• This Lady Stole $28,000 From Activision to Pay For Her Engagement Party

    Working public relations can be a stressful job, especially when you're working for Activision-Blizzard - one of the worlds largest game publishers - on Call of Duty, hands-down one of the most profitable and expansive franchises in modern gaming.

    Naturally, sometimes you just want to let your hair down, kick your shoes off and steal $28,000 from the company that signs your checks. It's human nature, really.

    That's exactly what Kathryn Kirton did. The disgraced former PR boss of Activision UK was sentenced to 18 months in prison after it was uncovered that she had been spending absurd amounts of Activision money to fund her own lavish lifestyle.

    Some of her finer purchases include:

    • Nearly £10,000 on three shopping sprees on designer clothes from a place called Reiss which we're led to believe the Duchess of Cambridge is known to shop at.
    • £2,000 for a hotel stay at a luxury hotel.
    • £1,500 for an elaborate party, to celebrate her engagement to her fiance'.
    • £1,000 to fund a bachelorette party for her and her friends.

    So, what happens to a shamed PR executive after stealing such exorbitant sums of money?

  • How To Get Mob of the Dead's Secret Easter Egg & Achievement

    If you've played any of the past Zombies maps from previous Treyarch-developed Call of Duty games, you're doubtless aware that the studio likes to include deviously tricky easter eggs for players to unlock.

    These easter eggs put all other secret achievements to bed with their complexity and level of challenge. Gone are the days of simply taking a hidden path and unlocking the easter egg or putting in the Konami code at a certain place and time. Treyarch has raised the bar time and time again, only to have it raised further...by themselves.

    In Mob of the Dead, Treyarch may have outdone themselves.

    The easter egg in Mob of the Dead - the Zombies map in Black Ops 2: Uprising - gives you the achievement 'Pop Goes the Weasel' and this is probably where you want to stop reading if you're hoping to avoid spoilers.

  • Black Ops 2: Uprising Launches This Week, Here's What We're Getting

    As you may or may not be aware, Treyarch is launching the second DLC expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 this week and it's kind of a big deal. 

    We took a good look at Mob of the Dead last week and were rather impressed by what we found. The new Zombies map looks amazing, but now it's time to do the same with the rest of the content. The DLC goes by the name of Black Ops 2: Uprising and includes four brand new multiplayer maps as well as the aforementioned star-studded Zombies experience.

    Mob of the Dead

    Here's the premise behind Mob of the Dead (in a nutshell): four Prohibition era mobsters are arrested, tried and sentenced to prison time in Alcatraz.

    Here's where things get interesting, however. You see, Alcatraz is a dark place, but our four mobsters didn't realize exactly how dark.

    Turns out Alcatraz is crawling with a mob of their own, a Mob of the Dead if you will.

    As if that wasn't exciting enough, the mobsters are brought to life thanks to the vocal talents of Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano and Chazz Palminteri. Honestly, we could stop here and Black Ops 2: Uprising would already be worth the price tag but Treyarch didn't stop there, so we won't either.

  • How to Maximize Your XP Earning in Black Ops 2

    This weekend is Double XP in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, giving players a chance to rack up two-times the normal amount of experience towards their next rank or prestige level.

    Doubtless many of you will be grinding all weekend, but there's a science to maximizing your earning and we're here to share some tips on how you can get the most bang for your buck this weekend, taking advantage of the Double XP promotion.

    Keep reading for three foolproof methods to maximizing your XP earning in Black Ops 2.

  • What's New in Black Ops 2's Mob of the Dead Zombies Map?

    When Treyarch announced the second DLC expansion Uprising for Black Ops 2, we had mixed feelings. On the one hand, the maps looked good and the Zombies experience seems unique but on the other, it was just the same old formula...again.

    Activision has made it a habit to follow the tried and true formula with Black Ops DLC for both of these last two games; a handful of multiplayer maps and a new Zombies map.

    Lather, rinse and repeat.

    With Black Ops 2, call us naive, but we were hoping for something new. Is that what we've been given with Uprising? Let's take a look at the latest trailer for Mob of the Dead, the new Zombies experience and see what's new.

    You can see the trailer at the bottom of this post and follow along while we dissect this new look at the DLC.

  • Call of Duty: Championship Event Floor Footage

    Unless you were living under a rock, you're probably aware that the Call of Duty: Championship took place over the past weekend in Los Angeles, CA. Some of the greatest teams in Call of Duty history were convened under one roof to duke it out for the title of Call of Duty Champion and a delicious $400,000 payday.

