Topic: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

[W7RE]

Alright, all MW2 news and complaints aside, did anybody pick it up tonight?

I saw Beo playing it on Xbox Live earlier.

I'm picking mine up tomorrow.

[beo]

yeah, my copy got delivered a day early so i put in a few hours last night. so far, it's much the same as the original MW - as in pretty much every mission has that "omg, this is the absolute peak of fps gaming" feel. i also love how the americans are basically the grunts, while the brits are the super elite, double-hard bastards.

i'll put in some more thoughts once i've delved in a bit further.

[MysterD]

yeah, my copy got delivered a day early so i put in a few hours last night. so far, it's much the same as the original MW - as in pretty much every mission has that "omg, this is the absolute peak of fps gaming" feel. i also love how the americans are basically the grunts, while the brits are the super elite, double-hard bastards.

i'll put in some more thoughts once i've delved in a bit further.

Well, I figured - despite its shortness - it'd probably still be awesome. IW is consistent at delivering that - and has been since the original COD. So, yeah - come back w/ thoughts on the SP in some say 4-7 hours, when the SP's done.

Okay, all jokes aside, since we know you like it a lot - how's the actual MP? How are the maps? And how many maps does the game ship with? How many game-modes are there? I'm gonna bet that just like COD4: MW - the MP will probably be WAY more robust (in content) than the SP.

[iPPi]

I hear the single player campaign lasts about 6-7 hours, but there's a spec ops (SP or coop style play) which has 23 additional missions.  I'm interested in knowing how long those 23 missions are.

[MysterD]

PC vs. X360 vs. PS3 - Graphically
From PCGames.De...
Here's a some screens that are graphic comparison b/t the PC, X360, and PS3 versions of the game.

EDIT(S):
Eurogamer Review - PS3 and X360
9.0 (out of 10).

IGN - 9.5 for PC, PS3, and X360.
Written review.
Video review.

IGN complained the SP portion can be beat in under 5 hours on normal; 5-6 on hardened mode.

Closing Comments
When you look at the total package, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is hands-down one of the best first-person shooters out there, and a truly amazing offering across any system. With that being said, our score comes with a disclaimer. For those planning to check out everything Modern Warefare 2 has to offer – online competition, full co-op Spec Ops mode, as well as the campaign – you’re looking at a no-brainer purchase.

For the strictly single player crowd, however, Modern Warfare 2 is surprisingly short, and doesn’t live up to the standard set by previous Call of Duty games. The campaign can be completed in as little as four and a half hours, and the missions make better scenarios and moment-to-moment adrenaline rushes than they do a cohesive, well-told story. If you’re going solo, you’ve officially been warned.

Look at the complete Modern Warfare 2 experience though, and there’s no denying its rightful place at the top.

[W7RE]

GiantBomb gave it 5 stars. Jeff gushed about the MP for a while, then talked about how the single player is short and sweet, and the spec ops missions do some cool stuff, like having one player on the ground and another providing air support.

I just got back with my copy finally, need to put some time into it now. If the single player is at least as good as it was in the first MW, I'll be pleased with it. I definitely came for the multiplayer too though, or I'd be disappointed about the apparent length of the campaign.

[MysterD]

Thanks, W7
This link is dedicated to you.

GiantBomb review - 5 stars for PS3 and X360 (out of 5)
Modern Warfare 2 review from GiantBomb.

Jeff mentions that there 16 maps to play on the MP side, BTW.

[W7RE]

I was too lazy to link lol, I probably spent more time contemplating digging up a link than it would have taken to actually find it.

[MysterD]

I was too lazy to link lol, I probably spent more time contemplating digging up a link than it would have taken to actually find it.

Thanks to you, I know GiantBomb reviewed it.
Otherwise, I'd still be probably lookin' all over the place at my own will for more reviews...
*continues to look around...*

[beo]

well, no surprises, i completed it a couple of hours ago. yeah, it's short, but as with the previous modern warfare, there's absolutely no filler. haven't tried the spec ops mode yet, but the multiplayer is solid as always. there's considerably more room more personalizing your custom classes than before and the new kill-streak awards add some variety.

