Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare Hype Machine...

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:56 pm

Surprised that there's not already hype for this game, but I can say without a doubt that if you could get your hands on the beta, the hype would be through the roof. In beta form, it's hands down one of the best military shooters I've ever played, if not the best. Mix and I were talking while playing last night, and we agree...Ubisoft has something to prove now, because Infinity Ward has just one upped 'em. Big time.

Let's start with the technical. 60 FPS, solid, and absolutely stunning graphics. Pictures and online video simply don't do this game justice. It's absolute butter. The lobby system is straight from Halo, and works like a charm.

And then there's the gameplay. Halo just got put on the gamefly list, I believe. Wow. It's the first time I've never gotten frustrated losing a match, even losing badly, as long as I get at least one kill. Because you are rewarded well. The ranking system is awesome. Not nearly as frustrating as Rainbow's, and not as hard to rank up. When you DO rank up, the game makes you really feel as though you've earned something, as you get access to new weapons, perks, camo options (even on the weapons), sights, etc.

I remember the days of GR when spooky oooky would snipe half the other team, and we'd never know where he was. Well, imagine a gillie suit so well designed that you virtually disappear in medium height grass, so much so that your opponents can literally walk right over you and not know you're there, unless they are looking at the ground, seeking you out. It's really amazing.

The aiming is damn near perfect, and the recoil of the weapons just feel right for every single one I've tried. The SPAZ 12 will make the controller nearly jump out of your hands, while the M16 gives off a satisfying 3 quick rumble for the triple burst fire.

There are 3 maps in the beta, and all are awesome, the lighting is jawdropping, and each are balanced better than almost anything I've played elsewhere. There are great spots for snipers, with great entry points to quietly take said sniper out if you can get a lock on where he is. And you always get that lock, with the kill cam replays, which happen after everytime you're killed. The camera switches to a first person perspective of your killer, so if he's hidden away in a barn loft, you know it, and he'd be wise to move.

I could just go on and on, but I've run out of adjectives. This one can't get here soon enough. Oh...and this was just playing deathmatch,btw. There are lots more modes that we haven't even touched yet, including tactical team based objective play, with no respawns. Oh yeah.

I haven't felt this way about a shooter since I found Tom Clancy...and now papa's got a brand new bag...

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:05 pm

Can't wait for this on the 360.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:10 pm

I am anxiously looking forward to this game, and see myself spending a lot of time online with this one as I did a few years ago with COD1 on PC. I put up a few posts in the COD4 thread and XBLA thread, but no one seems to care.

I didn't bother with the beta either because at this point my hands are full with other games, but I will definitely be picking this one up as soon as it's out.

The real question for me is if this game will be enough to get everyone back to one shooter, like we had with Gears for a while.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:20 pm

Naples39 wrote:I am anxiously looking forward to this game, and see myself spending a lot of time online with this one as I did a few years ago with COD1 on PC. I put up a few posts in the COD4 thread and XBLA thread, but no one seems to care.

I didn't bother with the beta either because at this point my hands are full with other games, but I will definitely be picking this one up as soon as it's out.

The real question for me is if this game will be enough to get everyone back to one shooter, like we had with Gears for a while.

If it doesn't, then it's because of plain ignorance or out of hand dismissal...both of which would be a huge mistake. I'm serious...I've got Bioshock coming from Gamefly right now, and I'm going to have to tear myself away from the beta to play it. It's that good...

And I'd say empty your hands and get in on the next wave, if you can...it's so worth it...

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:28 pm

Other than the next Show, this is the game I'm most looking forward to playing over the next 6 months or so. And I've never been any good at these kinds of games. The graphics just look phenomenal, IMO, and that's one of the big reasons why I've always loved video games in the first place.

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 2:06 pm

Yeah, what Teal said.

I'm still going to play Halo 3 for the campaign mode but this is going to be my "go to" game for multi-player this fall. The only negative I could come up with is that it has that slightly faster than real life feel of the prior COD games but everything else more than makes up for it. And playing the objective modes forces everyone to slow it down a bit anyway. Can't wait for November.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:40 pm

mixdj1 wrote:Yeah, what Teal said.

I'm still going to play Halo 3 for the campaign mode but this is going to be my "go to" game for multi-player this fall. The only negative I could come up with is that it has that slightly faster than real life feel of the prior COD games but everything else more than makes up for it. And playing the objective modes forces everyone to slow it down a bit anyway. Can't wait for November.

