The developers of hero shooter Overwatch 2 must have dropped a box full of old photographs while clearing the attic, spilling old snapshots of Route 66 onto the floor and getting snared in a nostalgic daze. The game is launching a "Classic" mode today that will let you play the first-person payload pusher as it (mostly) was back in 2016 when the first Overwatch launched. That means 6v6 fights, the original abilities of its heroes, and no limits to stop the entire team picking the same character.
]]>It's been over a decade since Blizzard, developers of StarCraft and WarCraft, released a new real-time strategy game, but not for want of enthusiasm from certain Blizzard developers. According to a report, former StarCraft 2 production director Tim Morten and unnamed accomplices pitched several RTS projects to higher-ups at Activision-Blizzard, before Morten jumped ship to co-found Stormgate creators Frost Giant in 2020. These pitches included WarCraft 4, as you'd expect, and also a Call Of Duty RTS, as you'd probably also expect, though seemingly no new StarCraft.
]]>Why is every blockbuster video game now some kind of live service game? Speaking as a clueless idiot, the explanation I find most convincing is that it's an attempt to bridge the gap between the returns publishers want from video games, versus how much we're able or willing to pay upfront. "Triple-A" projects now cost exorbitant sums to develop, partly thanks to wider economic inflation, but also because publishers have spent decades teaching players that every sequel has to be More and Shinier. Premium game prices have not risen in proportion, and investors want growth, as they do.
Live service games sneak around this difficulty by dragging out the time we spend playing them. Whether premium or free-to-play, they seek to install themselves as habits by means of regular, planned updates and additions. This is time that can be monetised by way of a subscription model, time in which other products may be sold to you, like skins and paintjobs, and time that becomes a commodity in itself, "engagement", which can be transmuted and exploited to various end. I'm not sure it's ever been expressed this way in any press release boast about longevity, but the unspoken principle/logical extrapolation seems to be that ideally, a live service game should keep us plugged in and plugging away till we die.
]]>Following major layoffs and project cancellations at Bungie, the company has since announced their plans for Destiny 2, a game whose future was very much unclear. In their latest blog post, they've announced that they're taking "Destiny to places it has never been before". This means it'll get two expansions per year, alongside four free major updates. As for what's in these updates, they want to make the game more approachable, give you better loot, and are even toying with the idea of roguelikes or survival shooters for future updates.
]]>I find it bizarre that people still really like Crash Bandicoot games in this, the year 2024, two decades after the decline of the platform mascot warz. I have ample nostalgia for the old marsupial myself, with his second Naughty Dog-developed outing being a particular obsession, but come now, we're all about deckbuilders, soulsliking and battle royale nowadays, right?
Still, I'll admit to a twinge of disappointment after reading that a Crash Bandicoot 5 was once in development at Crash 4: It's About Time developers Toys For Bob, and might have featured an interdimensional team-up with one of Crash's old rivals. No, not Mario.
]]>Last week, the Xitter account for H2M - a mod aiming to recreate the heyday of classic Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer inside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered - announced that they had received a cease and desist from Activision Blizzard, and would shut down the project. The 2022 version of Modern Warfare 2 lacked the original’s multiplayer, and H2M was so highly-anticipated that Steam sales of the 2016 FPS balooned in the lead-up to the mod’s planned release date. It didn't hurt that Activision had it on sale, of course, but the timing lined up so well that some fans speculated the discount was a deliberate bait-and-switch on the publisher’s part to profit from excitement over a mod they were already planning to shut down.
]]>Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week - our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! This week, I’ve been half reading in the garden and half staring in awe at my Kindle’s paperwhite doohickey and it’s ability to stay readable in searing sunbeams. I’m tempted to look up how it works but I don’t want to find out it’s made from the luminous, genetically-engineered husks of the workers that drop dead from dehydration at the fulfilment centers or something. To help distract me with yet more books, it’s Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider writer and Destiny 2 senior narrative designer, Dr. Hazel Monforton! Cheers Hazel! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?
]]>Bungie have reportedly cancelled Payback, an unannounced project in the Destiny universe from former Destiny 2 game director Luke Smith and project lead Mark Noseworthy. Both Noseworthy and Smith appear to have lost their jobs in the course of Bungie's brutal cost-cutting this week, but Payback's cancellation pre-dates the layoffs. Envisaged as a Destiny spin-off, rather than Destiny 3, it was apparently dropped "a while ago".
]]>This week's mass layoffs at Destiny studio Bungie were planned out months ago, former employees have told journalist Stephen Totilo at Game File (paywalled). According to Totilo, Bungie leadership "overstated their studio’s financial prospects to Sony" after the latter bought Bungie in 2022 for $3.6 billion. The latest cuts were necessary to prevent continued losses, says the report, after Bungie missed Sony’s targets following the release of last year’s Lightfall.
]]>Hardened battle royalists will remember Caldera, the sandy island map of bunkers and palm trees in Call Of Duty: Warzone. It got shut down last year as Activision focused their efforts elsewhere, making the map unplayable. But you can now revisit those bullet-strewn beaches. In theory, anyway. Activision have released it as a 4GB open-source project that can be explored in a 3D model-viewing tool. That's cool. But among their reasons for doing so, there lies a predictably grubby logic: they want people to use the data to train AI.
