In the Hardened and Prestige editions of Call of Duty: Black Ops, Activision have included DLC codes for downloadable Avatar outfits and Zombie Map Packs. Unfortunately, the codes for the Avatar outfits only work with male avatars; anybody with a female avatar is being told to "send the code to a friend who has a male avatar". As a result, Activision have decided to issue two universal codes for players with female avatars. Luckily, a user at CAG has shared the codes; they are:

SR 71 Flight Suit: GYVF8-PF7RY-28D7V-VGWV8-CFGRM

Woods Outfit: R76BQ-CR3MF-G2TTF-9G36R-BQWJD

Here's a quick link to the Redeem Code page on the Marketplace if you can't wait to turn on your Xbox before you redeem the codes.

You are able to use these codes with any account with a female avatar; you don't have to own a copy of the game. At least Activision have managed to rectify the problem pretty quickly. Treyarch are also asking players to report any multiplayer glitches and bugs through their official forums.

First of all, thanks once more for your patience while we've taken in all your feedback since the game's launch. After we received your feedback, the process began to replicate and understand what you were seeing, and then get to work making improvements.

We're now at the stage of that process where we are able to give you some more detail about what improvements to FIFA 11 you can expect. Sorry we've been a bit quiet on this stuff until now, but as you know we can't really talk about these things until they're locked down and confirmed.

The patch release dates are November 12th for PS3 and November 17th for Xbox 360.

Also, here's an overview of the things we've done. If you have questions about anything you see here, or want more detail on anything in particular, feel free to post them in this thread and we'll do our best to answer them.

GAMEPLAY
You'll now find that the implementation of the offside rule in the game is more accurate, both in terms of when the infringement is called and in terms of player positions when it happens. Occasional strange player positioning at kick-off have also gone away, while shooting from weak volleys has been improved, too. Importantly, so-called 'micro-pausing' during gameplay will also be a thing of the past. Overall, your gameplay experience should now be even better.

CAREER MODE
There are a lot of improvements you'll notice here, which will all further boost the realism of the mode, but in summary: Your match fixtures during the season for cups and leagues, as well as the time of day they all happen, should now be much more realistic. We've also improved how accurately player ratings and growth are displayed, as well as making sure the players get the awards they deserve, when they deserve them. Using an odd exploit to secure a whopping $2 billion budget has now gone away, while the emails you receive as a manager will be more appropriate and players you've loaned out will now be easier to see and manage.

ONLINE HEAD TO HEAD
Matchmaking will be enhanced, particularly in terms of initially connecting to an opponent, while we've removed a couple of exploits that people were using to gain an unfair advantage over their opponents. Also, players will now no longer be able to use Passing Power Assistance in ranked matches.

ONLINE CLUBS
We've already made a lot of server-side improvements to the Clubs experience, particularly in terms of matchmaking, match results and progress in Cups. With the game update we'll be making a range of improvements to stats and league-table presentation, too, as well as improving the camera motion when your player is a long way from the ball.

PRESENTATION
You'll now find that cut-scenes are improved during substitutions, along with a range of more subtle improvements around of the game.

AUDIO
Creation Centre teams will now benefit from crowd chants, while we've improved the custom chants area as well. We've also managed to enhance a few audio triggers during gameplay, meaning you'll get an even better atmosphere as things happen during a match.

CREATION CENTRE
The general performance of the game when it involves teams and players created via the Creation Centre has been improved. Also, you'll now find that the formations and attributes you set on the web will now transfer more accurately to the console.

FIFA STORE
We've made sure that Live Season will be available for multiple users on the same console. Some people who had switched from an inactive XBL account to a Gold Account were having problems seeing the content of the store – we've got that covered, too.

KITS
Lincoln City and Montpellier fans, your teams' kits should now be right on the money.

Source: http://forum.ea.com/uk/posts/list/56764.page

Rod Cousens, Codemasters' CEO, presented an overview about the release of the next three projects, namely Operation Flashpoint: Red River, GRID 2 and DiRT 3.

The first will be released between early April and the end of June 2011: this period of time was preferred given the limited amount of titles, especially shooters, which will surely be always on top.

GRID 2 was instead moved to 2012 for a pure strategic choice: the publisher has decided to distance himself from DiRT 3, since for the same period of Operation Flashpoint: Red River.

We look forward to more precise dates.

"Every game has bugs, is a reality of the gaming market," said Dan Amrich on its official blog, explaining thus the need for Treyarch has to have as much feedback as possible from the outset to work on any problems encountered before that could happen in the game.

"More than a game, the greater appears the possibility of bugs that could not even come to light in less popular games. So the best way to resolve these issues now is to share what I found with the team, so as to enable them to act quickly to solve."

In this respect are also some guidelines on how to contact Treyarch through the official forum: "helped by the fact of being precise and correct (written insults all caps can make you feel better, but make it more difficult to understand the problem), try to be specific (more details can you provide, the better) and direct and clear, so we have much more chance to get to the heart of the problem as quickly as possible."

With the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops and the relative fall of the usual press embargo has been published all the reviews of the major international titles with ratings assigned to the new title of the famous series of war. Votes that seem to be quite high, on average, with several guest above 9, some excellent and only a few sporadic votes between 8 and 7.

