There's plenty of buzz surrounding Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as it creeps closer to its release, and understandably so. Fans of the Zombies mode had it especially good recently with the release of a trailer s??howcasing an intro cinematic and snippets of gameplay for one of the game's launch maps, Terminus.

That trailer made it immediately apparent who the real big bad of the ongoing Dark Aether storyline is, and for longtime Zombies players, it's both a surprise and not much of a surprise at all who's pulling the strings. After being teased previously in Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War, Dr. Edward "Eddie" Richtofen (Nolan North) stands revealed a??????????????????????????s the arc's bad guy, and he has a pretty massive target on his back.

As seen in the Terminus trailer, his name is scribbled on Grigori Weaver's (Gene Farber) pri??son cell wall, indicating th??at he has some serious revenge coming his way. William Peck (Zeke Alton) also expresses interest in killing Richtofen for stealing his life's work.

We'll have to wait and see if he appears in the flesh, but how is the maniacal German scientist back in the Zombies spotlight? Ahead of the release of Black Ops 6, let's take a trip down memory lane to discuss what became of Richtofen by the end of Black Ops 4.

Richtofen's role in the Dark Aether storyline

To understand Richtofen's place in the Dark Aether saga, we have to go back to the end of the Aether story in Black Ops 4. To sum up the past decade or so, everything in the multiverse is enveloped by the Dark Aether, a twisted, corrupted version of the real world. Our main Zombies crew in their Primis and Ultimis forms are killed, and the cycle they'd been trapped in for so long is destroyed. All that remains of this multiverse in the new one born ?out of it are Samantha Maxis (Julie Nathanson) and a young Eddie from another dimension. They walk hand in hand to the new wor??ld, though they don't live peaceful lives by any means as they become adults.

While Samantha grows up to become a military operative and joins the front lines against the Dark Aether's invading forces, Eddie's story takes a more surprising turn. The specifics of his childhood remain unknown, but as an adult, he serves as the Director of the Requiem, which is a unit of the Central Intelligence Agency that monitors Dark Aether activity. Though she doesn't know it, as revealed in Black Ops: Cold War, Richtofen is her boss and later her interrogator as he tries to unlock her powers after she's exposed to the Dark Aether. He also over?sees the arrests of her companions, hence why they're in prison before the events of Terminus.

What is Richtofen's latest scheme?

This brings us to Black Ops 6, where Requiem has been disbanded, and Richtofen seems to have given up ??his position at the CIA. For now, all we can do is least speculate as to what he's been up to and how Eddie went ??from an innocent child to a ruthless government figure with no regard for the lives of others.

At the heart of whatever he's concocting is his fascination with the Dark Aet?her. Could it be that he simply wants to harness its power for himself, much like how the previous Richtofen took an interest in the power of the Aether? Or, is he more so a pawn in a larger game? Richtofen was previously infl?uenced by the Apothicons and the Shadowman (Robert Picardo) to do their bidding, so maybe they or another malevolent entity is swaying Eddie for an unknown end.

Then again, since he has memories of the previous multiverse, unlike Samantha, maybe he wants to resurrect it and those within it, believing her Dark Aether abilities ?could be the key to making that happen. He might want to show her what they lost so she contributes to his grand plan to restore the b??anished multiverse.

Are more Zombies legacy characters on the way?

With Richtofen making a comeback, some wonder if other legacy Zombies characters could emerge in Black Ops 6 and beyond. Seeing as Richtofen's fellow Zombies icons Tank Dempsey (Steve ?Blum), Nikolai Belinski (Fred Tatasciore), and ?Takeo Masaki (Tom Kane) are all dead, they're not likely to come back. On the other hand, there is one tenured Zombies crew that could theoretically pop up during the Dark Aether saga.

The Victis crew, known colloquially as the TranZit crew since that was their debut map, was introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Abigail "Misty" Briarton (Stephanie Lemelin), Samuel Stuhlinger (David Boat), Russman (Keith Szarabajka), and Marlton Johnson (Scott Menville) make it all the way to Black Ops 4, helping bring an end to the multiverse and kickstart the new world seen in Black Ops: Cold War and Black Ops 6.

They don't necessarily die at the end of Tag der Toten, simply being sent off to the Dark Aeth?er. While it's entirely likely t?hey were killed or went insane while there, there's a slim chance they're still alive, waiting for a chance to help out once again.

If they or others don't come back, though, at least longtim??e fans can spend some time with Richtofen, the twisted lynchpin of the entire Zombies game mode, yet again.

The post What the return of Edward Richtofen could mean for Zombies in Call ?of Duty Black Ops 6 appeared first on Destructoid.

ASUS' ROG Ally was the first big brand Windows portable console following on the heels of Valve's Steam Deck launch. All of a sudden, handheld gaming saw a massive resurgence with devices that look like portable consoles but? wield the full power? of PC gaming.

So, what games make the most of what the ROG Ally has to offer? To start, the Ally is more powerful than the Steam Deck, but that isn't th??e gadget's real strength. Running Windows means the ROG Ally has access to a whole host of services that the Steam Deck doesn't. So, here's our list of games capitalizing on both the Ally's beefy hardware and software.

Starfield

Starfield is among the most demanding games of 2023; it doesn'?t even run at 60 FPS on? Microsoft's most powerful Xbox Series X. ?That came a?s quite a surprise since 60 FPS had become an unspoken standard on the Series X up to now.

You'd be forgiven then for thinking that Starfield is out of reach of handheld devices, but that's not the case. The ROG Ally runs the sp?acefaring RPG just fine at 30 FPS with ??the graphics turned down, equivalent to what the latest Xbox consoles are limited to.

It doesn't look as good as on the Xbox, but on the Ally's much smaller screen, that's less noticeable than you'd think. Another big reason why Starfield tops our list is that the game is availabl?e with Xbox Game Pass, which the? ROG Ally can access through Windows.

Assassin's Creed Mirage

Assassin's Creed Mirage is, for some fans, a long-awaited return to the roots of the Assassin's Creed franchise. It's a traditional Assassin's Creed g??ame based on stealth, parkour, and taking down te?mplars.

It's disappointing then that the game isn't available on Steam. It's currently exclusive to Ubisoft's store, Ubisoft Con??nect. However, that's not the end of the world for ROG Ally owners. Not only can you install Ubisoft Connect on the Ally, but it runs magnificently to boot. I've played at a steady 60 FPS while plugged in on low settings, using 10??80p with FSR �mighty impressive for a AAA game on a handheld device.

Mirage is also available as part of Ubisoft's PC subscription service, Ubisoft+, giving gamers access to every new Ubisoft game on day one, as well as a library? of 100+ games. If you have the subscription on your desktop PC, you can also?? use it on your Ally.

Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5

Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 5 share a spot on this ??list because the one you choose depends on your driving style. Are you a wannabe Lewis Hamilton who needs to hit every apex perfectly, or do you enjoy cruising around in your favorite car? Whichever one you prefer, you can't really go wrong.

I tested Forza Motorsport on the ROG Ally and got up to 60 FPS, depending on the track and conditions on medium settings, at 900p with FSR balanced. In dozens of hours of playtime, the game performed as smoothly as you'd hope a racing game would. Forza Horizon 5 is the same story, spo?rting smooth gameplay as you traverse around Mexico.

Both games are available on Xbox Game Pass, so you can try them both out to decide which you prefer if you're subscribed. The only downside to the two Forza games is the hefty download sizes that are bigger than you may think. Motorsport comes in at around 124GB, and Horizon 5 at a whopping 140 GB.

EA Sports FC 24

If you're a futbol fan, EA Sports FC 24 is probably already on your radar. As the first "FIFA" game not to bear the name, FC 24 is still the same game tha??t dominates? sales and playtime around the world.

It's also a must-have play for the cross-section of soccer fans and Ally owners. In fact, the only way to play FC 24 on a portable PC is to do so on a Windows one. The game ??won't run on the Steam Deck due to EA's anti-cheat software being Windows only.

That's not a problem on the Ally, and once you're up and running, it's easy to forget you're not playing on a PS5 or desktop. FC 24 holds a steady 60 FPS on the Ally and ?feels just as good to play as on beefier hardw?are.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

If you're downloading the EA app, you might as well check out the best EA game of 2023, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. It's another game that really pushes hardware o??n PC, so it's not the most obvious ROG Ally-friendly.

While you'l??l have the best time if you're plugged in and using the Ally's 30w Turbo mode, it's perfectly fine unplugged and on the go. In my testing, I was able to get be??tween 30-40 FPS at 720p, on low settings, and with FSR set to Quality.

You can lock Jedi Survivor to 30 FPS for a consistent framerate, but it is able to hover around 37-40 FPS most of the time. If you do want to play in a truly portable (i.e, unplugged) manner, then lock the game at 30 FPS on both 25w and 15w modes?? for a decent enough experience.

Once you're set up and running, you'll find that playing Jedi: Survivor on the Ally is an absolute blast. The game is available through EA's subscription service, EA Play Pro, and like with Assassin's Creed Mirage, that's plenty of time to finish.

Call of Duty

Call of Duty is a game that isn't easily available on the Steam Deck due to the Battle.net service being incompatible due to the anti-cheat software it has. You?? can't play any?? of the newer titles on anything but Windows on PC.

