Call of Duty: Black Ops

[dwlpunk]

This game ..call of duty 45 or something, is just like the recent medal of honor and battlefield bad company 2. Can someone really tell the difference between these games? i don't understand how these development companies get the money to make such crap on a regular basis. there is no inspiration, nothing new or innovative. just another boring FPS which you can beat just by running as fast as you can to the next check point while shooting anything that moves. my neighbor of mine who works at gamespot.com ( im pretty sure thats it) said they have to give it a good review because they are paid by the publishers to do so. editors choice my a$$. it just really makes me sad because i used to like first person shooters. and games like these that keep coming out as the new flavor of the month and that are being played online by total idiots that live in the next apartment complex over are one disappointment after another. Uncharted 2 for the ps3.. that was a cool game...
im done venting.

[Isaac]

And their's no shame about it...

It's very possible there is a theme to this week's top stories, and I'm sure you'll be able to crack the code. Call of Duty: Black Ops is a huge release, and with Activision spending thousands of dollars per reviewer to help everyone feel warm about the game (despite the problems the PC version experienced at launch), there was plenty to write about.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010 ... bribes.ars

[dwlpunk]

Isnt it just sad?
I want a new pc game thats fun and will keep drawing me in. Theres no lalent here anymore.

[Krom]

Free press isn't.

Also what you guys are complaining about is what I call \"The Hollywood Effect\". Fortunately it is still pretty easy (and getting easier) for small independent developers to make and publish new and innovative games. Although it is probably only a matter of time before these larger companies look to software patents to crush them and assert more control over the market much like the Hollywood movie studios have done with copyrights.

[Isaac]

At the risk of hijacking the thread I can name a few deep asset Open-source games you might really like. There are two I'm having a blast with, when ever I have free time to play them.

(deep asset? I'm sure there's a better way to put it...)

[dwlpunk]

Ive been finding myself using steam more and more often to purchase cheap games that are fun.. ive been having a blast with just cause 2. Its how i wished world of warcraft would look like graphics wise.
But seriously.. 60 bucks for these shooters by activision and EA, and they all look and play the same. They are robbing me. Their target demographic should only be tailored to idiots.

[Isaac]

Here's one I have not been able to play yet, but looks like fun:

\"Warzone 2100\"

Secret Maryo Chronicles is a free game I'm having fun with right now:


Teeworld is hard, because it's online only and everyone you play against is really good: It's a 2d shooter.

[Gooberman]

But seriously.. 60 bucks for these shooters by activision and EA, and they all look and play the same. They are robbing me. Their target demographic should only be tailored to idiots.

In the maker's defense, there is only so much you can do to a FPS until people get freaked out. The ultimate extremity is the Descent series, but even lower \"origional\" FPSs like Tribes2 or Shadow Run seem to suffer from requiring a little bit of time learning how to play.

Many people just quit if they don't win in their first 10 games.

[Krom]

Many people just quit if they don't win in their first 10 games.

Where as I quit if I do win within my first 10 games. No challenge, no fun.

[Neo]

I like this game better:

[Alter-Fox]

Where as I quit if I do win within my first 10 games. No challenge, no fun.

Same. I got this racing game which was amazing except that the AI was so terrible that after 30 seconds you were too far ahead for it to have a chance of winning.

[Thenior]

I actually enjoyed it

I think the whole hollywood effects while playing is fun.

But, I play my games on xbox. When I play an FPS on a PC, I get bored - they are too easy. But on Xbox, the limitation of a controller makes it a challenge

[Neo]

News flash: EA and other companies don't give a care about your entertainment or what you would like to play, and they never will. They never make games for your enjoyment. Film @ 11. :P

[Thenior]

News flash: EA and other companies don't give a care about your entertainment or what you would like to play, and they never will. They never make games for your enjoyment. Film @ 11.

wtf... do you guys know anything about marketing? Do you think one of the most successful video game companies doesn't carefully research what will be a hit? And why is it that Modern Warfare 2 was such a hit?

