[Stogieman]

Hey, it could be worse. Like Terminal Reality releasing a patch (non-working btw) for Ghostbusters 18 months after the game hit the shelves..

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

Hey, it could be worse. Like Terminal Reality releasing a patch (non-working btw) for Ghostbusters 18 months after the game hit the shelves..

That's some valid perspective.

However, I really don't care about the 3 people that affected.

[The Final Dakar]

I'd marry Invasion if I could.

[sek929]

I'd be more apt to play MW2 more if you can convince TtotheDoubleD to buy the map packs.

[The Final Dakar]

What'd you think about last night? I have to say, it was still frustrating, but more from the angle of player skill or MLC than glitches or map/spawn issues.

Still, that Invasion game was the most fun I've had in a while. The ability to think ahead, cut-off opponents, and do effective call-outs (Backing up several people, call attention to concerted enemy movements) is everything I miss about this game.

[sek929]

The spawning was the most immediately noticeable improvement. As was the larger maps.

Still, I stand by my enjoyment of BO, especially with the night I had yesterday. Things I miss when playing MW2 are... K/D on the stat screen, easier party system, party chat, grenades and claymores on the same class, and I might actually miss the dolphin dive even if 50% of the time I do it is accidental.

Of course the sheer enjoyment of going Predator, Harrier, Pavelow in the span of one minute is so very grin-inducing.

[The Final Dakar]

The periphery of Black Ops definitely has a nice polish, but the same could be said for Halo, too.

What I was most curious for last night was to watch a reply of those guy sniping on Rundown.

[The Final Dakar]

Last night was not without controversy.

[sek929]

Hehe, I can only wonder what was discussed.

[The Final Dakar]

I can cut and paste, but I promise you, it's not that interesting.

[sek929]

I'm more interested in Todd's take on the game after last night. I didn't pay to much attention, but it seemed like he was doing decent.

[The Final Dakar]

Done.

Originally Posted by Todd

Yesterday, I had a bit of a headache and was tired so that impacted me.

I will try to touch on some of the differences that I see, although it is probably too early for a just comparison. Particularly since I don't have improved weapons, perks, killstreaks, etc on MW2.

The most noticeable difference is the sound quality. MW2 sound is far superior to BO.

I liked the maps last night, nothing really stood out as a great map but I didn't dislike any of the maps (like I dislike Grid on BO). The map with all the sniping was a bit boring for me (and I am a notorious camper). Camping seems to be much easier on MW2.

It is much easier to kill someone in MW2. Just seems like it takes less hit markers and there are more instantaneous death. Right now, I am leaning towards liking the more difficult Black Ops and their multiple hit markers. But I completely understand why you guys prefer the hit detection in MW2.

I am not really digging the killstreak deaths counting towards the next killstreak. That seems absurd. And noobtubing seems to be broken.

I could be imagining things but does the sniper scope almost lock on to the head of the enemy? I found the sniper guns much easier to use in MW2 but it felt like an auto-lock-on or something. I wish I could say I am just so damn accurate but I know that isn't the case.

Xbox party chat is much improved on BO. I kept dropping you guys on chat last night. As is the system for buying weapons. I definitely prefer that.

Basically, at this point, I think they both have some glitches that stand out. But with that said, the glitches on both games are more than tolerable and I enjoy playing both games immensely. I am a newbie to all of this and therefore my viewpoint of the games are amateurish, at best, and should be taken with a grain of salt.

I like Black Ops better so far.

I wonder if the difference in hit detection is simply due to poor connections/lag. I don't quite understand this side of gaming but could it just be possible that MW2 was/is much better in local matchmaking or selecting a host? Therefore providing a different feel to the hit detection.

[sek929]

Pretty spot-on observations. Interesting that he prefers BO, wonder if that's more a case of knowing the maps and having decent classes.

I agree the killstreak counting towards killstreak is overpowered, but thats something I love from this game.

[The Final Dakar]

Familiarity has to pay some role, whether he realizes it or not. The game is pretty tortuous before level 30.

What I'm trying to figure out his preference of less auto-aim and more hitmarkers. Totally counter-intuitive.