We should note right off the bat that, at the time of writing, there have been reports of ROG Ally players getting erroneously banned for playing the latest game, Modern Warfare 3. The problem is supposedly being looked into by Asus, but it's not the case for the other recent titles. Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, Modern Warfare 2, and Warzone can a??ll be played on the Ally without fal??ling afoul of the anti-cheat system.

In fact, those games don't just play well on the Ally. They play exceptionally well. I tested Black Ops Cold War on the handheld and was able to get an incredible 75-90 FPS at 1080p, low settings on the 15w performance mode. That's a tr??uly impressive feat for such a big game on a handheld device.

If you have an ROG Ally and want to get your Call of Duty fix on the go, you're in for a treat. You may have to cough up for a bigger SSD, though. Black Ops Cold War is a whopping 175GB on PC, but?? if you're hap??py to only install multiplayer, that's a more reasonable 50GB.

Update by Elliott Gatica: Since you've had plenty of time to chew through your picks from our original list of seven, how about three more games to play on the ROG Ally? This rounds our best-of list to a nice, even 10??, adding to the Steam Deck's growing competition with more RPGs and multiplayer challenges below.

Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 needs no in?troduction as to why it should be played on more capable devices. Larian's entry to the series easily steals over 100 hours of your time, and if you don't want to be at your desk all day, why not bring that world with you on the go? A little pocket Astarion, portable sass.

Sure, you'll sacrifice some visual fidelity to land a more stable framerate duri?ng and out of combat or run it at a stable 30 FPS at 1080p. It's not a game where your best experiences relies heavily on a higher framerate. It's u??p to you whether you want to choose performance over graphics and vice versa.

Palworld

Palworld is another Xbox Game Pass ?game worth at least a look. With its rise in popularity, seemingly out of nowhere, it took PC gamers by surprise as its concurrent users on Steam skyrocketed for we??eks.

Personally, since this is an action game, the higher the framerate, the better. Even if you have to sacrifice texture and asset quality a bit to get a stable 45 FPS and up, it'll be worth it. It seems that getting the game around 900p is the sweet spot to get just that. It's certainly got some performance woes, so you'll have to play around with it?, but thankfully developer Pocketpair?? has slowly fixed some of those since launch.

Helldivers 2

Democracy jokes aside, Helldivers 2 is another game that took the world by storm this year and it's a must-play if you like shooter games in general. Even then, it's worth giving it a go just for some of the wild community stories coming out of the online play.

There's a lot that goes on in this game that can easily tank your performance. Despite saying that action games should be at a higher framerate, you should probably sacrifice some performance for better graphical quality. You can get Helldivers 2 running at 45 FPS at best. Setting your Render Scale at Balanced and puttin?g most other settings like textures and lighting at medium or low will make this a blast in handheld mode.

The post Best 10 games to play on the ROG Ally appeared first on Destructoid.

It's actually pretty loud on the Western Front

When it was announced that Call of Duty: Vanguard would be returning to the era of World War II yet again, it was clear it could go one of two ways. There's a lingering nostalgia for the series' more seasoned fans, while new players would get to see a modern version of what made the series what it is today. Of course, it could also be seen as lazy nostalgia bait for a series that had run out of ideas. For better or worse, Call of Duty has a formula. Games of recent years have sw?ayed somewhat from that formula, yielding various results, but now it's?? time to return to the series' roots, whether we want to or not.

Regardless of the outcome, another World War II game was a timely, albeit expected release for Activision considering the series has spent so much ?time exploring other ideas. However, just because we've seen it before doesn't mean it can't be good, and I for one was ready for Sledgehammer to prove the skeptic in me wrong.

Call of Duty: Vanguard (PS4 [reviewed], PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Developer: Sledgehammer Games
Publisher: Activision
Released: November 5, 2021
MSRP: $59.99/$69.99

As someone who is relatively new to the Call of Duty series, I was beyond excited to play through my first real single-player CoD experience. (I started the Cold War campaign with a friend, but never got around to finishing it). I had high hopes for Vanguard's campaign. In the past, many of the CoD campaigns have established some truly iconic moments in gaming (like All Ghillied Up, or the "Press F to pay respects" meme), so I was hoping to get to see some of that magic for myself. What I? got, however, was kind of a mixed bag.

The return to the classic setting of World War II was a welcome one, especially after how, uh, stylized Black Ops Cold War was. Although we've seen plenty of takes on the Second World War, it was cool to see it again with better graphics, larger areas, and bigger-scale battles than the series has ever seen before. Narratively, though, Call of Duty's long history with the World Wa??r II era had both pros and cons.

It was clear that Sledgehammer didn't want to retread any ground in terms of battles that the series has already seen, so we end up with a mix of a bunch of different battles and missions from different times and places from around the world. While it means a lot of variety in Vanguard's visuals? �and for the most part, variety in how you play �it makes for a story that is disjointed at best.

Look, I know no one comes to Call of Duty just for the story �believe me, I understand that. B?ut what baffles me the most is that one of the most lucrative game series in the world can't manage to put out a story that's decently good. I'm not asking for an Oscar-baiting tear-jerker over here, I just want the main conceit of the story to make sense. I never really understood what the team's main objective was, let alone how it tied into the larger goal of defeating the Nazis. I thought it was going to b??e this bombastic romp with a ragtag special ops team, but most of what we get is solo missions in the form of flashbacks.

That's fine then, but after sitting through the whole Vanguard campaign I still can't figure out what this game is supposed to be about. It doesn't have a thesis statement, narratively speaking �it doesn't even really have much of a narrative throughline to speak of. Instead, i?t's just a series of well-executed vignettes that don't go together, but I can't be too mad because they're usually fun enough to play on their own.

As expected, there were a lot of moments in Call of Duty: Vanguard that made me f?eel like I was straight out of a war film. I was surrounded by my team, we had just pulled off the plan we scraped together on the fly, and we were sprinting full force at the enemy as the musi??c swelled in the background. Those moments were genuinely awesome, although there were far fewer of them than I would have liked.

I found the campaign's opening missions really compelling, especially the ones centering on the game's main character, Arthur Kingsley. Vanguard's more grounded setting allowed for some small-scale moments that were tense and atmosph??eric, which I found myself longing for more of as the runtime went on. After a while it all devolved into gunfight after gunfight with little respite, especially in the last third.

Laura Bailey's character Polina Petrova was heavily featured in the marketing for Call of Duty: Vanguard, and given that she's the go-to sniper character, we get a lot of fun sharp-shooting gameplay with her. Her storyline is by far the most fleshed-out of all the side characters �she's basically Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games, but with two braids ins?tead of one and a sniper rifle swapped out for a bow. I wish her character ??had developed to be more than "snarky badass with a chip on her shoulder," but I can say the same about pretty much all the other characters with a few variations here and there.

The gameplay pulls from mechanics previously introduced in Modern Warfare, like mounting weapons on flat ??surfaces, interactable doors, and takedowns. Some new gameplay features are also introduced, with each playable character in the group getting their own unique abilities. Arthur, who serves as the unit's leader, gets a callout ability, wherein he commands the team where to fire. It's useful for drawing fire so you can move up and find cover, or to prioritize particular enemies that are giving you trouble.

Polina has the ability to ??draw enemy sniper fire with the light glinting off of her knife, and demolitions exper??t Lucas can carry four different types of lethal equipment.

The most baffling of these abilities is that of Wade, the fearless pilot character. He has something called Focus, which is basically just the Listen Mode ability from The Last of Us. It's introduced during one of the larger stealth sections in the game, but Focus can also be used in combat, where all you have to do is aim down sights,?? fire, and the game takes care of the rest in super slow-mo. I guess the narrative justification for this is that Wade is a hotshot with basically no regard for danger, but? I can't help but feel like it's out of place in an otherwise pretty grounded experience.

Other than that, it's pretty standard fare in terms of having various shootouts, sniping and stealth sections, and set pieces. You do get one big battle arena about halfway through Vanguard ??which was pretty cool and utilized a lot of verticality, but sadly that was the only one we saw throughout the whole campaign.

I'll admit, there were times I got pretty frustrated, but it was standard fare for these linear single-player games �if I didn't do everything exactly how it wanted, I would get killed almost i??mmediately. I even had my roommate come and play one of the fights for, well, a few reasons, but the biggest being that I got super exasperated because I just couldn't do what the game wanted me to.

I don't have a ton of points of reference here, but Vanguard's multiplayer is easily my favorite Call of Duty experience s??o far. The series has ??really refined the first-person shooter experience over the years, and I think this year's entry is a prime example of that.

Vanguard launched with a total of twenty multiplayer maps across the various game modes, which is staggering compared to the ten Cold War went live with (that number has since risen to twenty-th??ree). The difference of having double the maps is definitely noticeable, and makes the experience feel much more varied.

Vanguard's maps also have an increased focus on verticality, particularly with Berlin, Hotel Royal, Sub Pens, and Tuscan. This opens up all kinds of possibilities, from sniping spots to flank routes �and it's just a testament to some really strong game design. (I wish those sen?sibilities were just as strong on parts of the campaign, but I digress).

And the guns. Oh baby, the guns. I'm not sure what they put in the coffee of whoever designed these guns at Sledgehammer because they are truly a joy to use. My favorite is the MG42, which is causing me to neglect leveling any of my other guns because I just can't put it down. There was something about the guns in Cold War that always felt a bit floaty to me, but Call of Duty: Vanguard corrects this problem and then some.

