Angry Birds Trilogy Coming to PS3, 360 and 3DS

Back at E3, Activision teased us with the fact that Angry Birds was coming to consoles. Now, we know it's the Angry Birds Trilogy, and it's "built from the ground up" for HDTVs, according to Rovio's Executive Vice President of Games Petri Järvilehto.

"You can think of the game as the ultimate collector’s edition," he said. "There are new cinematics, extras and other entertaining content. In addition all of the existing material has been uprezzed and re-treated for the high-resolution and big screen."

Angry Birds Trilogy bundles the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio on one disc or 3DS cartridge. Järvilehto wasn't ready to say if players would get access to the free level packs iOS and Android players received, but he did say that there would now be individual leaderboards for each level.

"The backgrounds have been animated, we've added lighting modes, reactive backgrounds, the list goes on and on," Järvilehto said. "We believe that there are a lot of people on the consoles who appreciate a great casual game play experience. This is a game that resonates across a wide audience on many platforms."

The HD!

Angry Birds Trilogy will support Microsoft Kinect, PlayStation Move and StreetPass on the 3DS. Järvilehto is happy to be bringing the birds to a brand new market this holiday.

"There have been so many fans asking to be able to play the game on their home console with their friends and family, and so far we haven't been able to offer anything to them," he said. "Now we're finally able to have a great high quality experience on those platforms."

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN and Twitter. Beyond!

Source : ign[dot]com

Kirkman: FPS Walking Dead "Would Be Pointless"

Last week, Activision announced its own take on the zombie-infested world created by Robert Kirkman. The Walking Dead Video Game is a first-person shooter based on the TV show scheduled for a 2013 release. The announcement caught many off guard as Telltale Games just put out the second  of five The Walking Dead: The Game episodes.

However, now the FPS announcement is odd for a different reason. Back in March, Kirkman was interviewed about the Telltale title and asked at the 1:47-mark why the game wasn't a first-person shooter.

“

But to do a Walking Dead game that's just that would be pointless.

"You can play Left 4 Dead," Kirkman said. "You can play Dead Rising. You can play Resident Evil -- those are all great games and I do that, and I think other people should do that. But to do a Walking Dead game that's just that would be pointless. I think that you would always be compared to that, and you'd either be better or you'd be worse -- but you'd be the same kind of game, and that's no fun."

Kirkman goes on to say that The Walking Dead isn't about shooting and killing, it's about the interaction between characters and their personal evolutions. "It has heart" and that's something Telltale is able to incorporate in the game.

"Which they wouldn't be able to do if it was just a run-and-gun, like 'I like to cut people up' kind of game, which again are great but that's not what Telltale does," he said. "And that's why they're doing The Walking Dead game."

IGN reached out to Kirkman's publicist for a comment from the author, but an email was not immediately returned. Of course, Kirkman was talking in broad strokes about the first-person shooter genre, so perhaps Activision and developer Terminal Reality came to Kirkman with an idea that broke the "run-and-gun" mold.

We'll find out as we learn more about The Walking Dead Video Game in the coming months.

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon. Follow IGN on Twitter, and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN and Twitter. Beyond!

Source : ign[dot]com

Will One Studio Make All Call of Duty Handheld Games?

New reports suggest that Activision’s recently-founded Leeds studio will develop all future handheld and mobile iterations of the Call of Duty franchise. According to UK games industry expert Andy Payne, Leeds will be developing "all handheld versions [and] iOS versions of Call of Duty" moving forward.

According to Leeds, the various studios developing Call of Duty are collaborative, reusing assets and exchanging them as needed. From this point forward, Leeds will be able to use the same assets for use in mobile games. “The two studios are saying, 'I need a tank, pull it off from the library'. And those assets are also going to be starting to be used by the mobile team, which is going to be based in Leeds,” he said.

We know that Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified is currently in development for Vita, though it’s still unknown who’s developing that game. Unfortunately, the rumor about Leeds is likely only referring to future games, as Declassified is set to hit stores before the end of the year and Activision Leeds was only created in May, which wouldn’t line up.

