On en parlait déjà il y a un peu plus de deux semaines à la suite d’une preview du jeu parue dans la presse, et United Offensive, le premier add-on pour Call of Duty, est désormais officiellement annoncé. Et c’est donc bien Gray Matter (développeur récemment de Return to Castle Wolfenstein et du très mort Trinity) qui se charge de développer tout ça pour la fin de l’année.
Le solo de l’add-on proposera de jouer dix nouveaux niveaux, dont la bataille des Ardennes, celle de Koursk ainsi que l’invasion de la Sicile. Il y aura de nouvelles armes et des améliorations graphiques. Surtout, le commercial qui s’occupe du produit nous promet « plus de réalisme ». Du réalisme dans un clone de Medal of Honor ? Quelle bonne blague.
Gray Matter compte également proposer de nouvelles maps et trois nouveaux modes multijoueurs, dont un au nom équivoque : Tank Battle. Au passage, et comme il est coutume de le dire dans les communiqués de presse, un zozo de Gray Matter annonce qu’il est « très excité » de travailler sur ce projet. Après tout, c’est tellement mieux de travailler sur l’add-on ultra classique d’un clone se situant dans une période historique vue et revue que de développer un jeu original.
ACTIVISION H.Q. ANNOUNCES CALL OF DUTY: UNITED OFFENSIVE
CURRENTLY AT BOOT CAMP
Santa Monica, CA – April 9, 2004 – Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) confirmed today that gamers can enlist for a second tour of duty on the intense front lines of WWII with Call of Duty(tm): United Offensive(tm) – the expansion pack to the highly acclaimed, #1 best-selling Call of Duty(tm) from Infinity Ward. Delivering a compelling, all-new single player campaign filled with new weapons, character abilities and other expanded features, Call of Duty: United Offensive also offers a robust multiplayer experience introducing new maps and modes of play. Building on Call of Duty’s award-winning cinematic intensity and chaos of battle, players are thrust alongside their squad mates into more authentic action on Europe’s most historic battlefields. Currently in development at Gray Matter Interactive Studios, Call of Duty: United Offensive is expected to release later this fall and is rated « RP » (Rating Pending) by the ESRB.
« There are so many untold stories of WWII left to uncover, » states Dusty Welch, vice president of global brand management, Activision, Inc. « Gray Matter Interactive has a great vision of how to bring these stories to life in Call of Duty: United Offensive, with incredible new effects and features that heighten the sense of realism, building on the best game of 2003 which has racked up over 70 Game of the Year and 50 Editors’ Choice Awards worldwide. »
« We are very excited to be working with Activision and Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: United Offensive, » states Robb Alvey, senior producer, Gray Matter Interactive Studios. « Infinity Ward kicked-off the Call of Duty franchise with a landmark title and we can’t wait to deliver the next chapter in intense, epic battlefield action. »
Call of Duty: United Offensive’s single player campaign allows gamers to experience more of WWII’s most crucial and legendary conflicts, including The Battle of the Bulge, The Battle of Kursk and the invasion of Sicily, as they fight through more than ten intense all-new maps. The game features new weapons, character abilities, weather effects and explosions, adding even more realism to the chaotic battlefields.
Additionally, Call of Duty: United Offensive expands on the popular multiplayer experience of Call of Duty, offering new multiplayer maps that set the stage for tank combat, as well as tank-and-foot-soldier combined arms action, providing the ultimate battle of Axis vs. Allies. Fans will also enjoy three new multiplayer gameplay modes, including Tank Battle, Capture the Flag and Domination – where squads must take control of key locations while preventing enemy troops from advancing.