My real-world experience with guns is pretty limited, but I can say with certainty that this is the closest one to one I've ever felt in a game. They're punchy and satisfyin?g and everything I want my guns to feel like in a first-person shooter.

The reappearance of killstreaks is a fun one, too. I know the scorestreaks from Cold War were an attempt to get players to focus on the objective more, but honestly, I haven't noticed a difference in how people play. Plus, ?killstreaks feel more gratifying so??mehow.

The gang's all here with the regular modes like Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Kill Confirmed, but one of the ?best new modes is Patrol �there's a zone that appears on the map a la Hardpoint, but instead of it disappearing and reappearing somewhere el??se, it moves continuously around the map. On paper, it doesn't sound like this would be all that different, but the way it plays is refreshingly novel and overall a blast. The movement makes the fights feel more dynamic, because cover and sightlines are constantly changing.

The standout addition to multiplayer, though, ?is its Combat Pacing system. Now when entering matchmaking, players have the option to choose the number of players in their game �the Tactical option offers 6v6, Assault includes either 10v10 or 12v12, and Blitz features 24v24 players. Each of the different pacings is offered on every single multiplayer map. I love this so much because the different-sized games really do make for different play experien?ces, and sometimes you're more in the mood to play one over the other. Good on you, Sledgehammer, because this rocks.

Vanguard's multiplayer also introduces a mode called Champion Hill. You can play solo, in duos, or in trios, and the basic premise is that you play in alternating buying and combat rounds in a round-robin tournament. You collect money around the map to buy weapons, armor, and other gear, and then enter an arena with the enemy where you each have a set number of lives. If you lose all your lives, you're out, and the ?last squad with lives left wins. This mode feels experimental for sure, but it adds even more ??content to a game that is already bursting at the seams, in a good way.

There are a few annoyances when it comes to the gameplay, like the gam??e requiring you to look at an item to be able to interact with it, rather than just if the prompt is onscreen. This can become even more troublesome when there are multiple prompts at once, like Supply Boxes and guns on the ground.

There's also a decent amount of screen shake for large explosives, and when someone calls in a killstreak like a Bombing Run �or worse, when a bunch of people play them all at once in the last few minutes of a Blitz game �it becomes almost unplayable because of how much screen shake there is. The friendly player collision is also pretty irritating, and apparently I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Alright, let's talk Zombies. While the multiplayer and the campaign returned to the roots of the series, what we got with Vanguard's Zombies is a new spin on the classic game mode. Story-wise, it acts as a prologue to the Zombies mode in Cold War. Gameplay-wise, it's kind of a combination of the Outbreak and Onslaught modes introduced in Cold War. Lots of building on Cold War here.

You start in a hub world, with all of the various upgra?des you can get placed around the map. There are also portals around the world, each leading to objectives to complete. These basically count as the different waves, and the three different objectives at launch include Harvest, where killing enemies give you runes to pick up that you then deposit into a receptacle to progress, Transmit, where you must stay cl??ose to an orb in order to progress it through the map, and Blitz, where you need to survive waves of enemies for a certain amount of time.

After each objective is complete, you go back to the hub world??, ?where you can upgrade weapons and gear, tweak your build, and farm enemies for however long you want before moving on to the next objective.

Another factor that's thrown into the mix is the Altar of Covenants �after completing an objective, you get a heart to spend at the Altar, which in turn grants you a power. There are eleven different Covenants in Zombies at launch, and they feature abilities like slowi??ng enemies, turning enemies to your side, and reviving allies faster.

The Covenants almost feel like upgrades you would find in a roguelike, and if the dice roll in your favor you can get some really strong builds. This is the feature I'll be most excited to come back to as Call of Duty: Vanguard continues to be updated, because I know they're going to be adding Covenants th??at combo well together and add that whole new dimension to the gameplay.

I may have begun my Call of Duty journey with Cold War, but I think in the end I'm going to consider Vanguard my CoD game, you know what I mean? It's the first one I played the beta for, the first one I played the moment it released, the first one that feels special to me in a way I had only heard other people talk ?about. I already have great memories of playing this with friends, and it hasn't eve??n officially been out for a week yet as of writing this review.

For all its flaws (most of which manifest themselves in the campaign, unfortunately), Call of Duty: Vanguard is an incredibly enjoyable experience. If you were on the fence, it's absolutely worth the price poi??nt in my opinion. I already feel like I've gotten my money's worth in the short time I've been playing.

In the long history of the CoD series, it's fitting that Vanguard stayed true to form with the World War II setting, because when all is said and done, I think it'll be considered among the greats. If it's alread??y this fun to play now, I can't wait to see how it evolves in the coming months with any updates Sledgehammer has planned.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer.]}

The post Review: Call of Duty: Vanguard appeared first on Destructoid.

We all make mistakes

With Call of Duty: Vanguard right around the corner, I'm kind of beside myself with excitement. I played the beta last month, which is actually the first beta I've ever been part of, believe it or not. It feels impossible to imagine now, but there was a time when not only did I not play Call of Duty, I actively disliked i??t for reasons I wi??ll explain.

See, I got into games because of the single-player story stuff. I've been an avid reader my whole life, studied classic literature in college, decided I want to be a writer, etc, etc. The first games I truly got into were The Last of Us, BioShock Infinite, and Telltale games like Tales from the Borderlands.

Seeing as I considered myself some sort of arbiter of narrative in games (maybe it was the TED Talk that went to my head), I got up on a high horse and talked shit on CoD, like, all the time. To me, games were the next great vehicle for innovations in storytelling, and some mindless s??hooter that was rereleased every year stood for everything that I thought was holding the medium back.

In light of my questionable past thoughts, this is me admitting that I was wrong, and issuing a formal apology to Call of Duty. I want to be clear here, I am not apologizing to Activision in the slightest, because after everything that's gone down recently, they don't deserve anything of the sort.

However, I would like to address my admission of wrongdoing to the abstract, noncorporeal concept of Call of Duty, any other shooter I may have slighted by association, and anyone who just wants to enjoy a round of Zombies with their buds.

My first mistake was that I had never played a CoD game before I cam??e to my decision. I was convinced that I was someone who just didn't care purely about gameplay �it wasn't something I thought of much as long as the storytelling was good. But, as I got more into games and played more of them, I started to notice more of what feels good to play versus what doesn't, plus there's the whole discipline of narrative design, wh?ich crosses over a lot into game design itself. And also just, like, don't decide how you feel about something before you even give it a chance.

Before I knew it, I was playing games that didn't h??ave any story at all, simply because I came to appreciate really ??well-designed, fun-to-play games.

So when I was gifted a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War last year, I figured there ??was no harm in giving it a try. It also helped that my best friend has been into the series for years, and was chomping at the bit to get me to play with him.

He's one of those dudes who's been playing CoD since he was in middle school, which ??is usually the type of person I would (unjustifiably) actively avoid. Considering we already had a solid rapport, I be??grudgingly gave in, and actually found it endearing how excited he was to have me play with him.

At first, I was apprehensive at best. My aim had improved after working in QA for a year, but I still wasn't great. After some coaching from this friend, though, I slowly got a sense of the game. I got to know the maps better, and I started experimenting with different guns, taking the time to customize my loadout until I found one that r?eally felt good. He constantly had to remind me to use my throwables, for example, because I would forget about them. I still proudly tell him over voice coms every time I get a kill because I used a stun grenade.

Once I got into that groo?ve, I was hooked for good.

[caption id="attachment_292586" align="alignnone" width="1200"] [Image Source: @CharlieINTEL][/caption]Then the beta for Call of Duty: Vanguard came around, and for once in my life I actually found myself wanting to try it out. Turns out I liked it even better than Cold War, which I guess wasn't surprising considering Cold War was my first CoD, and therefore my only point of comparison. The guns felt punchier and more grounded, I felt like the maps allowed me to play more strategically, and I was having an awesome time trying out killstreaks for the first time, rather than Cold War's scorestreaks.

World War II is also one of my favorite times in history to study, so aesthetically it's a game that draws me in much more. Obviously the multiplayer is an absolute yes for me (my friend and I already have a little launch party to play together the second the game unlocks), but I'm still on the fence about checking out the campaign. After working on The Last of Us Part II, I've heard enough of Laura Bailey's death screams to last?? a lifetime.

I talked for hours with my friend about what I thought about Vanguard?? after having played with him in the beta, and when I stopped to think about it, I realized that the conversation was entirely about the "gam??e feel," because, well, that's the whole point of a first-person shooter, isn't it?

So now here I am a year later, slowly watching the countdown clock tick down on Vanguard, and I'm absolutely beside myself with excitement. I really went from openly mocking CoD to becoming one of the series loyalists, because I do in fact plan on playing each game as they come out. There's something really fun to me now about waiting for each new release, playing the betas, and so on?. Every release kind of becomes its own mini-holiday in a way, and you can never have too many little things to celebrate in a time like this.

Here I was thinking all I would ever care about was narrative in games, but I guess if you're in the industry long enough, you get to experience and appreciate all sides of it. I'm glad to have those friends who make me stop, get out of my own head, and smell the roses, because I'm always better for it. Call of Duty, I'm sorry I ever doubted you.

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'Tis the season

While it's nice to celebrate Covid cases dropping nationwide, it's clear that we're still in the midst of a pandemic. Some things may be slowly returning to normal, but so much of our lives are sti??ll not quite the same. Part of me wonders how much will remain changed? forever.

