on Sunday at 1 pm PT, while gamers will be eligible for double XP until Monday at 10 am PT.

This marks the first time that Call of Duty: Black Ops II has been free to play for the weekend, but it’s actually the third time that the game has seen a double XP weekend. Treyarch and Activision held the first double XP weekend back in December, and then later on just last month. So far, it looks like the companies are hosting these types of events once a month, so we may see more double XP weekends coming up throughout the rest of the spring and summer.

Along with its move to back away from licensed games, Activision will also be laying off 30 people from its company. That’s about 0.5% of the company, and those that are being let go will be offered “outplacement counseling services” to help them find a new job. Activision made it clear though that the cuts will barely affect Treyarch. The company says that there will be “minimal reduction in staff to better align our development talent against the needs of DLC development.”

Like EA Games, Activision feels that the licensed-games industry isn’t bringing in enough revenue to make the projects worth it. Due to the high-costs of making the movie-based games, and the decreasing demand for them, the games started becoming more trouble than they were worth. Activision will still be releasing a few licensed-based games this year, including games based on The Walking Dead, Deadpool, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I can see why companies are beginning to stray way from licensed games. The licensed games as of late aren’t as amazing as games from the older generation (does anyone remember Goldeneye 007?). Even 007 Legends, which was highly anticipated, turned out to be a let down, which is why the James Bond series might be the first of the licensed games to get the axe.

The tournament is being “presented by Xbox” and Major League Gaming, along with the Electronic Sports League are joining in on the fun to make this tournament happen. As expected, players will be using Xbox 360 console throughout the entire tournament, and for those interested in watching, you’ll be able to watch the live stream in your browser.

Anybody with a Call of Duty Elite account has a chance to compete in the tournament, but only eight four-person teams will make it through. The other 24 teams will equally come from the winners of the 2013 Winter Championship of the Major League Gaming 2013 Pro Circuit, winning teams from the Electronic Sports League’s European Finals, and winners from Asia, Australia and Brazil.

The first place team will get $400,000 in prize money, while second place will get $200,000, and third place $120,000. The Call of Duty Championship will begin with round-robin pool play among eight groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group will advance to a double-elimination bracket consisting of 16 teams.

Treyarch announced today via Twitter that they’ll be providing double XP in Call of Duty: Black Ops II from January 25 to January 28. The fun will officially start at 1 PM Eastern Time on Friday and end at 1 PM Eastern Time on Monday, giving gamers a full 72 hours to earn as much XP as possible before the clock runs out on Monday.

A few days earlier, Treyarch released a trailer (seen above) for their Black Ops II Revolution DLC, which is the first set of DLC coming to the game. It’ll be coming to the Xbox 360 on January 29 — the day after the double XP weekend ends — and it will be coming to other gaming platforms sometime afterward.

We first heard about the new DLC earlier this month when it leaked out into the public. Of course, it wasn’t surprising at all, as we were expecting some DLC soon, but it gave us a glimpse into what we might be expecting. There’s five new maps in total, four for competitive multiplayer and one for zombies mode. Expect to pay $15 for the map pack unless you picked up the season pass, in which case you’ll get all DLC at no additional cost during 2013.

Double XP will be awarded across all platforms starting at 1 PM ET on Friday, December 14, and ending at 1 PM ET on Monday, December 17. That’s a full 72 hours when you can run and gun while earning double the rewards. Xbox 360 gamers will also be able to partake in a “Game with Developers” event on December 14, where gamers can go head-to-head with the developers of the game itself.

As far as the clan competitions, there will be three different categories: Core Domination Captures, Core Kill Confirmed, and Core Team Deathmatch. Each category will be played on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. Sign-ups are now live, so if you and your friends have any interest in the competition, now would be a good time to pen down your names.

According to a tweet from the official Call of Duty Twitter account, there’s also going to be a live stream on YouTube. We’re not exactly sure what the live stream will feature, but it’ll mostly stream the “Game with Developers” event and possibly a few clan matches throughout the weekend.

