Activision has confirmed that the Call of Duty Elite beta has kicked off on Xbox 360, so if you managed to get in on the invite-only service you can get right into the thick off all those... er, stats.
Although the service will be officially launched along with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 later this year, a select few will be able to get a taste for it today.
The service allows users to connect with other CoD players, compete in events and competitions and improve their in-game skills by analysing player statistics and performance, says Activision.
The beta will be activated in phases for feature testing, with limited invitations rolling out in the coming weeks.
Call of Duty Elite will "super charge" the Call of Duty experience in three key ways, claims Activision:
Connect: Call of Duty Elite gives players unprecedented control over their multiplayer experience. This is a true social gaming platform. Players can compete against friends, gamers of similar skill levels or interests, join groups and clans, and play in organized competitions. They can also track the performance, progress and activity of their personal network, both in the game itself as well as via custom mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android smart phones, tablets and on the web.
Compete: Call of Duty Elite hosts events and competitions for players of all skill levels on a regular basis; both in-game and real-world prizes will be awarded across the Call of Duty Elite player roster when the service goes live on 8th November.
Improve: Call of Duty Elite is ground zero for anyone who wants to improve their in-game skills. It dynamically tracks player statistics and performance down to the finest detail. It can show gamers how they compare to their friends or other players community-wide. The user-friendly tools and data will give gamers the insights they need to up their kill/death ratio in no time.
Activision boss Bobby Kotick has called Call of Duty Elite is a 'direct result of player input' and claimed it "started out with a desire to give back" to players.
After some negative response from the community Activision responded by defending Call of Duty Elite, saying that even its 'haters can play for free'.
Comments
8 comments so far...
Athrun888 on 15 Jul '11 said:
That emblem/logo/whatever looks absolutely horrible, no style whatsoever.
Cogglesz on 15 Jul '11 said:
Wow you gotta pay for this? when i first heard of Elite i was thinking it was an actual new multiplayer game with lots of bonuses and extra's compared to the normal multiplayer on COD games, i don't know from personal experience, but isn't Halo Waypoint like this and free?
Cogglesz on 15 Jul '11 said:
Nevermind i take that back, you can get it for free!
Idgaf on 15 Jul '11 said:
Activision's definition of "unprecedented" must be: We've never done it so no one else could have done it, YAY, we are the first.
Must be nice of them to have their head stuck in the sand so they don't have to know what has been going on for years.
gmcb007 on 15 Jul '11 said:
The backwards 3-instead-E makes me cringe. Clearly aimed at those kids who act like quickscoping is a professional skill in life, think nuke counts actually mean something and call everybody 'n00bz!'. Idiots basically.
Jensonjet on 16 Jul '11 said:
The service allows users to... improve their in-game skills by analysing player statistics and performance, says Activision.
Really? That must be where everyone's been going wrong. It's not about practice; getting more accurate and building up your reactions, or learning maps, it's always been about looking at statistics! Now we all know. Amazing what you can learn from an Activision press release.
I wonder if looking at stats can improve any other skills. Maybe this is the future of education. Want to learn science; study stats. Want to improve at sport; study stats. Want to gain skills and experience for a job; study stats! Ok, that's enough sarcasm for one day.
Finally, is anyone else thoroughly sick of marketing people's drivel? You'd imagine a little honesty and respect for customers might go a long way. I guess not in the world of gaming.
aawells07 on 16 Jul '11 said:
The backwards 3-instead-E makes me cringe. Clearly aimed at those kids who act like quickscoping is a professional skill in life, think nuke counts actually mean something and call everybody 'n00bz!'. Idiots basically.
Quickscoping annoys me more than anything in COD games. I know they wont but i wish like hell that they would fix that so noone could do it. When i play i play SnD only and theres nothin that ticks me off more than watching some little fag kid constantly scoping in and out for nothing and when it gets down to the crucial part where its win or lose and some kid trys QS and gets killed Oh man it burns me up. I hate playing with people who dont play seriously and at least try to win and not goof around like the guys hide in the grass until everyone is dead and only then pop up goof around when everyone on his team has to watch him act like a child it just sucks that you cant get away from it no matter what. I wish they would have a system in place to seperate the kids or guys who just wanna jack off in a corner or showoff there QS crap to themselves from the ones who wanna play and have fun and not annoy other people.
Jensonjet on 17 Jul '11 said:
I don't want to seem sarcastic here, but there is a system in place. It's always been there. It's in every game. If you dislike the people you're playing with leave! It's that easy.
You can't tell people how you want them to play a game. And they don't have to play the way you want them to either. After all you're not playing the way they play, so you're both equally wrong as much as you are right.
I'm not condoning gamers who mess about or ruining the flow of a game. This type of gamer has and always will exist, and they have as much right to play the way they do as you have, so there's little point in complaining. Just leave and find another game. It has to be a better option than staying in a game with people you dislike playing with. That's how I always handled teamkillers, people who want to mess about, glitchers, kids, and anyone else who doesn't want to play competitively and seriously.
An online shooter is a public game and the sooner Call of Duty fans start to understand the meaning of that instead insulting other gamers the more they'll enjoy gaming. I read a lot of complaints from Call of Duty fans and I don't understand why they play if they're so unhappy with the game. If you really hate playing with strangers, only play when your friends are about, or play something else.