Jimquisition: Defending Call of Duty

[Couch Radish]

Well I can't say that Call of Duty is not a absolutely horrible series (I, myself, adored CoD:MW) but I really don't like where Activision is taking the game.

And my problems with the game are (I'm limiting this to the Multiplayer):

1. The players are too bullet-squishy.

I play Team Fortress 2 and Brink, which is probably where this complaint comes from. In the CoD series, if someone is under another person's crosshairs, they're dead. Nevertheless this happens in real life, but it's important to give players a chance to fight back if they're ambushed.

So in CoD, no one really bothers to venture out in groups, because three bullets to the leg can kill you. So people usually just sit in a corner, waiting for some unlucky sort to pass by.

2. No sense of teamwork.

I never get a feeling of teamwork in CoD games. People always seem to go on their own, because there's no real way of defending your team-mates because of how easily they die (See #1)

3. Everyone looks the same.

There's no real differentiating looks between enemies and allies alike. The classes in TF2 are all easily recognizable, as you're near always able to tell what weapon they have and what team they're on (classic red/blue contrast). I can never see this in CoD games.

4. Health regeneration.

Yep, this little nugget again. Another problem with the lack of team-work is this. Medics on multiplayer games are always important, and games winning or losing can be determined by Medics. People will protect them, making an objective for both teams, helping ensure team-work.

But when you can just sit in a corner, suck your thumb for 4 seconds, and grow both your legs back, this can deter team-work and have people go own their own, not needing anyone's help.

While I'm slightly okay with it in single-player games (begrudgingly so), multiplayer games never work with health regen.

Luckily each issue you named is clear in the battlefield bad company games

So

Ehm

[sub] guys I don't know what to do now!
you tell 'm to clap
Like this?
yeah...no but nevermind[/sub]

There are Medics in BC2
Squads create a heavy sense of teamwork
People look different based on their class and faction
Players don't go down nearly as fast as they do in CoD

I think he was trying to say that Bad Company 2 didn't have any of those problems mentioned.

I never mentioned BC2 in my post. I don't know where you guys are getting that.

 

[Poisoned Al]

I don't hate the Moden Warfare games because it's cool to hate them. I hate them becuase it was a good game now devoid of originality with right-wing nut-job gun-wank "plots" that replaced the cool story of the first. If the game was fresh and fun, I could look over the vomit inducing "story". But it's not. It's just more boring, chest high wall, grenade insta-kill BS we have all seen a million times before.

 

[MightyMole]

You know, this whole arguement is kind of flawed...

He complains about people not liking CoD because "It's stupid" or "It's for kiddies" but the people that say that only really liked CoD in the first place because "It was cool", and since those people probably aren't really into video games to the level they would be on this site, they wouldn't see this video... In their defense, hating a game because "it's stupid" is just as justified as liking it because "it's cool".

I think anything else I could say has already been said in some form or fashion, so I'll leave it at that.

 

[SupabadMan]

Liked this one. He generally made some good points, but missed some and brought up ones that were kind of unnecessary.

The 'art' point was one. I don't think there is a person who plays fps's for artistic value, but like I said, some good points.

 

[Peter Donaldson]

those are hurr durr reasons, yes they seem like alot of cod style shooters, butthats because they're copying cod. And the fanbase....they'res a reason they have a mute function you can use mid match

 

[Peter Donaldson]

I come for the theme-song and stay for what Jim has to say

 

[Weasker]

Because you're not funny and especially not funny when you praise yourself.
And fat. Work out.

.... And wears a stupid tie. Buy a collar.
And wears stupid shades. Get a bandana.
And is white. Plastic surgery, here we come.

This is actually what he talks about for most of the video, arbitrary hatred towards groups of people, like people who hate other people for enjoying CoD, or because they are fat, or because they wears shades, or because.... well you get it.

He never actually states that all people who dislike CoD are wrong, he states that he likes it, and an unfortunate amount of people who dislike it do so because it is popular and thus do not base their opinion on the merits of the games themselves (from my experience i would say there is a decent chance this is true).

And with that comes the people who not only hate the game, but extend this hate towards the players themselves, actual people who in no kind of way deserve being treated like garbage because they play CoD, at least not more than you or I deserve to be treated like garbage because we play videogames, wether it's CoD or Braid.

No, he's not just saying he likes it, he IS saying it's actually good and the people who don't like it have no good reasons. I played CoD4 and gave my reasons why I didn't liked it then I went on giving only very few of the reasons why I don't like this guy. Want more reasons I don't like CoD? I'm not an online-multiplayer fan.

 

[northeast rower]

Good episode. I don't dislike CoD for the reasons listed here, though. I dislike Cod because of the newer installments oversaturating the player with perks, attachments, guns, and generally making the game a fuckfest of the bling-iest online avatar. On the other hand, I really do enjoy the single player, zombies, and the better online matches.

CoD 4 is excellent. Let's hope that the series can return to that more subtle pacing and simpler gameplay.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Call of Duty was a good series, but when MW2 was released it did become shit. Plus, World at War's Russian side of the campaign kicked the ass of CoD4's and MW2's combined.

 

[Tdc2182]

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a game which defined what a modern multiplayer shooter could be".

Wrong, that would be Team Fortress 2.

Actually no, you're wrong. Team Fortress 2 really didn't do anything that no other game has done. If I remember correctly, Star Wars; Battlefront did much of the same things that Team Fortress did (and better, I believe).

Jim is doing a great job of embarrassing himself. He didn't acknowledge any od the main reasons people tend to dislike COD.

1)Boring environments.
2)No innovative mechanics.
3)No teamwork

etc...

1) That's entirely your opinion. I thought they were generally amazing. I've really never heard anyone complain about the environments also.

