With MW3 right around the corner, I've been doing a lot of thinking, probably more than I should, on the Call of Duty series and the love and hate it draws from so many people. As I was ranting to 3N3MY earlier this week, I decided to focus more of my thoughts on exactly why I won't be purchasing MW3, at least at launch. It is a game I am interested in picking up at a later date just to play the 5 hour story. I know it will feel like a Michael Bay/John Woo movie but will still be fun... just not worth $60 at launch for if I'm not interested in the MP.
PROS
1. CoD is a smooth shooter with great controls, on consoles and PC, that rewards you with XP, unlocks, ribbons, badges, everything. From the name customization in MW2 to the gun customization in Blops, CoD offers the players a lot and draws them in.
2. DLC - if it's a game you enjoy and you want to keep playing, there is definitely a lot of DLC. I would argue it's priced high for a couple maps but there are plenty of people who have paid for it.
3. Safe Bet - You know the next CoD will be a good shooter and a safe bet. If you liked the last one, you will enjoy the next one. They won't deviate from their formula very far.
CONS
1. As much as I love say, Diablo, Starcraft, Battlefield, Elder Scrolls, or Mass Effect, I would hate to see one released once a year for several years in a row. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. It gets old and stale. I love pizza but if I eat pizza every day for several days in a row, I really start to not enjoy pizza.
2. Same Engine - This could be a pro as the engine runs smooth and has since the first MW but isn't it time for a change?
3. Too Little, Too Late - Blops did a lot to address the complaints regarding MW2 but for me, it felt like too little, too late. Blops was fun but as I tracked the hours I put into the CoD series, they fell drastically with each series. I put 200+ hours into MW2 and only around 70 into Blops.
4. Bobby Kotick - EA has made some questionable moves of late but they still have nothing on this guy's mouth. :D
The main reason I won't purchase MW3 this fall is... I'm a hardcore Battlefield fan. I really love the teamplay and camaraderie the Battlefield series encourages. And to be honest, as much as I bash the CoD series now, I would probably be purchasing it if it wasn't for the countless hours I'll sink into Battlefield 3. Not to mention Elder Scrolls: Skryim comes out 3 days after MW3.
Here's a great commentary on the subject of MW3 vs. BF3 if anyone is interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Bhc_XaY6U
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I'll admit I thought this was going to be a bitch fest post (nothing against you, but we both tend to get a little carried away at times), but I agree with everything you said.
ReplyDeleteThey are really good games and you're right that they're a safe bet. You know what you're getting and that it'll play well....well as in it runs well....not that it won't have infamous IW balancing issues, but you know what I mean.
I def won't be getting this at launch or Christmas because of Battlefield, Rage, Skyrim, Deus Ex and Batman, but I'm sure I'll get it eventually.
Plus, I'm still loving Black Cops. I mean Black Ops!
ReplyDeleteI'll defend COD a a little bit further, as if it really needs defending...
ReplyDeleteSomething that I really like about COD, is what they figured out about how the industry works, and what makes an experience addicting. It could have happened with any shooter (any game for the matter) but it all kinda happened within MW1's design.
The MW1 multiplayer found a wonderful way to make not only each game a fun experience, but also how to encourage the player to stick around night after night. Their unlock system gave everyone something to work toward, something to achieve! And those unlocks weren't just an arbitrary number, but they gave you more options for how you could play your game. New guns, new perks, etc... It wasn't just about each individual game experience anymore - it was about the experience of multiplayer as a whole! And what better way to get people to keep playing after they max out, but to stroke their egos, take away all of their guns and tag on a perfect word to describe it all - prestige.
Another thing that COD did really well was use their gameplay elements to create a self-governing balancing system. By creating so many different ways to customize your character, weapons, and power-ups, the responsibility for clean fair play was put into the players hands. If something wasn't working well, mix it up and try a new gun, get a new perk. This did create problems every now and then with Runners, and Noob tubers, but this method of design and balancing definitely works better than the Gears of War, patch-most-of-the-weapons-every-month-or-so-because-our-guns-aren't-balanced, way of doing things.
I've debated this off an on with people and I agree with Juniper on many of his pros and cons. Some can be labeled in both categories depending on how you look at it. I think Black Ops was and is a great time and righted many of the wrongs of MW2. I'll eventually pick up MW3 to play for two reasons. The first one being I like having a mindless game to play. I think I have gamer ADHD where I have to be in the right mood for a Mass Effect 2 type game that is story driven. I like the fact I can jump into COD or Battlefield and play without having to think too much. The second plus is playing with friends. Nothing gives me more joy than stabbing, shooting, fragging or buttstocking a buddy to death online. It never gets old no matter what, online trash talk is the best. I will get Battlefield for sure over MW3, but MW3 is on my short list of games for the holiday or winter.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you guys think of these game specific conventions coming up. The Halo one and COD are coming up I believe. I personally think it is overkill and this comes from a guy who had a countdown widget for two comic cons last year.
^^ Black Cops! That video is pretty funny... there ain't no black cops in this game, they all white soldiers.
ReplyDeletePutting all the jokes and complaining aside, I really wanted to write a legitimate post about the CoD series. Amateria makes a good point that I didn't touch on too much, about how they pull people in with the constant leveling and rewards and perks. They use a very similar tactic that MMOs use, such as WoW, to suck people and keep them playing.
And yeah, we could do a WHOLE other posts on all these conventions. One thing for a company (Blizzcon) to do it's on convention but now whole game series are having their own conventions... sounds dangerous to me, especially if the IP goes stale or dies.
And to be honest, as much as I will try to resist, there is a chance, a tiny slim one, that if I have some extra money, I may fall to the dark side and pick up MW3. Might be this Spring once Battlefield and Skryim have whined down.
ReplyDeleteI did some MW2 co-op recently, which I never had any complaints about, and even did some MP recently again, just for giggles. It was fun since I hadn't played in a long time. The co-op was a great addition to the series...