]]>Destiny and Marathon developers Bungie are laying off 220 people - around 17% of their total workforce - as studio heads try to offset a financial crisis brought on by "overly ambitious" expansion, individual project "misfires", and a wider economic downturn in 2023. Bungie are also transferring a further 155 roles to parent company Sony Interactive Entertainment, and are spinning out an untitled incubation project - an "action game set in a brand-new science-fantasy universe" - to form a new PlayStation studio.
]]>Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller has posted a lengthy blog on Steam about the transition from 6v6 player matches in the first Overwatch to 5v5 in the poorly received free-to-play sequel. It's a juicy read for armchair designers and lapsed Overwatchers like myself, packing in analysis of class roles and the shift from the free choice of heroes to single hero picks and enforced team compositions.
In broad strokes, Keller summarises how the Overwatch experience has drifted away from "player freedom and creativity in order to create a more balanced, consistent and competitive experience for players". It's possible, however, that Overwatch 2 will swing back in the other direction, as Blizzard are now "exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to gauge the results", with a view to restoring some of the joyful chaos that saw entire teams of Reinhardts charging the objective in formation.
]]>Yet again, some good food. Following the news earlier this week that 241 Bethesda Games Studios staffers had formed what was at the time the biggest wall-to-wall under Microsoft, The Verge reports that over 500 World Of Warcraft developers have voted to form their own union, alongside the Communication Workers of America (CWA).
]]>The immersive sim has seen a revival in recent years. Not only from larger studios like Arkane, keeping the faith alive with their time loops and space stations, but also from a bunch of smaller developers bravely exploring a typically ambitious genre. RPS has always had an affinity for these systemically luxuriant simulations, historically lauding the likes of the original Deus Ex as the best game ever made. But given everything that has come since, is that still the case? Only one way to find out: make a big list.
]]>Look, who knows when we’ll see Fallout 5 - there’s an increasingly less-than-zero chance we’ll all be living in a real post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland by the time Bethesda get around to revealing anything, if their deliberately slow approach to The Elder Scrolls 6 (it’s been nearly THIRTEEN years since Skyrim) is much to go by. Still, even without a full sequel, Fallout is all around us - in multiple seasons of a television show, in Fortnite, and now in Call of Duty.
]]>I've set aside some time this evening for Destiny 2's latest expansion The Final Shape, which launched last night. My pal Liam suggested we play this evening because Bungie's servers would inevitably go up in flames the moment it launched. And what do you know? The right decision was made. Are we smug about it? Yes. Anyway, the good news is that Bungie have put out a few of those fires, though there are still a few bugs to fix.
]]>The classic anime series Gundam examines the traumatic experience of war, particularly the unalterable effect it has on those young soldiers forced to participate in the horrors of fighting for their life while taking the lives of others using weapons of inhuman strength and devastation. Which clearly makes it the perfect fit for a bit of upcoming DLC for military-fetishising interactive gun range Call of Duty.
]]>You remember the ending of 2011's first-person bullethoser Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, right? Everyone does! A big man kills another big man with a gun but then - then! - a third big man kills that first big man with a rope. It's dramatic stuff. Well, a data-diving enthusiast of the CoDwars has discovered a cut ending from the original trilogy's closing chapter. It's a more downbeat and mysterious finale, featuring a shadowy figure whose identity is never revealed. Also, Captain Price, the hero of the franchise and aforementioned big man number three, drops his cigar with possibly mortal implications.
]]>The next Call Of Duty will arrive on Game Pass on day one, according to anonymous sources. Microsoft's strategy has long involved releasing all their first-party games on Game Pass, but there had been doubt over whether the same would be true of the first Call Of Duty to be released since Microsoft's $69 billion acquisition of publishers Activision.
]]>As Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion hovers ever closer like someone gently nudged an absurdly large dodecahedron towards us in zero gravity, Bungie have gone and made three expansions free until June 3rd. For about a month, all players now have access to The Witch Queen, Beyond Light, and Shadowkeep along with the past four seasons of quests and things. Hey, that's pretty cool.
]]>World of Warcraft Classic is steadily embarking on its time-travelling trip through WoW of old. The next stop is apocalyptic 2010 expansion Cataclysm, which we now know is due to, uh, re-shatter Azeroth at the end of next month.
]]>Bungie have released a big overview video of Destiny 2's Final Shape expansion, introducing a new, openly overpowered Prismatic subclass, fresh Exotic items and the new Dread enemy faction.
]]>Overwatch 2’s next damage hero Venture is tunnelling into the free-to-play shooter a little early - for a while anyway. Before the new drillin’ DPS makes their official arrival next month, they’ll be available to take for a spin from tomorrow through the weekend.
]]>In what's quite the shake up for Overwatch 2, Blizzard have announced that starting with Season 10, all of its heroes will be unlocked for all players. And this includes all new heroes going forwards, too, so the next hero Venture will unlock immediately for everyone when the latest season drops. Otherwise, there's changes to unlocking premium skins, earning premium coins, and some tidbits on what we can expect from Season 11.
]]>It seems only fitting that Ghostbusters has become the movie franchise that refuses to die, returning for a smattering of so-so (at best) reboots and sequels on screen and elsewhere being relegated to another rich vein of nostalgia to be mined for cash. Speaking of, Destiny 2 is getting Ghostbusters cosmetics next week!
]]>The trailer for Overwatch 2's Cowboy Bebop collaboration looks pretty good when judged in terms of style and costume design. It's even better when judged as it should be: by its music.
