What to expect from Call of Duty 6

True to form, next Fall we should expect to see another Call of Duty from Activision. All reports are saying that Call of Duty 6 will take off where Call of Duty Modern Warfare left off. One of the protagonists, "Soap" MacTavish, is airlifted out of a war zone by the Russian military, Captain Price's fate is unknown, and if the epilogue is any hint, there is a hostage crisis that leads to a larger international issue. I think it would be very clever of Infinity Ward to take off right at the point of jumping out of the airplane in the final phase of the epilogue, and maybe landing in hostile territory and having to fight your way out.

As of now, there doesn't seem to be any other contenders for biggest holiday hit for 2009, so COD: MW2 may completely corner the market. What would you like to see in this title? New, higher-tech weapons? More vehicle use? What kind of direction in the story line? Personally, I can't wait for this game. Call of Duty World at War has been a lot of fun, no doubt, but come Fall I'll be itching for a new Call of Duty.

An Offer You Can't Refuse

In 2002, I was pretty heavily into PlayStation 2. I had a sub-standard computer and I seldom played games on it. I don't remember how I found myself playing Mafia. Sure, the mechanics may not have been the like of Grand Theft Auto III, but it had such authentic 1930s feel to it, especially with Django Reinhardt's guitar pieces. I found myself enjoying Mafia more than the dark GTA III for many reasons.

It's no surprise, then, that I'm really looking forward to Mafia II next year. Granted, it's not going to eclipse such bound-to-be-hits as Call of Duty 6, Halo ODST, Halo Wars, Final Fantasy XIII, Resident Evil 5, or even HAWX. I hope it does get some attention though, because with its mobsters, guns, a Marlon Brando doppleganger, and the 1950s setting, it's bound to be something special.

Where I think this game could really shine is in multiplayer. I don't many details about the game, I don't think anyone does, but if there is a very open world feel to the multiplayer, where players can set up shop in a given district and run black market operations to gain money and prestige, I see a lot of people embracing this title.

Anyone else looking forward to this one?

Killing Nazi Zombies Ist Gut!

I didn't buy Call of Duty World at War simply to kill Nazi Zombies. I knew a little bit about the game mode, but I was really looking forward to the campaign mode. The voice acting by Sutherland and Oldman seemed awesome, the multiplayer was bound to stand on its own, and after playing the game through, I was glad I bought it.

The first time I played Nazi Zombies was online with three other buddies, and I had a blast. For such a simple concept, the game mode gives hours and hours of entertainment, and some stress when you get to round 19 or so. Who would have thought that in a video game you'd be blasting off the heads of decomposing national socialists with a futuristic ray gun?

My biggest hope is that Activision and Infinity Ward embrace this idea that Treyarch added into World at War and add it into Call of Duty 6 (coming next fall). I'm sure it doesn't take a lot of development effort to create such a game mode, and it's something that will keep me coming back.

Your thoughts?