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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Review

Nicholson — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 17:42:13 +0000

Is it even possible to make an FPS smell fresh and feel soft like a blanket washed on gentle cycle? The FPS genre has been beaten to death with every possible sort catch or perks through the years. Even Johnny “I play FPS’s all day screaming ‘Headshot’” Gamer is probably feeling the fizzle from his favorite, but exploited genre. Call of Duty 4 was supposed to be the big splash and certainly the way metacritic reads the game delightfully ignited its hot man-liquid all over reviewers eager tongues. Yet, what does Call of Duty 4 actually bring to the table? Is it really just that damn special?

That question is loaded to bring on my point, of course. Call of Duty 4 is like strapping on a new coat of paint on a busted up car. It looks cool and seems different, but the mechanics and the mess are still underneath that pretty shine. Call of Duty 4 does nothing spectacular as an FPS and that fact that its being hailed as the second coming of Christ is ridiculous. This game is so much like the rest of the Call of Duty games with the exception of a better look, faster engine, and improved networking interface.

The Story (or lack thereof single-player) and Gameplay

Let’s face it, the boys that develop the Call of Duty series are not the best writers on the planet. Very often the campaigns are just a mash of “kill all these dudes because they’re evil.” The complexity of the overall arc is minimal and typically very raw in terms of ingenuity or really writing talent. Call of Duty 4 fits this mold perfectly. As anyone knows by now, CoD 4 takes place in a somewhat modern setting. In this setting, Americans and allies are forced to go to the Middle East and kill people that look different from their own English-speaking pallor. In this rendition of our modern conflict, allies are going to the desert to confront a terrorist group and ultimately kill its leader. The story from there is a lonely ordeal of fulfilling minimalistic objectives with no real scope or cohesion. While the beginning of the missions make it clear as to what the player needs to do, it does not take away from that fact that every person that speaks is just static and ultimately annoying.

Although, it needs to be said that this rendition of Call of Duty has some particularly stellar visual moments. About midway through the single-player experience a nuclear bomb explodes and you get the opportunity to watch it unfold from the back of a helicopter. Also, looking at the aftermath of the Chernobyl meltdown is creepy and almost saddening. Even though these scenes in particular are powerful and provocative, it goes without saying that your role in the conflict is just trivial.

The single-player campaign is roughly seven to eight hours long, which is wonderfully short. Towards the end of the campaign you are again forced to go through the Call of Duty gauntlet of frustratingly adept enemies collecting en mass to your location. For those of you who may not be familiar with this special gift from the developers it can be elaborated upon. As stated, Call of Duty can be spectacularly boring because of the lack of involvement and story. Instead of trying to inject interest into the campaign, the developers decide to make these ridiculously one-sided conflicts within the levels that lead to many hours of frustration on the harder difficulties. Think Rambo, double the guys coming after you, then eliminate Stallone and inject some washed out hero with a gun that is low on ammo. For some reason, things like cover and ample ammo are still not put into these circular clusterfucks that Activision feels the need to put the gamer through. Plus, if you try to hide while you reload the game feels as though you are cheating and begins throwing phantom grenades at you. Seriously. Missions like these are challenging, but ultimately just stupid.

Aside from the insulting frantic gameplay, Call of Duty 4 brings nothing new to the table. Most missions are archetypal FPS genre objectives. You will find yourself moving to specific waypoints to disperse a given amount of enemies over and over again. The spectrum of guns is nice to have, but have been mastered before by other developers. The sub-machine guns fire quickly, although not accurately. The sniper rifles are cumbersome, yet effective at range. And the stock rifles are accurate and can hit fairly decently. In the single-player, you’ll find yourself reaching for the gun with the most bullets instead of trying out the array at your disposal.

Most importantly, cover is yet to be fully realized. Your character can prone and hide behind cinder blocks, but not actually use the cinder block to peak or blind fire. While this may be a limitation to the genre, a game that is supposed to be as amazing and gut-wrenching as Call of Duty 4 should definitely allow players to be able to avoid bullets in a better fashion.

