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This is not a joke. This is real.

But maybe it is also still a joke.

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Wait, what? A few things. Why does this exist and why didn't this already exist? Regardless of the answers to these pressing questions, Call of Duty: Ghosts now officially has the best announcer in all of first-person shooters.Read more...

I don't care which universe he's in, plucky yellow Autobot Bumblebee always rocks. And hey, that's two voice actors Activision doesn't have to hire! Read more...

Kerrigan has an axe to grind once again in the new trailer for Heroes of the Storm , Blizzard's upcoming MOBA-style game that it's not calling a MOBA. But it's not like she doesn't have plenty of totally valid reasons to be so pissed off, right? Personally, I'm really interested to see how playing as one of the greatest heroes-turned-villains in the history of video games here will compare to her role in last year's excellent Heart of the Swarm.Read more...

The Predator will stalk Call of Duty: Ghosts players on PCs and PlayStation consoles on May 8 with the multiplatform launch of "Devastation," a DLC pack that adds new weapons and maps to Ghosts' multiplayer component.

Available as part of Call of Duty: Ghosts' Season Pass, Devastation introduces the Predator as a playable character for those who complete the new Ruins map's Field Order. The pack also adds the SMG and assault rifle hybrid "Ripper" weapon, along with the second chapter in the ongoing "Extinction" series.

Devastation originally launched earlier this month as a timed exclusive for Xbox platforms. The add-on pack is priced at $15. [Image: Activision]

As if three movie villains weren't enough, Electro and the Green Goblin are are joined by the ugliest Kingpin ever, bad-hair-lighting Black Cat and... is that Carnage? Yeah, Parker is screwed. Read more...

Activision announced today that Blizzard's Diablo 3 expansion Reaper of Souls has sold more than 2.7 million copies worldwide since its launch for Windows and Mac platforms on March 25.

The publisher additionally notes that Diablo 3 earned more than 2.4 million Twitch views on Reaper of Souls' launch day. Players have completed the expansion's quest line more than 1.5 million times in the week following its release.

Along with new story content, Reaper of Souls introduces the new Crusader class and raises character level caps. The core Diablo 3 experience was recently overhauled to make item drops more plentiful and better-suited to player classes.

A PlayStation 4 version of Reaper of Souls is also in the works.

[Image: Activision Blizzard]

This week's Xbox Live sales include two games and their associated DLC packs. Starting now through Tuesday, April 8, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can pick up WWE 2K14 for 25 percent off ($29.99 / £29.99 / 44.99 euros) and The Amazing Spider-Man at 66 percent off ($13.59 / £10.19 / 13.59 euros).

Downloadable add-ons for WWE 2K14 are half-off this week as well, including the game's online pass ($4.99 / £3.99 / 4.99 euros) and season pass ($9.99 / £7.99 / 9.99 euros), the latter granting access to all of the game's DLC except for Undertaker's "American Badass" character and the Ultimate Warrior, each on sale for $0.99 / £0.64 / 0.94 euros.

For The Amazing Spider-Man, each of the game's four DLC packs are 66 percent off, including the Stan Lee Adventure Pack ($1.35 / £0.91 / 1.28 euros) and the Oscorp Search and Destroy Pack ($1.01 / £0.67 / 0.96 euros). [Image: 2K Sports]

I have to admire the latest video for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 game tie-in of the sequel to the reboot of the film trilogy adaptation of the long-running comic book series. For one thing, it claims to be the ‘first gameplay’ footage and that’s exactly what it is. It seems to have been edited by the most haphazard of methods, with combat sequences ending seemingly at random, and the combo-chain combat lacking the fluidity of Arkham’s animations. Spidey has a tendency to jog against enemies just before he kicks them, like a giant spider-dog humping their legs. And then there’s a bit when the music just stops while he’s hanging a bad man from a web. The silence made me think I was watching a murder.