Previous Call of Duty handheld and mobile developers include n-space, who developed DS versions of Call of Duty 4, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 2 and World at War. Black Ops Zombies and World at War Zombies on iOS, meanwhile, were developed by Ideaworks.

Source: Videogamer

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Telltale Plans More Episodes of Walking Dead Game

Telltale has announced that a second season of The Walking Dead: The Game will follow the first five episodes. The announcement comes hot on the heels of Activision’s announcement that it will release a Walking Dead first-person shooter, but to clarify, The Walking Dead: The Game is the downloadable adventure game that first released in April.

Telltale originally announced that The Walking Dead: The Game would feature five episodes. Episodes one and two have already been released, and episode three is currently slated for mid-August.

While release dates for episodes four and five haven’t been announced yet, Telltale is already planning for what it will do next. According to a statement from Telltale senior vice president of marketing Steve Allison, "Following the digital release of our fifth episode we will also be coming to North American retail shortly thereafter and this will not be the last The Walking Dead game series that we do."

Allison also revealed that the first episodes of the game have “sold nearly 1.7 million episodes to consumers in just our first 8 weeks with no signs of slowing down.” As for Activision’s announcement about the other Walking Dead game? Allison had a comment about that, too. "Regarding today's announcement of a project based [on] the AMC TV series coming in 2013, as huge fans of the franchise and the show, we're looking forward to seeing Terminal Reality's game when it comes out."

For more on The Walking Dead: The Game -- including a full walkthrough for episodes one and two -- be sure to check out our The Walking Dead: The Game wiki guide.

Source: Polygon

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Activision Reveals Walking Dead First-Person Shooter

Activision has announced a new game based on The Walking Dead. Not to be confused with Telltale’s episodic The Walking Dead adventure game, Activision’s version is a first-person action game based on AMC’s The Walking Dead TV show.

Developed by Terminal Reality, The Walking Dead will revolve around Daryl Dixon and his brother Merle on a “haunting, unforgiving quest to make their way to the supposed safety of Atlanta.” Players will control Daryl as they attempt to avoid detection from zombies that hunt using sight, sound and smell and will choose between fighting them or using stealth to avoid detection. According to Activision, “No place is truly safe for Daryl as he makes his way through the Georgia countryside in this new, post-apocalyptic world.”

Supplies will be scarce and players will need to carefully manage food, ammunition and supplies as they make their way through the game. Daryl will encounter “a slew of other characters” along the way that can help or hurt him. Whether or not these characters accompany Daryl is completely up to the player and “represents just some of the major decisions that will constantly be made while fighting to survive.”

The Walking Dead will hit stores in 2013 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Few other details are available, but check out the game’s official site for more info in the future. Until then, keep an eye out for all the latest announcements about The Walking Dead TV show before it returns to AMC for season three later this year.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

E3 2012: The Amazing Spider-Man Game Tied to the Symbiote, Doc Ock

IGN brought you a deep dive and exclusive trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man earlier today, but we also updated our Spidey Wiki with a Scorpion bio from Activision. It's pretty normal stuff talking about his tail and claw, but the character's origin is fascinating.

"...Oscorp physicist Dr. Otto Octavius dug into Curt Connors’ research as quickly as it became available to him. Not satisfied with simply infusing human DNA into a highly venomous black fat-tailed scorpion, Octavius also threw in a touch of a mysterious, organic “black goo” of unknown origin, which Oscorp had recently retrieved from one of the company’s fallen satellites in secret. The result was Scorpion..."