Multi-player

The Xbox LIVE experience is where Call of Duty 4 thankfully steps out of its own murk. Unlike all the previous console incarnations of Call of Duty, there is now an enhanced lobby system to play with your buddies and beat up on normal players. This lobby actually works this time around and definitely shows that someone at Activision heard the groans of LIVE players. The latency during matches is also greatly reduced. Someone at Activision must have also got the memo that no-one was able to play Call of Duty 3’s lag-fest.

The biggest addition to your arsenal is the introduction of player specific equipment and ratings. You can now choose your primary and secondary weapons as well as grenades and perks. Perks are controlled much like a MMO. As you play, you gain levels which in turn unlock specific traits that you can bring into battle. Furthermore, players can now even unlock specific apparatuses for their guns as well by killing people with their weapon. This brings a new dimension into the game but also adds a bit of frustration for casual players that don’t have access to all the cool toys.

The perks are numerous but players can only bring a maximum of three into battle. Things like three frag grenades, increased bullet power, and dropping grenades immediately upon death are accessible as players level up. For the most part the main perks can be unlocked within an hour or so of playing online. Unfortunately, the truly helpful perks can only be achieved through a large amount of grinding. The gun enhancements are helpful as well, but again can only be reached through a decent amount of playtime.

Traditional game modes still make an appearance in Call of Duty 4 with a ton of extra modes on the side. Team deathmatch, search and destroy, as well as sabotage come back full force. These three modes are rehashed throughout the list in a variety of subtle ways. Mostly the rehashes just involve less respawns. An interesting addition inside of the actual game is the air-strike and helicopter options. When a player gives five kills in a row they get an option to drop an air-strike anywhere on the map. After 7, players get a chance to allow an AI controlled helicopter reign terror on everyone not inside a building. Again, this creates a bit of a problem with casual gamers. Call of Duty 4 only rewards players whom have never known the sweet embrace of a woman. Killing sprees are typically only perpetrated by good players thus rewards only go to good players.

The maps are wonderfully detailed and built well. Every map has several spots to camp or snipe, as well as a few close range areas. Spawns are random and allow free movement without the constriction of a good team killing your dude before you can think. Even better the rotation of maps is refreshing. Only one map is truly boring.

Italics are Where the Bitches are At

In the interest of brevity I didn’t think to add much more about the game. I mean, essentially it’s just shooting people. I’m not really sure as to why this game received such amazing reviews. It’s hard for me to think this game is worth a perfect rating when in truth, it’s a mediocre shooter done well. I do understand the plight of the FPS though. It seems as if every developer wants to have their hand in this genre, and it certainly feels like developers are willing to release absolutely anything in the attempt to make a quick buck. I do appreciate Call of Duty 4’s refreshed interface and speedy action, but I am dismayed at the lack of true ingenuity I expected of a game with this much acclaim going in. If you want a new multi-player shooter for your 360 not named Halo 3, then buy this. If you’re a bit more stingy with your time and money, then give this a good rent. The single-player is worthless, but the multi-player deserves a good few hours and a couple of friends. The fact of the matter is only the perks are truly new. It’s still the same shit that we’ve had the last decade.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Life ist life!

Nicholson — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:50:19 +0000

Alright, so here’s a quick list of what I’ve been doing other than updating my blog;

Playing COD 4 Single-Player

After beating COD 4 single-player in 3 hours, played multi-player

Enjoyed freedom from school.

Anyway, so I’m back. Tonight I’ll catch up on the big news, and try to make some Duke Nukem jokes. Although, it seems as if we might see Duke by 2010 at this point. I’m fairly optimistic.

The Wii Gets More Games With Mini-Games

Nicholson — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:14:54 +0000

Can we please just stop this?