Previously, Activision announced shortly after Black Ops II‘s launch that the game made $500 million within 24 hours of release, eclipsing Modern Warfare 3‘s record of $400 million the year before. Of course, the lack of a five-day total from Activision gave some analysts cause for concern that Black Ops II wasn’t selling as well as expected, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The sales number is based on the Chart-Track retail customer sell-through information, as well as internal company estimates, and it represents a milestone for the first-person shooter series. Black Ops II is now the fastest-selling Call of Duty game of all-time, and perhaps the fastest-selling entertainment product, having reached the $1 billion mark quicker than the film Avatar, which set the box office record in 2009 by reaching $1 billion in 17 days.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II launched on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 13 in North America, and a Wii U version was released on November 18. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick says that “life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise have exceeded worldwide theatrical box office receipts for Harry Potter and Star Wars, the two most successful movie franchises of all time.”

The news was announced on 4Cabling’s Facebook account, where they state that Kaya finished the marathon “with a mad career ranking of 29 of 5 million players.” Kaya, a 28-year-old Sydney native, was allowed one 10-minute break every hour by Guinness, and any unused breaks could be accumulated and used at a later time.

This allowed Kaya to fit in some sleep time over the course of the seven days. However, according to Kaya, his record isn’t official just yet. He’s in the process of gathering the evidence for submission to Guinness, but he says that he’s confident that his new world record will be approved without any problems.

Luckily, Kaya is still alive, considering how gaming marathons haven’t gone so well in the past. Back in July, a Taiwanese man died following a 40-hour Diablo III marathon at an internet cafe, and last year, a gamer in the US suffered a pulmonary embolism during a 20-hour gaming session. However, Kaya’s marathon was closely monitored and supervised by a group of volunteers who acted as witnesses and supporters.

[via Yahoo]

The franchise’s previous record was when Modern Warfare 3 made $400 million in sales last year, which equates to 6.5 million copies sold in the US and UK. We weren’t given an exact figure as far as how many copies of Black Ops II were sold on the first day, but it’s obviously a lot more than 6.5 million.

Black Ops II moved 1 million copies at GameStop on the first day alone, while Amazon noted that the game became the site’s most pre-ordered game ever. Activision will no doubt announce the game’s five-day sales numbers, since it did the same with Modern Warfare 3 last year, which scrounged up $775 million in sales in the first five days.

Based on last year’s figures, we can only assume that Black Ops II will see an even bigger five-day sales number, which could possibly reach the $1 billion mark (yes, with a “B”). This launch marks the fourth consecutive year in which a Call of Duty game has eclipsed all previous entertainment launches of that particular year.

The new Call of Duty title went on sale at midnight on Tuesday morning, and it was reported that GameStop locations all over the country were seeing long lines hours before the launch. According to a statement made by Activision, Black Ops II “shattered pre-order records” that were set last year by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

According to Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson, retailers may sell between 6.5 million and 7.2 million copies in the US and UK in the first 24 hours, and the first 24 hours of sales for a new video game typically equate to 25% to 35% of the total sales through December, according to Olson. Amazon tweeted a couple days ago that Black Ops II has become the online retailer’s most pre-ordered game ever.

Last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 sales hit 6.5 million units in the US and UK in the first 24 hours of release, which equated to a cool $400 million in just a single day. The game went on to earn $775 million in five days. How well will Black Ops II sell? Most likely even better than Modern Warfare 3.

[via Bloomberg]

The Call of Duty series has been a huge hit ever since the original title was released back in 2003. Last year’s installment, Modern Warfare 3, saw $400 million in sales just on the first day alone, selling 6.5 million copies in North America and the UK. The first Black Ops title garnered $360 million in sales, while the previous title, Modern Warfare 2, earned $310 million.

Obviously, there’s an upward trend happening, and if history is any indication, Black Ops II will most likely shoot past $400 million within the first 24 hours of availability. People were lined up at GameStop hours before the game’s release at midnight, and IGN even conducted a poll that found that 26% of gamers planned on skipping work or school to play the new game.

Of course, any diehard Call of Duty fan has played hooky at least once during a launch day (myself included, back in the day), but 26% is a fairly high number today, especially for a game series that has seen a yearly launch for the past six years or so, proving that the series hasn’t died down just yet.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops II DLC Season Pass costs $49.99 and gives you access to all four map packs that will release throughout all next year. By purchasing a Season Pass, you’ll now be able to grab the Nuketown Zombies map for free starting in December for the Xbox 360, with PC and PlayStation 3 gamers getting the map at a later date.

Previously, the only way to get the Nuketown Zombies content was to pre-order one of the three special editions of Black Ops II, which consists of the Hardened Edition ($79.99), the Care Package Edition ($179.99), or the PC-only Digital Deluxe Edition ($79.99). Gamers who pre-ordered the regular edition weren’t eligible. Those who pre-ordered one of these special editions will be able to enjoy the Nuketown Zombies map on launch day.