Not only does Doc Ock exist in this universe, but so does this "black goo," which has to be the symbiote that goes on to become Venom in common Spider-Man lore. What makes this so interesting is that Amazing Spider-Man Producer Doug Heder talked extensively on Up at Noon about how Marvel and the movie folks had to approve everything in the game and that the game had to stay away from villains Sony Pictures might have plans for. So even though the Activision bio reads "This bio is intended only as back story. Neither Dr. Otto Octavius nor the “black goo” appear in the film The Amazing Spider-Man or its videogame," it's establishing a world. It's canon

Basically, the game could be establishing the fiction for the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man movie, and that fiction now includes Doc Ock and the symbiote in some fashion.

Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/04/e3-2012-the-amazing-spider-man-game-tied-to-the-symbiote-doc-ock

First Look: Call of Duty: Black Ops II gameplay footage

For all the naysayers who think that Treyarch and Activision are merely “riding the cash pony” for its latest Call of Duty: Black Ops II…um, have you even seen it in action?  No, you haven’t.  Luckily, we have, and we’ve got a full recap of the gameplay footage we saw, as well as the new Overwatch mode that’s being introduced, right here for you.

Activision, who recently showed the footage as part of its pre-E3 push, is putting a lot of confidence into Black Ops II, and for good reason.  Treyarch has really gone the extra mile to make the game feel different from the original, while at the same time featuring some tie-ins through flashback storyline sequences (involving Alex Mason from the original game, along with his buddies).  There's even a scene that introduces the villain of the story, who the team feels actually has a method to his madness.  But we didn’t see any of this just yet, only an amazing sequence that takes place in Los Angeles, along with bits and pieces from the Overwatch mode.

Let’s talk L.A. first.  The stage opened with Dave Mason, son of Alex, riding with the female president in a barrage of Hummers headed into a war-torn Los Angeles, with literally dozens of automated drones flying overhead.  Before you can say “Metta World Peace," a downed helicopter ends the ride early, forcing Dave and his team to go on foot and scrambling to get the president to safety.  It’s here that we’re introduced to the familiar third-person shooting action that the series is known for — but with some futuristic twists.

The first involves the weaponry in the game, including some effective (if limited) missile launchers and an awesome high-tech rifle with a scope that lights up targets quite easily, making for some good terrain for head shots.  You’ll also take on automated threats like flying drones and walkers, but the walkers actually have a weak point — their legs.  During the demo, we saw Dave take out one of the walker’s legs, circling around it and finishing it off while we were just outside of its range.

But these machines are just part of the threat, as the terrorist, a lunatic named Raul Menendez, has a number of soldiers fighting for his cause, as well.  Throughout the demo, we saw sections where they popped up at every turn, preventing an escape through a collapsed freeway (complete with crumbling overpass, very awesome) with an ambush, and creating havoc in the streets while you try to work your way to the president’s safety point.

The game featured shooting segments both high and low with you protecting your squad by shooting enemies from afar, then getting back into the firefight as you battle through the city streets — which look an awful lot like the ones we roam around during E3.  Interesting.  There’s also a fun sequence where you temporarily control a rocket-shooting turret, downing drones after locking onto them.  You need to escape quick, though, as an explosion rocks the truck over the side of the overpass, forcing you to escape before it collapses.

After a few more firefights, all featuring fast-moving visuals and impeccable detail (this is one of the better looking Call of Duty games to date), Dave is able to hop into a jet, where he takes to the air and brings the battle directly to the drones.  It’s here that the gameplay kicked up a notch, with solid flight controls and boosting, along with locking onto targets and shooting them out of the sky.  (Oh, and don’t hit the buildings — that would probably be bad.)  The sequence concluded with Dave bailing out of the jet, just as it directly collided into a drone.  Awesome way to end the demo, if we do say so ourselves.

From there, Treyarch launched into another gameplay segment, one taking place on a frigate in Singapore.  Here, you’ll actually guide a team into battle against enemies, while marking objectives and setting up for an air strike.  These new Overwatch missions actually rely heavily on success or failure.  No matter which way they go, your story will continue, but their outcome can actually effect how your story ends, which is rather cool.  So try to win, okay?