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The physical editions of this fall's Warlords of Draenor expansion for World of Warcraft will come with a code that'll allow players to boost a character to level 90. Pre-order a digital edition from Blizzard, and you'll get the boost right away. Read more...

Tony Hawk may be returning to video games, but he isn't returning to consoles anytime soon. The skateboarding star revealed his new game is exclusively for mobile phones, after admitting last year he'd been "wanting to do a mobile game for a long time."

"We're working on a mobile game now," Hawk told Bloomberg. "We're working on a game for mobile devices this year. We've never gone exclusively in that direction so I'm excited because, with the amount of time people are spending on their phones and their tablets playing games, we've never had our own game in that space, so I'm excited to provide one finally."

Hawk told CNBC last year that, with gaming expanding beyond traditional devices, "you've got to learn to adapt what you know from the technology into these areas." According to CNBC, Hawk saw the best mobile model to be making the game free but to start charging when players wanted to progress to further levels. There's no confirmation of any pricing structure for the newly-announced game as yet.

Hawk's new game, which sees the ex-pro skater reunite with Activision, is the first to bear the name since Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD (above) from 2012. Robomodo developed that game, as well as the ill-fated Ride and Shred, but despite some mischievous re-tweeting it's not known if the indie studio is on board this time around. [Image: Activision]

Today's the day, Diablo 3. This particular Wednesday is when you blossom into the game that so very many people wanted you to be when you came out back in 2012. Today, you get Loot 2.0. Maybe claiming that Loot 2.0 is the day that Diablo 3 comes of age is an exaggeration, but the massive update Blizzard delivered to its famous dungeon crawling game today is certainly the most significant update yet. From here on out, "Smart Drop" will make it far easier for players to get their mitts on armor, weapons, and other rare loot specific to their character type, negating the need for the game's divisive auction houses in the process.

To check out Loot 2.0, Alexander Sliwinski (@Sliwinski) and Richard Mitchell (@TheRichardM) dive into its infernal guts to check out the changes. This crew reflects a variety of different experience levels. Richard has yet to play the PC version of the game. Alexander, meanwhile, has never played Diablo 3 at all.

It's all happening on the Joystiq Twitch channel at 4PM EST. Come and hang out with us. [Images: Blizzard]

Starting today, Diablo 3 is ... well, it's very different. Blizzard has released a humongous patch for the game, overhauling many of its features. The highlight is probably the introduction of "Loot 2.0," a heavy reworking of the loot system that was first announced alongside the Reaper of Souls expansion last year. Among other changes, Loot 2.0 features the "Smart Drop" system, making it more likely that the items players discover will be specifically tailored to their character class.

The Nightmare, Hell and Inferno difficulty modes have been replaced by a new dynamic difficulty system, which itself is divided into subcategories: Normal, Hard, Expert, Master and Torment, with the latter being further divided into six gradations. New social features include Clans and Communities, which give players access to private member rosters, news and info postings, and dedicated chat.

On top of all this are loads of character-specific updates, boss and monster tweaks, new stats for heroes and more than we could possibly squeeze into this post. For every little detail, you can peruse the patch notes, and Blizzard's official online Diablo 3 guide has also been updated to walk players through all the changes.

Oh, and don't forget that there's one huge change that's still to come: The auction house is closing on March 18.
[Image: Activision]

When I played through Call of Duty: Ghosts I got the distinct feeling that something was missing, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. That's because the glory of Space Cats is forever beyond our human reach. We can but download them as one of many character and personalization packs added to the game today. Read more...

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls will serve social slayers by giving them formal and more casual options to band together and go a-lootin' in Blizzard's popular role-playing game.

Clans, which are invite-only, have a 120-person maximum and were designed for smaller, more tight-knit groups of players to coordinate schedules and gameplay goals. Anyone can create or request to join a clan, but players may only be enrolled in one clan at a time.

Communities, on the other hand, are a more casual means to essentially the same end. They can be open or closed, and players can be members of multiple communities at the same time. There are also no player caps on communities, so they can be as small or as large as players see fit.