And now Treyarch has release Black Ops, and it sold 5.6 million copies worth $360 million. And everyone here just says, it's crap, game companies don't make what I think is fun. Maybe you don't like it, and it doesn't appeal to you, but those sales figures indicate you're the minority.

[dwlpunk]

And why is it that Modern Warfare 2 was such a hit?

because its demographic is college drop outs who drink too much.

[dwlpunk]

i know i know i was going off a little too much. its just that all autumn was, was releases of horrible games that are way to overpriced. yes i play world of warcraft.. but i hate.. world of warcraft. atleast cataclysm is only 39 dollars.

[Gooberman]

Maybe you don't like it, and it doesn't appeal to you, but those sales figures indicate you're the minority.

Well yes, we all loved Descent 3, without a doubt one of the more complex FPSs ever made. Krom's comments don't surprise me, because anyone who spent that much time getting that good at D3, is not going to enjoy most of these plug-and-win FPSs. True of probably the majority of this board. In descent you could go 100-0 against someone who just installed the game, because it had a learning curve.

I believe our, or at least my, critique was at the average gamer, not the industry for feeding them what they want to eat.

[Isaac]

Was anyone a fan fo Super Metroid?

[Krom]

Was anyone a fan fo Super Metroid?

I think I still remember the location of most of the missiles in that game, I also know a couple sequence breakers and can complete the game without ever getting the grappling gun.

[fliptw]

D3 flopped because of hardware requirements, not control complexity.

[null0010]

D3 flopped because of hardware requirements, not control complexity.

I seem to recall a distinct total lack of advertisement as well.

[Isaac]

D3 flopped because of hardware requirements, not control complexity.

I seem to recall a distinct total lack of advertisement as well.

They should have paid more reviewers...


side note:
Can I give anyone 20 bucks to say I'm awesome in the next few posts?

[Isaac]

Was anyone a fan fo Super Metroid?

I think I still remember the location of most of the missiles in that game, I also know a couple sequence breakers and can complete the game without ever getting the grappling gun.

It's a great game!

[Thenior]

D3 flopped because of hardware requirements, not control complexity.

I seem to recall a distinct total lack of advertisement as well.

And because (at least what I was told) that the Columbine shooting were fresh in peoples minds, and the ads that D3 did have had untactful tag lines.

[Top Gun]

I can't say I'm all that interested in the entire Call of Duty franchise either, but I have become a total Team Fortress 2 addict over the past two months or so. There's an inherently high level of strategy to the class-based gameplay, and there's something to be said for playing ridiculously over-the-top characters instead of faceless soldiers.

[Neo]

Was anyone a fan fo Super Metroid?

I think I still remember the location of most of the missiles in that game, I also know a couple sequence breakers and can complete the game without ever getting the grappling gun.

I was playing Super Metroid while yawl were still in diaperz :P

why is it that games like Modern Warfare 2 were such a hit after 9/11?

fixed. 9_9

foolish m0rtal :)

Because games aren't made to suit people. People are made to suit games. it has nothing to do with me.

[Xamindar]

D3 flopped because of hardware requirements, not control complexity.

I seem to remember D3 requiring hardware 3D acceleration at a time when most still didn't have that. And didn't D3 favor Glide? I remember a friend telling me not to bother with D3 because it ran like crap on his "pretty decent" computer. About a year later I built myself a new computer with a nice new voodoo3 in it and Descent 3 ran GREAT for me.

[Neo]

I guess you didn't play Geodomes or HyperSkybox back then. :P Regardless, no one should have to wait a year to play any game.

[Thenior]

I didn't start playing D3 until it was a few years old, and I had a decent machine, so it never mattered to me.

I'm still impressed by how sharp and clear the texture are in D3.

[Neo]

Looks like I know what I'm talking about after all. ^_~

[Xamindar]

My friend brought over Black Ops yesterday for me to try before he returned it to Gamestop. It has got to be the crappiest fps I have ever played. It's so scripted that you could almost play it with only one hand on the controller. I only played it for about 20 minutes but many times I would be prompted with a \"Press X\" on the screen and when I pressed it the game would go into some animation. I can't stand that happening every 2 minutes in a game. Then there is the map flow. It is VERY linear. At least Modern Warfare 2 made it feel like you had some freedom. This game will fail your \"mission\" if you decide to try to explore instead of going to the next checkpoint (not that there was anything to explore anyway).

