Activision is coming out with the latest "Call of Duty" title on Monday, November 3, a day ahead of the Tuesday releases most video game publishers usually make for their games, which means those who want to get an early copy will need to stay up late on Sunday night, not Monday.
"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" will become available to all gamers at 12:01 A.M. Eastern Time at Walmart, Best Buy and GameStop, whether gamers made a pre-order for the new title or not. The difference is those who pre-ordered the game will receive a bonus package that includes two custom weapons, an AK-12G Assault Rifle and a Crossbow-B2, an Advanced Arsenal with a Bullet Brass Exoskeleton and EM1 Quantum Directed Energy Weapon, and the Double XP that everyone who picks up the Zero Day release receives. On top of the Double XP, early release buyers also receive weapons and gear upgrades with Supply Drops from Mountain Dew and Doritos. The special items include an exoskeleton, a heavy vest kit, helmets, goggles, boots and more.
The new "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" was developed by Sledgehammer Games and is the first of the "Call of Duty" titles to take advantage of the capabilities of the latest-generation PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
"We've really approached this game different," says Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg. "We're shaking up the formula in several ways."
Activision says it created a "riveting new story" into the game and included an "iconic new character" played by Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey. In this latest iteration of the military shooter game, soldiers will be pitted against private military contractor Jonathan Irons while donning the new exoskeleton suits that Sledgehammer designed to give players superhero-like capabilities.
"It's been a lot of fun working with the team to bring Jonathan Irons to life," says Spacey. "The technology is truly remarkable and unlike anything I've done before. I'm excited to see where this goes."
"Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" will also come with a Zombie mode in the game's $49.99 Season Pass. It's not clear, though, if Activision will add zombies to an existing map or if it will make Zombie mode exclusive to the Season Pass. Also included in the Season Pass are four multiplayer map packs, namely Havoc, Ascendance, Supremacy and Reckoning.
Walmart will start selling the physical copies of the new game for $59.99 at midnight local time, while Best Buy and GameStop will start selling in all areas once the clock strikes 12 on the East Coast. That means gamers on the West can pick up their own copy from either store at 9:01 P.M. Pacific Time. In other states, the Best Buy and GameStop releases will be at 10:01 P.M. Mountain Time and 11:01 P.M. Central Time.
All three stores will be holding their own special "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" events, including early-play tournaments where gamers compete for prizes such as posters and badges. At GameStop, the event starts at 9 P.M. and lasts until 1 A.M. on Tuesday.
Gamers who want to upgrade their Xbox 360 can also get the new "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" bundle for Xbox One, which comes with a special paint job for the console and the controller, two times the hard drive and a digital copy of the game with a $50 price drop to $449.99. GameStop is also offering a promo for gamers who want to trade in their PS3 or Xbox 360 for $125 of in-store credit used for the purchase of a PS4 or an Xbox One. Purchasing the digital copy of the game will also include a year's subscription to PlayStation Plus for free.
