Activision files counter-suit, Infinity Ward crumbles

[DPDarkPrimus]

The first game's story was above average for an FPS. They didn't even have the decency to try and come up with a cohesive storyline to string the various action movie setpieces they cobbled together to pass off as a single-player campaign in MW2.

[CaptHawkeye]

My older son has a friend at school who fits this mould perfectly: he has apparently played the game for countless hours, leveled up to an insane degree, is "multiple prestige", whatever the hell that means, and can therefore beat the hell out of newbies with abandon. In effect, the game rewards the people who have the least lives.

"Prestige" means the player started the leveling process over again. The reward you get for this is literally nothing. A pretty medal next to your name and worthless bragging rights.

It turns out gamers just like doing repetitive tasks over and over again. This is par for the course in gaming. Just look at how popular World of Warcraft is and WHY it's so popular.

[Medic]

My older son has a friend at school who fits this mould perfectly: he has apparently played the game for countless hours, leveled up to an insane degree, is "multiple prestige", whatever the hell that means, and can therefore beat the hell out of newbies with abandon. In effect, the game rewards the people who have the least lives.

"Prestige" means the player started the leveling process over again. The reward you get for this is literally nothing. A pretty medal next to your name and worthless bragging rights.

Are you sure it's literally nothing in MW2? In CoD4 it literally was, for CoD:WaW though they made it so by the last prestige level you had all of 10 pre-set classes available for use. (so yeah, over 10 prestiges you only get 5) WaW had the redeeming quality on the PC of having easy level-up servers, so you could get prestige 10 in like... 4 hours of grinding? I think this had something to do with IW losing their minds WRT no server hosting in MW2. I still say fuck them in the face over that.

It turns out gamers just like doing repetitive tasks over and over again. This is par for the course in gaming. Just look at how popular World of Warcraft is and WHY it's so popular.

Too true. IW's great accomplishment has been to bring WoW-style grinding to the FPS, hasn't it?

[Alyeska]

The more I hear about Modern Warfare 2, the more I despise it. Multiplayer got nerfed by IW. Then it got taken over by the cheaters and noob killers. Almost everyone I talk to these days says that MW2 MP sucks because its full of cheaters or nothing but AC-130 kill streaks. Then I hear that the Singleplayer is nonsensical. One of the things I loved about COD4 was its quality single player story. It grabbed you. It seemed at least remotely plausible. It was action intense. One heck of a techno thriller. Now it seems MW2 is nothing more then Michael Bay Explosions.

Before MW2 came out I decided the MP was worth relatively little but that I could wait for a price drop to $40 on the PC so I could enjoy the single player. Today I found a retailer on Amazon selling for $34 ($38 total with shipping). I had to decide if the game was worth it. Well I talked to some friends and considered what everyone said. Fuck This Game. They managed to make the MP even worse than I had expected, and they screwed up the single player pretty bad too. I am waiting for this game to reach bargain bin prices. I won't touch it until it reaches $20.

I should thank Infinity Ward for telling the PC fans to go fuck off. First they didn't bother with Prestige Edition for the PC. Had they released Prestige Edition for PC, I would have bought it hook line and sinker. A waste of $150. Then Infinity Ward fucks up the Multplayer something fierce. IW.net, no dedicated servers, p2p hosting, no admin control, no ability to customize the game, etc. And Activision gets greedy on the PC price.

What The Fuck. How do you go from COD4 to MW2? (shakes head)

[SAMAS]

Didn't Activision's CEO say he only wanted "exploitable" properties?

That's what happened to CoD. It got exploited.

[Stark]

Don't be ridiculous. IW was keyed into their market (stoner college boys) and MW2 is exactly what they wanted. You can argue specifics (for instance, the horrible game balance hurts the game) but a noobrapefest with a stupid plot where 30% of the unit badges are some variation on SMOKING WEED IS COOL DOG is brilliant marketing, and it made them absolute shitpiles of money.

Just because someone might not like it doesn't mean it's 'exploited'. They listened to their userbase.

[Alyeska]

Don't be ridiculous. IW was keyed into their market (stoner college boys) and MW2 is exactly what they wanted. You can argue specifics (for instance, the horrible game balance hurts the game) but a noobrapefest with a stupid plot where 30% of the unit badges are some variation on SMOKING WEED IS COOL DOG is brilliant marketing, and it made them absolute shitpiles of money.

Just because someone might not like it doesn't mean it's 'exploited'. They listened to their userbase.

Indeed. Seeing how the next game plays out in popularity would have made a nice intellectual exercise. Is that their real user base? Or is the public a little more discerning? Of course the soap opera over at Activision and IW messed with that.

Stark, have you played Bad Company 2 by chance? How would you compare it to MW2 on the noob-rape-fest aspect (assuming you've played both)?

[TheMuffinKing]

Stark, have you played Bad Company 2 by chance? How would you compare it to MW2 on the noob-rape-fest aspect (assuming you've played both)?

I'll throw my hat into the ring for this one...

