Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - "Hardened Edition" Outed

Either it's only me, but people really seem to want to know anything and everything about Modern Warfare 3 as soon as possible... Y'know what? I think that's pretty much the majority of people. As we know, the next installment of the Modern Warfare series is in development by Infinity Ward (in collaboration with Sledgehammer Games), things have been on the downlow about it, ever since before and after info about it had been leaked. That's with the addition of the teaser trailers being released when Activision decided to announce that the game was in development. Although, just like everything these days, more leaks!

Wired.com reported that an anonymous source has sent them a picture, as seen above that Modern Warfare 3 will be getting a Hardened Edition, much like the previous Call of Duty installments (which also includes the Prestige Editions when the earlier games released). Wired.com also expects this to be unveiled to the masses during the Call of Duty XP 2011 Event in Los Angeles. This 'marketing box,' like most that are used for any other game in many retail stores, details what will be included in this edition of the game, as listed below, courtesy of Wired.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game with unique disc art.
• One year of membership in Call of Duty Elte.
• "Founder status” on Elite with exclusive in-game emblem, player card, camouflage, clan XP boost and other exclusive benefits.
• SteelBook Case
• PlayStation Network exclusive: “Animated Timeline Theme.”
• Xbox 360 exclusive: “Special Ops Juggernaut Xbox Live Outfit.
• Limited-edition “field journal” with more than 100 pages of “authentic military sketches, diagrams and written entries.”

As much as these things are cool and nifty, I don't think I'll be picking up a Hardened Edition, but who knows, we haven't seen any word about the Prestige Edition, but only time will tell.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is set to release on November 8, 2011 for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and Nintendo Wii.

Next Call of Duty to Come With a Brand New Feature, Subscription Fees

Well, its finally happened. Starting with Modern Warfare 3 every Call of Duty game going forward will have a subscription fee attached to the games online component. The Wall Street Journal is the first to report about Call of Duty Elite, the long rumored "digital platform" being developed by Activision's Beachhead studio. Elite (as stated) will be a paid service, although "portions of the service will be free" such as a Facebook esq groups feature.

The service will include other features like analyzing players performance "gauging factors such as which weapons have been most successful for them in killing enemies." Don't worry though, you wont have to pay to play online, the WSJ is reporting that "players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service."

There is no current price set for the service, though it's expected to be less than other comparable online subscription services such as Netflix ($7.99/month). A portion of the cost will be used for a "customer-service operation" which will be needed for support. All the years map packs will also be included, they usually run for $15 apiece so this helps justify the annual cost.

We'll update this story as more info is released.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 World Premiere Incoming

Ad campaigns have come long way since the early days of gaming, but with Call of Duty, Activision's powerhouse of a franchise, is set to have it's world premiere on televeision on May 23rd. According to Modern Warfare 3's Facebook page, the world premiere is going to be during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals that day on ESPN (as pictured right below)

Keep your eyes open on Monday, you Call of Duty-holics!

First Details on Modern Warfare 3 Leaked

Coming as a surprise to no one, Activision's next Call of Duty game has been confirmed as Modern Warfare 3. Kotaku managed to snag some leaked info from unnamed sources regarding the next entry into the Modern Warfare franchise which is being worked on by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer, and Raven.

MW3's campaign will open up moments after the cliffhanger ending of MW2. As is customary to the series you will take on the roles of multiple protagonists, including a Russian Federal Protective Services agent, SAS operative, tank gunner, and AC-130 gunner, all alongside a returning cast of key characters. New locales will span the globe with players visiting, New York City, Paris, London, Dubai, and more.

The story will wrap up loose ends and character arcs from previous games, all while continuing to introduce new characters. "Sandman" and "Frost" are Delta Force operatives who will potentially move on to future Modern Warfare titles. If you're really hurting to learn more about the story and don't mind some spoilers Kotaku has also published the games plot as best they're able to understand.

Multiplayer will of course make its return with a chunky list of playable maps - though details on specifics are still unknown - two new types of spec ops modes have been revealed, "Survival" and "Mission."

I've contacted Activision for more details, we'll update this story as we get more information.

Find Makarov - A Live-Action Modern Warfare Film Project

After the tease and Activision confirming that the countdown was a hoax, it's been finally revealed as an actual live-action Modern Warfare film project, by a small Canadian studio named We Can Pretend. For me, I always loved fan film projects because Hollywood always butchers their movies like Resident Evil for example. The only exception is Silent Hill; some love it, some hate it.

Enough of that, take a look at how badass this film project actually looks!

Honestly, I got blown away at how much this even looks like the game! I say support these guys and get blown away like I was