    We were lucky enough to be on hand for the final day of competition and you can check out some of the footage we grabbed while we were there at the top of this post. 

    Give it a look and be sure to subscribe to our channel on YouTube for more Call of Duty videos like the one above.

  • Call of Duty: Championships 2013 Viewer's Guide

    The Call of Duty: Championship is taking place this weekend in Los Angeles, CA and we've put together the complete viewers guide to watching this massive Black Ops 2 tournament.

    Everything you need to know for the Call of Duty: Championship is available right here, so without further ado - let's get to it!

    What is the Call of Duty: Championship?

    Over the last few months, qualifying events have been carried out around the world in an attempt to gather up some of the worlds greatest competitive Black Ops 2 teams. From those events, Activision has gathered 32 of the most dominant professional teams in the game to compete in the Call of Duty: Championship for a prize pool of $1,000,000. That's one million dollars for those of you counting zeroes.

    These teams have been formed up in groups and will compete in a round-robin format tournament.

    With the prize pool being split between the top 8 teams, these guys are competing for a $400,00 payday for first place and that's not even to mention the prestige that comes along with taking home top honors at a stage this big.

  • Team Curse NA's Fatalize Discusses The Call of Duty: Championship

    The Call of Duty: Championship is set to get underway this weekend in Los Angeles, CA and our very own Team Curse will be on hand representing our fine organization. If you've ever wondered what it's like to mentally prepare for an event like this, we had a chance to interview Ryan 'Fatalize' Bogucki from our North American Call of Duty team.

    During our interview, we chatted about the upcoming Call of Duty: Championship and what he perceives to be the biggest challenges facing Team Curse.

    What was the biggest lesson that you guys took home from MLG Dallas?

    MLG Dallas taught us that we need to stay hyped during every game so we have momentum. We would be up in maps and not hype each other causing to take no advantage. It as well taught us that we have to come more prepared into a event , we feel like playing league play for so long really threw us off a bit.

    With everyone having now played a major LAN event, does that eliminate some of the nerves of being up on the stage like that?

    I feel like it does , we are so new as a team MLG Dallas was helpful to show us what we need to work on and that was CMPLX first ever event so it was good for him to play in such a intense atmosphere. 

  • Black Ops 2: Uprising Features Ray Liotta, Alcatraz Prison and a Remake of Firing Range

    Fresh from the grave, we have a brand new trailer for the worst kept secret in DLC, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Uprising. 

    The map pack, rumored for weeks but officially announced this morning, includes four brand new maps and a Zombies experience of epic proportions. First, let's look at the multiplayer maps.

    Magma takes place in a modern Japanese village, ravaged with volcanic eruptions that trace paths across the map and will probably burn you alive if you step foot into them. Encoreis set in London, in the wake of a music festival. The map caters to run and gun play styles and close quarters fighting. Vertigo harkens back to Highrise from Modern Warfare 2 or Overwatch from Modern Warfare 3, set on the top of a towering skyscraper, this time in India.

    Finally, we have Studio which is actually based on Firing Range, one of the more popular maps from the first Black Ops. Studio, however, is not set on a firing range but rather a Hollywood movie set with a handful of film themes from Sci-Fi to Western.

  • Black Ops 2 Confirmed for MLG Spring Season

    Major League Gaming has confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be returning to the lineup for the 2013 Spring Season. This news isn't entirely surprising as Call of Duty is one of the biggest gaming franchises of the current day, but it's great to hear just the same.

    The Spring Championship will take place on June 28th - 30th in Anaheim, CA but the road to that event starts much sooner for aspiring Call of Duty teams. Four online qualifiers will be held between now and then, giving teams a chance to fight their way into the Championship in Anaheim.

    The schedule for qualifying tournaments looks like this:

    1.            April 13th to May 1st

    2.            May 4th to May 15th

    3.            May 18th to May 29th

    4.            June 1st  to June 12th

    You can click those dates to register on Gamebattles for your chance to compete at the Spring Championship later this year.

    Best of luck to everyone who is gunning for a chance to play on the big stage, including our very own Team Curse!

    Speaking of games, our parent site Curse.com is running a poll to understand how you guys like to game. The poll is quick, easy and will really help Curse deliver the kind of content that you guys are interested in seeing. Our #1 goal is always to provide the content that you, the gamers, want to enjoy. This poll is a great way to do your part by letting us know what you love and why you love it.

