Tag Archives: call of duty

CoD: Ghosts Confirmed for 6 Platforms

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And here we are. Call of Duty: Ghosts was made official with a teaser website and now a teaser video:

This is an Infinity Ward joint. Sledgehammer Games have confirmed they’re working on their next project. All we know about CoD: Ghosts are the six platforms that it will land on including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, PC, PlayStation 4 and the next Xbox.

Speaking of the next Xbox, the world will be given (and probably shown) more details on the next Call of Duty at Microsoft’s next generation Xbox reveal event. Now I have even more reasons to tune in.

Modern Warfare 3 wasn’t a fire starter for me but I somehow convinced myself that Call of Duty: Ghosts could be interesting.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PS3) MP Report #1

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It’s been well over a month since I started playing the latest Call of Duty’s multiplayer. The fact that I’m still playing that mode a month after its release should speak volumes though.

This is the first Call of Duty multiplayer game that I’ve stuck with since Modern Warfare 2. But unlike Modern Warfare 2, I don’t see myself abandoning it anytime soon. Black Ops II’s multiplayer mode is the most refined version of the multiplayer that Infinity Ward put forth in Modern Warfare 2.

Multiple kill streak types are still here, perks of all flavours are in and so is the ability to customize load outs to your whim. So what makes this Call of Duty different? Why isn’t this game a clusterfuck of a mess like the others? Well, truth be told, it still can feel incredibly lopsided when someone gets on a roll but unlike the games before it, there are a number of precautions and smart decisions that were made to tone down the mayhem.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops II (PS3) Campaign Review

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Year after year since the release Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the nagging criticism Iaid against the multi-million dollar franchise is: when will Call of Duty innovate again? Infinity Ward broke ground with COD4 and ever since then both it and Treyarch have been iterating on the same formula.

And why shouldn’t they? It’s a formula that sells millions of copies and despite the cries of a vocal minority (including myself), this franchise continues to be extremely popular. Treyarch didn’t have to go the lengths they did with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but they did and I have to commend them for their efforts.

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Checkpoint: Games Across All Platforms Edition

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Did you know I owned a PlayStation Vita? I haven’t spoken much about it but I promise to write some impressions later. All I’ve been playing on the Sony handheld is Wipeout 2048. And technically I’m not even playing my own save because the damn device cannot juggle multiple profiles. Game developers could allow multiple saves but I doubt that will be common practice.

I grabbed a copy of Rayman: Jungle Run for $0.99 and promptly finished it. It’s easily my favorite of those platformers for iOS. Shamefully, I have yet to even start Rayman: Origins.

Continuing on the portable gaming front, I started Professor Layton & the Last Specter. I’m confused by the game’s placement in the Professor Layton timeline. I learned that it’s technically the beginning of a brand new “season”. Does that mean reboot? I wouldn’t mind if each new season was treated as an opportunity to start somewhat fresh.

On the console side of things, I still have my copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops II in my PlayStation 3 and continue to play the multiplayer on a regular basis. As for Halo 4? My time with Xbox Live! Gold is drawing to a close and I don’t plan on renewing it free months or the like. I’m going to wait for this season’s worth of Spartan Ops to wrap up and then dive back in to check that all out.

Lastly, there’s Sleeping Dogs which I’m enjoying more and more. Not only is it fun but the themes and messages that are being shared resonates with me like no other game. I’ve heard many of these things from family members but it’s weird to hear it coming through a game. I hope it continues to be great.

Checkpoint: We’re Already in December Edition

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It’s December 2 already. It doesn’t feel like it though. I still feel like we’re right in the middle of November. I’m feeling that not because of this coming Tuesday’s release of Far Cry 3 though. I’m still playing catch up with this year’s earlier releases.

I just wrapped Call of Duty: Black Ops II’s campaign and I’ve invested more time with the multiplayer. My favorite playlist, Ground War, is now working fine which automatically enables me to enjoy the game more. I’ve also been enjoying this Black Ops II’s Gun Game which I feel is more entertaining thanks to the map selection in that playlist.

I’ve started Sleeping Dogs on PC and I was shocked to discover how well it runs with on my PC. I haven’t progressed too far yet but I’m currently running it at 1080p resolution and managing close to a consistent 60 FPS. There were some 2 – 5 FPS dips during cutscenes and in a few instances of gameplay but nothing too dramatic.

I also took the opportunity to play around with the latest version of the Steam “Big Picture Mode”. I was impressed with how much of the Steam experience was intact with a controller. From what I saw, the DLC menu is the only remaining menu that required a “cursor” like navigation. It could be the entire store purchasing experience that requires work but I haven’t purchased anything through that mode. I doubt I ever will too.

So how about that Far Cry 3? I hear it’s pretty good. I also hear it only really shines on the PC which means my Xbox 360 copy is going back to FutureShop as soon as it arrives.

 

Checkpoint: 2010 Reflection Edition

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With the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Halo 4, I’m finding myself reading my own impressions again. I remember both enjoying Black Ops for its espionage and relative sound framing of the events. I hope Treyarch continues that steady pace and resists the temptation to go hog wild.

I also enjoyed Halo: Reach a lot making it my favorite Halo experience from Bungie. I remember the game being tough because of a very aggressive A.I but I also remember the tech shortcomings. I approached Halo 4 with those two impressions in mind.

I just finished Halo 4′s campaign. I died many times throughout the 8 hours or so but it was usually out of recklessness and experimentation. I didn’t die because I was cowering behind cover which was the case in Halo: Reach.

My overall impressions for Halo 4 is positive aside from two key points: A.I and gameplay design. Some may even say that they’re one and the same but I believe one of these took a step back while the other was a non-step. I’ll elaborate on all of this later.

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I bought Sleeping Dogs for the PC. It was $25 (50% off) and I suspect it wouldn’t get that much cheaper in the coming month or so. After Black Ops II, the only 2012 game I have coming is Far Cry 3 which will likely be returned. I still have lots of 2012 games to play but the two key titles I’d like to get by year’s end are XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Dishonored.

Hopefully there are substantial deals in the coming weeks!