What’s cool about Overwatch is how you can zoom out at any time and basically look at a cyber map to see what’s happening, and then zoom in to any active member of your party, taking control of them.  These include soldiers, point men, walkers and drones, making the fight rather unpredictable.  We can see these parts of the game getting quite competitive amongst players.  They look like fun.

Finally, Treyarch is building the multiplayer from the ground up, though it will contain full Call of Duty Elite integration, along with… yep, the return of zombies.  This time around, though, there’s a four versus four multiplayer aspect, possibly similar to the Left 4 Dead games… but with that Treyarch touch.  We’re eager to see how this turns out.

In all, Call of Duty: Black Ops II definitely looks like it’s living up to the hype.  While the demo wasn’t hands on, it was action packed throughout, with explosive visuals and awesome segments that will make for a good time on a Saturday night… or any night for that matter.  We’ll have more impressions on the game in the months ahead, leading to its November 13 release date.

Source : http://gamezone.com

Call of Duty Case Settled: Activision, EA and West and Zampella Case Won't Go To Trial Ads By Google » Blog Tags Today's Most Popular Videos »

Activision and EA have announced the employment case between Activision and the creators of Modern Warfare 2 (Jason West and Vince Zampella) has settled. The companies said at a hearing today in California state court in Los Angeles that they will file a settlement agreement in court. The terms of the coming settlement were not disclosed.

Activision said in a May 9 regulatory filing that the damages claim of West and Zampella, the creators of Modern Warfare 2,  has increased to more than $1 billion, from the $36 million the two sought in unpaid royalties when they first sued two years ago. 

Source : http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/723862/call-of-duty-case-settled-activision-ea-and-west-and-zampella-employment-case-wont-go-to-trial/

Activision Pays Ex-Infinity Ward Developers $42 million, But It's Not A Settlement Ads By Google » Blog Tags Today's Most Popular Videos »

According to Polygon, Activision has paid ex-Infinity Ward developers in the Infinity Ward Employee Group $42 million, but this is not a settlement of the ongoing employment lawsuit between Infinity Ward founders (and Modern Warfare creators) Jason West and Vince Zampella, EA and Activison.

The $42 million payment was offered during the discovery phase of the larger trial. Activision reportedly decided that the gathered evidence didn't implicate the Infinity Ward Employee Group, so a decision was made to pay them what Activision believes they are owed. The $42 million figure includes ten percent interest and is in addition to $22 million already paid for the promised first quarter launch bonus.

The case goes to trial next week, and according to  Bruce Isaacs, attorney for the Infinity Ward Employee Group, the payment is a "cynical attempt to look good before the jury trial."

"I can also tell you that although it is a meaningful payment it is only a small portion of what we are seeking in litigation," Isaacs said. "It is outrageous that they made us wait, they obviously knew they owed the money and this just shows that they breached the contract."

Isaacs says the case will go forward. "We are seeking all kinds of bonuses per the contract. This payment relates to one particular game and one particular time period and one particular bonus."

If you want to read up on the lawsuit, you can catch up with all of our Fall of Duty stories, but here's the short version:

A trial on all remaining claims is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Get your popcorn ready. We'll be bringing you coverage here on G4tv.com.

All of the best people are following Stephen Johnson's twitter feed. Also, email me if you wanna.

Source : http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/723791/activision-pays-ex-infinity-ward-developers-42-million-but-its-not-a-settlement/

Activision pays $42 million to ex-Infinity Ward members - Report

Reports have surfaced today on both Polygon and Gamasutra claiming that Activision has paid a sum of $42 million to a group of 40 former Infinity Ward members implicated in an upcoming lawsuit with the Call of Duty publisher.

Activision wants to focus its efforts entirely on ex-Infinity Ward heads West and Zampella.

According to the reports--both of which cite an anonymous source close to the case--Activision paid the $42 million to the group representing former Infinity Ward heads Vince West and Jason Zampella after reviewing the evidence for the ongoing lawsuit over West and Zampella's 2010 firing, and subsequent establishment of Respawn Entertainment with Electronic Arts.