According to the email, the companies decided to offer the Nuketown Zombies map “in response to the overwhelming amount of enthusiasm demonstrated by the Call of Duty community over Treyarch’s Zombies mode.” To coincide with the announcement, Activision released a screenshot from the Nuketown Zombies map (pictured above).

Activision told Kotaku that it they “are currently evaluating options for Call of Duty Elite to support Nintendo’s Wii U game system, however Call of Duty Elite for Call of Duty: Black Ops II will not support this platform when the game launches on November 13th.” Of course, the Wii U version doesn’t launch until the 18th, but we understand what they mean.

The Call of Duty Elite service will be a completely free service that is launching alongside Black Ops II. It will feature stat tracking, social options, and the ability to download map updates throughout 2013 (if you spring for the $50 season pass, that is). We’re not sure what kind of impact this will have on the Wii U version of the game, but Call of Duty fans surely won’t be too happy.

If you didn’t catch the launch trailer for Black Ops II that released yesterday, there’s still time to look it over and get excited for the next installment in the series. From the looks of it, Blacks Ops II will feature all the cool explosions that you love, as well as what look to be some interesting single-player campaign levels.

[via Kotaku]

The trailer features AC/DC’s “Back in Black”, which is probably one of the most cliched songs that Treyarch could pick for this kind of trailer, but nonetheless, it makes the gameplay feel more vibrant and it most likely references some of the things we’ll see in the game like camouflage suits, spy drones, and anything else that screams stealth.

If you’re looking forward to the new game, you might be happy to know that Call of Duty Elite will be completely free for Black Ops II gamers. Features such as stat tracking and social options will be available right alongside the game, and for $50, you’ll be able to grab four map updates throughout 2013.

It seems most of the gameplay shown in the trailer takes place in the near future, but there are small hints that suggest some of Black Ops II’s levels may be set in the past. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the game officially releases on November 13. Black Ops II will be available for the Xbox 360, Wii U, PS3, and PC.

Reznor, however, isn’t just doing this for the money, telling Game Hunters that he’s actually a big fan of the Call of Duty franchise. “I have always looked to that franchise as the cutting edge of what seemingly unlimited budgets and full-on not cutting any corners can do in the current day and age,” he says, claiming that he’s played through most of the Call of Duty games, only missing “one or two” while out on tour.

Indeed, it seems this was the perfect gig for not only Reznor, but also for Treyarch. Black Ops II director Dave Anthony suggests that Reznor was the top pick from the start, saying that the folks at Treyarch knew he was perfect for the role of theme song composer when they decided they wanted something “a little dark” but also “original and engaging.”

You can look forward to hearing Reznor’s arrangement when Call of Duty: Black Ops II launches for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on November 13, 2012.

[via Game Hunters]

Treyarch’s Mark Lamia was quoted by Oneofswords.com as saying, “People always ask me, ‘Is this a new engine?’ I liken it to people who live in an older house that has been remodeled … It’s a gross simplification, but it’s one way to say that. There’s a lot of good still in that foundation that you wouldn’t get rid of, and we don’t. We look to advance in the areas that support our game design.”

When it launched, the first Blacks Ops quickly added a bunch of sales records to its resume, including the biggest launch in the history of video games and various marks (e.g., first-week sales) that placed it as the fastest-selling game as well. Interestingly enough, the previous record holders in these instances were earlier installments in the Call of Duty franchise. Activision continues to set new records.

[via Oneofswords]

The report comes from BitTorrent news site TorrentFreak, which has been watching over the numbers. Call of Duty: Black Ops managed to beat out heavy contenders like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Mafia II, and Mass Effect 2. All of which were available for the PC. Black Ops reached a staggering 4.2 million downloads, while the closest competitor (Bad Company 2) was downloaded 3.96 million times.

The numbers aren’t as high for the Microsoft Xbox 360 version, but they’re still high. Treyarch’s title was downloaded a total of 930,000 times for the 360. However, it wasn’t the most downloaded title, as Dante’s Inferno managed to grab the crown this year. This isn’t good news for Treyarch or Activision, but something they probably expected.