Mix, I just maxed out my rank, playing small team deathmatch and objective. The funny thing is, the fun factor ratcheted up with SMALLER teams. The pucker factor went up exponentially, and I actually had more fun with that.

The objective was a bombing mission, and it was 3 on 3. I was decked out in my gillie suit with sniper rifle in tow, and there were 3 choices of objectives to bomb. My two teammates got smoked early in, so I decided to go the road less traveled and swing around the map. I'd run, drop into the tall grass, look around, run, hide behind a hay bale, crawl, and finally got to my objective without being seen. It takes about 10 seconds to set the explosive, then I ran and hid in the tall grass in view of the objective, as the bomb has to countdown, and the enemy still has a chance of diffusing it. So there I lay, when I see another sniper crawling toward my bomb. I watched him through the scope until he was right at it, then POW! Dropped him, match over. Wow, what fun!

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:56 pm

Ever since I saw the first interview with this game I have been excited and I am glad the beta reports are good. I love modern shooters and this baby looks , and now sounds, awesome. Can't wait. Thanx for the impressions Teal.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 4:17 pm

I'm very interested in this game, and everything I've seen has been impressive. I had no idea how to get the beta, though. I'm a little concerned about the leveling up thing. If it results in better gear, upgraded weapons, and more effective cammo for higher ranked players, this could be a real killer for me. It would essentially mean those who play more often have better tools, and that would be a double factor in keeping the casual guys away, and would also be a big disincentive for me to play among randoms online.

I never liked CoD2's MP gameplay much at all. It wasn't terrible, and I enjoyed it OK when it was the only game in town, but it wore very thin very quickly with its high pace and constant respawns (I much preferred PDZ's MP to be honest). Any game with deathmatch only is just about worthless to me at this stage. I never gave CoD3 a try, it arrived in a flood of other titles that were more interesting to me. So I don't really know what to expect from them in terms of game modes or gameplay balance, but I am hopeful. It seems like they are concentrating heavily on balance, and all the little knick-knacks and add-ons and character- or are they team-specific special abilities should provide some texture. You know I like the objective modes, so I'm really looking forward to this one.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 4:34 pm

Zeppo wrote:I'm very interested in this game, and everything I've seen has been impressive. I had no idea how to get the beta, though. I'm a little concerned about the leveling up thing. If it results in better gear, upgraded weapons, and more effective cammo for higher ranked players, this could be a real killer for me. It would essentially mean those who play more often have better tools, and that would be a double factor in keeping the casual guys away, and would also be a big disincentive for me to play among randoms online.

I never liked CoD2's MP gameplay much at all. It wasn't terrible, and I enjoyed it OK when it was the only game in town, but it wore very thin very quickly with its high pace and constant respawns (I much preferred PDZ's MP to be honest). Any game with deathmatch only is just about worthless to me at this stage. I never gave CoD3 a try, it arrived in a flood of other titles that were more interesting to me. So I don't really know what to expect from them in terms of game modes or gameplay balance, but I am hopeful. It seems like they are concentrating heavily on balance, and all the little knick-knacks and add-ons and character- or are they team-specific special abilities should provide some texture. You know I like the objective modes, so I'm really looking forward to this one.

Forget everything you think you know about COD...look at it as 'those are the old WWII games, this is Modern Warfare'. The tweaks don't matter too much in terms of balance, as I was able as a private to take out my share of enemies without new weapons, laser sights, etc. They are nice to have, but they aren't that hard to obtain, and like I said, a skilled player can beat anyone with all the bells and whistles.

The balance in this thing is far better than anything else I've ever seen. Certainly moreso than what I experienced with Shadowrun. In that game, the winner just keeps on getting more and more money, more and more abilities, more and more, while the loser keeps his crappy rig. Now I know that it's possible to turn the tables in Shadowrun, but the nice thing about COD4 so far is that your acheivements are individual, in that you can get absolutely hammered, get a couple of kills, and will still earn points toward a new ranking and new 'stuff'.

Outside of playing with Mix and Seminole last night, the rest of the time has been against randoms, and I've had a ball. I've held my own very well, and mostly because of the unbelievably good aiming you can do in this. It's not cheap, it's just tweaked and balanced in a way I've never seen in a console game.

