It’s the third month into the life of Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer and I think I’ve had enough of it.
You could say I’m in the trough of disillusionment or maybe there’s just so many issues (little or large) that I’ve just had enough.
I’ve played over two day’s worth. My Kill/Death ratio is hovering at around 2.40 and I’ve Prestiged once. But as time passed, the thrills of acquiring a chopper gunner and mowing people down is no longer there. Instead, I see a borderline broken game.
There was a point in time when nearly everyone picked up Infinity Ward’s games for their single player campaigns. But after the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, those days are evidently over. Some say it’s because the draw for multiplayer is so strong. Others say it’s due to the fact that Infinity Ward hasn’t done anything noteworthy with their single player campaign in quite some time. It’s a bit of both, in my opinion.
Let’s start the new week with some Modern Warfare 2 talk. (Don’t worry, there shouldn’t be too much of it for the week.) I’m taking this opportunity to put down my thoughts on the “No Russian” chapter of Modern Warfare 2. Some people found it disturbing, some didn’t. It’s controversial and even Infinity Ward thought it was offensive enough to offer a “skip chapter” function.
I didn’t find it disturbing.
Needless to say, this post will be filled with spoilers. So if you care about Modern Warfare 2’s story, I suggest you skip this.
So Infinity Ward axed dedicated server support which was a significant blow to the advantages of going with PC. But after the most recent revelations, the remaining PC die hards have no reason to pick up this version if they wish to diverge from Infinity Ward’s ‘vision’ for Modern Warfare 2.
The PC version of Modern Warfare 2 will also have the following changes:
But it will have graphical settings, text chat and mouse support! Which is good right? That’s the bare minimum, Infinity Ward. That’s what we’ve come to expect when Capcom or other console developers port their console works over to PC. For former PC developers, people expect the kind of features that was already in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Here’s a handy comparison chart courtesy of NeoGAF’s Puck:
Infinity Ward drank the console Kool-Aid and are now comfortably addicted. At least they’re paving the way for other former PC only developers.
I feel your pain, PC gamers. I really do.
Perhaps it should be Activision & Infinity Ward vs PC gamers? I’m not sure, all I know is that PC gamers are not happy with the recent turn of events involving Modern Warfare 2.
PC version of games have a few key advantages over their counterparts including:
Activision and Infinity Ward have effectively crossed out many of these advantages over the recent months. The new list looks like this:
Along with a myriad of details, which you can read up on over at GamesRadar and GiantBomb, Microsoft went up on stage and unveiled a Limited Edition Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 with a 250 GB hard drive.
I approve of this bundle. For $399.99 USD (and possibly CAD), you get:
That’s quite the bundle considering the second controller and game will set you back $130 at the very least. I’m not fond of the paint job though. A little tacky.
So that’s all good news, but what of the game itself? I’m a bit worried about balance. Infinity Ward threw in a lot of interesting features and abilities, but how will it all balance out? And with the admission of no multiplayer beta, I’m worried that exploits and exploitable combinations will ruin the fun.
Who can really say though? This is Infinity Ward. They’re a talented bunch and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. After all, they did spawn a legion of copy cats after Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare dropped.
P.S – If you want check out footage (and sift through multiple 2 minute videos), head over to the Gameplay section of GameTrailer’s Modern Warfare 2 page.
The number of delays announced over the past few weeks. So much so that it feels like developers and publishers are moving Christmas 2009 into 2010.
Are retailers asking for less this holiday season? That’s what one podcast was speculating. Or perhaps everyone is afraid of Halo 3: ODST and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Whatever the case may be, holiday 2009 has slimmed down considerably, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of quality titles to look for.
Here’s a little list I whipped up which hopefully clarifies the current holiday 2009 picture a little better.