]]>As the video games industry violently contracts to ensure shareholder satisfaction at the cost of making thousands upon thousands of people unemployed, Skylanders studio Toys For Bob have announced they're splitting from Activision Blizzard and Microsoft to go independent. Good for them, but maybe too late for some. Earlier this month, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that it seemed Activision Blizzard were closing Toys For Bob's California headquarters and laying off 86 people. Still, the new independent Toys For Bob say they're working on something new and "exploring a possible partnership" with Microsoft.
]]>Changes to Overwatch 2’s Competitive system in its most recent Season Nine has seen the ranked mode overtake casual Quick Play as the most popular way to play the hero shooter sequel. Its developers are also looking ahead to further changes in Season 10, including adjustments to grouping restrictions and its experimental Hacked event.
]]>Back in 2022, Blizzard announced that they were working on a survival game set in an "all-new universe". Not much more was known about the game except that the studio were actively ramping up recruitment, seemingly after having been working on the project since 2017.
This survival game has now been cancelled alongside today's news of sweeping layoffs across Blizzard and other divisions of new owner Microsoft.
]]>Given that Microsoft have spent considerable time and effort becoming the biggest cock-of-the-walk possible, it does, I suppose, make sense that their layoffs are correspondingly massive. In an internal memo obtained by The Verge, Phil Spencer is very sad to reveal to the staff that, in order to grow, the combined powers of Microsoft's 22k-strong Gaming Division have to be denuded to the tune of 1,900 human beings. That amounts to about 8% of the division.
]]>If you want to change your Destiny 2 wizard's appearance, the only current method is to stash your wizard's gear in your vault, create a whole new wizard with a new look (after deleting the old to free a character slot, if needed), grab your old wizard's gear, then optionally replay any story bits to catch up. The MMOFPS has no barber, no surgeon, it's new character or nothing. After six years (longer, if you count the first game), Bungie are finally planning to change this. An upcoming update will introduce the ability to change your character's look—within limits. For drastic changes, you would still need a new wizard.
]]>Overwatch 2 is going to receive some changes designed to make teamwork easier, and to make bad teamwork less frustrating. The latter is more interesting, because one of Blizzard's proposed solution is giving Tank and Damage heroes "a modified, tuned-down version of the Support self-healing passive", which would make them less reliant on Support players to heal everyone.
]]>An unnamed former Activision executive is taking the Call of Duty publisher to court in California, accusing the company of age discrimination and violating the state's whistleblower protection law. Said executive is a 57-year-old who worked at the company from 2014; apparently, he and six other men aged 47 or older were cut from a team of 200, as part of broader Activision Blizzard restructuring efforts last August.
]]>This past Christmas marked the anniversary of me playing Overwatch 2. 7 years of my partner and I swearing at seemingly impenetrable enemy teams, then whooping in victory when we finally pull together a plan that cracks them apart - or just as our chill W+M1 game while we chat about our days.
For the uninitiated, Overwatch is a bright, colorful, and very funny team v team FPS that ditches the dour gunmen for a cast that doesn’t all require raw aim skill. Spider-themed snipers and six-gun slinging cowboys share space with winged angelic healers and a talking gorilla with a Tesla cannon - characters who reward positioning and timely ability usage just as much as one’s ability to click on heads. When the game went free to play and slapped a 2 on the end in 2022, it got a more muted reception, but the dev team have displayed a great willingness to experiment. In fact, there's never been a better time to give Overwatch 2 a go.
]]>Tim Cain wrote what is perhaps gaming’s most famous and influential monologue: the introduction to Fallout. “War never changes,” he says. “People loved it. I’m like, ‘I must be a writer.’” Yet much more recently, when Cain sat down to write his memoirs, nobody really liked what came out on the page. “I was really, really bad at it,” he says. “I had half a dozen people read it, and they all pretty much said that the stories were good, but my writing wasn’t.”
Cain’s writing strengths, as fellow Fallout originator Leonard Boyarsky has suggested, lie in shortform. Which was bad news for anyone who wanted to read the definitive account of his four decades at the heart of Interplay, Troika and Obsidian, three of the most important RPG studios of all time. Thankfully, though, it turns out Cain is a natural raconteur. The same anecdotes that appeared flat and toneless in his memoirs go down a storm on YouTube. There, for the past seven months, Cain has been delivering his stories straight to camera, as if at a dinner party with 73,500 other people. “When I started the channel, I would effectively just look at something in the book and be like, ‘I’ll tell that story today,’” he says. “Now I spend as much time answering questions and doing videos based on things people ask about.”
]]>And thus, we arrive at the end of another year. A year filled with some very excellent games, and some very not excellent games. And through it all, the RPS guides team has been quietly toiling away, appeasing The Beast That Is Google with medium-rare slabs of SEO meat, and providing the answers to oft-asked gaming questions.
It's important to me to have a moment in the year where we can step into the light for a little bit and celebrate everything the guides team has accomplished this year. Usually we stay well out of the spotlight, because people only like seeing guides if they're actively searching for it. But today, we're staging a coup. We're taking centre stage, and threatening the lighting technician with all manner of disagreeable bodily experiences unless they keep the spotlight fixed firmly on us for the duration of this post.
2023 has been an amazing standout year for guides. Let's take a look at the games that have defined the year for us, and celebrate some of the fantastic work our team has published.