Both Polygon and Gamasutra reported that the sum paid by Activison is not part of a settlement.

Instead, the sum is what the publisher believes the former employees are owed after reviewing trial evidence and reportedly finding that it does not implicate the group's 40 members. It is reported that Activision will now focus its legal efforts entirely on West and Zampella.

In March this year, Activision scored a partial victory in the suit, when a judge dismissed one of two fraud claims brought against the publisher by West and Zampella.

Activision claims that it fired the pair because they were secretly planning to start their new studio with the help of Electronic Arts, while still employed with the Call of Duty publisher. West and Zampella claim that the real reason they were fired was so that Activision wouldn't have to pay them millions of dollars in royalties associated with Modern Warfare 2. Beyond the performance-based payout and any other court-awarded monetary damages, West and Zampella are seeking to gain co-ownership of the Modern Warfare brand. If successful in court, West and Zampella would have the right to create and release both old and new installments in the Modern Warfare franchise.

According to the reports, the trial is set to take place on May 29.

Source : http://gamespot.com/news/activision-pays-42-million-to-ex-infinity-ward-members-report-6376776

New Family Guy Video Game This Fall

If Family Guy Online just isn't scratching your itch for everything Quahog, Family Guy: Back the Multiverse is coming to consoles this fall from Activision and Fox. Incredibly little is known about the game other than the basic quotes and whatnot from folks behind it.

"Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will utilize the source material, including the talented voice cast and writers, authentic humor and subversive spirit of the series, giving fans a whole new way to interact with their favorite show," said Jeffrey Godsick, president of Twentieth Century Fox consumer products.

A press release states "the title will offer gamers an interactive Family Guy experience inspired by one of the most popular and notable episodes in the series' history." Which episode? Well, the release didn't say, but
USA Today states the game is based on an episode "where characters Brian and Stewie travel to alternate universes using a remote control." So, like, every Brian and Stewie episode since "Road to Rhode Island."

Keep checking IGN for Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse details. To get you in the mood, here's a random, non sequitur video.

The Latest in Japanese Gaming with Hulk Hogan



Source : http://games.ign.com/articles/122/1224439p1.html

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse hitting this fall

Gamers yearning to take part in the wacky hijinks of the Family Guy series will have a new console title to play this fall. Activision and Twentieth Century Fox this morning announced Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse.

Somewhere, Peter Griffin is saying "freakin' sweet!"

Due out on unspecified "gaming consoles," the title is inspired by the 2009 Family Guy episode "Road to the Multiverse." In this episode, Stewie and Brian use a remote control to travel to parallel universes, including destinations inspired by Walt Disney, The Flintstones, and one where Christianity never existed.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will be the first console game set in series creator Seth MacFarlane's cartoon universe since the 2K Games-published Family Guy in 2006. That game was developed by High Voltage Software, and shipped for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PSP. It featured the original voice cast of the TV series, including MacFarlane.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse follows Family Guy Online, which is a free-to-play PC title currently in beta. A new console Family Guy game was announced by Activision in February 2011, when Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg described the franchise as "strong," with "passionate niche audience that can achieve repeatable and profitable success."


Source : http://gamespot.com/news/family-guy-back-to-the-multiverse-hitting-this-fall-6375382

Black to the Future: What Do You Think of Black Ops II's Futuristic, 2025 Setting?

The future of Call of Duty the future; Activision is sending its flagship franchise to 2025. That means highly advanced weaponry, razor-edge robotics and drone warfare.



Of course, it also means leaving behind a lot of tradition. For a series that was forged in the fires of World War II, found incredible success in current-day conflict and has since stopped off for a little Cold War subterfuge this is a pretty significant shift.

There's been praise for Treyarch taking Call of Duty somewhere fresh, but there's also been criticism; science-fiction isn't everyone's cup of tea. What are thoughts, Call of Duty fans? Let us know below.


Source : http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/122/1224411p1.html