Modern Warfare 2, Prestige edition, -or- hey, blow your wad on this!

[Venkman]

MW2 reviews really well because of the usual reasons why such big titles review well: graphics, approachability, sound, immersion, etc.

More likely reviewers had a really great environment to test MP in, barely tested it at all, saw the new features and based everything off of the single player. Also, HATS. MADE OF MONEY.

Heh, you beat my edit

[LK]

For all the people bitching about the PC version and knowing full well what they are getting for their money, a lot of them bought the game anyway. Do as I say?

[AcidCat]

I see no reason that the multi won't hold up for a long time to come. Unless people just wholesale stop playing for some reason, the matchmaking has worked extremely well for me so far and judging from the volume of players I can't be the only one having a positive experience.

[Venkman]

Multi on what platform? There are still 11k active servers in CoD4 (as of two minutes ago). That's down from the 14k of a few weeks ago, but not the precipitous falloff a sequel with improvements would expect.

But who cares about PC? 

[Hoax]

For all the people bitching about the PC version and knowing full well what they are getting for their money, a lot of them bought the game anyway. Do as I say?

I'm not touching it.  I am the only one that sees all the fucking spam for every single thing that happens and is reminded of Fox News?

[LK]

I see no reason that the multi won't hold up for a long time to come.

New version in two years that Activision wants Infinity Ward to put out. :)

[Nonentity]

So, uh, people have hacked the console back into the game. They have been able to tweak stuff. Such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rqLUDfl26Y&hd=1

Low-gravity, XP tweaks, gun tweaks, killstreak tweaks, fov tweaks, etc.

And it totally applies to your IWnet profile, XP-wise.

[schild]

So, uh, people have hacked the console back into the game. They have been able to tweak stuff. Such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rqLUDfl26Y&hd=1

Low-gravity, XP tweaks, gun tweaks, killstreak tweaks, fov tweaks, etc.

And it totally applies to your IWnet profile, XP-wise.

Heh.

Is there a dedicated server tweak?

[tgr]

Low-gravity, XP tweaks, gun tweaks, killstreak tweaks, fov tweaks, etc.

And it totally applies to your IWnet profile, XP-wise.

Wat

So you mean there's a way to tweak the game to give more XP, and IW's servers just gobble it all up?

If that's really the case, then what the holy fuck are they thinking? Haven't they learned by now that PC-gamers can and will tweak/fiddle/etc?

And if it really IS that silly, how are they going to deal with this? If it is like I fear, "you cheat on XP, you get banned", then I'll have to wonder how easy it'll be to grief people. For example, setup a server with fucked up killstreaks which gives you 100x normal XP, and everyone who joins are suddenly banned for "cheating". Alternatively, i you want to get to the top of the board, just buy 2-3 games, host on that account until it gets banned for cheating and reap the XP rewards.

Brilliant.

[LK]

If people stopped giving a shit about numbers and started giving more a shit about having a good time...

Hmm, I think I am arguing against being a fucking nerd.

--

Looking at what Infinity Ward is doing with multiplayer, do you think it's an attempt to delegitimize the game as an E-Sport? Sort of focus on delivering consistent, paid multiplayer experiences and forget the minority that might seek to play this on a competitive level? I know if you hit it big like StarCraft and get an entire country playing your game it reaps the benefits, but the new age with dozens of multiplayer games coming out each year makes it impossible for something to come along and be "that one game" that people will play over and over and over.

Additionally, making a super compelling multiplayer game that people can play forever is like making gum that never loses it flavor. You're hurting yourself in the long run if you don't figure a way to monetize it.

Edit: I actually understand the importance of people being able to tool around with games and hack it and tweak it and do whatever the hell they want. Tomorrow's programming wizards have to come from somewhere, and this is a surefire sign of their passion.

[Mosesandstick]

Come on Lorekeep, you got to remember people find different things fun! (Otherwise nobody would play MMOs...)

That's the real issue here. IW is forcing people to have fun their way. Personally I'm not too concerned about things like consoles, but I sure as hell want dedicated servers. And lacking the ability to lean? What's the point of having cover?

