• 23Nov 09

  R.I.P. To A Faithful Companion Feb. 2007 - Nov. 2009

  

  So, it finally happened. Actually it happened last week but I haven't had the stomach to really write about it until now.

  The worst part is that I knew this was coming. I was just too excited about the end of 2009 game releases as well as the ones coming in Q1 2010 so it was only just a matter of time.

  People tell me to be happy that at least I got to play MW2 before it crapped the bed but I'm not sure I can take the optimistic point of view on this. It sucks that I got to play MW2 because now I know what I'm missing. My girlfriend never got to play L4D2 and while she's upset at least she doesn't sit around knowing what she's missing. Her life hasn't changed all that much. Mine has.

  So, I'm going to be sending it off in the next couple of days and I guess I'll just wait. How long does it take? I imagine most of you have experienced this at least once so I was wondering on average how long I should expect my 360 to be gone. I'm guessing having it back by Christmas is probably too much to ask for but I'll hold out hope until one of you just crushes my dream.

  Without a gaming console in the house (with the exception of my NES/SNES machine) I wonder what the hell I'll fill my time with. It's not like I've got a ton of money laying around the house where I can just buy a PS3 and we'll be getting a Wii for Christmas for the kids so at least I'll have something in a month or so.

  Looks like my only solution is that I'll just have to get back into WoW. It's cheap and time consuming and at least for the time being my computer still works.

  I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying what they're playing.

  Take care and happy gaming!

  Laughlyn

  • Posted Nov 23, 2009 8:48 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 11Nov 09

  Campaign, Multiplayer and Co-Op, Oh My or More Modern Warfare 2 Impressions...

  So yesterday I spent a good amount of time with all three portions of the game so today I'm back with more in depth impressions of each component of the game.

  Campaign

  Quite possibly the most intense and taut single player FPS experience I've ever played. Do you remember how great "24" used to be a few years ago where it seemed like there was never a dull moment and that Jack Bauer was ALWAYS running for his life? That's what the campaign of MW2 is like.

  The set pieces in MW2 make the pieces in COD4 look like a popup book, that's how intense they are.

  Do you remember how much I hated Gears 2? I hated it because it seemed like they were trying to do too much and not sticking to the same formula through the entire game? Well, in hindsight it wasn't that they changed the gameplay every stage it was that they did a piss poor job of doing it. MW2 does not have back to back stages where you're doing the same thing.

  In one stage you're running from building to building fighting off waves of enemies.

  In another stage you're running through the crowded slums of a city chasing someone.

  In another stage you're running for your life while being chased.

  While they may seem similar they aren't. And what do those three stages all have in common? You're running! The pacing and frenetic action is mind blowing.

  I'm just about finished with the campaign and it is short (in time spent) but is so thrilling and exciting that if it went any longer it might lose some of the momentum.

  For the first time in a long time (or ever) I might finish this game a second (or even a third!) time on a harder difficulty level.

  Multiplayer

  Look, let's be honest. There isn't much I can say about the multiplayer that hasn't already been said. It's brilliant. I'm just going to touch on two little aspects today.

  1. The new perks. In COD4 there were really only about 4 or 5 perks that really mattered. Some of the other ones were completely useless. The perks in MW2 are much more refined and actually take some thought as to which you're going to use. And with their ability to be upgraded it gives you incentive to really mess around with your different kits ensuring to use the most appropriate perks and upgrading them.

  2. The new leveling system. There were points in COD4 where the leveling system took on a little of the MMO-grind syndrome. You were just doing the exact same thing over and over again getting marginally better over a long period of time. This whole system is gone! You get XP for doing EVERYTHING in this game. You are constantly unlocking new perks, new attachments for your weapons, new weapons. It seems like almost every kill gets you more than just XP. The ONLY complaint I have so far is that I thought you were going to be able to gain XP playing the campaign and thus allowing you to skip the lower levels of multiplayer where you have no red dot sight.

  I remember with COD4 I took a significant time away from the multiplayer simply because I hated the grind feeling that I got. That will not be a problem this go 'round. I can be sure this game and its multiplayer component will keep me busy until AT LEAST the 1st Q of 2010. Quite simply this is the best multiplayer game EVER. Even if you don't like multiplayer FPS's I cannot recommend this game enough. It is everything great about gaming. Go play it.

  Co-Op

  The new element in this incarnation of COD is the Co-Op game made otherwise known as Special Ops. What this game mode does is take the classic game play, add a second player and change the game to a strict objective based game. While this might not seem like a huge change it absolutely is.