[The Final Dakar]

Well, we played again last night, and I daresay I loved it. Observations incoming:

Teamwork
More crucial in Black Ops, more effective in Modern Warfare.
Examples: It's much easier to hold down areas in Modern Warfare and control the flow of the game. I also had several instances last night where team mates save my life, which just doesn't happen in Black Ops

Weapon Variety
I remember one of the biggest complaints about MW2 was that the entire game was too AR focused. It seemed valid at the time, but compared to Black Ops it's ludicrous. I had lots of games last night where I'd switch between sniping and assault rifles, plus the semi-autos are viable weapons. Throw in shotgun secondaries and that's far more weapon diversity than AK74u or AR.

Matchmaking
Oh how we forgot how wrecked MWs matchmaking was in it own way. Randomly closed lobbies, failed lobby migrations... They're all there just like in Black Ops. I suppose they feel more abrupt thanks to the lack of dialogs.

Spawning
It seems every game we leave we put it on a pedestal. MW2s spawns aren't tthat great.

Weapons
I've said it a million times, I know. The ARs feel so different. I picked up the ACR last night, immediately noticed its lack of power but amazing accuracy.

[mattyb]

How many days have you put into MW2 now Dakar?

[The Final Dakar]

Still holding at 31 and change. I imagine it might hit 32.

[mattyb]

Many still playing? I think that I saw about 30,000 when I last shoved in the MW2 disk (must be nearly a week ago).

[The Final Dakar]

I never remember to look at the numbers. Aside from some early hiccups, lobbies were full plentiful, and only laggy a couple times.

[The Final Dakar]

Oh yeah, biggest difference I noticed was the majority of my games were around 20 kills. Black Ops is like CoD boot camp.

[The Final Dakar]

Well, another day full of emails later and I can officially say my crew is officially splitting. Fatty, I know where your loyalties lie without asking.

[mattyb]

Even with lag that would have had me quit in disgust this time last year, the few matches that I just had in MW2 were a laugh.

ACR, Barrett with thermal, OMA and noob tube, and then I attempted to run around a bit with a UMP.

[The Final Dakar]

Oh, I used officially twice in the same sentence. Brilliant.

[mattyb]

I forgot, 20,000 were playing MW2 at 22H00 CET last night.

[The Final Dakar]

FYI I just broke 32 days and I saw 150,000 on around 10.30 last night.

[The Final Dakar]

Alright, I was bored this weekend (32 days in MW2 is 32 days, after all), so i decided to go all the way down the rabbit hole – I revisited the original Modern Warfare, Call of Duty 4.

Less than 20,000 people online (about 1/10th of MW2, and 1/20th Black Ops) and I lagged only as frequently as I do I Black Ops. I saw very minimal sponging. The big difference was it didn't seem to honor your knifes; Occasionally in MW2 you'd get the full on knife animation and not be rewarded the kill. In CoD4, this happened like half the time (Seems like I am doomed to knifing failure no matter where I go).

This along with the lack of host migration, really keep CoD4 from being a real viable alternative today. You won't finish one in four games, and that might be generous.

Graphically, it's probably equal to Black Ops, though the weapons look like plastic. The frame rate was surprisingly rock solid. The sound, of course, was very good.

I can't judge weapon balance, but the game did feel very simple (big surprise, it's the first incarnation). Only pistols for secondaries (not even rockets) was frustrating as hell (and boy, pistols took much longer to kill you).

The first tier of perks? A joke? Then the second and third tiers suddenly have 7 and 8 perks to choose from. Juggernaut. Oh god. Martyrdom? Oh god. Last Stand? Didn't feel like an issue, doubly so with weak pistols (Exception to Desert Eagle).

Maps: Still so much better than Black Ops. There are some crazy good maps on here (Pipeline!). There are also some strange design decisions (i.e., the pool in Bloc. Who will ever fight there?)

Killstreaks: The craziest realization in MW had to be that once a UAV goes up, you can't shoot it down. That and no rocket secondaries (unless you'd like to waste a perk on it) made killstreaks very strong. I thought MW2 made kills count towards the next killstreak because they figured people might never get to the higher ones without help. Given the frequency with which I was (and got ) helis this weekend, I was very much mistaken.

(At some point this weekend MM screwed up and dropped me in a game of Domination. After earning a helicopter, I died. After I respawned the heli went to town... and earned me another heli. Be glad those days are gone.)