Of course, the pandemic has also meant more free time, so just like most people, I've spent a lot of my time playing games. I decided to give Call of Duty: Cold War a try last year after being gif??ted a copy, and I?? got hooked instantly. Now it's become one of my go-to pandemic pick-me-ups.

Although I'm still feeling down about certain aspects of lockdown, one thing that has helped me get into the spirit of the season is actually the seasonal event in Cold War, also known as The Haunting. This year's event includes what you'd typically expect: Halloween-themed maps and zombies m?odes, new multiplayer modes altogether, and of course, lots and lots of skins and cosmetics packs.

These Halloween events in games never reinvent the wheel by any means, but I always find them to be a lot of fun. In the same way that others enjoy a pumpkin spice latte, these seasonal events are my favorite because they only come around once a year, and the novelty of th?em makes them feel special.

I always find these things fascinating from a meta-narrative standpoint. It's difficult to have a solid through line with live-service games like Call of Duty, Overwatch, or Fortnite, so men??us, in-game dialogue, and supplementary materials have to do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to storytelling. For most of the year, these games usually try to keep up various through lines for the characters and world, at least to maintain atmosphere when you're playing.

I find it hilarious, then, when the holidays come in and kind of mess with that a bit. Take Overwatch, for example. I played this game religiously for a few years when I was in college, and the Halloween event was by far my favorite. Seeing spooky versions of my favorite map was fun, Junkenstein's Revenge was Overwatch's best PvE event, and as a Mercy main, I always looked forward to ado??rning my witch skin, because it was one of my favorites in the game.

The funny part was, though, I could see the seams of where the game world had to give a little bit to allow for the Halloween stuff. The Junkenstein game mode was clearly out of character for eve??ryone involved �so what, are we just pretending that these people (and robots) all laid down arms to have some kind of weird role-playing session? Are we supposed to assume this takes place in an alternate universe?

It's a silly, nitpicky conversation �we all suspend disbelief because it's just for fun �but? I find it fascinating to think about all t?he same.

Then there's Call of Duty. It's a very serious war game about very serious people fighting each other tooth and nail for, like, the fate of humanity or something? I don't know, I always skip all the cutscenes. Anyway, that's why I find it so funny to have dudes running around in costumes in the midst of otherwise normal-looking players on normal-looking maps. If I get killed by one more Ghostface with those wicked-overpow?ered double shotguns, I'm gonna lose it (aside from my nerd rage, though, it'll never stop being funny).

The inherent silliness of these events is kind of what makes them shine, in my opinion, because they're a great reminder t?hat video games are suppose?d to be all about having fun in the first place.

Playing these games has helped numb the sting of what we're missing out on again this year because of the pandemic. At the same time, thoug??h, not being out and about as often has made me realize that so much of what I love about the months leading up to a holiday is that I see all kinds of decorations around �at the store, in my neighbors' yards, in res??taurants.

So while I may not have those things around me all the time, I do get on Call of Duty almost every day. I didn't expect a seasonal event in?? a game would be the thing to make me feel like Halloween is really here, but it achieved that all the same. It's? a small thing, but having that sense of normalcy, of time passing, makes a huge difference in getting me in the spirit of the season.

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

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Gen. Ripper has exceeded his authority

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War aficionados have a new reason to fear online's finest, (or at least biggest cheating), players. The famously devastating "Nuke" scorestreak has returned, now available to launch in all of Black Ops Cold War's multiplayer modes. This Black Ops Cold War appearance is the first time the Nuke scorestreak has been deployed in a Treyarch Call of Duty title.

The maniacs finally went and did it. Here's the scorestreak in action, courtesy of YouTuber Xanzyi:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xDfkqc6-F8

While the scorestreak needs no introduction, here's one for Call of Duty newcomers. Debuting in 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the "Tactical Nuke" is a weapon afforded to any player who racks up 30 kills without dying. Once deployed, the terrifying weapon brings about the ominous wail of air raid sirens, before levelling the entire playing field and immediately ending the game for all players on both teams. The Tactical Nuke would return in several other Call of Duty titles, but given the difficulty in obtaining the K/D scorestreak, it was a rare sight in? battle.

In Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the Nuke scorestreak has undergone a bit of tweaking. While it retains the K/D qualifier, and will still wipe out all players on both teams (including the launcher) the Nuke will no longer end the game, merely resetting all players to their respective spawn points before continuing the action. Even in this capacity, the nuke scorestreak remains a tactical wildcard, breaking up the flow, planning, and strategy of everyone in the playing area. It could help reset modes such as Hardpoint for the losing side, but it's still a helluva?? cat to drop among the pigeons.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has just launched its Season 4 Reloaded event, bringing with it new Zombies mode "Mauer der Toten", a new operator in the form of Requiem C.O. Weaver, and oodles of other content. Check out our previous report on the new DLC drop right here. And keep watching the skies.

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Weaver's keeping an eye out for you

Activision has revealed the full contents for this week's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War & Warzone Season 4 Reloaded update, bringing a ton of new and returning content to the multiplayer shooter and its battle royale brethren. Among the goodies on offer are a brand new Zombies experience, a n??ew multiplayer map, Warzone objectives, new weapons, and much more.

The carnage kicks off on July 15, with the arrival of the previously reported "Mauer der Toten" event. This new mode for zombies will see the lesser-of-evils merc squad, Requiem, forced to work alongside?? nemesis Gen. Kravchenko in order to stop a Russian turncoat who has swarmed a segment of her homeland with a legion of the undead. Under pain of death, our "heroes" must work alongside Kravchenko to clear the area, eliminate the traitor, and hopefully escape with all of their body parts �particularly their eyeballs �intact. It looks to be an exciting chapter in the neat "Dark Aether" storyline.

//youtu.be/3RO-APzz6l4

Speaking of ocular engagement, a brand new operator is on the way in the form of Requiem C.O. and Black Ops veteran Grigori Weaver. The intelligent but highly ruthless operative will return to the field in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone, bringing another familiar fac?e to the huge roster of available characters. Weaver arrives alongside two new death-dealing weapons: The rapid-firing OTS 9 SMG and a Mace melee tool. I'm gonna be macing people good like Homer Simpson.

Returning to Multiplayer is classic Black Ops II map Rush. This small-scale paintball arena is straight chaos, and actually one of my least favorite maps in Call of Duty history. But if you like your action hot and heavy, with lead raining in from all sides at all times, then you'll want to jump into Rush as soon as possible. Oh, and unsurprisingly, nobody is actually using paintball guns, so you'll end up in a far worse condition than even PJ in Byker Grove... That reference is for NOBODY.

In the epic world of Warzone, it's only a minor update this time around. A new mode is incoming i??n the form of Payload, while the Sentry Gun is joining the Killstreak options. Hmm... That's a pretty powerful tool and I can imagine that it will get frustrating quickly?. I doubt it can finish off a DBNO player, (at least I hope not), so at least it won't be a case of plant and forget. A Blueprint Blitz event will also arrive in the coming weeks, and the mysterious Red Doors will... erm... "become more mysterious".

That's a lot of content to keep Call of Duty fans engaged through the back half of Season 4. I'm still finding the time to play Black Ops Cold War every week and, despite reports to the contrary, am finding all of the lobbies?? packed with pla??yers all day, every day. I've also been enjoying picking my way through the growing selection of Zombies modes, usually while listening to podcasts. It's a fine way to round out the day, I've found. More undead action is extremely welcome. Brrap.

Call of Duty Season 4 Reloaded kicks off on all platforms July 15. Check out the official blog for full details.

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Keep your friends closer... but your enemies...

With the passing of each and every chapter of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's Zombies, things get darker, more hopeless, and more morally complicated. On July 15, Activision and Treyarch will release the latest event in Zombies' ?Dark Aether storyline, Mauer der Toten, which will see the forces of both Requiem and Omega thrust together to take down a dangerous adversary.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RO-APzz6l4&t=121s

Zombies Mauer Der Toten takes place after the awesome battle of Firebase Z, and sees our team of intrepid mercs now prisoner? of the ruthless Gen. Kravchenko. Incredibly, however, this is not the end of Requiem's days in the field, as Kravchenko needs the team's assistance to take down an unnamed woman who has betrayed Mother Russia, (the woman is not revealed in the trailer, but anybody paying attention to the story so far should be able to identify the turncoat). Thus, with their lives hanging in the balance, Requiem's agents must work alongside their arch enemies in order to take on a bigger threat, while hopefully finding a way to escape back ?behind ally lines with their lives.

I have had a riot with Black Ops Cold War's Dark Aether events. Packed to the rafters with chaotic gameplay, hidden strategy, epic boss battles and an absolute battalion of fun riddles, puzzles, easter eggs, and hidden secrets, This particular Zombies arc has finally �decades later �shown me what the CoD Zombies fuss was all about. With solid teamwork, fairly easy-to-follow lore, huge maps, amusing hidden treasures, and engaging characters from CoD past and present, Black Ops Cold War Zombies caught me ?hook, line, and sinker. Me and my gal Maxis are very much up for another bout of trigger-pumping, monkey-throwing, blood 'n' guts a??ction.

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Ah'm your worst nightmare

If you have the itchiest of trigger fingers this weekend, then you might want to exercise those digits in the ridiculous mayhem of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Developer Treyarch has kicked off another free-to-play weekend, opening up multiple game modes on all platforms to all players?.