Being able to customise has always been a huge thing in any PC game, and it's continued to get more important as developers and publishers put more shit out on PCs. Thousands of players can make games better in ways that developers can't. Think about mods, UI customization, etc. How many people use the vanilla interface in WoW? I imagine that when it first came out pretty much no level 60 used the original, way too gimped.

[GenVec]

"Sorry Delta Force, you dinged a Brazilian mud farmer with a stray round back in the favela. Better go back and do it again." 

But seriously, "No Russian"? Best level I've ever experienced in a SP campaign, bar none. And those soft-hearted fuckers at IW even give you an option to skip it.   

[tgr]

I really need to dig out the old CoD1/2's to see if the SP in that isn't more how I think it should be, because I was Not Impressed. It was too short, too hectic, too unbelievable at times (oh really, so that snowmobile just happened to be able to jump over that one gap, that's convenient. etc etc etc). It didn't really work as a game, and it didn't really work as an interactive movie. At least not for me.

[jakonovski]

MW2 is a good example of why the games industry needs to emply real storytellers. Juvenile shit like this is just horrible.

[Phire]

"Sorry Delta Force, you dinged a Brazilian mud farmer with a stray round back in the favela. Better go back and do it again." 

But seriously, "No Russian"? Best level I've ever experienced in a SP campaign, bar none. And those soft-hearted fuckers at IW even give you an option to skip it.   

Really? You mustn't play very many games then. The SP levels in MW2 are short, rushed and are hardly memorable and that is compared to the first game which was only slightly above average.

[tgr]

Really? You mustn't play very many games then. The SP levels in MW2 are short, rushed and are hardly memorable and that is compared to the first game which was only slightly above average.

I was honestly reminded of the old arcade games where you either scrolled sideways or went forward on a set path like in some sort of zombie game I forget the name of. Only with better graphics.

[Engels]

MW2 is a good example of why the games industry needs to emply real storytellers. Juvenile shit like this is just horrible.

Actually, there is good story telling out there. Valve does it, Bioware can do it. But the IW folks do not care about this, because they know their demographic isn't exactly putting down the James Joyce to play a round of CoD.

[Malakili]

Really? You mustn't play very many games then. The SP levels in MW2 are short, rushed and are hardly memorable and that is compared to the first game which was only slightly above average.

I was honestly reminded of the old arcade games where you either scrolled sideways or went forward on a set path like in some sort of zombie game I forget the name of. Only with better graphics.

House of the Dead!

[Pennilenko]

MW2 is a good example of why the games industry needs to emply real storytellers. Juvenile shit like this is just horrible.

Actually, there is good story telling out there. Valve does it, Bioware can do it. But the IW folks do not care about this, because they know their demographic isn't exactly putting down the James Joyce to play a round of CoD.

I think that it is worse than you think. The folks at IW know that their demographic is a bunch of knuckle dragging mouth-breathers who will buy your shit if you make a cool looking commercial for it.

[AcidCat]

Really? You mustn't play very many games then. The SP levels in MW2 are short, rushed and are hardly memorable and that is compared to the first game which was only slightly above average.

I guess I would agree with short and rushed ... but fighting in the suburbs was pretty memorable, even if the story explanation defied even a very generous suspension of disbelief. The Brazilian levels were pretty cool too. The game does have a better variety of environments to fight in compared to the last game.

[LK]

(oh really, so that snowmobile just happened to be able to jump over that one gap, that's convenient. etc etc etc).

There's storyline canon in the sense that the overall summary of what happened is the storyline that HAPPENED (Roach and Soap escaped on snowmobiles), then there's the "game" where the designers throw in cool elements / rewards / cinematic moments to make the experience more entertaining that really shouldn't be viewed as strict canon (MASSIVE SNOWMOBILE LEAP WITH EXPLOSIONS!).

Warcraft is similar. All of its canon is based on the scenario summary and not necessarily the details. It isn't until it's detailed in a book (which usually has the effect of being extremely lame once retold) that you find out what "really" happened without the "game" mucking things up.

--

Storyline bad? In what ways? I found it entertaining. Maybe I'm not looking too deeply into the details since it's, you know, fiction. Actually it could be that the aforementioned Warcraft has lowered my standards exponentially. 

