The hubbub of Infinity Ward and Activision is huge. Call of Duty creators Vince Zampella and Jason West have supposedly been speaking to other publishers. Lawsuits are in order, the two are now gone from Infinity Ward, and Activision may be searching for incriminating documents, alleging communication between Infinity Ward and other publishers, specifically EA.

But why would they do that? They left EA, created one of Activision's most popular franchises, and just released one of the biggest blockbuster titles to date. Doesn't that make Activision and Infinity Ward the best of partners?

Apparently not. When Infinity Ward's creators initially left EA, the current #2 gaming publisher in the world was in a similar position to Activision: at the top of their game, raking in the big bucks, and selling some of the hottest games around. But they were also controlling, and ended up making Zampella and West decide to leave, presumably because they are artists and creators, not marketers and moneymakers.

With that mindset in hand, they went to Activision and created Call of Duty, which became a smash hit and single-handedly killed the Medal of Honor franchise. Not only did it make bring Infinity Ward into the limelight, it helped propel Activision to the status they currently have now: videogame publisher supergiant. Ironically, Infinity Ward's success has been their curse. Each new game they bring pulls in so much money and demand that the publishers step in to make sure no mistakes are made.

So who's at fault? Activision can't be blamed; as a publisher, it's their job to do whatever it takes to ensure the games they publish make the most money. Infinity Ward, on the other hand, put themselves in harms way, for the second time. It's no coincidence that the two largest game publishers have taken advantage of the popular developer to make money, and the pattern is repeating now.

If Infinity Ward is indeed looking to EA for future projects, it makes sense. EA has for the last three years been very generous to their developers, and has also helped create quite a few new IPs. Activision, however, won't just let the developer go, and has a vice-grip stronger than any competitor today. Our only message to Zampella and West: make sure Activision doesn't find anything compromising. We don't want to see you go just yet.

So you thought February was awesome? This is the best year in gaming, and things are just getting better and better. Here's Eight reasons why March will kick February's ass in gaming.

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Online gaming has come on leaps and bounds over the years, and it has many guises. My first online experience is born from when I jumped into a multiplayer game of Halo 2 in 2006, and I was impressed. Gone were the days of my boredom taking over as each AI-controlled enemy followed a predictable and predetermined course of action. If they were designed to be a difficult opponent, they simply fired more frequently and with improved accuracy.

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We all know them, love them and are aware of the great games that they make, but what makes Naughty Dog such an excellent developer?

The studio has a tendency to create a new IP every generation for the Playstation. As we all know, they are the creators of the hugely popular Crash Bandicoot franchise on the Playstation. They moved on to their Jak and Daxter series. While boasting rather similar platforming, the sequels brought guns into the mix. Of course, on the Playstation 3, they began their Uncharted franchise, which boasts amazing visuals and an incredible cinematic experience.

I list the following reasons why Naughty Dog is one of the best developers around.

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Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are not the same game, nor were they designed to be. I've heard countless people compare the two, but that's just unfair, which has ultimately driven me to write what's more or less of a rant.

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It’s quite a strong title, isn’t it? The subject of whether a computer game can drive someone to murder is a contentious issue, one that can cause powerful statements to be released like the one above. Those on both sides of the argument will put forward their case with great commitment, especially those that have lost people as a result of shootings or stabbings that are said to mirror those in a computer game or a film. But I, for one, don’t believe a word of it.

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January was pretty good, but this is 2010, the best (expected) year in gaming ever. And while January was good, February will be better. Here’s why:

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It's almost been three months since the release of Infinity Ward's record-breaking game Modern Warfare 2. Now that we are all sober, I would like to assess the current state of the game truthfully. (more...)

As I'm sure most of you will know, unless you've spent the last year living under a rock, Bungie is set to release its last ever Halo game sometime in September, and as promised, it looks like it'll be their best yet. The graphics, overall, will be sharper, cleaner and presented with a more realistic and gritty overtone. The AI will be twice as capable as Halo 3 and above all else, it'll feature a team of Spartans, armed to the teeth with a host of newly designed weapons.

But with all of this in mind, there is one burning question, a question that every avid Halo fan will be asking when the dust settles after Reach: "what now?" It's a valid point, and one worthy of close attention and intense scrutiny.

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Mass Effect 2 is a huge game. So huge, in fact, that we'd be remiss if we didn't give a little helpful guidance to players priming to play. So we at Brave New Gamer have assembled a list of 5 tips to remember for your first playthrough of Mass Effect 2 to ensure you have the most fun, enjoyable experience possible.

And there are no spoilers! (more...)