304: The Reset Button

[Sabinfrost]

Very good article, I agree, some very valid points. As someone that plays CoD MLG and has played other competitive games before the gameplay is solid with more depth then most people experience outside of competition, like street fighter. So, the games are essentially the same, they have subtle flavours, different chicken dishes, they feel different and not just because of some new skins/sounds/guns/maps, tactics and what is competitive alter the feel of the experience. The MW2 competitive scene is different to the World at War one. The games are being refined like a sport and sure they could get patched to buggery but the devs need to fund developing the game. A single CoD title could work if it was released on a subscription like WoW, which has changed massively over it's six year life while keeping much of the same outward appearance.

So what you are saying is that, instead of viewing them as sequels, it's a better way to view them like, I don't know, three people with three different Yu-Gi-Oh starter decks? (Sorry, my analogy is shit but I can't come up with something better). They're at heart the same, but details still make them different games with different focus.

If that is what you mean, your comment makes a lot of sense, and I must say I agree with it. I've been watching a lot of Call of Duty commentaries recently (I don't really have the money for the games themselves), and many of them do talk about how some of the games have different perks or balances than the others.

That's basically it, yes. It's like new edition of a card game or an updated rulebook for a tabletop miniatures title.

Balance and strategy, the variations on how you move, how guns handle... all these things add subtle variation which alters how the metagame works.

Multiplayer competitive is about more then who can shoot straight and the quickest, team work is an integral part of being successful. I admit the single player gets old, it has been done a hundred times and no matter how many Hollywood script writers and actors you get on board it is still move from one set piece to another shooting from cover. I wouldn't buy the games for the single player.

A multiplayer only subscription based model with regular content upgrades (not paying for map packs) would be a viable alternative to the twelve month release schedule.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

I can't stand leveling in any of those games. It drives me nuts. The fact I can't use certain weapons until I sink a set amount of time into the game is frustrating. I never had a problem playing the shit out of Crysis which used good 'ol fashioned weapon drops instead of leveling and picking loadouts and such.
Of course I also badly miss playing LAN games with friends instead of being forced to play on random servers with faceless enemies. The love is all gone! I am not a big fan of CoD games although I did unlock every weapon in Bad Company 2. It wasn't until I forced myself to do this that I finally started to enjoy the game since I didn't have to force myself to use classes that didn't suit the situation just because I needed experience with them. So I don't lose interest once I hit that cap.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Wow, that article was like reading an episode of Extra Credits.

My voice isn't that high pitched you know. My feelings are hurt now.

Neither is his, it's all technology. But I meant content-wise, not with the postmodernist drawings (which I like) or the technosquawk of how he speaks.

But, I still have to make up for hurting your feelings. Ummm...hmm...I...apologize?

I'm just joking with you. All is cool

 

[Frotality]

....did this article just advocate shovelware?

and no one else sees a problem with this? your all happy to keep buying it as long as you know why now?

...interesting.

 

[IndianaJonny]

Buying the same game over and over again, hmm? If I was the cynical sort I might say that you've described Games Workshop's market policy in a nutshell.

 

[Squilookle]

I love it when the reset button moment arrives, because all the sheep that follow that deranged logic move on to the next game, and the only people left playing the current one are people who just play for fun.

Remember that, developers? When multiplayer was about fun? Not killstreaks, rankings, or unlockables?

Sorry, ignore me. Just having a rant on my soapbox over here...

 

[Moonlight Butterfly]

You ever think that maybe the storyline is part of the fun of playing the game?

I think I was attracted to gaming in the first place becuase it's a chance to get immersed in another world similar to reading.

Fun gameplay is an important factor but sequels I think are just as much about what happens next. Aswell as; we want to do more of that shooting, climbing or skating, because it was fun.

I don't think you can seperate the two out they are integral.