[caladein]

Actually, there is good story telling out there. Valve does it, Bioware can do it. But the IW folks do not care about this, because they know their demographic isn't exactly putting down the James Joyce to play a round of CoD.

New sig, yay!

[Sky]

Current Players     Peak Today           Game
 
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http://store.steampowered.com/stats/

So, yeah. Suck it.

[Nonentity]

145    228         EVE Online Demo

wut

[schild]

So, yeah. Suck it.

I don't understand. Suck what? Are you trying to make a point? It's popular. Shocking.

[Malakili]

Current Players     Peak Today           Game
 
     75,608    95,552         Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Multiplayer
     73,984    94,653         Counter-Strike: Source
     61,383    74,348         Counter-Strike
     32,128    44,493         Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
     15,907    21,869         Football Manager 2010
     12,074    18,732         Team Fortress 2
     8,826    14,303         Left 4 Dead
     
8,158    10,380         Condition Zero?!?!?!



     

Also, I am not surprised that this sold well.

[Demonix]

So, uh, people have hacked the console back into the game. They have been able to tweak stuff. Such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rqLUDfl26Y&hd=1

Low-gravity, XP tweaks, gun tweaks, killstreak tweaks, fov tweaks, etc.

And it totally applies to your IWnet profile, XP-wise.

You know, I see stuff like this in left 4 dead, and it seems people like running, popping up to spray some death, then run around some more.

It makes me wonder why no one has tried to bring back Tribes.  God, I loved that game.

[GenVec]

Really? You mustn't play very many games then. The SP levels in MW2 are short, rushed and are hardly memorable and that is compared to the first game which was only slightly above average.

Alright then. Picks up gauntlet.


Nowhere would I claim that it's a revolutionary tactical experience - it simply has the type of atmosphere and ambiance that I have not seen captured elsewhere. I would say that it's most similar to the widely-loved Stalingrad level of Call of Duty 1, which I might remind you was similarly short and linear, and yet stands out from the rest of the levels in most people's minds for the same values as I have elaborated on above. And it even has a twist ending. 

[NowhereMan]

Having watch the video, frankly that level didn't seem particularly appealing to me simply because there really didn't seem to be much of any gameplay challenge there. In the Stalingrad or D-Day levels you're facing heavy enemy fire, atmosphere is established well because you're part of something epic. In this case, it's not epic. It's a sordid little blood bath and I can only see it being enjoyable if mowing down helpess individuals is itself fun. Hell it seems half the security guards actually stop to give you a chance to surrender. It isn't until the SWAT teams arrive that you face any kind of challenge at all and even that didn't seem particularly impressive. It's controversial sure but it's in no way cinematic nor does it establish much of an atmosphere, certainly not in the way previous Call of Duty games have because there's nothing epic happening.

[Zane0]

No Russian might be.. affecting as a self-contained experience, but the context surrounding the 'event' is completely, absolutely, unforgivably preposterous. The singular justification for an invasion of the continental United States? Yeah okay. The entire motivation is slipshod and nonsensical -- as are the consequences. It is therefore a failure as a sum of its parts, and doesn't say very much more than literal murder pornography.

[LK]

Did you guys miss the part where the Ultra-nationalists took over Russia and five years have passed since then, and that this was just the match to the powder keg that had slowly built up over the years?

I think they put all the pieces in place necessary to accomplish what they wanted to get out of this sequel: a shoot-out between two armies using a Taco Bell for cover.

I mean, it's gotta be better than another abandoned European bloc building.

[waffel]

Lots of reports coming in that the pirate version has been 'cracked' and dedicated servers are set up which you can connect to. The gameplay experience on these servers is apparently (obviously) superior to the random-player-hosting. Oh, and some servers re-enabled lean.

So... the pirate version has a better MP experience. 

[Pennilenko]

Lots of reports coming in that the pirate version has been 'cracked' and dedicated servers are set up which you can connect to. The gameplay experience on these servers is apparently (obviously) superior to the random-player-hosting. Oh, and some servers re-enabled lean.

So... the pirate version has a better MP experience. 

As much as I smile over that, these bastards are legitimizing IW's point.

[Tarami]

Eh, what point would that be?

[jakonovski]

As much as I smile over that, these bastards are legitimizing IW's point.

Paying customers need to be screwed because pirates?