Guns, Video Games, Rap Music, and Sumo Wrestling: Coverage of the Call of Duty XP 2011 in LA

​The Call of Duty XP event took place over the Labor Day weekend, with publisher Activision making some huge announcements regarding their next money maker game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

The event, of course, was filled with gaming tournaments, major announcements regarding Modern Warfare 3, sumo wrestling, paintballing, and rap music. It was one wild weekend, and Activision surely gave all of those in attendance a little something to remember.

After the jump, check out the highlights of the first Call of Duty XP event, without the con funk, long lines, and $150 admission fee (which all went to Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit foundation created by Activision Blizzard to help find employment for U.S. military veterans).

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly

​Every year the Call of Duty series returns with a new take on a familiar (and successful) formula. During the event, Activision revealed new details with the newest iteration of the series' multiplayer mode. Is it enough to draw in new players, and will it keep the game fresh for long-time fans of the game?

The most notable change to Modern Warfare 3's online multiplayer mode is the addition of strike packages. Instead of giving players a universal bonus list for kill streaks, Modern Warfare 3 will now group kill streaks into the various categories; assault, support, and specialist. By selecting one of these skill packages, kill streaks are awarded for players depending on their play style. Some players may prefer going in gung-ho and shooting everything up, whereas others may want to be more of a support. These strike packages will hopefully create a wider range of players, and is a step forward in an attempt to create more cooperation for the online multiplayer. Although they don't change the gameplay too much, it's a great alternative to the typical "guns-a-blazing" style of gameplay.

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly

​Streaks are also tallied in a different manner as well. For example, while assault characters will lose their streak when they downed, support characters will not. As long as players assist with kills, follow objectives, and play by the rules, they will be awarded with streaks.

Although Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer is nothing groundbreaking compared to the past iterations of the game series, it's supposed to be the most balanced Call of Duty title to date. MW3 takes a successful formula, adds new weapons, maps, streaks, modes, and refines the gameplay that millions of gamers love.