[via Kotaku]

First, I’ve got to make it clear that I don’t own Call of Duty: Black Ops for the PlayStation 3. I own it for Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Second, while the majority of online connectivity issues seem to be plaguing PlayStation 3 owners, I want to point out that I’ve never had an enjoyable online experience with any Call of Duty title. At least, starting from developer Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare. Since that title released, and with every subsequent entry into the series after that, I’ve always suffered from some form of heinous online connectivity issue. Lag in games was a problem off and on, but that’s something I’ve come to expect over the years of online gaming. But, the big issue with Call of Duty titles, recently at least, is the party system.

“Okay, I’m starting the next match. Everyone hold hands, and stay together!” That’s what one of my Xbox LIVE friends used to say in Modern Warfare. (And yes, it’s corny, but that’s what it feels like. Like we’re kids on a school field trip, trying not to lose one of our classmates.) It carried over to the second title in that story arc, and I remember us making jokes about it in Call of Duty: World at War. Before we finally decided to put Black Ops to the side, and focus on other games that didn’t suffer from these issues, we were joking about it yet again. The party system in Call of Duty is broken, and it’s a poor excuse for how it should work. You don’t even need to compare it to competitive titles like Bungie Studios’ Halo series to realize it’s broken. It just doesn’t work.

Truth be told, while my friends and I were suffering from these issues, and I know there were a few scattering reports of the same problem happening to others on the Xbox 360, it pales in comparison to what’s happening to PlayStation 3 owners. And even if I hadn’t gone through the same problems, I would still be sitting here, feeling your pain. I would still be wondering what, exactly, a developer can do to assuage those who bought their game, and feel like they literally got robbed. Of course, there’s no denying that developers put a ridiculous amount of time in their games; as well as energy, skill, and creativity. (Even if some people don’t think a certain game is creative, it was to at least one person out there, so that’s enough.) And I’m not here to point out any problems with how developers make their games. The trouble –the problem– comes afterwards.

So what should a developer do? Some say they should reimburse players affected by the issues — and with the money that Black Ops is making, that probably wouldn’t be too hard to do. Others think that even just a free add-on would suffice. While still others believe that just giving the game up entirely, and writing off the developer and title is what’s best for everyone. Obviously, Treyarch doesn’t want you to do that. And neither does Activision. But when you’ve got a game like Black Ops, with one of the main selling points its online multiplayer function, and it doesn’t work? A developer shouldn’t be surprised that people are calling them out, threatening to do all sorts of things.

And let’s not forget about the fact that Black Ops‘ first piece of downloadable content (DLC) is heading to the Xbox 360 first, and won’t even be available for PlayStation 3 owners until a month later, at least. Another stab at PS3 owners. And one that just drives home the point that their console of choice is being shunned, at least when it comes to this game, and there doesn’t seem to be much hope. Should Treyarch and Activision let PlayStation 3 owners download the map pack, called First Strike, for free, when it comes out? There would surely be an uproar from 360 owners, especially those who have suffered from online connectivity issues.

So, what, then? What does a developer do? Is there anything for them to do, except continuously say that they are working tirelessly to fix the problem with patches and hot fixes? And then, what happens when the patch actually makes things worse, like patch 1.04? Perhaps a developer’s tactic should be to try and fix the problem, keep trying to fix it, but if nothing they’re trying is working, they provide an extra goodie to gamers. A free map? Maybe credits to use in the game, so they can buy more weapons, perks, or anything else they want? How about offer some money into their digital wallets?

I can’t say for sure what I believe a developer should do. If a game gets to the point that Black Ops has, with no sign of it getting better (or the console getting any real support, before the competition’s system), I’m not sure there’s any way to really come back. If you’ve already gotten rid of the game, and you start hearing that everything has been fixed, are you really going to buy it again? I’m sure there will be some people out there, but the trade-in has already been finalized. Treyarch and Activision will lose out on those used games being sold back to gamers.

Let me know what you think a developer should do. If you think they should do anything at all. Even if you don’t have a PS3, or you aren’t suffering from the problem. Do you think the developers out there owe it to gamers who bought the game some kind of additional content, or even money, because the game isn’t up to par? Or do they just keep trying to fix it, and leave it at that?

However, with this latest patch, Treyarch is positive that most of the glaring holes have been filled. Mainly, the 1.05 patch is meant to improve the party reliability, especially when you try and leave a game with your party. Other inclusions in the patch are the ability to mute players in the pre-game lobby, as well as kick certain players from private matches, and in parties.