]]>Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 publisher Activision Blizzard plan to end hybrid remote/in-office work for QA staff based in Minneapolis, Austin and El Segundo next year, with employees who are unwilling to fully return to the office offered severance, in what the ABK Workers Alliance are calling the basis for a round of "soft layoffs".
]]>Activision Blizzard will pay over $50 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit filed by the state of California alleging that the video games giant discriminated against women by offering them lower pay and fewer promotion opportunities.
]]>Destiny 2 developer Bungie are staring down the barrel of a full Sony takeover if forthcoming expansion The Final Shape doesn’t meet sales expectations, according to several anonymous current and former employees. The same sources also claim that the studio are prepared to cut staff again to meet their financial obligations as a Sony subsidiary, having laid off a significant proportion of their workforce in November.
]]>Looking for the best 9mm Daemon loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The 9mm Daemon is one of many handguns available in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 due to the 'carry forward' system which has seen the highest influx of guns in any Call of Duty game in recent memory.
The 9mm Daemon is a middle ranking handgun within our list of the best pistols in Modern Warfare 3. To see how you can elevate it above the rest, see our best 9mm Daemon loadout below, complete with the best attachment and equipment choices.
]]>Looking for the best .50 GS loadout in Modern Warfare 3? While the .50 GS doesn't quite match up to our picks for the best pistols in Modern Warfare 3, it is worthy enough to be kitted out with attachments to help increase its effectiveness in combat and serve as a solid secondary sidearm.
The .50 GS can be unlocked at level 13 in Warzone 2 and is part of the 'carry forward' scheme in MW3, making it a great early-game option until you can get your hands on something with a little more firepower. Read on for the best .50 GS loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
]]>Looking for the best Signal 50 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Signal 50 is a sniper rifle that enjoyed a good measure of success in the last Call Of Duty game, but now with the 'carry forward' system you can get the gun in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 too.
Although there are certainly better sniper rifles in the game, the Signal 50 can be tweaked with the right attachments and equipment to get it performing well. For the best Signal 50 loadout in Modern Warfare 3, read here.
]]>Destiny 2’s endcap to its first 10 years of story will now land next June, as The Final Shape slips back by over three months. In its place will be an extension of the multiplayer shooter’s next season, plus some new features and content inbound to help tide players over.
]]>Videogames are full of loops. Often, the loop isn't just a loop in space but a loop of labour, a loop in time. It's a repeated task with a touch of variation from cycle to cycle, typically associated with a character progression system of some kind. The classic one is the town-dungeon loop in an action-RPG such as Diablo 4. You sally forth into the depths with sword and shield, slaughter a bunch of blameless goblins, then orbit triumphantly back to the village square with its 24/7 forge and bustling adventurer's guild. Then off you go, once again, with a Sword +1 and a shield now bearing a Goblin Magnet. There are straightforward equivalents in multiplayer, especially in the wake of Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - sign in, play a few matches, harvest some XP, unlock a new laser sight, equip it, play a few more matches with +5% to your aim.
]]>Looking for the best SA-B 50 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The SA-B 50 is a bolt-action marksman rifle, one of many to cross over from MW2 thanks to the 'carry forward' system.
Like with most marksman rifles, the SA-B 50 enjoys a high damage output and solid mobility, recoil control and handling stats. Join us as we go through the best SA-B 50 loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 with all of the optimal attachment and equipment choices.
]]>Looking for the best Raal MG loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Raal MG is an LMG capable of a rapid rate of fire, mid to high damage and solid mobility stats for a gun of its type. As one of the best LMGs in Modern Warfare 3, there are other alternatives, but the Raal MG remains a good option.
Although the Raal MG has a tendency to feel heavy and a tad sluggish, it is capable of felling enemies with just two shots - and of course, you can improve the gun by givng it the right attachments and equipment. So read on for the best Raal MG loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
]]>If rumour speak true, the next Call of Duty game will be another entry in the Black Ops series. It'll also, allegedly, take place during the first Gulf War across 1990 and 1991, in which a US-led coalition of countries including the UK, Saudi Arabia and Egypt invaded Iraq in response to the Saddam Hussein government's conquest of Kuwait.
]]>Looking for the best PDSW 528 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? Whilst the PDSW 528 certainly isn't the best SMG in Modern Warfare 3, it does have some redeemable features that can be built upon with the right attachments and equipment choices.
Despite its somewhat middling damage output and slow reload speed, the PDSW 528 makes up for it with its fantastic rate of fire, spreading bullets across multiple enemies and making it a good finisher at close range. Read on for the best PDSW 528 loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
]]>Looking for the best MX9 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? While the MX9 may not be to everyone's taste, this SMG has a solid rate of fire, mobility and handling stats which make it a smooth experience, optimal for close to mid-range combat.
These stats can be elevated further when paired with the right attachments and equipment, so join us as we explore the best MX9 loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to get the most out of this SMG.
]]>Looking for the best Minibak loadout in Modern Warfare 3? Although the Minibak doesn't rank too highly on our list of the best SMGs in Modern Warfare 3, it does have some redeemable features that can be elevated once paired with the right attachments and equipment.
Despite its lacklustre rate of fire, the Minibak has excellent recoil control and accuracy which can be further fine-tuned. Read here for the best Minibak loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
]]>Looking for the best Lockwood Mk2 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Lockwood Mk2 is just one of many guns that have been introduced to Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, thanks to the 'carry forward' system. Boasting the one-shot capabilities of a sniper rifle, the Lockwood Mk2 maintains a lightweight mobility that rewards players with a smooth, streamlined experience.