I actually enjoyed Modern Warfare 2 despite being unable to take cover or shoot from corners (Uncharted 2 severely spoiled me). But this recent game is a few jumps backwards!

[Isaac]

Didn't roid post some article about Mastery vs Performance skilled based games, where they compare some games' play-style to repeatedly pressing play on a dvd remote to continue the story?

[Isaac]

Also:

\"Call of Duty: Black Ops sets record of £400m in 5 days\" ($642,840,000 USD?)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/11796496

[[]V[]essenjah]

Glad to see some people aren't jumping on the, \"Call Of Duty\" is the holy grail of all elite gamers train. It seams that for the past year, every single friggen game that comes out is compared to COD and I find it rather annoying. I've also had a lot of my friends and co-workers claim that COD:MW is for only pro gamers while Halo is a kids game. To be honest, I don't really see the difference. COD just seems a bit easier to grasp the learning curb and has a little less variety to the game play in my opinion. Not to say that Halo is the greatest game on Earth either but I do enjoy some aspects of it and with the right group of friends, it can be a lot of fun on-line.

Pretty much all the COD games felt pretty much the same. MW was decent and I think it really only worked well because it runs so buttery smooth on-line. Many people claimed that it was balanced because you don't have any power weapons but to be honest... kill streaks have the exact same effect... if not WORSE. Instead of picking up a really big gun and using it for a few shots and you can be easily killed... you end up with a helicopter or an air strike to kill 10 more people for you and if you get that, you get more kill streaks. If your on a team that is getting a lot of kill streaks, you pretty much win by default and those players that can luckily kill a certain number of people can win by default by dropping a nuke on the field with a kill streak. You don't DO any of the work... you get lucky, you kill 6-7 people in a row, and you can call in an AI unit that does all the work for you... not really any skill that I can find in that. However, the game is streamlined very well and runs very smooth so I did enjoy that aspect of it, but when all of the weapons are unlocked and you prestige just once, I usually find myself playing another game because I'm simply bored to death.

I can also agree that most games this year have been a bit of a let down. I did enjoy Halo Reach, a little tongue in cheek but I do like it. I wanted to buy Fable 3 so that my wife and I could play it but from what I understand, it is even easier and simpler than Fable 2 so what is the point? Fallout New Vegas is fun but excessively buggy and MOH, I've read you can complete in 2-3 hours because the AI sucks so bad, it lacks story and has terrible on-line play.

I'm actually more excited to buy Pac Man for the XBox than most of these titles.

I can say, however, I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed Mass Effect 2.

[Gooberman]

Not to say that Halo is the greatest game on Earth either but I do enjoy some aspects of it and with the right group of friends, it can be a lot of fun on-line.

Which is pretty much the only reason I have ever played any FPS. I think some of my college day Xbox lans with Halo1 were some of the most fun I have ever had in any video game (including D3).

But sadly, with everything being online now those moments just don't happen in my current circle. As Halo1 had no online support, MP required you actually get together.

[Xamindar]

As Halo1 had no online support, MP required you actually get together.

I could had sworn it did, at least for the PC.

[Isaac]

Swat 4 - best non 6DOF FPS ever, online or single player. /thread

[Xamindar]

Swat 4 - best non 6DOF FPS ever, online or single player. /thread

My favorite FPS has always been Halflife/Halflife 2 with all the amazing multiplayer levels people have made, especially the rats levels. All the quirky weapons make it entertaining as well.

[Neo]

Yuck. :P

Swat 4 - best non 6DOF FPS ever, online or single player. /thread

Never heard of it :P

[Isaac]

Swat 4 - best non 6DOF FPS ever, online or single player. /thread

Never heard of it

It's too bad that the quality of a game is only measured by the volume it's marketed. Oh no wait, then COD:BO would be the greatest game ever.