From now until Tuesday, June 1, players can jump into Cold War's competitive multiplayer mode, or pop armies of decaying corpses in the great, region-hopping "Zombies Outbreak" mode. Cold War is also currently entertaining its destructive "'80s Action Heroes" event, complete with dynamic sound effects and cock-rock soundtrack. "Rambo Gun Game" in particu?lar offers a crazy, non-stop-action experience.

Additionally, Double XP will be live for all players for the duration of the weekend, so you can Prestige for the 1,729th time. I can't remember where my level is at right now, but let's just say I've watched a few hundred thousand killcams and been on the receiving end of my fair share of Tomahawks. To be totally honest, I'm only in it for Helen Park as a poor woman's Atomic Blonde and Sam Maxis rockin' her new "Death Veil" gear

See you on the battlefie??ld... Ah'm comin' to ?get YOU.

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Find 'em... or I'll find you.

Tomorrow sees the launch of Call of Duty's season three mid-season, kicking off a selection of neat in-game content across both Black Ops: Cold War and battle royale title Warzone. Activision has shared details of the incoming "80s Action Heroes" banner, which brings a couple of silver screen legends to the first-person s??hooter.

Leading the charge are new premium operator bundles for John Rambo and Die Hard's John McClane, which add new operators and weapon skins as well as al??ternate knives, watches, and other themed accessories. These bundles will only be available for a limited time, and are expected to sell for a meaty 2400 CoD Points each.

In keeping with the movie theme, several new locations are being added to Warzone's Verdansk map, including the P.O.W. camp and CIA Outpost from 1985's Rambo: First Blood Part II, and a replication of Nakatomi Plaza from the fantastic 1989 classic, Die Hard. New modes "Rambo's Gun Game" and "Die ??HardPoint" will also be tempor??arily added to mode rotation.

Aside from the '80s-themed content, there are more weapons, maps, and modes headed to Call of Duty over the coming weeks. Cold War is getting a new melee weapon in the form of a brutal Baseball Bat, while Warzone is getting a fan favorite in the for?m of the Ballistic Knife. This season will also see the arrival of the rapid-f??iring AMP63 handgun, great for secondary fans such as myself.

Over in Multiplayer, the recent Duga locale is being added to all multi-team modes, while Black Ops II map Standoff will be making its return to a??ll 6-vs-6 compatible modes. Zombies fans, don't fret, as new content is also headed your way in the form of new mode "Cranked 2," new intel hidden in and around the map, and a brand new, (untitled) mission objective. ?Perhaps best of all, Treyarch appears to be teasing that most important of video game side-activities, fishing! The developer is yet to offer full details on this addition, but I'm hoping it goes far beyond just chucking a grenade in a lake.

For more details on all of the content headed to Call of Duty in its mid-season update, along with full patch notes on weapon re-balancing, check out the official Call of Duty blog. Oh, and be sure to check out my own ideas for further 1980s action stars that should join the Call of Duty universe.

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The odds are against them... and that's just the way they like it

Next week sees perhaps the most bombastic crossover in gaming history. On May 20, Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo and Bruce Willis' Die Hard hero John McClane will step away from the silver screen to bring their respective brands of rat-a-tat-tat mayhem to Activision's Call of Duty franchise, joining the rosters of CoD: Black Ops, CoD: Mobile, and uber-popular battle royale release CoD: Warzone.

The Reganized 1980s saw a (literal) boom in action movies, as a staunchly conservative populace fell completely and utterly in love with solving the world's — or just the neighborhood's — problems at the barrel of an Uzi. While some of these films were dang awful, we also received an abundance of stone cold classics, with films such as RoboCop, Total Recall, and Commando as ridicu???lous and as entertaining today as they ever were.

I think the Call of Duty franchise is sitting on a veritable gold mine with its "'80s Action Stars" crossover event. Presented for your consideration are a further five stars of the decade taste forgot, without whom Call of Duty: Warzone will never, ever reach its full potential. No need to thank me, Activision, just pay me the 1600 COD Points I purchased l?ast month ?that never arrived in my account.

1) Pvt. Jenette Vasquez - Aliens (1986) - Jenette Goldstein

While Sigourney Weaver's star turn as Ellen Ripley is unquestionably one of the greatest screen roles of the 1980s, James Cameron's sci-fi sequel had more than its fair share of memorable characters — from Bill Paxton's n?ervy Pvt. Hudson to Paul Reise??r's sleazeball executive Carter Burke.

For myself and many fans, however, Jenette Goldstein's badass brick shithouse Pvt. Vasquez stole the show with her cold-as-ice look, fearless attitude, and that double-handed Smart Gun. Ready for war and nigh-on unstoppable, if Call of Duty characters had tiers, Vasquez would be in the S+. When the shit hit??s the fan, you want her in your squad. LET'S ROOOOOCCCK!

(Fun fact: Goldstein also portrays John Connor's foster mom in Terminator 2: Judgement Day — this still? surprises movie fans everywhere, decades after the latter film's release.)

2) Paul Kersey - Death Wish 3 (1985) - Charles Bronson

Perpetually bored-looking star Charles Bronson was 64 years old when he shot this second sequel in his iconic vigilante series. The advancing years posed no concern for sleazoid hack Michael Winner, who thrust an ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN into Bronson's tired hands and told him to get on with it. Vigilante Paul Kersey, now rocking a body count pushing triple-figures, would slip into the CoD universe with relative ease, having spat death from the barrel of a huge array of explosive weaponry in the Death Wish series' continuing war against working-class minorities crime. 

Scorestreaks would include frequent editing so he doesn't have to run very far, a rocket launcher wrapped in the American flag, and Martin Balsam as a neighbor who turns up to provide constant exposition. Co-op potential would see a second player following Kersey around, literally carrying the ammo for his machine gun for him. 

3) John Nada - They Live (1988) - Roddy Piper

Before the fine work of Dave Bautista (as well as some of Dwayne Johnson's latter roles) nobody gave pro-wrestlers any big screen props — with good-fucking-cause Santa With Muscles. But "Rowdy" Roddy Piper put in a great turn for John Carpenter's sci-fi horror/cultural satire They Live. Piper's down-and-out John Nada has the burden of insight, having discovered that Earth has been invaded by a disguised alien?? force, and must take ??proactive steps, mostly at the business end of a 12-gauge, to set the populace free from its unaware state of slavery.

Packed with famous witticisms and sporting great charisma, the late Roddy Piper would have been a fine addition to the Call of Duty universe. Melee strikes would activate six-minute fist-fights, and Nada's secondary weapon would be special sunglasses which allow him to see which players are ?using aimbots. (Spoilers: It's everybody).

4) Rambo Gizmo - Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) - As Himself

Remember when the adorable Mogwai from Joe Dante's comedy-horror donned a scarlet headband and started firing flaming arrows? You don't, because while we've all seen Gremlins multiple times, we've all only seen Gremlins 2 once (apart from Destructoid's own Occams... It's pretty much his favorite movie). Anyway, Rambo ?Gizmo has the Combat Bow Scorestreak as his primary weapon — complete with pencil and Wite-Out blueprint — and also has the electrical ammo mod as standard.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is actually from 1990, not the '80s. But both Gizmo and Rambo are from the '80s. Also it's my list and, besides, ??you probably skipped to the comments age??s ago.

5) Johnny 5 when he was a punk that one time - Short Circuit 2 (1988) - Some puppet

Johnny 5 is ALIVE. I don't like this movie. Ally Sheedy didn't come back: Strike One. And that bit where the mafia beat Johnny 5 half-to-death was really disturbing. Then Johnny adopts "Mexican Gangster" dialect, which is surprisingly only the second most racist element of this movie. Anyway, put him in Call of Duty or something, he can have a laser and can scream horribly when you kill him, traumatizing generations of children scant years after the frightening robot in Superman III... Actually, put her in CoD.

Honorable Mentions: Jack Burton (Big Trouble in Little China, 1986) Snake Plissken (Escape From New York, 1981), Lt. Gabriel Cash (Tango & Cash, 1989), Dean Proffitt (Overboard, 1987).

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Do we get to win this time?

Activision has officially announced that Call of Duty will be getting a hard-hitting dose of '80s Hollywood next week, as May 20 will see the arrival of both John Rambo and Die Hard's John McClane in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Call of Duty: Mobile.

The strange-but-whatevs crossover will see the two gung-ho heroes — respectively portrayed by Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis on the big screen — available to purchase as paid DLC skins. While Activision is yet to reveal a price, it seems a sure bet that each character will run the prestige cost of 2400 COD Points, or roughly $20. That's undeniably a lot of moolah, but it will frankly prevent all three games from just becoming two teams of Rambo and McClanes. I'm more than happy with Glam Helen Park, m?yself.

This isn't either character's first gaming rodeo, as both the Rambo had Die Hard franchises have received numerous video game adaptations over the past four decades. Rambo himself has recently come off of a successful stint in Outworld, kicking ass in NetherRealm Studios' Mortal Kombat 11. As such, I doubt the run 'n' gun bombast of the Call of Duty franch??ise will give the muscle-bound maniac too much hassle, he's literally just been battling elemental ninjas and four-armed warrior women.

Some heroes Die Hard. Others draw First Blood.

