Sunday, April 29, 2012

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - What I Envy of Mainstream Shooters: Moving Around

Distractions as of late: playing CoD MW2 private matches with my son and getting my rear end kicked by him every time.




I'm a big fan of more realistic shooters like ArmA 2, but I have to confess I didn't miss it when I was roaming around the maps of Call of Duty. The ease of mind of not getting stuck behind a boulder was fantastic. The framerates too (off course the trade off was tiny maps).


Cheers,

5 comments:

Mike said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mike said...

I just bought MW3, mainly because I'm just tired of most of the crap games out there, and honestly, CoD doesnt hide the fact that its a fast paced shoe box shooter. I'm not a big fan of ArmA and I'm getting bored with Battlefield.

As an aspiring game developer (in my wildest dreams) I've noticed a few things about the franchise that I like, and extremely dislike.

Like: CoD is the smoothest game out there. The controls are perfect. Say what you want about ArmA, but I personally feel like ArmA has the WORST player movement in any game I'v ever played. This is coming from someone with 2 combat deployments to Iraq, who has done many patrols with lots of heavy gear on, so don't try to tell me that Arma is simulating anything with player movement.

Like: Lots of positive feedback. I ranked up to level 6 within 90 minutes of playing. It was easy, and it was awesome. Every time I killed someone or unlocked some new piece of equipment, there was instant feedback given to me on the screen via flashy graphic and sweet metal music. Whenever you get multiple kills during the span of one life, you are eligible for KILLSTREAKS, which are a group of selected items such as UAV support, air strikes, gun turrets, attack choppers, etc. Great stuff!

DISLIKE: Why do I have to unlock the same weapons that I've already worked countless hours to unlock in MW1, MW2, and CoD:BO? And why the hell is the AK-47 most coveted weapon in the CoD arsenal!? Seriously, in every CoD it is one of the LAST weapons you get to unlocked. I wish the developers would go out and actually use some of these weapons. They would realize that the M-4 series is much superior to the AK-47 as far as possible configurations, accuracy, and overall sexiness. Speaking of weapons...

DISLIKE: Weapon characteristics are so similar in most weapons, and really serve no purpose. In game, it is simply point and click at the screen. Some weapons recoil much more than others, but for the most part its all the same shit. Honestly, the M-4, M-16, SCAR-L, and ACR all have the same ballistics(they fire the same round!) and only have differences when it comes to weapon performance (failure to fire, malfunction) which are not modeled anyway.

Alright rant done.

I'm enjoying MW3. Rival game dev's and armchair generals can trash-talk the CoD series all they want, but I tell you the CoD series is FUN. And lately I'm not finding any fun in any of the 'realistic' games out there.

Erich said...

I've also got 2 tours (Afghanistan for me - I've been out since 2010), and I hate the "Gun porn" culture that the CoD series promotes. And don't get me started about the ridiculous single-player game, with its tiny maps, "monster closets" of endlessly-spawning enemies (until you cross a magical tripwire and move on), and general lack of anything approaching verisimilitude. I have never felt less immersed in a game. The whole franchise is so incredibly dumbed-down, I always feel less intelligent after spending time with it.

I love ARMA 2 because it rewards planning and that's what's fun for me. I hate this twitch-based crap. They should include an Adderall prescription with every copy of CoD sold ;)

Unknown said...

Yeah... movement and animations beat the brains out of Arma 2. Nothing like the feeling of falling off a ledge in CoD and being able to control your movement and recover. In Arma 2, you turn into a statue while you fall, slide awkwardly once you hit the ground, then take a good second or two to be able to move again. I'm impressed with Battlefield 3's movement and animations moreso than Call of Duty's. End of the day, they're all fun, but you get the most rewarding experience out of Arma 2.

Also if you're looking for a solid running Arma 2 mission, go grab Sahrani from Armed Assault, that map is proof that Bohemia Interactive loves us and wants us to be happy.

JC said...

Thanks for your comments.

This weekend I tried to "buddy team" with my son in a massive CoD MW2 team deathmatch. He appreciated the flank and rear protection for a short while, but we couldn't move as fast and he dismissed the idea thereafter.

Cheers,