And yes, Treyarch has already said that more patches, and hot fixes, are coming. If you’ve managed to experience your game freezing from time to time, and you’ve noticed that it happens most often when two or more explosions happen in a concentrated area, you’ll be happy to know that it’s not your imagination. And Treyarch is working on it.

So for now, as we wait for the golden multiplayer egg that we all hope can be hatched, how is the game now working for you PlayStation 3 owners out there? We suggest, if it’s still not working to your liking, that you sit back and watch this LEGO version of Black Ops. It’s worth it.

[via Joystiq]

In a press release, which you can read below, Activision announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops has officially not only reached, but surpassed $1 billion in total sales around the world. That’s $1 billion in just one month. That also means the game has garnered even more world records, breaking them along the way. Activision is also pleased to announce that the title has managed to rack up 600 million hours of total playtime in the multiplayer community since its launch. Microsoft helped solidify the game as a multiplayer juggernaut, as they announced that the average player logs on more than once every day, and stays logged in for more than one hour during their session.

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

Looks like that despite the terrible multiplayer experiences that players on the PC, and especially Sony’s PlayStation 3 home console are reporting, the game is still managing to sell. And, it will probably continue into the New Year. Let’s hope that more hot fixes are released in the interim, so more players can actually enjoy taking part in that 600 million hours.

Press Release

Call of Duty®: Black Ops™ Surpasses $1 Billion in Sales Worldwide

Over 600 Million Hours Logged Playing Call of Duty: Black Ops

Game Continues to Set Entertainment Records

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that Call of Duty: Black Ops continues to set sell-through records crossing the $1 billion mark in sales worldwide since its launch in November, according to internal Activision estimates.

In its first five days alone, the game sold more than $650 million worldwide, outpacing theatrical box office, book and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell through in dollars, according to internal Activision estimates and boxofficemojo.com. The game exceeded Activision’s previous five-day worldwide record of $550 million set by last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® 2.

To date, more than 600 million hours have been logged playing Call of Duty: Black Ops since the game launched on November 9, 2010. According to Microsoft, the average player logs on more than once a day and plays for more than one hour each time. Over half of that time is spent playing online with and against friends, illustrating the unique social characteristics of the game.

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

Kotick continued, “This extraordinary milestone was achieved because of the tens of millions of passionate Call of Duty players around the world. Global audiences have logged billions of hours online with Call of Duty games on Xbox LIVE, the Playstation Network and on personal computers. This unique level of community engagement has enabled Call of Duty to become one of the world’s most engaged online communities.

“Call of Duty continues to rewrite not just the record books, but also the rules of interactive entertainment,” says Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Even more remarkable than the number of units sold is the number of hours people are playing the game together online which are unprecedented. Call of Duty is more than a game, it’s a true community.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Language. For additional information about the game, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.
*All references cited are sourced according to www.boxofficemojo.com or www.guinnessworldrecords.com

The DLC is centered around more multiplayer maps. There will be four standard maps that are introduced in the new map pack, and one map that’s specifically meant for the Zombies mode of the title. As for locations, players will be able to play from one level of the missions in Hong Kong, and another that takes place in the Arctic Circle. There will be two new locations, too: one that’s near the Berlin Wall, and another that takes place in a hockey stadium.

For those that play the game on PlayStation 3 or the PC, you are getting the DLC, too. However, you’ll just have to wait until March, 2011. As for pricing, it looks like it’s been decided that 1,200 Microsoft Points has been given the green light. That’s about $15. Anyone think that’s too much?

[via Major Nelson]

Within the forums, a rumor was beginning to pick up speed. Indeed, even in in the comments to the original story yesterday, someone was suggesting that if you delete your saved data for Black Ops, your network connectivity issues will go away. It had been reported that some people had seen better connections after the deletion of saved data. But Olin, who posts on the forums as “JD_2020″ came forward and asked, specifically, “Please do not delete your save data, as it will not have an effect on network connectivity.”

However, Olin did point out that people were indeed seeing some improvements to network connectivity. The reason? Treyarch had released a hotfix for the game around 12:30am ET, Wednesday evening. According to the Community Manager, that’s why people have been seing improved stability, and it has nothing to do with deleting save data, or any other reasons that may pop up. Olin also reiterated what Treyarch as a whole said earlier, saying that the developer is committed to finding the cause of the network issues, and that more hotfixes are coming, so “stay tuned.”

