Game

[Stoney Mason]

Modern Warfare 2 definitely was easier on Veteran than other COD games. It was honestly the first one I could stomach on that difficulty level without wanting to kick in my TV.

I always play hardened in COD games because that's the "fun" level for me. Veteran for me is when I'm bored someday and just feel like trying to get that achievement.

[maxy]

Didn't play much,but it pretty much was...show your head a little,bam bam dead

There is one part with infinite respawns that will make people angry though
Very easy to pass if you know exactly what to do...game sometimes has problems in communicating what you need to do

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I still have nightmares of WaW on vet. Never did finish the last mission. So many grenades. So many.

[Stoney Mason]

game sometimes has problems in communicating what you need to do

Yeah, I'm only two levels in and I already noticed some of this. IW is just very good at not putting you in those situations by comparison. I'm enjoying the campaign so far, especially on a story and spectacle level but yeah its noticeable in that regard that its treyarch doing it. Still overall this project is a massive step forward for them. I can't wait to see what they do next time and see how much they improve there also. 

Activision is in good shape with them handling the franchise which I was never really comfortable saying before. 


btw there were 2.4 million people playing just like 30 minutes ago on the 360.  

[demi]

Need to get my copy on the real. But I'm gonna be broke if until pay if I do.

[cool breeze]

do all those wager matches things still give you points to unlock guns?

I remember apologizing to people online when they complained about using the grenade launcher.  "I need it to get the shotgun! I'm sorry!  :'("

[Eel O'Brian]

never apologize to anyone in a cod game, they deserve everything they get

sometimes when i am leaving or entering my apartment i can hear my next door neighbor screaming curses at people on mw2, and i think to myself that i'd probably team kill him every chance i got

[CHOW CHOW]

Man, I'd definitely try Veteran if I had the superior 360 achievements.  With Steam it's just like... what's the point of putting yourself through that hell? 

[demi]

Naileed it... accept no substitutes. 360 innovates

[Stoney Mason]

Wager Matches. Fucking fun.

This game is badass.

[Stoney Mason]

Party system definitely buggy. Often splits party or just dumps the party. Having a hard time joining playlists also sometimes even though I know plenty of people are playing. Needs a patch there.

[drew]

this thread is way too annoying to read with stoney mason on ignore

[ManaByte]

I think all the bitching about the PC MP comes from people playing on shitty ping servers. Been playing on servers with sub-60 ping all day and it's smooth.

[Stoney Mason]

I think all the bitching about the PC MP comes from people playing on shitty ping servers. Been playing on servers with sub-60 ping all day and it's smooth.

To be fair the console matchmaking is pretty sketchy right now. So maybe some of that carries over to the PC side even with dedicated servers.

[GilloD]

Will pirate. I hate the MP in these games. Too competitive. Feels like a sport.

[Stoney Mason]

Campaign is definitely getting more kickass.

Also


[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[Sho Nuff]

You motherfuckers. I can't fuxking believe I just bought a goddamn Treyarch game. SMH at myself

[demi]

u can send it to me sho nuff, it's cool. i'll play it for you.

[Eel O'Brian]

Nice to see Treyarch not getting shit on for once. They are a good bunch of kids.

You motherfuckers. I can't fuxking believe I just bought a goddamn Treyarch game. SMH at myself

wut

[Sho Nuff]

"Good bunch of kids" <> "People who produce things I would pay $60 retail for"

This is the first Treyarch game I've paid full price for

[ManaByte]

I think all the bitching about the PC MP comes from people playing on shitty ping servers. Been playing on servers with sub-60 ping all day and it's smooth.

To be fair the console matchmaking is pretty sketchy right now. So maybe some of that carries over to the PC side even with dedicated servers.

PC version has a server browser.

[Sho Nuff]

Man this game is pretty nutty. The multiplayer maps, while fun, are seriously uggs though.

[CHOW CHOW]

Best Call of Duty of all-time.  Best campaign and best multi-player.

Top 10 game of this gen:

1. Dragon Age Origins
2. Uncharted 2
3. Call of Duty Black Ops
4. Red Faction Guerrilla
5. Mass Effect
6. Ninja Gaiden II
7. Tomb Raider Legend
8. Far Cry 2
9. Transformers: War for Cybertron
10. Bioshock

Assassin's Creed II probably would've been up there but I've never played it.