2.) Uhh... What? Did that whole "perk system" fly over your head? Maybe you missed the Killstreaks? Whether you liked it or not, no one did it before them.

3.) Not true in the slightest. A team using teamwork will beat a team not using team work any time.

 

[LogicNProportion]

Defending Call of Duty

Very much how men and women of the military defend this nation's freedom overseas, Jim Sterling defends Call of Duty. In many ways, Sterling's cause is more righteous and noble than anything a soldier has ever, ever done.

Watch Video

Just with that youve lost a viewer. Doesnt help Jim is pretty much a petulant child.

PS. I too like CoD.

 

[Tdc2182]

Call of Duty was a good series, but when MW2 was released it did become shit. Plus, World at War's Russian side of the campaign kicked the ass of CoD4's and MW2's combined.

This really bugs me. What did it do good? Anything at all? I'll give Gary Oldman did a good job at shouting at me to do shit, but it was literally the most boring campaign I've played in CoD.

 

[Seotinach]

Kind of wish you'd stop bothering with a lot of the obnoxious behaviors, as I genuinely do enjoy most of your points over the last few videos. D:

I don't mind the silly "Thank God for me" comments - it has the same bizarre appeal as Tenacious D making nothing but songs about themselves - but other than that, a lot of the behavior is simply childish. A shame, since you have a lot of good bits in this.

Still watching because when you settle down and get serious again, it's a good listen. I just wish you didn't make me feel inclined to skip 5~15 second sections of the video in order for me to still want to watch it. D:

 

[infohippie]

While not very subtly put, I completely agree with what he's saying. People will always be hating on what's popular, because that's what the 'cool kids' do, but a bit of sense seldom goes amiss.

So that explains his Witcher review. It's popular, so he hates it. And yet he defends CoD?
Honestly, Jim's opinions are pretty questionable, I no longer think he has anything to say that is relevant to me.

 

[Still Life]

It's not the fact that it's a huge thing ALONE that makes it shit. It's the fact that (like you said) because it is so big, so many other companies try to emulate it.

How do other companies 'emulating' the COD formula make Infinity Ward and Treyarch responsible for the lack of creativity and risk-taking in the FPS industry? How does it make COD shit, when they are some of the most polished shooters on the market?

Blame other developers for taking what has been shown to work time and time again.

Often alienating their original fans in the process and making a poorer product. Example: Bioware and Dragon Age 2.

How is DA2 anything like the COD franchise? Does it focus on the multiple player experience? Is it FPS with a short and intense six hour campaign?

This is exactly the kind of stick-up-the-ass elitist attitude Jim was describing.

 

[captaincabbage]

*sigh* Is his solution to each complaint about his overacting just to overact even more? Is he deliberately trying to try way too hard to be funny? Is his intention to come off as desperate "ironically?"

I think you're just about right here.

What really gets me is how self-rieghteous he is, either intentionally to try and be funny, or *shudder* unintentionally.
Unfortunately, his wanky bullshit, which was supposed to rub off as ironic and taking the piss just rubs off instead as him being an unlikeable prick.
On top of the fact that he shows other arguments in a painfully sarcastic light shows up as him just being as big of a prick as the people who actually use those flawed arguments.

Anyway, on the topic of CoD, I always felt that the reason that it was despised by the general community was that it had a cocky fanbase, half made up (as the stereotype goes) of 14 year old kids who all slept with our mums.
I've honestly never heard of someone dissing CoD on the basis that it introduced an excellent unlock, level and perk system, let alone calling it superior to, or inferior to Quake or Halo, or any games like that with a more arcadey set-up.

Personally I really hope The Escapist pulls Jim Sterling's show, because after weeks of trying to warm up to him, he's just shown himself as a massive dick, which is not what anyone wants.

 

[JMeganSnow]

*sigh* Is his solution to each complaint about his overacting just to overact even more? Is he deliberately trying to try way too hard to be funny? Is his intention to come off as desperate "ironically?"

Actually, I think he's starting to settle into a style now. If you notice, he didn't make fun of himself in a weirdly apologetic self-deprecating manner this time. I think this show is definitely starting to work.

It could still use more fine-tuning, but it's improving.

 

[Alexnader]

Jim reads the Escapist I see. He takes upon some discussed topics to troll everyone with at the beginning - quite funny in my opinion. Also Jim, no, COD didn't invent unlockables in FPS - Battlefield franchise did. Much earlier. Just saying.. not like there is an internet argument to be won.

Irrespective of who invented it first his point was that Call of Duty "popularised" the mechanic. My problem with that is that CoD didn't popularise unlocks because it handled them in a new or particularly good way. It "popularised" them because CoD itself was already crazy popular and it happened to have unlocks in multiplayer. Battlefield handles unlocks in almost the exact same way but we don't see Jim crediting it.

Another problem I have is that he assumes that anyone who hates CoD is one of the stupider kinds of artsy people who only play Braid and indie platformers and think they're superior for it. Guess what Jim? I play modern FPSes that are just as dumbed down story-wise as CoD. But I like those ones better because they deliver good, varied, team based gameplay. Team Fortress 2, the Battlefield series. Hell even Frontlines Fuel of War and that game tanked. He should research his shit next time. I don't look down on CoD from some pedestal. I just know there's FPSes that I like a lot better than it out there and I'm sure that's how most Cod "haters" feel.

in short: Obvious Troll.

As a side note I still enjoyed the show. Jim tests and reaffirms my own opinions by presenting his own reasoned but often (in my opinion) incorrect ideas.

 

[zombiejoe]

I thought COD4 was an ok game *love that nuke scene*
MW2 was...ehhh didn't like it too much

and I actually did like the plot of Black Ops, thought it was an interesting step. Never really cared for online however. Not because I hate it or anything, just don't do online that well *derp*