Has anyone seen any improvements since the early morning hours?

[via Call of Duty: Black Ops Forums]

And this latest patch, even if it is the biggest and most feature-rich of the patches released so far, doesn’t seem to be making matters any better for PS3 owners. The official forum for the PS3 version of the copy has been filling up with angry players, all complaining about the same thing: network issues. Whether it’s lag, all-out freezes, or just plain bad connectivity to other players, the trials and tribulations of these gamers seem to run the gamut of things that could possibly go wrong.

The patch, v1.04, includes plenty of extras for the game itself. This inclues 400 new contracts for players to take part in while playing multiplayer. New AI bots in offline mode, and a new multiplayer video editing mode called “Dolly Cam.” Treyarch also says they’ve reduced some aspects of the “knife lunge,” but from the forums, it seems that PS3 owners are still being harassed by this particular bug. As far as connection issues go, Treyarch believes that they are getting better at solving the continuous problems suffered by PS3 owners, but that not everything is going to get fixed right away. They’re constantly updating the title, and plan on updating the game into the far future.

So far, the updates seem to be making the game worse for PS3 owners. If you have a PS3 and Black Ops let us know in the comments how your experience has been with the game, especially with the patches the developer has released.

[via Joystiq]

What’s interesting, though, is that Activision is on board these numbers. According to the company’s announcement during their financial results last week, they admitted that they believe the new title will sell 20% less than last year’s release, Modern Warfare 2, which was developed by Infinity Ward. It was part of the company’s guided release. If the analyst, and what Activision is predicting is true, then it looks like Black Ops may not be the biggest game of 2010.

At the beginning of 2010, Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard’s President, said that it would be due to tougher competition that Black Ops would not do as well in its release. Considering Halo: Reach and Medal of Honor both released within weeks of Black Ops, that argument could certainly hold true. However, the Call of Duty franchise has plenty of fans all over the world, so it will indeed be interesting to see how the title, which is primarily based in the Cold War, pans out when it launches tomorrow. Who’s waiting in line?

[via GamesIndustry]

The German games site is reporting that not only is the normal version of Black Ops banned from the country, but that the digital version of the title will also have to be verified to play. On the physical media side of things, the traditional version of the upcoming FPS has been banned, so players in Germany will have to play a censored version. And only the censored version. This isn’t a new practice by any means, but it will certainly mean that some people won’t buy the title, due to the censored aspect.

As for the digital version, it would be a relatively easy task for PC gamers just to find the international version of the title, and then have their fun with that. However, the new game will use Steam for authorization purposes, and that means international versions won’t be allowed in Germany. Steam will only verify local versions of the game.

[via BigDownload]

When Black Ops launches on November 9th, 2010, it will feature the 3D option right out of the box. Players will be able to experience not only the campaign, but also the specific training missions, multiplayer (every mode), and even the extra game mode, Zombies. As with any other 3D-compatible title, you’ll need the appropriate hardware to make it happen. Both Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 now fully support 3D playback for games, so you’ll just need to get your hands on a 3D TV, too. And, if you plan on playing the First Person Shooter (FPS) on your PC, then you’ll need NVIDIA’s 3D Vision to take advantage of the fun.

According to Jay Puryear of Treyarch, the 3D technology was created by an Activision Research and Develpoment team, and not by Treyarch themselves. The development studio thought 3D was a good idea, but they wanted to make sure that it was perfect before they implemented it into their title. And, as Puryear puts it, there’s just enough 3D in the game “to make it pop, but not enough to where you are trying to figure out, ‘Where am I supposed to look’?”

While Sony is making a hard push for 3D, and even expected to include it in upcoming triple-A titles, this will be the first time publisher Activision has released a stereoscopic 3D title. According to Puryear, an FPS was a logical choice for the implementation of 3D, thanks to the gametype itself, as well as the environments. Treyarch points out that, while you progress through the title, players will now be able to see the depth of when their character is holding a weapon, or see that cover actually looks like cover, as it has depth of field within the playspace. Whether it’s just a box or a car, players will be able to tell that it’s present on the field, and has range.

There’s going to be an in-game option that lets you decide whether or not you want 3D activated. If you turn it off, you won’t be able to tell any difference. But, if you’ve got the hardware (and glasses) to enjoy the three-dimensional gaming goodness, then activating that option will bring a whole new level of gaming to your living room.

[via Game Hunters]