[Stoney Mason]

Should check out the Combat Record if you haven't. Best stat tracking they've ever done in a COD game.

[maxy]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-call-of-duty-black-ops-faceoff?page=1

360

[WrikaWrek]

Getting into Nam mission.

Campaign has been pretty shitty. It moves fast, and has lots of explosions, but no sense of danger, accomplishment, of wow, anything that makes things matter.

[maxy]

WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! MY 22YR OLD SON GOT HIS COPY TODAY AND HE HASNT EVEN EATEN HARDLY ANYTHING ALL DAY I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!! HE IS USUALLY MUNCHING EVERYTHING OUT OF THE FRIDGE/FREEZER BUT I FIND THIS UTTERLY MIND BOGGLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE GOD DONT BRING OUT ANOTHER ONE!!!!!!!!!!

I'd l take a good shag with a curvy woman with big boobs, killer thighs and some crazy booty  dressed in a nursing outfit OVER some crazy call of duty stupid game anyday anytime....... :-)

 

"He thinks about it every day and will use every spare opportunity to play it. I can sometimes tell when we are out together that he is watching the clock and trying to work out how long he can play when we get home.

"He practically goes into a cold sweat and gets the shakes."

The couple, from Yateley, Hants, were at a friend's wedding six months ago when Jay said he was going to the bar.

After an hour he hadn't returned, so Janine went up to their hotel room to find him and another wedding guest playing the game.

She explains: "He'd hidden the PlayStation in the car and they had walked half a mile in the rain to get it.

"Sometimes I think Call Of Duty is his first love.



"It has affected our sex life. There have been nights when I've been waiting for Jay to come to bed then woken up at 3am to find he's still playing against a stranger on a different continent.

"Now we have Lauren, Jay has had to calm down a bit. I was over the moon when he volunteered to get up to do night feeds - until I realised why. During the night he will feed Lauren then rock her to sleep in his chair while playing the game in silence.

 

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3219853/The-gaming-cult-of-Call-Of-Duty.html

[drew]

lmao, ive had it for a day now and havent even played it yet

[Herr Mafflard]

played a bit on 360 today.

campaign - same old cod. respawning enemies. plus half the time i don't know where i'm getting shot from and i die from some asshole like two yards away, and i think, 'didn't I just kill him a second ago?'
Just started 'Nam, hopefully it gets better.

multiplayer - played a couple of mercenary matches - seems awesome so far. everybody seems to be hogging submachine guns tho. dunno why, i'm doing alright with the burst-fire M16 so far.

[Sho Nuff]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-call-of-duty-black-ops-faceoff?page=1

360

Times won't get any less tough for RSX budget GPU

[bud]

the multiplayer sucks so hard

(playing it on the ps3 :'()

[drew]

mud seems to have gone missing, he must have bought the ps3 version

[bud]

i keep getting shot by guys who haven't even lifted their guns; the lag and framerate is killing me

and the sound is just... not there and i've put it on loud

FUCK THIS GAME

[bud]

and these maps are just too big for 6 vs. 6 games

seriously, sometimes i'll walk around for a minute without seeing an enemy

the internet has always told me treyarch sucks. i didn't listen. :'(

[bud]

someone hold me

[Herr Mafflard]

gungame is awesome but it doesn't feel as hectic as the Counter-Strike version, perhaps they need to add more players?

I think I might stick to the 360 version of this. I'm not really a fan of playing the modern cods using keyboard/mouse.

[CHOW CHOW]

I'm super bad at COD except when I'm in free for all. Kinda think the way they match you up with players should be a bit better. Don't really want to play with the bro who has unlocked all the top shit until I'm closer to his level.

I don't think that's as big an issue as it was with MW1 & 2 because the unlock system now allows us to pick what to buy with the points rather than having to level up 50 times etc

[pilonv1]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-call-of-duty-black-ops-faceoff?page=1

360

Times won't get any less tough for RSX budget GPU

960x544 on PS3? jesus christ

[Rman]

Looks like COD will be fine.  Infinite Ward or not.