I'm tellin' you...this is THE game to beat this holiday season. Halo's story will win over many, but MP? This blows that away, hands down. I can't wait for November...

OH...and I know mix mentioned the 'slightly faster than real life' pace, but that's more mix just trying to find something negative to say to balance out all the gushing from me, I think

. The gameplay is not plodding, by any stretch, and I find that, rather than feeling slightly faster than real life, it feels right on. When you sprint, you feel like you are sprinting, as the weapon bounces right and left, the screen bounces up and down with the movement of your head, and your guy can't sprint forever. Other than that, the pace is right on target. This is no 'run and gun' game.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 4:59 pm

tealboy03 wrote: The balance in this thing is far better than anything else I've ever seen. Certainly moreso than what I experienced with Shadowrun. In that game, the winner just keeps on getting more and more money, more and more abilities, more and more, while the loser keeps his crappy rig.

Well, that's not at all how SR works, so I'll just throw that comment out.

What I'm worried about is that players level up over time, from game to game, from night to nigh rather than just get better gear within a game or a session. I'm a little concerned with all the talk I've seen about how cool weapon upgrades are and so on that if they are really that cool and make the weapons that much better, then those who play the game more often are going to have a much bigger advantage than the normal big advantage of familiarity with the maps and the quirks and nuances of gameplay. It's like it could exponentially make it harder for casual guys to have fun.

It's not going to keep me from getting the game, but it is something that I can see seriously shortening the effective poker night-ability of this game. Most times in poker nights, there are quite a few who only play that game on the given night, whether it's the racing game or the shooter or whatever. Those guys are going to be really put off by the fact that a bunch of people in the room have access to much better stuff than they do. It's not a gameplay feature that I like at all in a shooter like this, so it's the one thing I am worried about. In something like RS:V or even SC the rewards are purely cosmetic, and that's plenty enough of a reward for me.

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:15 pm

Thanks for the impressions, Teal. Sounds amazing.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:31 pm

I share Zeppo's concerns about the MP. I hate rank systems, so I imagine I'll have to biting the bullet to some extent here, I just hope it's a tolerable level.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:34 pm

Thanks for the info on this guys! I have this one preordered. Can't wait.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 5:54 pm

Zeppo wrote:
tealboy03 wrote: The balance in this thing is far better than anything else I've ever seen. Certainly moreso than what I experienced with Shadowrun. In that game, the winner just keeps on getting more and more money, more and more abilities, more and more, while the loser keeps his crappy rig.
Well, that's not at all how SR works, so I'll just throw that comment out.

What I'm worried about is that players level up over time, from game to game, from night to nigh rather than just get better gear within a game or a session. I'm a little concerned with all the talk I've seen about how cool weapon upgrades are and so on that if they are really that cool and make the weapons that much better, then those who play the game more often are going to have a much bigger advantage than the normal big advantage of familiarity with the maps and the quirks and nuances of gameplay. It's like it could exponentially make it harder for casual guys to have fun.

It's not going to keep me from getting the game, but it is something that I can see seriously shortening the effective poker night-ability of this game. Most times in poker nights, there are quite a few who only play that game on the given night, whether it's the racing game or the shooter or whatever. Those guys are going to be really put off by the fact that a bunch of people in the room have access to much better stuff than they do. It's not a gameplay feature that I like at all in a shooter like this, so it's the one thing I am worried about. In something like RS:V or even SC the rewards are purely cosmetic, and that's plenty enough of a reward for me.

That would bother me more with random players, not so much with a DSP Poker Night. The social aspect of those nights is always the biggest draw for me, and if there is some good team balance, the different levels probably won't matter too much. Honestly, there are people on this board who are going to shoot me up like Swiss cheese most nights, whether they have the same weapons I do or better.

The level thing could open up some fun unbalanced play, too. Can five n00bs take out two experienced guys, for instance.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:31 pm

In R6 Vegas u get new weapons & such as u level up & it doesn't seem to be a balance issue. Most weapons in that game are a matter of personal taste (hopefully COD will follow in the same way).

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 6:37 pm

This worrying is much ado about nothing, I think. You're not going to get a BFG by leveling up, for pete's sake. You'll get a newer weapon, like an AK47. Then, if you use that weapon alot, you'll eventually earn a fiber optic sight. From there, you'll get a ranged sight. So on and so on.