Both features are live in the ongoing Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls closed beta and will be unlocked in the full game prior to the expansion's launch next month, on March 25. Custom tabs in the user interface of Diablo 3 will keep clan and community members up to date by displaying news, recent Legendary Item drops found by members (which you can ogle from within the menu) and a dedicated chat channel for direct lines of communication. Good hunting! [Image: Activision-Blizzard]

No no no no no. No.

In order to protect my sanity, I mostly ignore the existence of the current Transformers movie franchise but today, grave news demands that I devote an iota of my attention to Bay’s bilge. The next Transformers game, Rise of the Dark Spark, will bring together the Cybertron universe and the preposterously dull and irritating bullshit of the live action films, including the upcoming Age of Exctinction. That’s something to look forward to. The first trailer is below but I didn’t learn a great deal from it, seeing as I already suspected there would be Transformers in the game. Grimlock appears, which is fun, but he’s in the game because he’s in the next film, which means he’ll probably have a giant phallus made out of an electricity pylon. Development duties have passed from Half Moon to Edge of Reality.

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Received wisdom tends to be that World of Warcraft is a game in slow decline, still very much a going concern but nonetheless the last great dinosaur of the subscription MMO. Turns out that’s not quite the case – while its 12 million+ subscriber glory days might be behind it, its global population is ever so slightly on the rise. That didn’t stop owner Activision losing a wee bit of money over the last year, though. … [visit site to read more]

Call of Duty has long shared development duties between multiple studios. Most obviously, it’s operated under a two-year schedule, with series creators’ Infinity Ward and Treyarch taking it in turns to work out which national monuments to make fall over. You might be less aware of the other studios who pitch in each year, including Raven Software, Nerversoft and Sledgehammer Games.

As reported by IGN, an Activision investor call mentioned that Sledgehammer are now working on a Call of Duty all of their own. That was already known, but it makes it official that Call of Duty is switching to a three-year development cycle. … [visit site to read more]

Activision is shifting Call of Duty development to a three-year cycle; this year belongs to Sledgehammer Games. Activision announced the shift during its 4th quarter 2013 financial call this afternoon, says the extended cycle would allow developers to focus on development and downloadable content creation. Read more...

Diablo 3 total lifetime sales have reached 15 million, Activision revealed during its annual earnings call today. The last time we heard from Activision, back in November, the game had just reached 14 million.

Those extra million copies are in large part thanks to Diablo 3's launch on the Xbox 360 and PS3 in September of last year; a PS4 version is due sometime this year. In our Deja Review piece, we found the new controller-driven inputs favored the melee characters most.

An upcoming expansion for Diablo 3, titled Reaper of Souls, is due to land on PC and Mac next month, on March 25. The expansion has already been confirmed for PS4, though Blizzard has yet to announce its availability on Xbox 360 and PS3. [Image: Blizzard]

Call of Duty: Ghosts' Onslaught DLC will launch on February 27 for PC, PS4 and PS3. The DLC pack first arrived on Xbox One and Xbox 360 late last month.

As the first map pack for the game, Onslaught brings four new maps in addition to a dual-purpose assault and sniper rifle known as "Maverick." The DLC also includes the first episode in Extinction, a four-part episodic story. Onslaught costs $15 as a stand-alone addition to Ghosts, and is also included in the game's $50 season pass. [Image: Infinity Ward]

Call of Duty: Ghosts' Onslaught DLC will release for PS4, PS3 and PC on Feb. 27, a month after it launched for Xbox One and Xbox 360.Read more...

UK mobile developer The Blast Furnace is in stasis as owner Activision reassesses its relationship with the studio, Game Informer reports.

"Like any successful business, Activision Publishing continuously works to evolve its business based on our strategic plans and market opportunities," an Activision representative told Game Informer. "As we focus on our 2014 operating plan, we are aligning our resources against our anticipated business requirements. As part of this review, we have started a consultation at Blast Furnace based in Leeds in the UK."