[MysterD]

GameSpy - X360 and PS3 Review
5 stars from GameSpy (out of 5)

One of the reasons the single-player is so enthralling comes in the incredibly high production values. Each epic set-piece feels like it would've been the piece de resistance in some other game, and it's unlikely you've ever played a game that exhausts you quite like this one. Outside of a few overly melodramatic speeches, some cliched writing and the occasional confusing plot twist, Modern Warfare 2's single-player campaign is excellent from start to finish. It'll probably be knocked by some for being too short, but I was fine with the roughly eight hours I spent playing through the game on the Hardened difficulty, and I'm already looking forward to playing through again on Veteran.

1Up - for PS3 and X360
A is the grade this game received.

Boomtown - X360 Review
8 (out of 10)

[W7RE]

I've player 1.5 matches online and I'm now ranked 2.2 million in the world. 2.2 million people are playing multiplayer about 24 hours after launch. And that's just the Xbox 360 version.

To put that in perspective, Halo 3: ODST sold 1.2 million units in it's first month. MW2 doubled that in a day. Holy shit.






EDIT: To clarify on the 1.5 matches thing: In most of the ranked multiplayer modes you can't use Xbox Live party chat. (Party chat is like having a private chat channel for you and your friends, instead of using the in-game chat. Like running vent while playing a PC game instead of using in game chat.) You can't use party chat because that could lead to dead people telling enemy locations and such. So I started in a party with a friend, and it forced us into game chat when we joined. Then when my friend got frustrated and sucking ass at the game, and turned off his Xbox, my system tried to reconnect to party chat, the game detected it, and I got booted from the game.

I understand the reason for blocking party chat, but it could have been handled better. There needs to be a quick option to mute anyone not on your friends list, also keeping them from hearing you. Random people online are retards and I don't want to talk to them. I want to talk to my friends though.

Yea and apparently my friend just sucks at the game, and didn't expect to. He talking about taking his game back and selling his Xbox now rofl. You can't expect to be a god when the multi has leveling up, and at 1 we were facing level 20+ people. They've got more experience and better equipment options.

EDIT 2: OK it seems you can go into your profile options on the 360 dashboard and set chat settings to friends only. It doesn't prevent the screwy kick from game I got, but it makes in-game chat friends only.

[iPPi]

So apparently the PS3 version of this game has had some issues with trophies not unlocking and the multiplayer servers being overwhelmed on PSN.  I guess Infinity Ward didn't expect the game to be this big of a hit, at least for the PS3.  I guess being a little patient doesn't hurt -- from what I'm reading and hearing about the game I think I might pick it up this weekend.

[MysterD]

Is anyone surprised?

[idolminds]

they should just votekick...

or... no, they should just have an admin....

or... wait... maybe...

huh.

What a perfect response. Hacks are inevitable (especially from an IW game since its still based on old Quake code). VAC can't kick people from a server right then and there in the way an admin or a votekick would. Sure they might get banned eventually, but how much shit are legitimate players going to have to put up with in the meantime?

[Quemaqua]

Brilliant.  I wonder when people are going to stop buying publisher/developer bullshit with stuff like this.  Will this obvious consequence be big enough to teach some lessons?  My guess is no, no it won't.

[MysterD]

Brilliant.  I wonder when people are going to stop buying publisher/developer bullshit with stuff like this.  Will this obvious consequence be big enough to teach some lessons?  My guess is no, no it won't.

All these schemes to try and control their game by any means necessary - it is plain stupid. Hackers, crackers, and pirates will always find a way around things.

They're probably already setting up dedicated-servers for some DRM-less Modern Warfare 2 that they hacked the shit out of. And if they don't yet, oh - you can bet it's only a matter of time, until they do.

I don't think IWNet and Steam are the answers to IW's problems. The answer to IW's problems are giving the gamer a version of Modern Warfare 2 that pirates can't just get - the newest version of the game, in other words. Forget Steam and its DRM, let's just look at TF2 - over 50 updates for one game might sound ridiculous, but they're onto something - maybe hotfixing your game w/ even ONE simple fix per patch and pumping them all like maybe once a week is the answer. Treat your game like a service, developers - maybe the pirates will find other things to do.