The action begins May 20th. pic.twitter.com/8Rr3c7g26u

— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) May 13, 2021

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Creeps into the top of the UK Charts

Capcom's latest jaunt into the world of survival horror, Resident Evil Village, has had a successful start, debuting at number one in the UK Charts. The creepy sequel saw the second-biggest physical launch of 2021 so far, behind Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. In regards to UK physical sales, Village saw both the third biggest launch? on the PS5 platf??orm, and the second-largest launch on Xbox Series X/S.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Resident Evil Village did not hit the same UK launch numbers of Capcom's 2019 remake Resident Evil 2, nor did it hit the same launch numbers of 2017's Resident Evil VII. It should be noted that with each passing year, sales lean further toward digital sales, so Village's true impact is yet to be ascertained. Assuredly, however, it has definitely been?? a hit.

Elsewhere in the charts Housemarque's PS5 release Returnal has already dropped out of the Top Ten, now sitting at number 15. Nintendo's snap-happy New Pokemon Snap shifts from number one to number two, while the remainder of the Top Ten is mostly rounded out with other Switch releases, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ring Fit Adventure, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: May 8, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Resident Evil Village - Capcom
2. New Pokémon Snap - Nintendo
3. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
6. Minecraft - Nintendo
7. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
8. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
9. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Say Cheese

This week saw not one, but two major releases hit the market in the form of two shoot-'em-ups... kinda. Shutterbugs took shots in Nintendo's latest Switch release, New Pokémon Snap, while interstellar explorers focused on a whole different kind of shooting in Housemarque's fantastic Returnal, incidentally th?e PS5's first ??exclusive release in months.

In regards to the U.K.'s physical sales, it was New Pokémon Snap that debuted comfortably in the number one spot, edging out Selene's hardcore space-shooting action. This was somewhat inevitable given the popularity of the Pokémon brand, the family-friendly nature of the camera-snapping adventure, and the ongoing shortage of PS5 hardware in the UK scene. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, this new entry in the photogenic series sold four times as many launch copies as 2000 Nintendo 64 release, Pokémon Snap.

New Pokémon Snap leads a seemingly indelible slew of Switch releases, which includes Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Ring Fit Adventure, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Minecraft. Last week's number one, Square Enix' NieR Replicant, has dropped out of the Top Ten entirely and now resides at number 22. This is business as usual for the JRPG market, at least in regards to physical sales. However, with the launch of Resident Evil Village on May 7, New Pokémon Snap's reign as monarch of the UK ?Charts looks set to ?be a short one.

Something Wicked This Way Comes.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: May 1, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. New Pokémon Snap - Nintendo
2. Returnal - Sony Interactive Entertainment
3. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
6. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
7. Minecraft - Nintendo
8. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
9. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Now that's Prestige

This past week has been one of the biggest in the history of the Call of Duty series. Activision's legendary franchise, which remains the standard-bearer for the shooter genre (at least from a branding and success standpoint), has been dropping explosive headlines daily.

Most of the excitement has been centered around the popular battle royale title Call of Duty: Warzone, which dropped a literal bomb on the multiplayer locale of Verdansk. After the recent zombie infestation became too much to contain, some shady authority decided to go all Return of the Living Dead on us, hitting the big red button and leveling the entire district. In the blast's aftermath, the retro-themed "Verdansk '84" has risen, signifying the merging of CoD: Warzone with CoD: Black Ops: Cold War.

Speaking of Black Ops Cold War, the 2020 release has just kicked off its third season of content, bringing with it several new maps, weapons, modes, scorestreaks, and operators — including Mortal Kombat-looking assassin Wraith and Modern Warfare guest star Captain Price. Over in Zombies, the region of Duka has been add??ed to the excellent Outbreak mode, while a new Field Upgrade has arrived in the form of "Toxic Growth." A brand new Battle Pass is also live, ready to grind out all over again.

Of course, all of these additions pale in comparison to the arrival of the expensive "Stoner's Delight" bundle. (And yes, I've already seen a ton of people running around wearing this shit.)

Away from the battlefield, Activision has proudly announced that the Call of Duty franchise has hit a double milestone. This month sees Call of Duty: Warzone hit 100 million players, a little over a year after its initial launch, while the Call of Duty franchise as a whole has now sold an incredible 400 million games since the series debut way back in 2003. When you look at ever?ything the franchise has become today — what with its esports scene, Zombie invasions, and time-hopping narrative, not to mention the litany of lawsuits — those humble "Finest Hour" days certainly seem several lifetimes ago.

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FIFA 21 returns once again to No.1 spot

The notoriously busted console edition of CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 managed to shift enough physical copies last week to re-enter the UK Charts' Top Ten, n??estling i?n at number nine. This is likely due to in-store efforts to reduce stock surplus. Still, just because something is cheap, doesn't mean it's worth buying, and while the PS4/Xbox One editions of the RPG have seen slight improvements since launch, they remain in a relatively poor state.

Aside from this charts oddity, it's mostly business as usual for the UK's physical sales. Electronic Arts' soccer sim FIFA 21 is once again back at the number-one spot, and is unlikely to be usurped by Dreamcast title Super League anytime soon. From there onward, it's mostly the Nintendo show, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, and Minecraft all enjoying steady sales. Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise sits at number s?even, a healthy position for a non fir?st-party release.

It's easy to forget that we're in a brand new gaming generation at all. Around five months on from the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and not a single title from e?ither platform resides in the? current Top Ten. Most generations begin with a whimper, it has been that way for literal decades, but with a shortage of hardware and multiple development delays, the ninth generation of gaming is sure taking its time getting out of the starting blocks.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: April 17, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1.FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
3. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Minecraft - Nintendo
6. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
7. Monster Hunter Rise - Capcom
8. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
9. Cyberpunk 2077 - CD Projekt RED
10. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision

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XxX420BlazzEiTXXx is reportedly stoked

Yesterday saw Activision drop another whopping update file on its mega-seller shooter franchise Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its sister title Warzone. Among the huge plethora of modes, maps, operators, and weapons headed to Season 3 later this week, the spirit of 4/20 was also recognized via the release of a special "Stoner's Delight" DLC bundle.

For (a pretty hefty) 2400 CP, players can bag themselves ganja-themed skins for the Assault Rifle Golf and the Light Machine Gun Alpha, as well as a weapon charm, wristwatch, stickers, and an animated emblem and calling card for your profile. Also included is a new "Zombie Express" vehicle skin for use with CoD's cars, boats, buggies, and ?bikes. Don't smoke and drive, kids.

The bundle's main event, however, is the new "Kushwacked" skin, available for Warsaw Operative "Stone." Who Else? The new skin features a ganja-leaf-covered assault suit, and a gas mask with an animated smoking effect — a legitimately a nice touch. Unbelievably, the bundle does not contain a weapon skin for the "Stoner 63" rifle.... Say what? In any case, letting rip with the themed ??weapons wi?ll unleash green and purple tracers.

After yesterday's download, Call of Duty: Black Ops seemed to be having a moment, complete with weirdly artifacting Hellhounds and multiple missing clothing and floor textures. As such, the servers were dry. But I'm in no doubt players logging on today might find multiplayer absolutely swarming with this new skin, given the CoD community's happy relati??onship with The D??evil's Weed.

And before you rag on me for being old man square — believe me, I saw more than enough of this culture in the early '90s. Good lord, anyone remember "Spliffy" jackets or "Drugs Bunny" T-shirts? How about Bart Simpson in a Rastafarian hat saying "Smoke the reefer, man"? None of you remember because you're 17... They should put those in Call of Duty.

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Monster Hunter Rise debuts at #1

We have a brand new number one this week, as Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise inevitably debuted in the top spot of the UK Charts. The fantasy adventure, which has already sold an amazing four million copies worldwide, leads a streak of Top Ten Switch dominance.

The news of Monster Hunter Rise's success has been somewhat eclipsed, however, by a ridiculous sales spike for Nintendo's Super Mario 3D All-Stars. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the retro compendium saw its sales boosted by 276% last week, no doubt in anticipation of the title's de-listing, scheduled for tomorrow, March 31. The imminent removal of the title, heavily promoted by Nintendo, led to a rush of panic-buying, ultimately reinstalling the title i??n the number two spot. What a fucking surprise.

The rest of the Top Ten is almost entirely Switch releases, with showings from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Almost every Mario or Mario-adjacent Switch release saw a sales increase this week, with only Electronic Arts' soccer sim FIFA 21 offering a combo breaker at number eight. Last week's number one, Supergiant's Hades, has dropped out of the Top Ten entirely.

Nintend??o has been sent a clear message on how to fuel a global sales injection on not just one, but multiple rel??eases at relatively short notice. As a result, we can probably expect The Big N, and perhaps even other publishers, to indulge in more Walt Disney-style "vaulting" antics in the future.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: March 27, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Monster Hunter Rise - Capcom
2. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
4. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
5. Minecraft Dungeons - Xbox Game Studios
6. Minecraft - Nintendo
7. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
8. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
9. Luigi's Mansion 3 - Nintendo
10. Super Mario Odyssey - Nintendo

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Warzone and Zombies and Multiplayer, oh my

The fight goes on in Activision's tribizillion-dollar shooter franchise Call of Duty. Tomorrow will see the launch of "Reloaded", a mid-season update for both Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its sister battle royale title Call of Duty: Warzone. The coming weeks will see a slew of? new ??content made available for both releases, because the bullets. won't. stop.

