Monday, November 7, 2011

1 For the Home

If you are like me, the release of a new Call of Duty is like an early Christmas present. Once you have it, you'll play for hours at a time and ignore pretty much everything else. With the imminent Midnight launch of Modern Warfare 3, that time is here again but I ask you...

... what was the one thing you did to make your gaming time yours?

"Huh?" you ask. Well... the one thing you did for the person who really controls your time -- your wife, your girlfriend, or maybe even your Mom (sorry Dads, that ain't you and we both know it). That thing that will give them pause when they want to get on your case for spending too much time with MW3. That one thing you did without them really knowing why you did it but makes them think you've earned game time. I know I did...

... I put in a wood floor.

[PICS Forthcoming]

That's right, RAN's set.

Now, you don't have time to put in floors but it's not too late to do at least one thing for the home. Make a special dinner for your wife. Send flowers to your girlfriend's job (score points and make the other women's men look like chumps). Clean your room, kid (let's face it, if you have to worry about Mom, that's the best your gonna do at this point).

You've got options. But you need to do it or suffer the inevitable, "Get off the game and do !" Over... and over... and over.

I did my 1 for the home... did you?





Next, the conclusion: 0

Sunday, November 6, 2011

2 cents about Black Ops

I'll admit it... I was geeked up for Black Ops... really geeked up. Was it perfect....? No.

But it is the second best Call of Duty to date.

I'll miss playing it. Granted, I'm not selling it... I just tend to move forward rather than linger on the past. It introduced a number of things I really liked. Things that aren't in Modern Warfare 3 that could have been... and one that will be around COD again (I hope).
  1. Buying any attachment I want.
    • This was awesome. Some people think unlocking things shows "accomplishment". People who play a lot know it's a grind.
  2. David Vonderhaar
    • The best, most interactive dev in the business. Period. I made a somewhat snarky post (but sincere) over a year ago... he just calmly explained how it was. Since then, I came to know a man who had real passion for COD and a commitment to the community... a straight up cool guy. Some folks have called me a Vahn "fan boy" (that's some funny crap) but I just respect him. I've gotten a chance to game with him. 402 needs to speak to him and learn.
Not what everyone else will miss about Black Ops. Just what I will. One of the two could have been in MW3. Vahn will be there for COD 2012... I hope.

My 2 cents.



Next... 1 for the home.

3 is the pits

I've been an avid Call of Duty player since 2007 and COD4 but unlike 80% of the players, I prefer to play Hardcore. However, since COD4, the playlist rift between Core and Hardcore continues to grow.

MW3 may take the cake.

For some reason, COD development teams have this preconceived and ill-conceived notion that Hardcore is a "niche" as  referred to it. Sorry, but 15-25% of your players aren't a "niche". Let's take a look at some numbers from Black Ops yesterday:

  • Totals Players in MP: 703,062
  • Total in Core: 565,954
  • Total in HC: 111, 392 (16%)


In Core, 38% of the players play TDM (30% of all players), 36% play HQ, SnD, and Dom combined. The point? 75% of all Core players play 4 game types yet they are afforded more than 16 options. For HC, players spread out over 4 main options, TDM, SnD, CTF, and HQ. Two of which weren't even in the game at launch.

Two of which aren't in MW3.

Black Ops added new wager match modes but not in Hardcore, of course. Lots of new options for the Core player in MW3, too. Kill Confirmed and Team Defender. Sounds cool... oh, wait...

Hardcore doesn't get Team Defender.
... or Headquarters.
... or CTF.


Treyarch got the hint to a certain extent... too bad IW didn't get the hint form the start.

Instead, we're stuck with the 3 pits at launch.





Next... 2 misses.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

For those getting MW3 truly legit...

... your wait just increased by an hour.

Happy daylight savings time.


Just sayin'

Friday, November 4, 2011

4 is the Pinnacle

I had planned to write something profound for t-4 days but then... what hasn't been said about this title already?