Although it may struggle to compete against the very best marksman rifles in Modern Warfare 3, there's a lot to love about the Lockwood Mk2, especially when paired with the right attachments and equipment. Join us as we go through the best Lockwood Mk2 loadout in Modern Warfare 3.
]]>Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 developers Sledgehammer Games (umpteenth reminder: that's Modern Warfare 3 as in the 2023 game, not the 2011 FPS of the same name) have hosted a Reddit AMA in which they answered a bunch of questions about the evolution of the game's competitive meta. That's meta as in the overall balance of power between Modern Warfare 3 loadouts, playstyles and so forth based on a variety of factors such as map design, rather than the Alan Wake 2 kind of "meta", where characters talk about how they're just characters in a game and so on. I would dearly like to see some crossover between these types of "meta". I guess the Call of Duty that comes closest to fulfilling that idea is Black Ops 3, with its fourth-wall-breaking cyborg theatrics.
Anyway, the discussion is interesting because it touches on the fact that the evolution of an FPS competitive meta is an artful balance of prediction and reaction, imposing new directions on players at times, taking direction from them at others. The developers want the Modern Warfare 3 meta to change "from season to season" - the question, of course, is how to do this without alienating fans of certain weapons and strategies.
]]>Looking for the best Lachmann Shroud loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Lachmann Shroud is a burst-firing SMG that can be powerful when equipped in the right hands. Although there are certainly other SMGs that are worthy competitors, it still ranks as one of the best SMGs in Modern Warfare 3 due to its high mobility and ADS time.
When looking to create a Lachmann Shroud build it's worth pointing out that you cannot change the burst into an automatic mode. Rather, your best bet is to optimise it with speedy and powerful attachments. For the best Lachmann Shroud loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, read our full guide below.
]]>Looking for a rundown of how armory unlocks work in Modern Warfare 3? Armory unlocks in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are essentially how you can get new weapons, attachments and more. It's a slightly convoluted system, in the way it lets you prioritise the order in which you can unlock the items on offer through the use of armory points, but luckily we're here to explain exactly how it works.
For a full rundown of the armory unlocks system in Modern Warfare 3, including how to unlock challenges, earn points and more, read on below.
]]>Looking for the best MX Guardian loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The MX Guardian is easily one of the best shotguns in Modern Warfare 3 at the moment. As a fully automatic shotgun, it boasts a high fire rate without having to sacrifice its damage potential.
Thankfully, due to Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 'carry forward' system, you can have this MW2 shotgun in your MW3 arsenal, so for the best MX Guardian loadout in Modern Warfare 3, read on below for the best attachments and equipment to use.
]]>Looking for the best Tempus Razorback loadout in Modern Warfare 3? As far as assault rifles go in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there are certainly better choices, however, the Tempus Razorback does offer high handling and fire rate stats. Although the gun has a lack-lustre damage output it can provide good follow-up support, particularly for sniper builds.
The Tempus Razorback is one of the many guns that can be 'carried forward' from MW2. To unlock this AR you need to get 35 operator kills whilst mounted using assault rifles. Join us as we go through the best Tempus Razorback loadout in Modern Warfare 3 with the optimal attachment and equipment choices.
]]>Looking for the best Chimera loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Chimera is a curious case in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, while it has the expected damage output of an assault rifle, its close-range optimisation is something more akin to an SMG.
Whilst there are even more powerful options out there, the Chimera remains as one of the best assault rifles in Modern Warfare 3. Join us for the best Chimera loadout with all the best equipment and attachment choices.
]]>Looking for the best ISO Hemlock loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The ISO Hemlock is a solid assault rifle with surprisingly low recoil. Thanks to the 'carry forward' system you can get the ISO Hemlock in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
As one of the best assault rifles in Modern Warfare 3 currently, it's well worth picking up and trying for yourself. Join us as we go through the optimal build for the ISO Hemlock including all attachments and equipment you should choose to elevate it above the other ARs.
]]>Looking for the best RPK loadout in Modern Warfare 3? Whilst the RPK is often considered low down in the list of the best LMGs in Modern Warfare 3, with the right attachments it can surpass initial expectations and become more akin to an assault rifle but with the stopping power of an LMG.
If that sounds like the perfect playstyle to you, stick around and we'll take you through the best RPK loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, complete with attachment and equipment choices to elevate you above the competition.
]]>Looking for the best LA-B 330 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? Although there are arguably better sniper rifles out there, the LA-B 330 still holds up as one of the best sniper rifles in Modern Warfare 3, especially once you invest a little time in choosing the right attachments.
The LA-B 330 stands out due to its fast quickscoping ability and lightweight appeal, making it a good choice for mobility and stability. For the best LA-B 330 loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, see below. We've chosen the best attachments and equipment choices to get the most out of this sniper build.
]]>Looking for the best FTAC Recon loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The FTAC Recon is a Battle Rifle which can be unlocked in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 along with many other MW2 guns due to the 'carry forward' system. As one of the best battle rifles in Modern Warfare 3 currently, the FTAC Recon boasts sheer power.
The FTAC Recon is both punchy and capable of medium-range combat, making it a good all-rounder weapon. For the best FTAC Recon loadout in Modern Warfare, complete with attachments and equipment choices, see below.