[W7RE]

[gpw11]

What exactly is the benefit to IW when they don't include support for dedicated servers?  If anything, you'd think that was the easiest/cheapest solution.

[Pugnate]

The benefit is that they have complete control over people playing multiplayer with pirated copies.

All this nonsense about giving an easier experience is just 'spin'.

This new IWNET service is very similar to what Blizzard announced for StarCraft II. Blizzard stated that they wouldn't allow dedicated servers or LAN play, and would force everyone to use their services solely because of piracy concerns.

Yes there was an out cry, but I appreciate Blizzard being candid about their motives. IW are doing the same thing here, except they are trying to pass it off as something they are doing to benefit us.

[MysterD]

It's not a boycott if a shitload of people are playing Modern Warfare 2 and are part of the MW2 Boycott Club. Boycott means you don't buy or even steal the freakin' thing.

[beo]

i think the idea is that they want to create a pc shooter with the ease of setup of a console game. if you've ever had to deal with command line settings, infinite sound package downloads and an endless list of servers running two maps and various stupid mods, you might understand why.

surprisingly, i don't think it's motivated by raw hatred...

and well done, d - you understood the image. have a cookie.

[MysterD]

i think the idea is that they want to create a pc shooter with the ease of setup of a console game. if you've ever had to deal with command line settings, infinite sound package downloads and an endless list of servers running two maps and various stupid mods, you might understand why.

surprisingly, i don't think it's motivated by raw hatred...

The thing is - I like my options. I sometimes want to play the game, as it was meant. Other times, that gets boring - and I want to be able to try the game modded out.

There really should be a way for the game itself to recognize say a "Clean" game (with no mods - as designers intended) and a "Modded" game (that has mods installed) - and for users to be able to sort b/t "Clean" and "Modders" games.

and well done, d - you understood the image. have a cookie.

I'll take a chocolate chip cookie.

[W7RE]

I can see a number of reasons for the no dedicated servers thing, and yea, none of them are pure hatred. Possible reasons I can think of:

-ease of use for those unfamiliar with PC gaming online
-wanting the PC version to work like the console one, out of laziness
-more control over cheating (saying they want it, not that they have it)
-being too removed from the PC gaming scene to realize how much people still care about dedicated servers



I saw a post from someone talking about playing a game online with a friend, and that person had FourZeroTwo on her friends like, and he ended up in their game. He talked about how he's really good and all. This was talking about the 360 version. I know Robert Bowling is just the community manager, but still. IW guy got the game at release and chose the 360 version. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thought process was, "well shit, matchmaking works on 360, why not PC too?".

[MysterD]

I know Robert Bowling is just the community manager, but still. IW guy got the game at release and chose the 360 version. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thought process was, "well shit, matchmaking works on 360, why not PC too?".

Yeah, matchmaking worked so freakin' well for Demigod, didn't it? 
*sarcasm included*

EDIT:
GameSpot - PS3 and X360 Review
9.0 from GameSpot
NOTE:
This review does have SPOILERS...
About COD4's ending and the controversial COD: MW2 scene.
Video Review.
Written review.

[idolminds]

This is a good review to read. It covers pretty much everything and felt balanced. Its not "FUCK YEAH GUNS! 10/10 GOTY!" and its not "FUCKING TRAITORS 0/10!" Its actually....*gasp!*...journalism.

EDIT
And yes, the screen W7RE posted is the reason we cant have nice things. If people will just buy things anyway, what reason do they have to impress us? Its like people bitching that Madden is the same game every year but buy it anyway for the new roster.

[MysterD]

GameSpot - PC Version Review.
8.5 from GameSpot for Modern Warfare 2 PC.

Though the addictive action remains the same at its core, there are a host of new elements that make matches more accessible, more strategic, and more rewarding. Unfortunately, these improvements are marred by limited online flexibility that may leave the PC shooter community out in the cold.