What’s the point of trying be objective with the news at this point? My excitement for these titles and these roguish games is unsurpassed. So, I check the press releases today and instead of just ignoring the one mini-game announcement, I see three. THREE. What an awesome day to be a Nintendo Wii owner!

The first thing I caught were two Konami based mini-game games. The first of which is called “Sports Island.” Today, Konami released some screenshots of this title that look absolutely stunning. Not only are the graphics great, but Konami is attempting to create something that has yet to land on the Wii. It’s hard for gamers to turn it around in their collective heads’, but apparently Konami is planning on releasing a collection of sports mini-games on the Wii. Sports Island will feature basketball, volleyball, hockey and other fun mini-games. This is truly ambitious and hopefully Wii owners will respond to Konami’s rebel developing for the console.

The next set of screens came from Konami as well. In fact, it looks as though Fishing Master is being developed concurrently with Sports Island. Which causes me to scratch my head. How can a developer handle two projects of this scope at the same time? Konami must have a staff of like 3 dudes making these games. Amazing work. Anyway, here is the most inspiring screenshot from Fishing Master;

And finally from Data Design comes Myth Maker: Orbs of Doom. Apparently these guys are using a Popcorn Arcade style system. Yeah, I really don’t understand that either, but the press release seems fairly stimulating. Apparently, for the first time ever, players are made to torque the Wiimote to create movement in several different mini-games. In addition to this revolutionary method of play, Data Design released a few facts about their game;

8 magical Myth Makers characters to choose from.

Over 40 amazing brain busting levels set across 5 lavish environments!

Try setting new records by racing against the clock and explore the other exciting modes of play.

Knock the other competitors off the track in the exciting multi-player mode allowing you to play with up to 4 opponents simultaneously.

Sounds fun right?

Seriously, who the fuck buys these games?

Halo 3 Maps Released

Nicholson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:04:19 +0000

Now angsty teenagers can call you racial epithets on 3 entirely new maps brought to you by Bungie. As of yesterday they have been able to download via Xbox LIVE Marketplaces for 800 Microsoft points.

The three maps have a mini-synopsis accompanying the press release.

“Standoff’s symmetrical valley, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types, while Rat’s Nest’s vast, labyrinthine passages bring something new to the “Halo” multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise, strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, ideal for big team battles. Finally, Foundry is the ultimate Forge map – players can edit every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, place stairways, walls, bridges and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map they can think of.”

Also, the maps will be free sometime in Spring 2008. Unlike Halo 2, these maps won’t be free until Bungie is ready for the next map pack. So, you might as well buy it.

Borderlands SpikeTV Trailer

Nicholson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:20:15 +0000

I have to confess, I’m kind of excited for this game. I really don’t know too much about it, but at the SpikeTV VGAs 2k games unveiled a pretty hip little trailer for Borderlands. The video sets a mood of guns, british chicks, and massive vaults. It’s like James Bond, minus the whole spy and Earth thing.

Apparently my Press Release feeder wants me to pay to download video files. How absurd, right? Anyway, you can view the video here in pretty decent quality without having to pay any sort of insider fee.

Lost Odyssey Fact Sheet and Screens

Nicholson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:14:58 +0000

So, Sakaguchi’s next masterpiece has finally jumped onto the PR train. If you didn’t know, Sakaguchi is the original developer of Final Fantasy and recently finished JRPG, Blue Dragon. The speculation on the game is about to truly begin, because the Microsoft press releases have finally started to pour out of the woodwork. First, a few new screens have been released to the public.

Story details are also a big plus. Lost Odyssey is the story of an immortal man named Kaim. Kaim is not your typical Highlander because he can’t remember his past nor fully understands his place in the world. Instead of loafing around on his 1,000 year-old sofa, Kaim decides to embark on a timeless journey to discover himself and the world around him to figure out the secrets of his past as well as the reason why his father is gay. Within this struggle Kaim discovers friendships, intrigue and perhaps answers.