The Blast Furnace previously produced mobile entries in Activision's Pitfall and Wipeout franchises, and headed up last year's iOS release Call of Duty: Strike Team. Game Informer notes that Activision's proposed options for the studio include closure, downsizing, or splitting it off into its own independent entity.

Speaking to MCV, an Activision representative revealed that the publisher wishes to "keep The Blast Furnace together and develop a plan that will enable them to remain as a team." Activision added that it will maintain its commitment to mobile platforms going forward, regardless of its plans for The Blast Furnace. [Image: Activision]

Has a Spider-Man villain ever built a giant version of those suction devices that capture arachnid infiltrators so that they can be safely disposed of? I like to think that it’s happened several times over the decades, so that whenever the quip-slinger hears a vacuum cleaner, he soils his spandex. Judging by the reveal trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – the game of the sequel to the reboot of the adaptation of the comic book – Peter is more likely to be slinging gloom and doom than quips. He doesn’t even speak, preferring to let villainous mentor-chum (?) Kraven the Hunter do the talking.

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The first expansion for Diablo 3, which ushers in an era free of auction houses, is set to launch on March 25, digitally and in store. Today, Blizzard has revealed the contents of the Reaper of Souls expansion, retail-exclusive Collector's Edition box set, featuring a variety of the company's typical special offerings.

Like previous special editions of its games, the collection will include a soundtrack, behind-the-scenes DVD (and Blu-Ray), art book, themed mouse pad and in-game content for its library of software. The in-game content includes a "Spectral Hound minion" and aesthetic artifacts, which allow players to "transmogrify" player gear with a thematic visual flair in Diablo 3; a "treasure goblin pet" which explores World of Warcraft's Azeroth through a series of portals; and special player portraits and decals in StarCraft 2.

Blizzard notes "Reaper of Souls Collector's Edition is available in limited quantities" and only at select retailers.

Call Of Duty’s online world has something of a reputation. A reputation for being a cesspit of revolting idiocy, bile and cruelty, rather spoiling it for those who just want some multiplayer shootyfun. So it is to this that Activision have targeted their latest trailer for Ghosts Onslaught. To the idiots, I mean.

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That quick tease Activision gave this morning of Call of Duty's new maps "doesn't look anything like Call of Duty," I said. Well, there's a reason you're lugging around a fire axe. One map, "Fog" will turn you into Michael Myers, the killer from Halloween.Read more...

It's official. Confirming the earlier rumor, the Onslaught DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts will release Jan. 28. Activision released the following short trailer detailing the first episode of a four-part Extinction-mode story. It doesn't look anything like Call of Duty.Read more...

Got extra Skylanders? Encase them in endless holiday nightmare. The problem with collecting Skylanders toys and games is extra toys and extra toy-scanning portals of power. Toy customization expert KodyKoala has just the thing — a glowing crystal prison — a Skylanders phantom zone. Such exquisite torture. Read more...

With 2013 drawing to a close, it's time for one last Xbox 360 daily deal: A promotion that cuts between 25 and 40 percent from the price of Call of Duty: Ghosts, depending on your location.

Here's how it works: Pay a visit the Xbox Live Marketplace's Games On Demand section on your Xbox 360, then search for Call of Duty: Ghosts. Until the end of today, you'll find its price has been reduced. How much it's been reduced depends on where you live. Those of you in the United States will see the weakest discount, with only 25 percent being taken off. Those in European countries will find a 29 percent discount, and citizens of the UK are being granted a 30 percent discount. Australian gamers make out the best in this deal, as their version of Call of Duty: Ghosts has been reduced in price by 40 percent.

If Call of Duty: Ghosts isn't your cup of tea, but you still desperately want to pick up something before the year ends, you'll want to have a look at the ongoing weekly sale also taking place on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Like the daily deal, these offers expire once 2014 rolls around.