[Stoney Mason]

Sadly sniping is much harder due to map layouts (much fewer long staightaways on some maps) and the nerfing of some of the perks you could use with it. I say sadly because while I wasn't great at it in MW 2 I had at least gotten decent with it. Some of the nerfing that was done to stop quick scoping (even if you don't quick scope) has just made it plain harder especially since the scope has like a random location when you first put it up. I don't think I like the random location thing. It often takes too long for you to recover so by the time you do some and correct your aim somone is just lighting you up with whatever weapon they had. There should be some relation to where I have my gun in position before I scope in to where it is after I scope in imo.

I've tried a few times to snipe in Black ops and I've just gotten mangled doing it.

[Stoney Mason]

Most maps Ive played seem built for SMGs and Shotguns.

I definitely see where Assault rifles can be useful and there are a couple of maps where its possible to snipe but overall I prefer the map layouts of MW 2. I think they were a little more balanced for all weapon types.

I do agree though that SMG's are very powerful due to the current map layouts because everything is so twisty with lots of objects in them. On some maps there is just very little open area which means close up weapons can be overly powerful since you're always turning corners.

[Raban]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

Fuck.

Okay maybe I'm changing my mind about this game. UNGH I DUNNO WHAT TO GET.

[Raban]

Are there any in-depth PC impressions?

[maxy]

Some inside info about the game,Treyarch and IW situation

Guys, you have to understand that before the "IW fiasco" Treyarch didn't have access to anything from IW - no help, no assets, no MW2 engine, nothing.
W@W was developed from a MW1 code drop - meaning, "here's bunch of code and assets, go have fun".
So when asking "why is this a step back from MW2" you have to understand from Treyarch's perspective it never was MW2, it was W@W.
By the time MW2 came out (and later the "fiasco" when there was more access to MW2 source code), COD:BO was basically wrapping up.

It's a complex answer, but let's just say, the 360 was pushed hard, to a place where the PS3 couldn't go with the old tricks. Most of the time the battle was fitting the game in memory, and often to get performance you need to trade even more memory. I can go into details but with such a high profile title I'll quickly get in trouble.

I'm sorry, but your information is just not correct. IW did have access to W@W, but I don't think they cared.
These games are developed over 2 year periods. By the time the other studio is out you are half way through development, IW's engine is quite massive and convoluted. You can't just go grab bunch of code and expect it to work.
For good or bad, the engines have drifted apart, mostly because IW worked in full secrecy and isolation.

Obviously I might be biased in this case, but I personally don't think BO is a step back from MW2.
Everyone has their opinions, and especially when it comes to "looks" I don't know how we can possibly be objective about it. I think BO has fantastic lighting, character work and weapons.

The SPUs are pretty heavily used. A lot of engine code runs on them, physics, sound, graphics prep, GPU submission, culling, dynamic geo generation etc.
On 360 the situation is similar, every HW thread is heavily used.

This screenshot reminds me of Metro 2033,a 30 fps game.

[Stoney Mason]

Yeah that is essentially what I had read earlier. The WaW/Black Ops engine is different than the IW engine they used which accounts for a lot of the differences. I think IW was stronger on the tech side. (Even if it was a highly modified version of an id Engine)

Black Ops has some nice lighting in certain areas but their engine doesn't hold 60 quite as strongly or as often as MW 2 did. The gun models are also much better in MW 2. None of this is a diss at Treyarch though. The game is impressive in many ways especially for a 60 fps game.

[ManaByte]

Calling the IW Engine an old id Engine is unfair. They used some of the id Tech 3 source code that was pubically released via GNU, but it's not at all like it's a Quake 3 mod.

[maxy]

Calling the IW Engine an old id Engine is unfair. 

More like stupid,something that only brainless sheep can say.I see that only in COD bashing threads,when people(sony fans) run out of arguments.

I expect to see lots of "disappointed" people when Rage launches too.

[WrikaWrek]

Sometimes it's one of the best looking games i've played, others it's just good looking.

Playing on PC btw

[Stoney Mason]

Looks like COD will be fine.  Infinite Ward or not.