BFBC2 is better all around IMHO, the story is still nonsensical but manages to be entertaining and challenging at the same time. The noob-rape-fest is still present, but in tiny quantities. Snipers are a problem as with a little practice, you can get headshots pretty easily by aiming...this can be frustrating until you begin to learn the sniper hideouts and can counter snipe them. Most of the weapons are about even, and the perks and upgrades are far less game changing than whats available in MW2. BFBC is also awesome as there is no loserfest AC-130 or other nonsense of that sort.

[Edward Yee]

"Prestige" means the player started the leveling process over again. The reward you get for this is literally nothing. A pretty medal next to your name and worthless bragging rights.

Just to make this worse, the only actual "benefit" you're compensated with for losing all of your gear (meaning all unlocked weapons, attachments, and kill streaks)... are extra custom class slots. As if five slots that can be edited whenever not in a match/lobby weren't enough...

(Haven't played enough to prestige, lol. Seriously though, the gear unlocks are "game changing" enough that prestiging isn't worth it.)

[Stark]

Stark, have you played Bad Company 2 by chance? How would you compare it to MW2 on the noob-rape-fest aspect (assuming you've played both)?

I never played BC2 multi, to be honest. JSF has played both; he should be able to tell you. To my understanding BC2 is focused less on the 'unlock massively unbalanced weapons and get never-ending killstreaks' direction. When I played MW2, people would join a game in progress and then say 'wow, I love it when I join a game that's already over' (because it's massively one-sided and there's no way to come back) and the match would only be a minute or two in.

[JointStrikeFighter]

Stark, have you played Bad Company 2 by chance? How would you compare it to MW2 on the noob-rape-fest aspect (assuming you've played both)?

I never played BC2 multi, to be honest. JSF has played both; he should be able to tell you. To my understanding BC2 is focused less on the 'unlock massively unbalanced weapons and get never-ending killstreaks' direction. When I played MW2, people would join a game in progress and then say 'wow, I love it when I join a game that's already over' (because it's massively one-sided and there's no way to come back) and the match would only be a minute or two in.

I only play on the hardcore servers for BC2; translates to about MW2 lethality, vs non-hardcores MW1 lethality levels. It's a pretty major issue since the netcode is mediocre and living in AU means fuckall chance of killing anyone ever on non-HC.

Everything is ok balanced; late game guns are only a few % better than early game weapons it would seem, vehicles aren't a rape-fest like in BF2 and fill a proper tactical niche. Good game modes .

Everyone having a headset [on 360 LOL] means actual teamwork seems to happen The game actually rewards helping your team and accomplishing objectives, healing, repairing, spotting, wounding, driving and just BEING in a squad that does well earns you points. Kudos for that. One thing I would add is something like MAGs FRAGGO system to further encourage teamwork.

Negatives; its FUCKING RIDICULOUS that you have to unlock the gadgets for each class; NO GUYS medics cant have medkits until they unlock them LOL! Nah why would you want a repair for the engineer at the start of the game HARAHARAR. Snipers are a constant danger but weapons are lethal and accurate so its not too bad, plus you can often simply level the snipers hide.

All in all; solid game.

[Stark]

I'd love a FRAGGLE mod for WiC and other successful team games. Respond to team pings = reward?? That's never work!

[Vympel]

I'm still giggling at how Battlefield Bad Company 2 has the full gamut of tons of excessively well-researched Russian weaponry in the single player game where you're fighting Russians whilst the slackjawed dumbass that is MW2 has the most inauthentic, guffaw inducing idiotically equipped Russian opponents ever seen in a video game. What happened IW? Not enough budget?

Aly, I'd suggest you get MW2 when its rock bottom price just so you have a full, first hand appreciation of how awful the plot is.

[Vendetta]

Aly, I'd suggest you get MW2 when its rock bottom price just so you have a full, first hand appreciation of how awful the plot is.

On the other hand, Tom Clancy's HAWX Ace Combat Fangame is cheap now, and the plot is exactly the same, except with hilariously overequipped PMCs instead of hilariously underequpped Russians.

[Ryan Thunder]

I'm still giggling at how Battlefield Bad Company 2 has the full gamut of tons of excessively well-researched Russian weaponry in the single player game where you're fighting Russians whilst the slackjawed dumbass that is MW2 has the most inauthentic, guffaw inducing idiotically equipped Russian opponents ever seen in a video game. What happened IW? Not enough budget?

I came up with a list of Russian counterparts for the game's other guns, including pistols, in fifteen minutes of research. Seriously; they didn't even try.

[Vympel]

One thing I couldn't believe they actually got right is have MP-443 (type classified PYa, but nobody is perfect) pistols being used. That just kicks ass, anyone else would just go with the boring, obsolete Makarov (PM).

[Mr Bean]

The one strike against Bad Company 2 is being forced to unlock the medic's revive/medic boxes. Those were frankly dumb upgrades. However seeing as how you can unlock those in at most an hour of play it's some what negated but still terrible. The flip side is how the unlock system works is so much better than MW2s.