That's all I have for now.

[The Final Dakar]

Oh hey, this shit got patched. Including the rock on Fuel.

[mattyb]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Oh hey, this shit got patched. Including the rock on Fuel.

lol, wonder when that happened. Great timing.

In my clan those that liked snipers/quick scoping are still playing it, but I lag worse than in BO std tdm.

[The Final Dakar]

It happened two days ago.

[mattyb]

Had a few games of MW2 and CoD4 this afternoon.

When you compare CoD4 to Black Ops, you can really see how much work Treyarch did for Black Ops in terms of gameplay or improving the experience.

In other words : Fcuk All.

[The Final Dakar]

I can't believe I forgot to post this: Modern Warfare 3 to Feature Bigger Story, More Destruction This Fall

While still unannounced, sources who have seen the game in action tell Kotaku that the next Call of Duty will be a Modern Warfare 3 that pushes the bar on what people have come to expect from the series.

The biggest shift for the game appears to be in its breadth. We're told that Modern Warfare 3 will take place on a much larger, epic scale. It appears the game will explore the lead up to a blossoming set of engagements that could pull in other countries, creating a potential World War III scenario. The game will also feature large, urban destructible environments.

The focus on larger maps and destructible environments brings to mind competitor Electronic Arts' Battlefield series which made a name for itself with those two keystones. Battlefield 3 is also set for a 2011 fall release, meaning the two games could in theory be vying directly with one another for gamers' attention. Battlefield 3, as shown by EA in previous events this year, will take place in a modern setting and feature large maps and destructible environments.

[exca1ibur]

A little office humor. NSFW (Language) so get the headphones.

YouTube - Samuel L. Jackson Plays Black Ops

[The Final Dakar]

Huge leaks covering a variety of topics about MW3 happening at kotaku.

[mattyb]

Been playing this all day. God damn, its STILL a fookin good game!!!

[Stogieman]

We should try to schedule another meetup. Then we can all tease Saint about this:

[sek929]

Hahah, awesome.

[sek929]

Also, I am totally down for a MW2 meetup.

[The Final Dakar]

Well, I'm always willing to return to my old lover...

Only problem is we're going to have too many people.

[Stogieman]

Choose only those with mics. (Sorry Bogues.)

[The Final Dakar]

Alright, I have four people (including myself) in for tonight. Hope that works for you, stogie, fatty.

[Stogieman]

I'm in.

[The Final Dakar]

Got confirmation from saint. Including stogie, we're now up to 6.

[mattyb]

The more that I (re)play this, the more I think Black Ops was just an add-on for World at War. MW2 seems so much more 'complete'.

Apart from knifing.

I couldn't get a photo due to my phone being recharged, but I had a game where 9 of the 10 players were level 70s.

Think that I'll work on the Intervention cammo now that I've done the Barrett stuff.

[The Final Dakar]

Semi-good times last night. I'm not sure the correct word for the situation is irony, but going to Modern Warfare 2 because you think Black Ops' gameplay is shit, only to end up playing private matches because the matchmaking leaves you wanting for Halo's is a strange feeling. Though it occurs to me that we have no guarantee bungie's system could make Todd's connection workable. There's some bad joojoo somewhere in those tubes.

Aside from that, the other thing I learned last night is the majority of you guys are real pieces of crap. I died to noob tube/danger close more last night than in the average play session. No wonder we get post-game rants so much.

[sek929]

Anyone up for some more MW2 this evening?

I'll be playing New Vegas DLC either way, just message me.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Anyone up for some more MW2 this evening?

I'll be playing New Vegas DLC either way, just message me.

Yes. We were organizing something on email. saint preferred Black Ops. I'm meeting Euthyphro for beer before I get home, most likely, so i'll log on after I get home and eat a meal.

If you get on before me, lie and say you'll only play MW2.

[sek929]

I'll see what the consensus is. I know where you stand, but I could play BOs as well.

[The Final Dakar]

Consensus is BO, because the MW2 people will be out drinking. If BO is up when I get home, I'm not logging on (not a threat).

[sek929]

I'll see what I can do.

[The Final Dakar]

That's all I ask.