Pretty much.

I honestly didn't think it would beat the launch of MW 2.

Black Ops has beaten Modern Warfare 2’s opening day sales to become the world’s largest ever entertainment launch with $360 million in revenue in the UK and North America alone.
 
The 24-hour figure stacks against the $310 million taken by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in North America and the United Kingdom last year, according to internal Activision estimates.
 Call of Duty: Black Ops, marks the second year in a row that the Call of Duty franchise has set day one launch records across all forms of entertainment, Activision said today.
 In its first day on November 9, the blockbuster title sold through approximately 5.6 million copies in North America and the United Kingdom, as compared to 4.7 million copies for last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 “There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year’s five-day global sales record of $550 million,” said Acti head Bobby Kotick.

[ManaByte]

Infinity Ward can take their egos and go rot at EA. Respawn's FPS will be obliterated by CoD 2012.

[Stoney Mason]

I like Respawn and I also hope the new Infinity Ward comes back with a lot of talent. I hope both come back with great products. More competition is always good for gamers.

I didn't like all the smack talking EA was doing though when the whole thing went down like they were fucking saints or something. And all their big talk about taking back the FPS crown was silly. Medal of Honor had good sales but I guarantee nobody will be playing that title in a month. It was very average for all the shit talking they were doing. And they also shit talked Treyarch. Not a classy move from a company that is always puffing itself up as world class.

[Herr Mafflard]

Most maps Ive played seem built for SMGs and Shotguns.

I definitely see where Assault rifles can be useful and there are a couple of maps where its possible to snipe but overall I prefer the map layouts of MW 2. I think they were a little more balanced for all weapon types.

I do agree though that SMG's are very powerful due to the current map layouts because everything is so twisty with lots of objects in them. On some maps there is just very little open area which means close up weapons can be overly powerful since you're always turning corners.

I've watched two videos from two separate players (in the theatre mode), both guys were in the high 30s level-wise, and both were dominating with the burst-fire M16.

Like I said before tho, most randoms I see use SMGs, but that's not to say that you can't dominate with an assualt rifle.

[Stoney Mason]

Most maps Ive played seem built for SMGs and Shotguns.

I definitely see where Assault rifles can be useful and there are a couple of maps where its possible to snipe but overall I prefer the map layouts of MW 2. I think they were a little more balanced for all weapon types.

I do agree though that SMG's are very powerful due to the current map layouts because everything is so twisty with lots of objects in them. On some maps there is just very little open area which means close up weapons can be overly powerful since you're always turning corners.

I've watched two videos from two separate players (in the theatre mode), both guys were in the high 30s level-wise, and both were dominating with the burst-fire M16.

Like I said before tho, most randoms I see use SMGs, but that's not to say that you can't dominate with an assualt rifle.

Agreed on both counts. For some reason I'm having trouble with the M-16 though. It feels different to me than it was in COD 4 and MW 2. I can't quite put my finger on why though but I seem to miss my shots more.... I didn't play WaW online so much so maybe that has something to do with it as this game's gunplay feels more like that. I've been using some of the other assault rifles though.

[Herr Mafflard]

I didn't play MW2 online much, but my brother who is a CoD fanboy says they sort of nerfed the M16 in BOps. Like in MW2 it was great at any distance and it would bring dudes down really quickly. Now, though, it really sucks at close encounters, and doesn't bring down dudes nearly as quickly.

I guess they balanced it out which is a good thing imo. It seemed overpowered in MW2, and was sort of the 'go to' weapon of choice for most hardcore players, much like how the auto M16 was in Counter Strike for example.

[Sho Nuff]

Man the campaign is really good. I'm in Nam right now and it's just nutty. I'm blowing off Charlie's arms and legs with a 50 cal.

[Stoney Mason]

While I may have some issues with some of the scripting the variety is pretty damn good. Some of the missions are just crazy. Which is good.

[duckman2000]

So they actually went all the way and ripped off the whole storytelling bit from Black?

[drew]

still havent gotten past the main menu of this game, i used to be so hardcore :'(

[drew]

is there really? whats his name?

[bork]

So does anyone like this more than Bad Company 2?