Firstly, Black Ops Cold War will receive its reworked Miami map, Miami Strike, which hopes to improve the rep of the neon nightmare - which I actually quite like, to be honest. Miami Strike will be running a 24/7 playlist i?n order to help the community get to grips with the new, streamlined layout. My Tiki bar bet??ter still be standing.

Speaking of maps, third-act campa??ign locale Mansion will be added to Gunfight and Face Off modes, while Golova is getting copy-pasted from the excellent ??Outbreak mode to enter rotation in the not-quite-as-excellent Fireteam. New modes will include Multi-Team Hardpoint, (which sounds like total chaos), Gunfight Tournament, and a Blueprint-based variant of Gun Game.

On the subject of Outbreak, Cold War's great Zombies option will be adding a? new location to its open-map cycle. Sanatorium (Night) will now be a part of the dimension-hopping cycle. To help you and your buddies get around, dirt bikes will also be added to certain locations. A brand new objective - Secure - will also b?e added to the Retrieve, Eliminate, Escort, etc mission cycle. Keep pouring stuff into Outbreak, Treyarch. It's rad stuff.

Over in Warzone, the undead chaos continues on the island of Verdansk, but you'll soon be able to take on both the living AND the dead as two new operators - both of whom debuted in the Se?ason 2 cinematic. They are living tank Terrell Wolf, who joins the roster tomorrow, and the crossbow-adept Karla Rivas, who will be made available in a week or so. Coming with the new operators is a powerful new sniper rifle: the ZRG 20mm, which looks powerful enough to put down a yeti.

Of course, the new update also brings a fresh round of weapon and killstreak rebalances and bug fixes. For full patch notes, and more details on all of the above content, visit the official website. As a final heads up, the update size for those who have both Warzone and Cold War installed will come smashing in at around SIXTY GIG, although with data optimization the total footprint will shrink upon comple??tion by 10-30GB. Thanks..?

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And Grinding is Half the Battle

If you're still rat-a-tat-tatting your way through Activision's gazillion-dollar shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its battle royale sister title, Warzone, then you better get your fridge stocked and your calendar c??lear, as we ?have a new Double XP event incoming.

From tomorrow, March 26, until Monday, March 29, Cold War and Warzone players will earn Double XP, Double Weapon XP, and Double Battle Pass XP - all of which should help you see those numbers climbing high an??d offer the accompanying serotonin release. (The event starts tomorrow on PC and Xbox, but is live right now for PlayStation ??players).

This is an ideal opportunity to grind out the remainder of the current Battle Pass before the arrival of Cold War's next mid-season event. I still need to bag Portnova's "Artist" skin, so I'll be putting in time I'm sure - she's been rocking that Goth ensemble for too long no??w, and I'm sure those neon-orange leggings and tie?-dyed bandanna will provide suitable camouflage.

In regards to mid-season, next week will see the Sanitorium map added to the cycle in Cold War's excellent Zombies Outbreak mode, which sees a squad of soldiers literally hopping portals and popping domes, fighting off wave after wave of the undead while completing a series of increasingly challenging objectives. It's absolutely the smartest Call of Duty addition?? in years, and with the ad??dition of a new map, things can only get deader.

Finally, developer Treyarch has offered a sneak peek at the reworked "Miami" map, which has had a huge overhaul following player complaints about visibility, rotation paths, and ??general layout. I personally liked Miami - which probably makes me a monster - but I'm excited to see what the reworked "Miami Strike" brings to multiplayer. Maybe it will finally be the exciting and sexy locale that Will Smith told us all about.

Get ready for next week's mid-season update with 2XP, 2WXP, and 2X Battle Pass XP all weekend long, starting at 10AM PT Friday, March 26! pic.twitter.com/cbmrFkhtYg

— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) March 23, 2021

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*fans self*

It's a good day to be a bad dude, as Zagreus, Theseus, Nyx, Dusa, and the rest of the Underworld's denizens have come strutting into the UK Chart scene. Last week saw Supergiant Games' Hades finally hit the Top 20 at number seven, thanks to the s?exy-as-all-fuck roguelike getting a physical release on N?intendo Switch.

Hades joins a parade of Switch titles currently jamming up the Top 10. Both Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe retain their respective number two and number four positions from last week, while social sim Animal Crossing: New Horizons is once again back on top in the number one spot, no doubt brought about thanks to the title's anniversary celebrations and impending spring events. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is bringing up the rear at number nine.

Global phenomenon Minecraft is pulling double-duty this week, with its original world-building title at number eight and its subterranean spin-off, Minecraft Dungeons, sitting at number 10. PlayStation and Xbox platforms are represented by Sony's Spider-Man: Miles Morales at number three, Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto V at number five, and Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - still shifting copies and sitting comfortably at number s?ix.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: March 20, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
2. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
3. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
7. Hades - Supergiant Games
8. Minecraft - Nintendo
9. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
10. Minecraft Dungeons - Xbox Game Studios

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Bowser's Fury celebrates one full month in the premier position

Nintendo Switch titles remain the most popular physical purchases in the UK's gaming market, a trend that has seen the Japanese industry giant dominate the UK Charts for the first quarter of 2021. Leading the charge is the indelible Super Mario Bros. series, wh?ich has seen steady and persistent sales across its range of re-?released Switch titles.

This past week saw Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury retain the number one spot for a fourth week running, making it a month on top for the Wii-U remaster. Social sim Animal Crossing: New Horizons sits at number three, having held a Top Ten position for almost an entire year. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Mario 3D All-Stars sit at number four and six respectively, while the Switch edition of Minecraft and exercise 'em up Ring Fit Adventure fill out the back end of the Top Ten.

Elsewhere in the Top Ten, Square Enix' RPG Bravely Default II plummeted from number 11 to number 33, which is de rigueur for most non-Final Fantasy JRPGs, at least in regards to the UK's physical sales. Sega's Yakuza: Like a Dragon poked its head back into the chart scene at number 35, thanks to the release of the new PS5 port, while Atlus' Persona 5 Strikers has already left the Top 40 entirely.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: March 6, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
2. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
3. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
6. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
7. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
8. Minecraft - Nintendo
9. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
10. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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But not enough to sate Bowser's Fury

After weeks of Nintendo's dominance, PlayStation finally had reason to celebrate. A supply restock - in addition?? to several store discounts - saw some of Sony's big-hitters shoot back up the ??UK Charts.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, comic-book adventure Spider-Man: Miles Morales saw a 172% rise in sales, climbing from number nine to number two in the Top Ten. Naughty Dog's misery-fest The Last of Us Part II was discounted at a variety of outlets, which saw the award-winning title skyrocket up the charts to make a grand re-entry at number three. FromSoftware's PS5 remake Demon's Souls also returned to the Top 40 at number 21.

None of the above releases, however, were successful in usurping Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, which enjoyed a third week at number one despite seeing a 38% drop in sales. On the subject of Switch releases, Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Minecraft all m/animal-crossing-new-horizons-ichiban-kuji-lets-you-experience-island-life/anaged to retain Top Ten positions, while Atlus' musou-lite Persona 5 Strikers enjoyed moderate succ?ess, d?ebuting at number five.

There are very few major releases scheduled to hit the market in the foreseeable future. Add to this continued stock issues brought about by Brexit, as well as Britain's ongoing lockdown woes, and it seems that the nation's video games charts will continue spinning the platters that matter from last year, or even before. Let's go, Crash Bandicoot 4 for Switch.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: February 27, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
2. Spider-Man: Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
3. The Last of Us Part II - Sony Interactive Entertainment
4. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
5. Persona 5 Strikers - Atlus
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
7. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
9. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
10. Minecraft - Nintendo

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Are You Afraid of the Dark?

It just seems like yesterday that we all piled into the Dark Aether and pulled out the badass Samantha Maxis, rescuing the mercenary from a fate worse than undeath. And yet already, Team Requiem is preparing to continue its jaunt into the unknown via the new Zombies chapter "Outbreak," which launches February 25 in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

As teased in the brand new trailer from developer Treyarch, Requiem will be heading into the Ural Mountains, typified by his steep hills and heavy woodland. Hope your quads are in shape for this one. As is to be expected, squads of four players will be tasked with battling armies of reanimated corpses, while digging up secret intel, hunting down easter eggs, and spending earned points on better weaponry, effect-based ammo, and support gear in order to better increase your odds against ever-growing waves of enemies.

This time, however, unlike Die Maschine and Firebase Z, Outbreak will not only feature numerous play regions set within the mountain range, but will also task Requiem with completing one of a number of primary objectives. These specific missions must be complet??ed in order to continue the round, and will ask the team to complete specific objectives.

Escort sees the team guiding a Rover droid to its destination. Defend has Requiem protecting a vital research laboratory under siege. Retrieve tasks the team with locating and collecting caches of Aether deposited throughout the map. Eliminate sees the crew dimension-hopping to track down and eliminate Elites. And finally Holdout is your typical indoor war against a massing ??a?rmy of the undead, pouring itself into a confined space.

For the longest time I didn't "get" Zombies. But I've really taken to it with Cold War. The satisfaction of working with strangers to complete a hugely complex but incredibly satisfying goal is one of CoD's best multiplayer experiences. When me and three "rand??oms" first pulled Maxis out of the Dark Aether, (befo?re taking down a stories-high boss), I felt elated. And the fact that Treyarch is ensuring each new experience goes far beyond just "a new map" is helping to keep things feeling fresh... or rotten... or both.