Because of this basic fact, when you lock something new. Your unlocking something different, not necessary something better. This is the MW2 mistake as every new unlocked gun is better than the one before it. The only except (The M60 for medics) has been tone down. It's still the highest damaging MG the medics can get but no longer the WTF perfect for all situations gun it was before (It's funny because the m60 started out over-powered in Battlefield Vietnam as well)

Look at assault, you start with the AEK-971, the AR with the second highest ROF and and a much higher accuracy than the F2000 which is your 3rd unlock and the AR with the highest ROF. Your second unlock however is your gold standard jack of all trades gun the XM8. Further down the list you have even more options the STG .77 is somewhat inaccurate but does lots of damage with a good ROF. The AN-94 is the gold standard semi-sniper weapon for Hardcore with it's two round burst but lack of full auto. The M416 is a lesss accurate M16A2 which does far more damage but your most accurate gun is your M16A2 but you pay of it in less damage. Every single unlock on that gun list is better for some situations. The F2000, AEK-971 or STG .77 for urban fighting. The AN94 or M16A2 if I want to play Marksmen. The M416 or XM8 if I want to handle anything. There is no one magic gun better than all the rest.

Heck the Recon class, the best sniper rifle in the game (IE combination of accuracy/damage) is the one you start with. There's one that's more accurate but less damaging (The GOL) and one that does even more damage with much less accuracy(The M95). One that can be used as a silenced cut down AR (The VSS but don't use it except on Hardcore servers) or a silent sniper rifle (SVU) or true semi auto(Type 88) or the SV98 which less accurate than the M24 and does less damage has a very high muzzle velocity meaning it has very little bullet drop to compensate for making it the easiest to use sniper rifle for headshots at extreme ranges.

I could go on about the medic and engineer's weapon selections but this is what I mean. Every unlock is great for one situation, good for others, and terrible at a few.

This is opposed to MW2 which every update simply brings about a new flavor of the month. Compared to BCBF2 which I'm just as likely to be killed by STG .77 as an AEK-971 as an AN-94 or a F2000 because people switch up weapons often. The M60 is still beloved but I still see M249's, Type88's and MG3's. Same with Recon and Engineers. Just as likely to be shot at by the UMP-45 as the Uzi.

[Alyeska]

Hell, back in COD4, some of the early weapons were still very good. The MP5 was a starting weapon, and I kept using it even when I maxed my level. It really does seem like MW2 took the worst concepts from WOW.

[Sea Skimmer]

In MW1 on PC I really never saw a point to any other gun then the M4. Put on higher penetration and higher damage and its laser like accuracy let you kill people behind all cover almost immediately as well as countering snipers at any range you could see them. The number of video games in which the M4 carbine is a superweapon is pretty limitless though, and if you have a mouse gun accuracy counts for more then anything else.

[Stark]

If the BC2 multi is like SP, Bean's absolutely right in that the weapons are more 'characterful' than MW2's very tiered set. I used the AEK for pretty much the whole game, and many of the later guns are quite limited.

[Ritterin Sophia]

anyone else would just go with the boring, obsolete Makarov (PM).

I wouldn't say anyone else.

[Stark]

Needs more Fort-12 if you ask me.

[CaptHawkeye]

Developers are still only starting to move away from the archaic RPG balance system of "X gun is better than Y gun". It's something they should have done years ago. Like we've known though, most developers are fanboys, or are selling to fanboys, so it's difficult to find where you can break the circle here.

When are developers going to acknowledge that assault rifles and sniper rifles were not the only guns ever built? You can still find shit like the Lee Enfield No.4, STG 44, even freaking lever action rifles in hot spots all over the world.

Another problem is that even when they aren't fanboys, most developers just don't know what to do. A really big gun like the Barret is only choice in a game that's going to simulate just raw firepower, aiming, and shit. Oh look, the gun is heavy, so you have a slightly longer selection delay.

Why not model the weapon so its basically impossible to aim standing? (People would whine.) Why not set the player up with an ammo or parts limit system that's replenished by playing the game and earning points? (People would whine. Even though they already did it with Counter Strike.)

Why not model the nature that Red Dot and other glass sights have of becoming dirty? Broken with mishandling? "I dove into prone too much and broke my fragile rifle sight!"

[SAMAS]

Don't be ridiculous. IW was keyed into their market (stoner college boys) and MW2 is exactly what they wanted. You can argue specifics (for instance, the horrible game balance hurts the game) but a noobrapefest with a stupid plot where 30% of the unit badges are some variation on SMOKING WEED IS COOL DOG is brilliant marketing, and it made them absolute shitpiles of money.

Just because someone might not like it doesn't mean it's 'exploited'. They listened to their userbase.

I didn't say it was bad, or even badly done. Hell, I haven't played an FPS since CoD 2 (and maybe about four or five games total), so I can't say anything about quality, and less about multiplayer.

But the release of MW2 was still primarily because of the success of CoD4: MW.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Why not model the weapon so its basically impossible to aim standing? (People would whine.) Why not set the player up with an ammo or parts limit system that's replenished by playing the game and earning points? (People would whine. Even though they already did it with Counter Strike.)

How about we make the maps large enough that a sniper rifle is used in an accurate portrayal, IE a mile off and enemies are nearly imperceptible?