  I look at it as a way of refining skills that help in all other parts of the game. You can practice with your sniper rifle. You can practice the basics. You can practice with the AC-130.

  I've only spent about an hour playing Co-Op because I wanted to get back to the campaign but I'm sure there will come a point where this will be a strong focus of mine. More on this segment to come.

  So that's it for today. I feel like a shill for Infinity Ward with all the praise that I'm heaping on this game but just know that its totally worth all the praise that I'm giving it and more.

  The more I play this game the more and more it becomes glaringly apparent that this game is something special. As someone who has never been a huge FPS honk its hard for me to honestly say that this might be the best gaming experience of my life but its getting there very quickly.

  This game is awesome. Plain and simple.

  Take care and happy gaming.

  Laughlyn

  • Posted Nov 11, 2009 9:30 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 10Nov 09

  A Little Speech and then my Modern Warfare 2 Impressions...

  It's only been about 13 hours since I actually picked up the game and minus sleep and a little work today it goes without saying that I haven't played all that much of MW2 as of this point.

  With all that being said I think I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that its ALREADY one of the best games I have ever played.

  Yes, yes, yes, I know what you're thinking. You're probably thinking that in a fit of hyperbolic speech I let loose something that I should withhold at least for the time being. I understand your reticence. As someone who hates hyperbole I think its cheap when people throw it around.

  Its especially cheap considering how often its thrown around here in what is a publicized journal of thoughts held onto forever and available to anyone with a computer and the knowledge of where to look.

  If you've been reading me since my "career" here at Gamespot started you'll know that I hold a few games in especially high esteem. I call them "The Greatest Games I've Ever Played". Notice how I don't call them the greatest games of all-time or anything that specific. I limit them to games that I've played.

  To date the list includes:

  Super Mario Brothers - the whole reason why I am a gamer today.

  Super Mario Brothers 3 - my favorite platformer of all-time. I still play it today.

  Fallout 3 - a game so great and so vast I had to force myself to put it down.

  Final Fantasy VII - if I had to vote for my favorite game of all-time this would be the winner. I almost flunked out of college because of this game.

  There are plenty of other games that I really enjoyed but their flaws won't allow me to add them to this list. Those include Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mass Effect, Grand Theft Auto IV, Left 4 Dead, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Beatles: Rock Band.

  I'm pretty sure that after a few more hours of play that Modern Warfare 2 will join the list of "The Greatest Games I've Ever Played".

  Now with all that said lets get down to brass tacks. Afterall, you didn't really read this column to for the diatribe above. You came for my thoughts on MW2.

  Let's start with the multi-player as that's probably the part that most people buy the game for.

  The new streaks system seems really well thought out as a way of combatting the lack of balance, not in the game but in the level of the players. Let's be honest, there are some people out there who are ridiculously good at the multiplayer. I am not one of them but at no time have I felt frustrated by my inability to contribute in games of team deathmatch. If you die a lot, you get a specialized perk to make up for your lack of skill as well as an XP bonus for breaking your own deathstreak thus helping you level faster.

  The weapons are new which adds a whole new level of discovery to which kit you choose. The new attachments and bonuses are also brilliant and will make you much more dedicated to one weapon or another for a longer period of time.

  The only downside and this is a personal one, is that I hate learning all the maps all over again. I have no idea where to go so sometimes I'm just wandering around aimlessly and am dispatched accordingly. I know this isn't the games fault and having to play the same maps over again in this new game would be highly disappointing so this is more of a personal perogative than anything. Once I play more multiplayer and have a better idea of the maps I'm sure this will go away.

  I have played less of the single player than the multiplayer and as we all know the single player campaign was the weak point of the original. It was too short and the story was hella convoluted. Well I can't speak to length but the plot is still hella convoluted since its just a continuation of the first story.

  That being said, the presentation is amazing. I've only played about an hour of the campaign but the experience was so visceral that I couldn't go to sleep last night. Yes, I know its a video game. Yes, I know its not real but there were parts and plot points that honestly had me on the edge of my seat. As someone who prides himself on being able to pick out the killer in thrillers or the plot twist in dramas being taken aback by the writing and story is something that very rarely happens in video games.

  I still haven't played spec-ops yet so I can't say anything about that. I hope to dive into some of that tonight but if its anything like the other portions of the game I'm sure it will be spectacular.

  So... what does everyone else think? Are you loving it? Is it living up to the hype in your mind?

  Let me know!

  Take care and happy gaming. I'll be back daily with updated impressions. I hope you're all having as much fun as I am.

  Laughlyn

  • Posted Nov 10, 2009 12:20 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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