If you compare Modern Warfare 2 on the PC to its console counterparts, the game is every bit as awesome and enjoyable. Yet when compared to other online shooters on the PC, the multiplayer component is decidedly limited. Players cannot set up dedicated servers to host their own custom-tuned matches, and the player count for each match has been capped at 18 as opposed to the possible 64-player matches of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Furthermore, there is no support for user-created content, so rather than enjoying free mods and community maps, PC users will have to pay for downloadable content. And the money issues don't stop there: Modern Warfare 2 costs $10 more than most full-price PC games. Paying more and getting less is abhorrent to consumers, and this deterrent, along with the online restrictions, make Modern Warfare 2 much less appealing from a multiplayer perspective. Yet despite this disappointment, there is still a lot to love about the online multiplayer, and the other elements of the game remain unblemished.

[Pugnate]

The one thing I don't get is the mod-making complaint. I mean the game is already using the Unreal engine. In a sense, it is the mod.

[idolminds]

I'm pretty certain MW2s engine roots are with id, not Epic.

[Pugnate]

You are right, it uses its own engine... I just checked.

The funny thing is that I have heard from several sources that it uses the Unreal engine, incl. a PCG podcast. I guess it is a misconception.

[MysterD]

Firing Squad - PC version Review
82% score.
Mammoth 7 page review.

[W7RE]

I beat the single player campaign a day or two ago. Really, really short, but really good. Especially the closer to the end you get. The story is convoluted and requires a bit of suspension of disbelief, but if you can get into a mindset where you can live with it, the action and settings are pretty good. Some of the best parts of this game, strangely, are the parts where you're not necessarily shooting.

End of mission 7 spoilers:

(click to show/hide)

Running across the rooftops to escape, no weapon, just running. That part was bad ass.

All of mission 9 was great.

(click to show/hide)

Infiltration in this game works so much better than having enemies shoot at you from every angle.

The beginning of mission 10 was fucking epic, and the rest of the level was pretty good too (except the part where I kept getting my ass kicked).

(click to show/hide)

That damn shower room. It was a cool remake of the scene from The Rock, but those damn guys were raping me from above, and facing the guards with shield in that enclosed area kept fucking me over.

At the very end of the game, I was yelling at the screen. I was that into it.

[gpw11]

I was thinking of Call of Duty games today, and was trying to put my finger on why they didn't really have the same appeal for me as they seem to have for others.  Don't get me wrong; the first was fantastic, and CoD4 was so polished it was like an experience.  CoD2 really didn't do it for me at all though, and thinking about that is what made me figure it out - they have endless waves of enemies in parts. It's a design aspect that just turns me right off of a game like this.

[Pugnate]

Yea the almost infinite respawn. I know what you mean.

[W7RE]

Yea they have infinitely respawning enemies. You don't see them that much in MW2, but when you do it's fucking annoying. There's one level in the campaign where you've got guys shooting at you from windows, rooftops, alleys, etc. Every direction pretty much. You clear them all out, relad, take a breath, and then when you break cover to move on, they've all respawned and you get fucked. You're forced to always push forward. In most placed you can kill a few guys and move a bit and they don't respawn, but in that damn town they respawn behind you and fuck you.

[MysterD]

Holy crap at these sales. Mad crazy.
4.7 million copies sold by first day.
Over $300 million made by first day.

Does this even include digital distribution sales directly through Steam sales? 

[W7RE]

Holy crap at these sales. Mad crazy.
4.7 million copies sold by first day.
Over $300 million made by first day.

Does this even include digital distribution sales directly through Steam sales? 

I'm sure the Xbox 360 version sold more than other systems, but l'm ranked 3.5 millionth on Xbox Live. (have still only played 2 games of multi, and level 3) So there's at least 3.5 million people who bought it for Xbox, and have played it online.

[Quemaqua]

Just what we need, Activision making more money.

[MysterD]

Just what we need, Activision making more money.

Great, what's next....
COD MMO...?

[W7RE]

Reconnect to Xbox Live, huh?
See the bottom where Game Summary and Back are mapped to F1 and Esc? Yea...