]]>Looking to unlock all Modern Warfare 3 Operators? Thanks to the 'carry forward' system, you can get all Modern Warfare 2 Operators in your Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game as well as the 25 new ones added. This coincides with the huge catalogue of guns reintroduced, making it one of the largest offerings in Call of Duty history.
If you want the lowdown on how to unlock all the new Operators as well as the old ones, we have compiled a comprehensive list below. This is organised by game and faction so you can pinpoint exactly which Operator you want.
]]>Looking to play Modern Warfare 3 Zombies solo? MW3 Zombies is back with a bang, living up to the tried and tested formula that has always been a standout for fans - or should that be unliving up?
However, you'll notice as you boot it up that the game tends to load you into matchmade squads automatically, making it hard to tell if there's even a solo mode to begin with. To find out more about Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, check out our full explainer below.
]]>Looking for the best Fennec 45 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Fennec 45 is an SMG known for its high fire rate, enough to pack a punch at enemies in close range. Although there are better SMGs out there, the Fennec 45 isn't a bad choice if you can improve the hipfire accuracy and range with a few carefully chosen attachments.
As per the 'Carry Forward' system, the Fennec 45 can be used in Modern Warfare 3 if you unlock it at level 38 in MW2. For the best Fennec 45 loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and the best equipment and attachments to use with it, read here.
]]>Looking for the best Bryson 800 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Bryson 800 is a reliable pump-action shotgun in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 that can be highly customised to fit the right build for you.
The Bryson 800 is one of the many guns carried over from Modern Warfare 2 (which can be unlocked upon achieving level 21). If you're looking to kit out this customisable shotgun, we've rounded up the best mods to apply for optimal close-range combat and possible one-shot kills.
]]>Looking for the best Crossbow loadout in Modern Warfare 3? If you're tired of the usual gun loadout, the Crossbow can be a fun option to dip a little medieval pizzazz into your Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game.
Although it's not usually everyone’s first pick, the Crossbow can be built to be pretty formidable. Below we've gathered the best Crossbow loadout to speed up the weapon and utilise its underdog status. As always, you should be keeping a watchful eye on the best guns in the game, but the Crossbow can be a refreshing way to mix things up and get your Daryl Dixon on.
]]>Looking for the best FSS Hurricane loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The FSS Hurricane is a formidable SMG in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, one of many that can be carried over once you unlock the FSS Hurricane in Modern Warfare 2.
With a high base damage output and substantial 50-round mag, the FSS Hurricane is a great SMG option that can help elevate you ahead of the competition. Below we've rounded up the best FSS Hurricane build in MW3, with the best perks and equipment choices to go with it.
]]>Looking for the best Kastov 545 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Kastov 545 is a reliable assault rifle that balances slightly reduced damage for increased range and lower recoil, making it a smooth option in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
If you're looking for the best Kastov 545 loadout, we have you covered with the optimal attachments listed below and a guide on the best equipment and vests to pick to get the most bang for your buck.
]]>Looking for the best Kastov 762 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Kastov 762 is something of a staple within the Call of Duty franchise now. Fondly known as the AK, it is a powerful assault rifle option in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
If you're a skilled player, the Kastov 762 is capable of high-impact damage, you just have to watch out for the pesky recoil. Luckily, we've gathered the best Kastov 762 build, complete with attachments, equipment and perks to help balance it out.
]]>Looking for the best Kastov-74u loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Kastov-74u is one of the best assault rifles in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, boasting a powerful combination of mobility and high stopping power in return for some range limitations.
As such, the Kastov-74u is a great option for players looking to get up-close and personal, dealing powerful bursts as they enter the fray. Here is the best Kastov-74u build in Modern Warfare 3 currently, with all equipment choices and attachments explained.
]]>Looking for the best Lachmann-556 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Lachmann-556 soared to popularity after it was introduced in Warzone 2 and has since become one of the best assault rifles in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Due to its reliability at mid to long ranges, you'll want to capitalise on the full capabilities of the Lachmann-556 and opt for attachments that will further reduce recoil and sway, to make it even better for handling. For the best Lachmann-556 build, equipment and perks see our full explainer below.
]]>Looking for the best M16 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? Whilst it's no secret that the M16 has received some rather lack-lustre responses in previous titles, with the right loadout it can yield promising results in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
The M16 has a signature three-shot burst best used at mid-range. As such we've gathered a bunch of attachments to elevate its range, level out the recoil and add a little more control to its burst for a more impactful setup.
]]>Looking for the best MCPR-300 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The MCPR-300 is one of the best sniper rifles in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, boasting a huge damage potential whilst maintaining a (relatively) lightweight feeling that's easy to handle.
With no obvious downsides, it's a solid overall choice for any players looking to equip a long-range build. See below for the best MCPR-300 loadout in Modern Warfare 3, including the best attachments and equipment choices for maximum efficiency.
]]>Wondering how to customise your FOV in Modern Warfare 3? Field of view (FOV), best defined as the range of your in-game vision, is a pivotal feature in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. While some players prefer a lower FOV for added immersion, others may want to see more, especially for a fast-paced multiplayer experience. Make the FOV too high, however, and you'll potentially notice a fish-eye effect around the edges of your screen.
Luckily, there's a sweet spot between a camera that's too close and one that's too far away. Below, we've got the rundown on how to change the game's FOV, our favourite settings, and why you might want to tweak Modern Warfare 3's field of view to see what works best for you.