Microsoft also released a fact sheet, which I feel the need to summarize because it’s ridiculously long and fairly pointless;

Engaging and unparalleled story. Lost Odyssey probably won’t be as great as Mass Effect, and the swords don’t make sweet “pew-pew” sounds when they collide with each other. But gamers will be given the opportunity to follow around Kaim and watch seemingly never-ending cutscenes.

Innovative RPG features with heavy MMORPG elements. Allows players to hammer on the “X” button instead of clicking their mouse for hours on end. Additionally, players will be able to cry via the 360 headset when someone steals their “Cloudsong.”

Massive scope and engaging environments. Which equates to several cities with 20 or so NPCs in it.

Realistic graphics and next-generation gaming. By “next-generation” we mean that stunning E3 video from a few years ago. It won’t look as great now, but keep the historical context.

Lost Odyssey is due out in the US February 12, 2008. Apparently, there is some pre-order deal right now where American gamers will get some bonus content if they throw down their dough during this initial hype faze. Surely the content will be typical Japanesse stuff like “MEGA REALLY HARD MODE” or “REPLACES FEMALE CHARACTER WITH SMALL GIRL IN SCHOOL UNIFORM” or something like that.

I will update whenever Mistwalker sends me their game.

Finals Are Killing Me

Nicholson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:13:52 +0000

Hey, sorry for the lack of updates. I obviously don’t want to make this a habit, but I feel as if I should prioritize a bit.

I’ll catch up on some news and work on a new editorial tomorrow my non-existent readers.

Cooking Mama Cook Off Takes Game of the Year

Nicholson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:57:04 +0000

Broken Gamer has scored its second exclusive and this one is a bombshell. SpikeTV’s video games award show has taken the world by storm of late. With a stunning 14 viewers last year, the VGAs broke through all the barriers accompanied with an upstart award program. More importantly, the producers at the VGAs are known for their excellent journalistic integrity as well as their top-notch analysis of the gaming industry and its consumers.

Our contact within SpikeTV recently secured the gem of the show – the envelope containing the Game of the Year winner. The contact opened it, then told us ecstatically over the phone that the winner was Cooking Mama Cook Off for the Nintendo Wii.

Though the news that our contact was actually able to steal the envelope was a surprise, we aren’t surprised about SpikeTV’s choice. Cooking Mama Cook Off is a game that will be long remembered in every gamer’s heart. It’s serious depiction and solutions to the AIDs pandemic, apartheid, violence in media, as well as how to cut an onion are all perfectly valid and certainly commendable efforts on the part of Majesco. Furthermore, it’s stringent commitment to excellent gameplay, intriguing writing, as well as excellent translation is a lesson to all developers on the planet.

We here at Broken Gamer are proud of the fact that the gaming community as well as SpikeTV has picked this game among the other trashy contenders like Bioshock and Mass Effect.

Alan Wake Has Gone Gold

Nicholson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:49:38 +0000

Today, Remedy Games surprisingly announced that Alan Wake is gold and being shipped immediately to all major retailers within the next week. Broken Gamer contacted Remedy Games PR director, Ronald Flagstaff, to ask about the major announcement.

Broken Gamer: I’m estastic about the news today, Ronald. Thanks for sitting down with me.

Ronald Flagstaff: Oh hey, no problem. I was just lounging around in the company cafeteria hoping to score someone else’s food.

BG: So, tell me a bit about the journey of Alan Wake from a development point of view. Why did it take so long and why no notice that it had gone gold until now?

RF: Well, let me just start off by saying that the staff at Remedy Games have been really busy as of late. Ever since Max Payne 2 released the developers have been locked in their conference rooms arguing over which Fragdoll is cuter. I’m partial to Sophia, but no-one wants my input. Those kinds of discussions are what makes Remedy a strong developer and leader in the industry. As for Alan Wake, I think we had an intern ‘tightening up the graphics’. He’s from that college on TV, it’s the only thing he knows how to do. That intern has been absolutely committed as well. He’s been the sole developer for over 5 months now.