Outbreak will launch on all platforms February 25, alongside Season 2 of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War & Warzone. For full details on the new season's contents, check out our previous report right here.

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Wii U remaster retains top spot for second week

Nintendo's recent Switch release Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is enjoying a second week on top of the UK Charts, having fended off a sales rush from Electronic Arts' football simulator FIFA 21. Despite physical sales dropping over 60% on its first week, the Wii U remaster is now handily the best-selling new release of 2021... But we still have a long way to go.

The rest of the Top Ten remains relatively stagnant, consisting mostly of big hitters from 2020. Nintendo continues to dominate with steady physical sales of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Ring Fit Adventure, while Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Take-Two Interactive's Grand Theft Auto V are enjoying new sales each and every week. Bandai Namco's Little Nightmares II slipped fr?om the Top Ten after just one week, natural movement for a typically niche title.

The first quarter of 2021 is a relatively quiet one, but this week will see the release of the long-awaited RPG sequel Bravely Default II, which launches on Switch February 26. The current climate merely reflects the state of so many new generations, where a??n opening salvo of launch titles is immediately followed by a period of drought. The release schedule will pick up as we exit the first quarter of 2021.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: February 20, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
2. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
6. Minecraft - Nintendo
7. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
8. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
9. Spider-Man Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
10. Just Dance 2021 - Ubisoft

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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New operators, Zombies, scorestreaks and much more

Activision and Treyarch have spilled the intel on season two of their blockbuster shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and its sister title Call of Duty: Warzone. Kicking off on February 25, the new season brings a massive helping of? exciting new content to both titles, including operators, weapons, scorestreaks, skin packs, modes, and a new Zombies experience.

First up, Operators. Season two brings a quartet of new characters to the roster including the villainous Naga, and Frank Wood's new running buddies Karla Rivas & Terrell Wolf, all of whom debuted in the action-packed cinematic above. Joining the trio is long-time Black Ops Zombies star?? Samanth?a Maxis, fresh off her latest jaunt through the Dark Aether. I can't wait to play as her! Naga will join in week one, with the others arriving as paid DLC packs.

Cold War will receive three new multiplayer maps: "Apocalypse" is the jungle map featured in the cinematic, and is utilized for 6v6 warfare, "Golova" is a new locale for Fireteam and, from the Cold War campaign, "Mansion" which will be used for the brutally paced Gunfight mo?de. A shrunken version of Miami is also en route, titled "Miami Strike".

There will be a ??selection of new firearms - both primary and secondary - joining the CoD arsenal. You can check these out in the image below. Speaking of firepower, the Death Machine scorestreak returns, allowing players to get their Jessie "The Body" Ventura on once again. Ain't got time to bleed, indeed??.

For Zombies fans, the recently leaked "Outbreak" event will tell the next chapter of the Dark Aether storyline, and will see Team Requiem travel to the Ural Mountains for its next bout of dim??ension-hopping carnage. Having freed Samantha Maxis from the hell of the Aether, hopefully she will be able to lead them toward the source of the dimensional anomalies.

Speaking of zombies, the undead bastards will also be making their presence felt in Warzone, via the limited-time Zombies Outbreak event, which takes place next week. Warzone will also receive two new modes: Extreme Resurgence and Exfiltration. New points of ?interest will also be added to the Verdansk map. An ominous ship currently lurks off the coast, though I'm very much expecting it to be full of the undead. Don't be there when it docks unless you're armed to the teeth.

Of course, there will be a new paid Battle Pass, offering 100 tiers of character and weapon skins, charms, XP bonuses, stickers, and more. Tier 100 appears to be a variant of new boy Naga. All-in, there's a ton of content to keep CoD fans happy over the coming month or two, and while I understand that Cold War is a pretty polarizing entry in the Call of Duty canon, I'm still having a riot with it. For full details and dates, visit the official website.

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Maybe just leave him there, honestly

Activision has released an action-packed trailer to tease the launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's second season of content, which will launch in-game on February 25, bringing a slew of new skins, characters, weapons, maps??, and more to the blockbuster shooter.

Following on from the raid at the Mall at the Pines in season one, good-guy-who-isn't-good-at-all Russell Adler was ultimately captured by his arch-nemesis, former KGB agent Vikor "Stitch" Kuzmin. Kuzmin?? no doubt has a fate worse than death planned for Adler, and has whisked the shady CIA operative away to a location hidden deep within the jungles of Laos.

All is not lost however. As this exciting cinematic below shows, a rescue mission is already underway, led by the maniacal Black Ops veteran Cpt. Frank Woods who, aided by a new squad of heroes, is preparing to storm the dense gre??enery, rescue Russell, and bring him home in one piece... Or at least as many pieces that Kuzmin has left him in.

As always, the cinematic is packed with hints and clues as to some of the upcoming content that will be made available in Black Ops: Cold War Season 2. We will no doubt get a brand new jungle-based map for multiplayer, as well as several new characters - including an energetic young woman, a villainous dude in aviators named "Naga", and some big bastard carrying the 'Ol' Painless' scorestreak. Also teased is the return of both the crossbow and the ??Galil rifle.

No doubt all of the above items will feature as either freebies, paid bundles, or unlocks in an all-new Battle Pass. Stick around with yer boy Moyse, and I'll send the recon your way once the intel comes in. Personally, I'm still very much enjoying this polarizing entry to the Call of Duty canon, and I'm definitely up for more punchy, arcade action from the impactful Cold War timeline.

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Sales up almost 200% on Wii U originals

You can almost set your watch by it. Nintendo launches Switch game, Switch game hits the top of the UK Charts. With each major release, Nintendo continues to find favor with the British gaming public, and last week's launch of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury was no exception, debuting in the number one spot of the ??UK Charts.

As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, which received rave reviews from critics, is already the third biggest Nintendo Switch Mario release ever, sitting just behind 2017's Super Mario Odyssey and 2020's Super Mario 3D All-Stars. In regards to its launch figures, the new double pack is an absolute smash, with physical sales up 190% on the launch numbers for the 2013 Wii-U original?? - though of course the user base for Nintendo Switch far outweighs that of its big-screen brethren. Nintendo's new title is already a winner.

Elsewhere in the charts, Bandai Namco's creepy sequel Little Nightmares II made its debut at number seven, following mostly positive press reviews. The rest of the Top Ten is rounded out by chart veterans by Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Electronic Arts' FIFA 21, and Sony's web-slinging adventure Spider-Man Miles Morales.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: February 13, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Nintendo
2. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
3. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
4. Spider-Man Miles Morales - Sony Interactive Entertainment
5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
7. Little Nightmares II - Bandai Namco
8. Minecraft - Nintendo
9. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
10. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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Valentine's Day Massacre

With February 14 just around the corner, various video games are receiving lovey-dovey updates to celebrate Valentine's Day. And perhaps no one gaming brand truly embraces the themes of love, romance, and togetherness than Activision's billion-dollar military shooter series Call of Duty.

Yes, love is in the air, even in the rat-a-tat-tat world of Black Ops Cold War, and from February 11 to February 18, players will be able to enjoy a special re-themed version of multiplayer mode Kill Conf??irmed titled Kiss Confirmed. In this variant, each time you pump your hapless mark full of lead, their twitching corpse will lea??ve behind a candy-style Love Heart in place of their standard dog tags. D'aww. Helen Park is my Valentine...sigh

And, for the duration of the event, all players on Cold War and Warzone will receive Double Weapon XP on their entire arsenal. So if you've been saving up for that top-tier Milano 821 SMG for the love of your life, now's the time to get it capped. Additionally, the Call of Duty store will feature a number of Valentine-themed bundles for sale, including skins, charms, and blu??eprints for exclusive weapons such as a sniper rifle called "Hidden Admira??tion."

...Yeah, okay, now it's just fucking weird.

In related CoD news, Black Ops Cold War's "League Play" mode is now live, giving players the ability to engage in four-on-four battles with specifically designed loadouts, in an effort to replicate the parameters of an official Call of Duty tournament. Players can fight their way up a new graded ranking system, similar to that of Black Ops IV.

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Switch it up

It's another Nintendo-friendly week in the UK Charts this week, as social adventure Animal Crossing: New Horizons retains ??the number one spot for a thi?rd week running, leading a slew of sales on a wide range of Nintendo Switch releases.

The adventures of Tom, Nook, Isabelle, and all the critters of Nook Island sit proudly in the number one spot, followed up by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, still shifting physical copies some four years after release. Lounge workout Ring Fit Adventure moves up to number four, while the Switch edition of Minecraft is nestled in at number five. Just Dance 2021 moves up one place to number seven, while retro compendium Super Mario 3D All-Stars retains its seat at number nine. A very good start to the year f??or the House of Mario.

Elsewhere in the charts, steady sales continue on AAA mainstays such as Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War at number three, Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto V at number six, and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which returns to the premier league at number 10. The only new physical release this week was nocturnal gnasher Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood, wh??ich ??unfortunately failed to make an impact at number 36.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: February 7, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo
2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - Activision
4. Ring Fit Adventure - Nintendo
5. Minecraft - Nintendo
6. Grand Theft Auto V - Take-Two Interactive
7. Just Dance 2021 - Ubisoft
8. FIFA 21 - Electronic Arts
9. Super Mario 3D All-Stars - Nintendo
10. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]

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