]]>Looking for the best STB 556 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The STB 556 is one of the best Assault Rifles in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, known for its mid to long-range capabilities, low recoil and incredible accuracy.
If you are after a reliable AR that has good all-around stats, the STB 556 is a great option. Join us as we explore the best STB 556 loadout in Modern Warfare 3 with the optimal attachments and equipment picks.
]]>Looking for the best Vaznev-9K loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Vaznev-9K is one of the best SMGs in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, snappy enough to have satisfying damage outputs at close ranges.
Although already well-balanced and lightweight, to get the most out of your Vaznev-9K you can add attachments to improve the range and make it a great all-rounder option. For the best Vaznev-9K loadout including optimal attachments and equipment choices, read here.
]]>Looking for the best Vel 46 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Vel 46 is a solid SMG with many excellent features, making it a reliable choice in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
With the only main drawback being its heavy weight and slower handling speeds, when equipping the right attachments, you can make the Vel 46 a nifty all-rounder weapon. Join us as we explore the best Vel 46 loadout in Modern Warfare 3.
]]>Looking for the best TR-76 Geist loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The TR-76 Geist is a very solid assault rifle which, with the right attachments, can excel at mid-range conflicts.
The versatility of the TR-76 Geist makes it a worthwhile assault rifle. As it forms part of the Modern Warfare 2 carry forward collective, it's worth knowing how to build the very best TR-76 Geist loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
]]>Looking for the best 556 Icarus loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The 556 Icarus is known to be a gun with promise, overshadowed by its incredibly high vertical and horizontal recoil, making it a challenge to wield effectively. For this reason, we've kitted it out with the best possible attachments to make it a solid LMG choice.
The 556 Icarus can be earned during the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign and carried forward to MW3 as with the rest of the gun roster. For the best 556 Icarus loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, see below for all attachments and equipment loadout choices.
]]>Looking for the best BAS-P loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The BAS-P is an SMG that shows great promise due to its fantastic accuracy, making it a good choice for any mid to long-range builds.
With the right attachments and equipment, the BAS-P can become even more accurate whilst maintaining a substantial damage output. Join us as we go through the best BAS-P loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
]]>Looking for the best Basilisk loadout in Modern Warfare 3? The Basilisk is a hard-hitting double-action revolver capable of one-shot kills at close range and optimal for hipfire shots where damage is much more important than accuracy.
As such, the Basilisk is a fantastic secondary weapon option, especially when paired with an assault rifle or LMG and can even excel in an akimbo loadout if you're looking for a bit of extra flair. For the best Basilisk loadout in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, see below. We've gathered the best attachments and equipment choices to make the Basilisk a formidable weapon choice.
]]>Looking for the best Bryson 890 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? Although the Bryson 890 may not be the best shotgun in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it is highly customisable and can be elevated above many other shotgun choices with the right attachments.
Along with providing you with the best Bryson 890 loadout in Modern Warfare 3, we'll also go through the optimal equipment and gear choices to make sure you have the right build to truly excel with the Bryson 890.
]]>Looking for the best Carrack .300 loadout in Modern Warfare 3? Although it is often overshadowed by the Longbow or FJX Imperium, the Carrack .300 is a substantial sniper rifle in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, capable of a high fire rate and surprisingly excellent handling stats.
This can be increased even further with the right attachments. Join us as we explore the best Carrack .300 loadout in Modern Warfare 3, equipped with the best attachments and gear choices available in the new franchise instalment.
]]>Every so often in the course of our irregular series of Gamers Hate Thing posts, I like to chuck in a Gamers Love Thing post just to shake things up - though in this case, Gamers Love the Thing in question partly for not being another Thing they Hate, and the Thing they Love is something they Hated back in 2016. Erm.
Let's start again. As you may know, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - not to be confused with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - is out from today, 9th November. Pre-ordering players and a few lucky journos (whom we absolutely don't fear and resent for receiving copies early) have been able to play the campaign since 1st November, and the reactions and reviews thus far haven't been great.
]]>People who play videogames want "new content literally almost every single day", according to Blizzard president Mike Ybarra - indeed, "they want new stuff every day, every hour". I do not want new stuff every day, every hour, Mike. Frankly, the idea makes me want to burn my possessions and go spend the rest of my life under a pine tree.
]]>Overwatch 2's next hero is Mauga, a chaingun-loving tank that seems reminiscent of Team Fortress 2's Heavy. He's due to join the free-to-player shooter in Season 8 on December 5th, but you can also give him a go right now until November 5th in a limited-time trial.
]]>Destiny 2 and Marathon studio Bungie are the next video game giant to be caught up in 2023’s brutal industry-wide wave of layoffs, as an undisclosed number of job cuts hit the veteran developer today.
]]>Hugely popular K-pop group Le Sserafim are headed to Overwatch 2 in the shooter’s first crossover with a music artist. The collab is more than just skins, too - expect a whole new game mode based on the band. And yes, there’ll be cosmetic items too, of course.
]]>Newly released documents have given us a rare inside look at how gun manufacturers have tried to use videogames to promote their wares to younger people - specifically, players of Activision's original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, released in 2009. The memos and emails in question are from now-defunct US gun company Remington Arms, which was once part of the conglomerate Freedom Group. They've been disclosed by a lawyer as part of legal proceedings launched by the parents of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, in which 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people using a Remington-made AR15 rifle.