What you don't get is super duper powers, invulnerability, the ability to see through walls (although you CAN shoot through walls, which lends believability to this game), or super-enhanced-shoot-with-my-eyes-closed aiming. Just believable upgrades to your weapons.

This is a game set in the real world. Of course, having a fiber optic sight has improved my aiming, vs. looking down the iron sight. But I've had plenty of people mow me down with nothing more than a silenced .45.

I really like the ranking system, so take it for what it's worth. But I don't see all this hand wringing being necessary. And I'm playing the game right now, so I kinda know...ease your fears.

Of course, if you only decide to jump in with the crowd once in a blue moon, be prepared to have someone eat your lunch. Kinda like going to the park to play basketball. Don't think it's so balanced that you can come in after a long stay out and expect to be competitive. But that would be true if it were a MP caveman game, where all you got were clubs and rocks...

This is one I'll play regardless of the DSP forum effect, as it has taken a turn for the worse in latter days. If people will stick with it, it'll be better. But if it goes the way of forza, graw, rainbow, etc. ad nauseum, then it, like every one of the aforementioned, will go the way of the dodo. But that's an individual choice.

You know right now that mix and teal will be playing the hell outta this, and probably seminole. You join in? that's four, and enough for a team of guys to go into the lobbies and take on all comers. Keep it going, and pretty soon, we can have DSP-only lobbies again. What a concept...

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:30 pm

If you can create a "party" and jump into different games like Halo 2 then I'm ok with that. Is this a feature? If I get my ass handed to me at least i know you guys will be getting whooped right along side me. I really wish Gears had a party mode like halo 2 did. I think we could have done well against other random players.

LAking · Post by **LAking** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:32 pm

greggsand wrote:In R6 Vegas u get new weapons & such as u level up & it doesn't seem to be a balance issue. Most weapons in that game are a matter of personal taste (hopefully COD will follow in the same way).

the problem with Vegas is that people would care more about leveling up than just playing the game. Teams would purposely hold off on ending the game just to get as many kills as possible.

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 8:07 pm

LAking wrote:If you can create a "party" and jump into different games like Halo 2 then I'm ok with that. Is this a feature?

That's exactly what it's like. They are using "the" Halo party system, not just something kinda like it. It works flawlessly like the Halo system.

And concerning the character advancement, I maxed out my character in about 2 to 3 hours of gameplay. Now there are still some weapons that I haven't used that are not leveled up but my main weapon and my character are at the current max in the beta in a short night and a half of gameplay. If you can't play that much to keep up then you wouldn't be able to handle the competition even without an advancement system.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:12 pm

LAking wrote:
greggsand wrote:In R6 Vegas u get new weapons & such as u level up & it doesn't seem to be a balance issue. Most weapons in that game are a matter of personal taste (hopefully COD will follow in the same way).
the problem with Vegas is that people would care more about leveling up than just playing the game. Teams would purposely hold off on ending the game just to get as many kills as possible.

This isn't a problem, as leveling up is not such a monumental and difficult achievement so as to encourage stupidity or cheesing in order to attain it. It takes a ridiculously long time to level up in Rainbow, so much so that I don't care about the ranks anymore.

Besides, Halo's system has ranks as well...it's what makes matchmaking work. Here you just have a visible representation...

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:54 pm

I love the beta so far. I have had it since mid last week and didn't want to start a new thread as I wasn't sure what the vibe of the game was around here and no one my friends list asked me about ( I have been playing it for hours every night LOL)

Teal pretty much summed it up. Halo is starting to look like it will be taking a back seat and maybe dropping to a rental. We'll see though, I had a blast playing that beta too, just frustrating putting a whole clip in someone and not getting a kill. That really bugs me about the MP of Halo. When I die in COD4 I feel I deserved to, I can't say that about Halo.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:17 am

How did you guys get in on this beta?

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:25 am

www.charlieoscardelta.com

Not sure what they are doing for the next wave of beta participants. As far as I know they are still slowly rolling out invites from the first two sign ups. Spanner got in also and he signed up during the first wave invite with just an email sent to them ( I did this also)

So check the site out (once a day maybe) and since there seems to be interest here I will post up any details of new invites as soon as I here about it in this thread.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 10:09 am

I registered at the webpage yesterday, but never got confirmation email until I requested they send it again today. As of now they say beta registration is closed, but another wave will go out soon.