    Check it out at http://curse.polldaddy.com/s/online-gamer-survey-1 and thank you for your time!

  • ELITE Previews Team Curse NA, Call of Duty: Championship

    The Call of Duty: Championship is right around the corner and Cal of Duty ELITE has been previewing the teams that are set to compete at the event. As you may be aware (if not, shame on you), Team Curse NA is one of those lucky teams who kicked enough ass to qualify for the event.

    Well, earlier today ELITE debuted the preview for Team Curse and you can give it a look for yourself after the break. This video includes interviews with each of the boys, Rizma, Fatalize, CMPLX and Apathy.

    Don't forget, the Call of Duty: Championship is set to take place between April 5th and 7th in Los Angeles. Join us in rooting on the team on Twitter and right here on FPS General, where we'll be covering the event all weekend!

  • Bungie Reveals Destiny Artwork and Video at GDC

    We're a little late to the party with this one, but Bungie revealed some gorgeous new artwork and a video for Destiny. This fresh look at Destiny comes from the Game Developer's Conference that took place last week in San Francisco.

    You can check out the video above, but be sure to check past the break for a whole slew of new concept art and images from the world of Destiny!

  • Black Ops 2 Micro-transactions Coming to PC and PlayStation 3

    If there's one thing PC gamers love, it is micro-transactions in $60 games. This is exactly why companies like EA are consistently voted in as 'Best PC Publisher', year in and year out. It's this sort of customer appreciation that the PC community has come to rely on these days.

    Okay, no more sarcasm.

    Treyarch is going to be bringing the option micro-transactions that have been doing well on Xbox Live to PC and PlayStation 3 starting on April 12th. This means personalization packs, those bundles that include three calling cards, three optic reticles and a weapon camo for a single $1.99 price tag.

    As much as we tend to decry micro-transactions of any sort, we do sincerely think that these are the best form of them, if you're going to put them in.

    No tactical advantage, no gameplay boost, just a purely cosmetic purchase to help you reflect your style in the game. We'll take that any day over pay-to-win micro-transactions that often plague these sorts of things.

    Also on April 12th, players will be able to download Nuketown 2025 for free while Nuketown Zombies will be available for $4.99 on all platforms. 

  • Black Ops 2: Uprising DLC To Include 'Most Terrifying Zombies Experience' Yet

    According to some lines of HTML and marketing copy found inside the code on Call of Duty's official website, it looks like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's next DLC is going to be titled Uprising.

    With a leak of this nature, we naturally don't have much information but what we do have is surprisingly descriptive. To start with, a line of code was found that revealed the name 'Uprising', linking to an image with the following bit of HTML:

    background: #000 url(‘/content/dam/atvi/callofduty/blackops2/cod-bo2/dlc/dlc2-uprising-bg.jpg’) center top no-repeat;

    Naturally, this image link is broken when you complete the link by following the syntax of the rest of the images found on the website.

    Thankfully, more information was uncovered from the site, namely this little tidbit:

    Download the epic Call of Duty: Black Ops II Uprising Theme, featuring Studio, Vertigo and the Mob of the Dead, Treyarch’s most terrifying Zombies experience to date.

    While this alludes to a Black Ops 2 theme on Xbox Live, it's clear that they are also referencing what appears to be two multiplayer maps in Studio and Vertigo as well as Mob of the Dead, which would be the new zombies experience.

    Hopefully, Treyarch will roll with this leak and spill some details in the coming days. We'll be here when they do, so check back in with us the rest of this week.

    Source: CODOnline

  • Next Call of Duty Details 'Leak', Information on Multiplayer

    Yesterday, a YouTube user by the name of Drift0r posted an 'exclusive' leak of information regarding the next Call of Duty game. These rumors are completely unsubstantiated and may very well have been pulled from Mr. Drift0r's hind quarters. For what it's worth, he says that the information comes from 'a very reliable source' that Drif0r 'quite literally trusts with [his] life'.

    None the less, a rumor is a rumor, so take it with a grain (or bag) of salt. Here's what The Drifted One has to say on the next Call of Duty game. 

    Call of Duty: Ghosts is allegedly the next game in the iconic franchise and will tell a story that spins off from the Modern Warfare franchise. According to the leak, Ghosts takes place in the future but somehow uses current technology courtesy of some plot event that causes all of our soldiers to be stuck with old stuff. The game was previously known as Call of Duty: Phantoms but Infinity Ward ultimately settled on Ghosts, presumably because the character Ghost is very popular and this rumor would generate more interest if that name was attached to it.