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
It's the pinnacle.

'Nuff said.




Next... 3 is the pits.

Play Early... Get Banned... Just Sayin'

This is funny to me... just sayin'.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Sad State of Hardcore in MW3

Yep... HC gets the shaft... again. Thanks to @charlieINTEL.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

5 on 4 hours of Modern Warfare 3

As we hit 5 days away from the launch of Modern Warfare 3, my excitement for what this title could be is starting to build.

And the 4 hour IGN livestream has really ignited it to a new level.

Truth be told... I watched all the MP time (which was about 2 hours worth) and 5 things jumped out at me.

  1. You level up fast. Every other second you seem to get points for something and they come fast and furious. You'll breeze through lower ranks. Now they've said the curve won't be so bad at higher ranks like MW2 but that remains to be seen. Lower level guns are great and on the surface seems balanced.
  2. Maps have great flow. A lot of ingress and egress points with a nice mix of of CQC and range engagements. I was surprised at the limited use of verticality but we have yet to see all the maps
  3. Support Package is not an issue... but it will change how the game is played. The rewards that can kill aren't extremely powerful but when you combine them with a teammate using Assault it will make for a nice combo. We'll see Recon Jugg a lot in the beginning but I'm sure that will morph to the Escort Airdrop. It won't be hard at all for skilled players to accumulate 18 points.
  4. Weapons have kick. You need to control the weapons or they will kick you off target a lot more than MW2 ever did. I can see people dying a lot when they first get into HC as the guns look to be quite accurate on their first bullets until the kick kicks in. The Kick proficiency will be use a lot for sure.
  5. The new game modes look great. Team Defender and Kill Confirmed, in particular, look like they will be welcome additions to the COD franchise. A lot of points, movement, and strategy come into play. Hopefully they won't be locked at the start. Let's be real IW... it's the 8th game. I think people get the gist if how to play.
5 days until launch... and I'm finally getting a little geeked up for it. Hardened edition, here I come.





Next... 4 is the pinnacle.

6 is the Enigma

11/10/09.

Modern Warfare 2, the sixth title in the Call of Duty series, smashed entertainment records when gamers finally got their hands on the most anticipated game in history. A commercial success, it changed the face of COD permanently for both the good and the bad.

You see, every good thing it brought had a darker twin lurking in the shadows.

For the first time, you could control killstreaks. Everyone who played COD4 wished they could be the gunner in the chopper, mowing down folks with reckless abandon (unless you were in HC, that's another story). MW2 let you be the gunner but control missiles and even the weapons of an AC-130.

In addition to actively using killstreaks, you also had the ability to choose which streaks you unlocked and used and they went all the way up to 25 kills in row when you could call in a nuke and win the game for your team no matter the score. Players had control over things like they never had before in a COD title.

Perks made a return as well but with the added bonus of making them "Pro". Unlocking the pro features of perks was a fun and challenging new component and helped keep the game fresh for people as they progressed through prestige ranks.

Playable and customizable streaks... pro perks... cool new features to an already great franchise.

But they came at a price.

As never before, killstreaks became the focus of gameplay. Gone was winning at all costs and in place was "I gotta get my AC-130." Nuke boosting in FFA became so common it made the playlist unplayable. Fewer people prestiged because they didn't want to lose their pro perks. Those that did, were always at a disadvantage in ways they hadn't been in previous titles.

That's not even mentioning...
... the balance issues with One Man Army and Commando perks.
... the slow and almost inept support.
... the hacking. Oh, the hacking.

All of this could be related to the issue with the IW founders... could be circumstance... I doubt we'll ever know. What we do know is MW2 could have been the benchmark for COD titles. Instead, COD4, a game made in 2007, remains the peak for the franchise to many even today. Yet, there's no denying MW2 changed the face of COD forever... good and bad.

That's the enigma of 6.




Next... 5 on 4.