]]>Microsoft have finally, finally, finally bought Activision Blizzard after many months of haggling with regulators in several countries. The total figure for the company behind Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and Hearthstone, to say nothing of whopping mobile game publisher King and Candy Crush Saga? $68.7 billion, making this the biggest buyout in videogames industry history.
]]>Overwatch 2 is getting new skins that clothe Moria and Pharah in the outfits of Diablo 4’s Lilith and Inarius. Those skins are part of a new wave of cosmetics incoming for the game’s Season 7: Rise of Darkness, but they’re not part of the standard premium battle pass. Instead, they’ll cost you another $40 - as much as the whole of Overwatch 1 did when it was first released. As you can imagine, people aren’t too chuffed.
]]>Once you've finished screaming, let me re-emphasise that this story is one of those "according to report" stories. It comes from unnamed sources at Activision-Blizzard, describing a recent all-hands meeting during which CEO Bobby Kotick laid out his vision for the company and gaming at large following Activison's acquisition by Microsoft, which is tipped to finally conclude this week. Amongst other things, Kotick allegedly discussed machine learning, Guitar Hero and the apocalyptic power of Microsoft R&D. Activision hired James Corden to host the meeting, the sources claim. It sounds like a David Lynch fever dream.
]]>Much like a Call of Duty player inching up the stairs behind a wily sniper, Microsoft are closing in on final, final approval of their multi-billion purchase of Activision Blizzard, having more-or-less won over the UK's competition and markets authority. The company expect to bring it home by 13th October.
Aside from hastening the arrival of a grim future that consists of a giant, mechanised Phil Spencer engaged in a trans-Pacific staring contest with Nintendo, this also means we can expect new and recent behemoths like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Diablo 4 on Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service. But not for a while, it seems.
]]>I'm tempted to leave it at the headline and direct you to the comments - it's after five, you know, I'm usually in the bath by now - but I'm supposed to be some kind of "professional writer", so I guess I'll waffle for a few paragraphs. Activision have put up a trailer for nu-Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer, ahead of a full live reveal at the Call of Duty: Next event on 5th October. I caught the news on a social feed somewhere, went hunting for the Youtube version and, much to my distress, managed to dig up the multiplayer premiere for the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, released in 2011 - almost 12 years ago.
Rather than just posting the correct video and going off to cry about my advancing seniority, I'm brazenly posting both so you can trace the evolution (or not) of this shootiest of first-person shooter franchises. It's bizarre to think of any game series being this venerable, and changing so much while remaining the same.
]]>The UK's Competition and Markets Authority have "provisionally" approved Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard, removing the last major legal obstacle to the completion of the deal.
The CMA blocked the deal in April this year over concerns that it would "alter the future of the fast-growing cloud gaming market", and might lead "to reduced innovation and less choice for UK gamers over the years to come". Microsoft attempted to woo the regulator by agreeing to sell Activision Blizzard game cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft, and while the CMA have "limited residual concerns", they've largely accepted Microsoft's modifications.
]]>If 2023 is remembered for one thing, it's that it was a 100% critical success year for the RPG. Role-players across the land have been feasting exceedingly well these past few months, what with the stonking success of Baldur's Gate 3 (and to lesser extents, Starfield and Diablo 4), so we thought it was about time to celebrate your favourite RPGs of all time. Your votes have been counted, your comments have been sorted, and the cream of the RPG crop has been assembled. But which of the many excellent RPGs have risen above all others? Come and find out below as we count down your top 25 favourite RPGs of all time.
]]>Overwatch 2 has banned a quarter of a million cheaters since it launched last October, Blizzard has revealed as they outlined incoming improvements aimed at cracking down on “disruptive behaviour”.
]]>Last time, you decided that a stress-free co-op helper is better than timed dialogue choices. A double victory for carefree living, there. I don't understand; how do you get anything done without the constant feeling that everything is about to collapse around you? Weird. Still, we must move on, for science. This week, I ask you to choose between a sharp shock and a deep dive. What's better: interrupt attacks, or a lore codex?
]]>The original Destiny storyline opened following the collapse of a vast Terran civilization at the hands of an invading, amorphous Darkness and its various alien accomplices - an advance stymied only by a benevolent Big Dumb Object known as the Traveller. It cast you as an ancient warrior, resurrected by a flying robot to reclaim humankind's old dominions together with their antique, storied weapons and gear. So much of its appeal for me, back in 2014, was the mystique of that reclamation process, bolstered by alternately zany, obnoxious, fragmentary or intriguing writing that expanded upon the viral mythological element in Halo.
Fast-forward nine years, and Destiny 2 has turned the destruction and loss of history wrought by the Darkness into a seasonal - or as it's shortly to become, "episodic" - content "cadence" (a term that stems from the Latin word for falling) of erosion and restoration, with areas, weapons and quests stripped periodically from the game due to a mixture of technical pressures and commercial priorities. It's sort of become the very thing you're fighting, but where the Darkness aims to engulf and extinguish the Guardians of the Light, Destiny wants to keep you engaged.
]]>Over a long beer and some (Ed: very crispy, hotel) cheeseburgers, Katharine and I tuned into this year's Gamescom Opening Night Live having just arrived at our hotel. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's campaign reveal happened to be on, and I predicted it would feature three things: darkness, rain, and goggles. I was right! Even though there was mention of more "open ended" COD missions, the one shown certainly seemed like any vintage, largely linear COD level.
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