BG: So the graphical concerns were the reason that Alan Wake took so long?

RF: Not exactly. Developing a game takes quite a bit of work, and a lot goes into it. I mean, you have to think about stuff like gameplay, storyline, and physics. Our publisher said we can’t re-use Max Payne’s storyline – so that was a real bummer. Basically, when we said Alan Wake would be available during the Xbox 360 launch we were just kidding. I mean, how the hell can a developer make a game after only having a development kit for over a year, right? Plus, we had to retool the story. (laughing)

BG: Alan Wake’s story has changed? Can you tell anything about it?

RF: Well, it’s very secret. I tell you what, I’ll give you guys a bit of a synopsis. Alright. Alan Wake is about this journalist addicted to pain medication, right? One day he comes home and finds his wife and kid dead so he decides to walk through a bunch of dreary environments popping pain medications and shooting dudes in the face.

BG: I thought you said you weren’t allowed to use Max Payne’s story?

RF: What? No, I said he was a writer. Not a detective. Plus I didn’t mention New York. Totally different stuff. Anyway, I have to go. I heard it was someone’s birthday today, so I want to snag some cake.

BG: Alright, we appreciate your time.

So there it is folks, Alan Wake is on its way. I can’t help but to contain my excitement.

Top 3 Reasons I Love the Nintendo Wii

Nicholson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:42:28 +0000

Ever since I got the flack from my last editorial I have been thinking deeply. Not just “Hey guys, I think I figured out how to split an atom,” deeply, but significant, soul-wrenching thinking. The kind of thinking that stirs the inner-lining of the magical substances that Jesus used to fill up our primordial skulls. I eventually came to the conclusion that the Nintendo Wii was probably the best choice that I could have made as a consumer and as a member of society.

In my fit of rage about my purchase of the Wii I neglected to consider a few very key points in my new found love of the Nintendo Wii. Below you’ll find my top three reasons that the Wii is probably the best console ever created.

1.) My Cats Love the Wii

My two cats Hannibal the Mighty and Ghengis Kahn the Conquerer absolutely adore the Wii. Hannibal is a fairly obese animal but its all genetics. When she isn’t busy eating or sleeping, you can usually find her sleeping. Hannibal paints a sad picture when she lays down in her bed mainly because she’s too big for it.

Ghengis Kahn is more of a lover than a fighter. She spends her day running away from Hannibal’s vicious attacks and the vacuum cleaner. Unlike Hannibal, Ghengis is a bit under-grown and fairly uninteresting.

Like any cats they typically only want attention when they’re hungry. Yet, whenever I turn the Wii on and navigate to the Virtual Console the kitties come running. Because of Nintendo’s absolutely awesome and responsive Virtual Console I am often stuck at the loading screen for awhile. It is a blessing to my cats. They hear the tiny jingles of the Dolby II support pumping out of my 5.1 surround system, and are mesmerized by the rotating blue circle. Others may get frustrated because their online system is inadequate, but not I, nor my cats. They love it.

2.) I LOVE PARTY GAMES

If anyone asks me from here on what my favorite video game genre is, I’ll just simply say, “I like mini-golf, table tennis, and darts.” I used to enjoy epic story lines, tight gameplay, and shooting stuff. Hell, I used to enjoy having a AAA title every month. No more. I love the way party games always make me feel accomplished and I absolutely adore repetitive actions. Even better, I love the way party games make me mimic actions like shooting a basketball with the Wiimote. They’re so goddamn innovative! My Christmas list this year is filled with these titles;

Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybox
Mario Party #46
Mario at the Olympic Games
EA Playground
See How Fast You Can Waggle That WiiMote

There’s honestly too many to pick from. I laugh at those guys that own Xbox 360s. Mass Effect? C’mon. Give me EA Playground any day.

3.) I Love Graphics (Self Explanatory)