Call of Duty: Black Ops
The newest installment in the biggest action series of all time and the follow-up to last year’s blockbuster Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops launches on November 9, 2010. Call of Duty: Black Ops is a first-person shooter with stealth and tactical play aspect that puts players in the role of a shadow soldier fighting in a variety of historically representative fictional Black Ops missions of the Cold War era … More >>

• Wide array of play modes including single player, local multiplayer versus and online co-op and multiplayer
• Seventh installment of the Call of Duty series, based on the live fire conflicts of the Cold War era
• Diverse variety of play setting ranging from urban air and ground combat in SE Asia, to snow combat in Soviet region and jungle combat
• Blending of traditional COD and new first-person character scenarios designed to both retain the essence of the COD gaming experience and ensure constantly flowing and varied action
• New arsenal of weapons and vehicles tied to the Cold War era, including the SR-71 Blackbird and sited explosive-tipped crossbows

Call of Duty: Black Ops

According to a study done by researchers from New York’s University of Rochester, playing shooter type games can help games make faster decision in real life …

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Violent video games like “Call of Duty” can help trigger-happy players make decisions faster in real life, according to a study released on Wednesday.

Researchers from New York’s University of Rochester found that first-person shooter games produced a heightened sensitivity and led to more efficient use of sensory evidence.

“These benefits of video games stem only from action games, which almost always means shooter games, where you go through a maze and you don’t know when a villain will appear,” researcher Daphne Bavelier said in a statement.

“It’s not exactly what you’d think of as mind enhancing. Strategy or role-playing games don’t have the same effect.”

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, involved testing 26 people aged 18 to 25, none of whom had played shooting games before, over several months.

Half of the participants played 50 hours of shooting games like “Call of Duty” and “Unreal Tournament” while the other half played 50 hours of a strategy game, “The Sims 2.”

They were then given various tests such as deciding which direction a group of dots on a screen was moving at varying speeds, and deciphering which ear was hearing noises.

The researchers found that the group who had played the shooting games was able to make judgments faster and more accurately. They were found to be 25 percent better at decision making.

“Unlike standard learning paradigms, which have a highly specific solution, there is no such specific solution in action video games because situations are rarely, if ever, repeated,” the researchers wrote in their study.

“Thus, the only characteristics that can be learned are how to rapidly and accurately learn the statistics on the fly and how to accumulate this evidence more efficiently.” The findings come amid a debate about the pros and cons of violent video games such as first-person shooters.

Research from Texas A&M International University earlier this year found violent video games can increase aggression and hostility in some players but also found that they can benefit others by honing their visual/spatial skills and improving social networking ability.

Via YahooNews

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov 27, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced today that the Call of Duty(R) franchise has surpassed $3 billion in retail sales worldwide, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack, GfK and internal Activision estimates.

Since its first release, the award-winning Call of Duty franchise has sold in excess of 55 million units worldwide. The latest title in the franchise, Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty(R):Modern Warfare(R) 2, recently shattered box office and video game records with a worldwide estimated five-day sale through of approximately $550 million, establishing the game as the biggest entertainment launch in history.

“Call Of Duty has become one of the greatest entertainment franchises of all time,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, Inc. “If you consider the number of hours our audiences are engaged in playing Call of Duty games, it is likely to be one of the most viewed of all entertainment experiences in modern history.”

Modern Warfare 2 picks up following the historic events of Call of Duty(R) 4: Modern Warfare(R), the blockbuster title that remains the top selling first person action game in history. Modern Warfare 2 is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Language. For additional information about the game, visit www.modernwarfare2.com.

Although Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is just out, Infinity Ward is already putting the finishing touches on Modern Warfare 3. Of course, this is what Onion News Network reported. The ultra-realistic modern warfare game features awaiting order, repairing trucks etc. Ha .. ha .. ha ..

Anyway, the truth is, Modern Warfare 3 is not in development. Click here for details.