    The reveal is expected to come on May 1st, where Activision will officially unveil the game to the world. 

  • Here's Why Nobody Is Reviewing The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

    'Reviews are that way, Daryl.'

    The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct hit shelves today, and yet you would be hard pressed to find very many reviews of the game. The ones you do find are likely from untested blogs struggling to make a name for themselves. What about the 'big names' in games journalism, where are the Kotaku reviews or the Joystiq pieces on Survival Instinct? What about Destructoid or IGN?

    Most of these blogs have not put up a whole lot of content on The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct and we're pretty sure we know why.

    The answer comes in two parts:

    The Stigma

    Last year, Telltale Games released a point-and-click game based on The Walking Dead comic books. While the genre may have faded out over the years, it is absolutely perfect for what Telltale was trying to do with their version of The Walking Dead. Robert Kirkman, the comic book creator, worked closely with Telltale and oversaw story development on the game. Telltale's game was a massive hit, lauding nothing but amazingly good press and reviews and taking home dozens of gaming awards and honors.

    When The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct was announced, it already had a stigma surrounding it. This was that other Walking Dead game. You know, not the one that Telltale did. This one is made by Activision, it's a shooter.

    Survival Instinct may be the best game released this year for all we know, but the fact of the matter is that, to many people, this game is already associated as the lesser version of its more well-known and already established cousin. With Season Two of Telltale's series coming out, most of The Walking Dead community is hyped up for that and a lot of them had no idea that a shooter was even being produced.

  • Bungie Files Handful of Trademarks, Are These Related to Destiny?

    It looks like Bungie is getting ready for the future of Destiny as they file a handful of trademark applications. We don't explicitly know that these are Destiny related, but as Bungie isn't currently working on any other known projects, we think it's safe to assume.

    The trademarks were filed for the following:

    These applications are for protection for a number of uses including 'interactive game software; audio books in the nature of novels, comic books, graphic novels, posters, Halloween costumes' and so, so much more. Likely, most of these uses are 'just in case' measures and we probably won't see most of them come to fruition. But don't forget that Destiny is an Activision-published game and they are ambitious, if nothing else.

    I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see Destiny pushed as hard as possible and if that includes a Halloween costume for that guy at the top of this post, count me in.

    Source: Gamespot

  • Celebrate The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct With a Launch Trailer


    Celebrate the launch of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct with the official launch trailer, released just this morning in advance of tomorrow's big release day for the game.

    Terminal Reality has been hard at work on Survival Instinct and we're excited to finally see what they've cooked up. The game tells the story of Merle and Daryl Dixon, the latter of which is controlled by the player. Heading across the Georgia countryside, the brothers will be in a nearly-constant fight for their lives as they hope to reach the safety of Atlanta. This game serves as a prequel to the AMC series and focuses on the early days of the zombie outbreak, prior to the events of the show.

    AMC stars Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker take up their roles in Survival Instinct, respectively, as Daryl and Merle Dixon.

    Check out the trailer above and stick with FPSGeneral.com all week as we continue to bring you launch week coverage of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct.

  • Curse Topples Dare in Dramatic Fashion, MLG Dallas Round 1 Recap

    Team Curse NA is on hand in Dallas, Texas for the MLG Winter Championship, getting things started against Team Dare in Round 1 in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Championship bracket.

    The games got underway with a little Hardpoint on Raid, with Curse getting off to a sluggish start. It seemed like Rizma and Apathy needed a little warming up before they reached top form and Dare got off to a pretty healthy lead. That gap would be widened as the match progressed, reaching up to a 40+ point lead before the fireworks started. CMPLX absolutely lit up Team Dare, going on a rampage in the middle of the match, holding down the Hardpoints and absolutely dominating the opposition.

    Submachine Guns have been touted as being nerfed to the point of disrepair in Black Ops 2, but CMPLX went ahead and disproved that with his performance in this match using the Skorpion. Before all was said and done, CMPLX ended up dropping 50 kills and Team Curse comes back from the depths of a surefire loss to win the first game.

    Next up, Search & Destroy on Express. Again, Curse seemed to struggle towards the beginning with Dare taking a massive lead, winning the first 4 rounds handily. That dominance, however, was to be short lived. Curse rallied and proceeded to win six rounds in a row to come back and once again take the second round in the Best of 5 series.