Here is the list of reviews:

• Eurogamer - 8/10
• Joystiq - 4/5
• Games.On.Net - 4.5/5
• Gamekult (French) - 7/10
• USA Today - 4/4
• JVN (French) - 18/20
• GiantBomb - 4/5
• Kotaku - No score
• CVG - 9.3/10
• IGN UK - 8.5/10
• IGN US - 8.5/10
• Exophase - No score
• GameReactor - 9/10
• OPM UK (via KingPS3) - 9.4/10
• The Guardian - 5/5
• 1UP - A-
• GameTrailers - 9.3/10
• Videogamer - 9/10
• GameInformer - 9/10
• Tweakers - 9.5/10
• Eurogamer.cz (Czech) - 8/10
• Metro - 9/10

Spoilers Alert

For XBOX 360

On the start screen whilst lookinf at the selection of multiplayer zombies etc, Wiggle the left stick and pull the triggers repeatidly!

You will break free from the chair!

Move to the computer and hold X and type the following.

ZORK (enter)

QUIT (enter)

Y (enter)

DOA (enter)

you will enter Dead Ops Arcade!

CIA Database Computer Codes

On the Main Menu, and press the Aim and Shoot buttons repeatedly. After about five times for each button, you'll break free of your interrogation chair. When you get up, walk around behind you to a computer. When you access it, enter the following using the on-screen keyboard.

3ARC INTEL

Unlocks all Intel in the game for viewing

3ARC UNLOCK

Unlocks Dead Ops Arcade and Presidential Zombie Mode

3ARC INTEL (code is a play on Treyarch's name) Unlocks all the audio intel in the game for viewing and accordingly, disables the trophy or achievement when done (reboot the system to reinitialize this condition).

Once picked up the pad of the Xbox 360 version, the feeling of familiarity is immediate as is the recognition of typical elements of the series, from the fluidity of the image until you reach the speed of movement. After playing the deathmatch, always a great heating, I immersed myself in what we believe is the most interesting feature of the entire package, ie the union of a betting system of the above CoD Points to a playlist composed of how much detail, after which the top three finishers are rewarded with the interests of their bets while others must content themselves with giving it a try and, with a little 'of sports, having fun.

In this system are therefore related games such as Gun Game, during which all start with the same weapon, and in any killing, you get to the next trying to get to the last - in total, twenty, to what we saw - and puts Sharp Shooter all the same instrument in the hands of offense, occur randomly chosen and change during the clash. The two most successful, however, seemed to One in the Chamber, where each participant has three lives, one pistol and one shot, renewable if the previous one had scored, and Sticks and Stones, with all the contestants engaged in a massacrasi the sound of explosive arrows from the crossbow body with knives and bullets fired from the handle. I have not had the opportunity yet to see the complete list of more traditional modes included. As for the maps I have traveled between the snowy expanses, punctuated by a central command, to the Summit of missile launch pad in Launch view, complete with a rocket in its output during the meeting so as to give a further reason for fun by releasing a new passage to the bottom floor of the map. Finally Radiation, with its remains of cars destroyed by now, container and old buildings, it seemed the more traditional environment, not bad but less exciting than the other two proposed here.

Very rich, finally, all part of the boundary due to the special menu, so able to highlight the statistics of the game and give the possibility to choose such things as your clan tag, how to manage the many options related to their character, the perks to the cosmetic changes made to weapons such as the colorful sights, logos, or different types of camouflage or backgrounds.

The update of the dashboard of the Xbox 360 a few days ago has not only resulted in a renewal of the graphics and support for Kinect, but as reported by Digital Foundry has also updated its anti-piracy software inside the system.

In particular, this is known as "AP 2.5", ie a system that reportedly works in connection with some "safe areas" within the discs that contain the games. If checks continue between the system and the disk are negative, the console returns an error "disk dirty or unreadable" that blocks playback.

This should be a further step forward in the fight against piracy, unless of course you do not avoid the dashboard update, which, however, preclude the use of Xbox Live.

According to reports from the pages of GameIndustry.Biz, Microsoft is also working on titles that let you play with the use of Kinect controllers and Xbox 360 simultaneously.

To reveal the man behind the development of the device, Kipman Alex, who is said to open to any kind of interaction that will be innovative for the times:

"We will continue to have games based only on the controller. We love games without pads, Kinect worship experience, and we will also continue on this road. What I have not talked, but there are hybrid games. These titles will use the joypad, we all know and enrich the gaming experience with the support of Kinect."

The article continues by pulling in an example of hybrid dance with Halo. In short, everything is shaping up more and more interesting.

Square Enix, which deals with the location of Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Japanese territory, said that to allow his release in the land of the Rising Sun was necessary to make cuts of censorship on some elements of the game. In particular, it refers to the swastika, which will be replaced by the Iron Cross decoration, established by the King of Prussia and then shot in Germany during the two world wars to decorate civilians who distinguished themselves in military action. Only the console versions of the game with subtitles will keep references to Nazism.
Were also removed and dismemberment several "expressions of brutality" during a particular stage of questioning.