Support NeoGAF

[Mad Max]

That a lot of money, considering the game is mostly bad.

 

[sajj316]

They could call it like that, that'd be fair.

All basic standards were introduced in COD4: 60 fps, movement standard, sound standard, aiming standard, killstreak standard, unlock standard. Every other game in series after that was just tweaking of the formula, nothing really changed. The only substantial change was killstreak standard im MW2 which fucked up the game. But basic standards are so enjoyable that people agreed to eat this shit.

COD4 was a fucking masterpiece. Mario of online shooters.

No doubt COD4 brought something fresh and the leveling system with unlocks brought an almost RPG element to FPS. If it was a "masterpiece", they were smart to not change things up too much and tweak with the formula. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm guessing your a big fan of IW

 

[MarkMclovin]

Mark McLovin has played 128 games of Reach and bought it four days after it launched. He is a Warrant Officer Grade 1 and also enjoys Campaign. And he is a dirty Welsh.

Mum?

 

[kamspy]

BLOPS erases all the negativity I've had against the franchise since after the glory days of COD4.

Same. First COD I've been able to play since 4. Love it.

 

[subversus]

No doubt COD4 brought something fresh and the leveling system with unlocks brought an almost RPG element to FPS. If it was a "masterpiece", they were smart to not change things up too much and tweak with the formula. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm guessing your a big fan of IW

I actually liked BLOPS more than this POS which is called MW2. But it got old fast. So no, I'm definitely not a fan of IW. They know their shit though.

And no, Battlefield brought unlock and RPG elements to FPS. Or Battlefield 1942, I don't remember. Anyway both were released before 2006 and had massive success on PC. COD4 brought this kind of gameplay on consoles and made it popular. COD4 was a perfect multiplatform game, nothing comes close these days and that's pretty ironic.

 

[vocab]

doesn't matter what's in the middle, it had awesome gameplay and shooting through the chopper was cool.

It's good to see we can have an intelligent conversation about map design.

Thank you.

 

[The Elite]

I'm sure the guys at Treyarch are in for a big bonus.

... oh wait.

 

[subversus]

It's good to see we can have an intelligent conversation about map design.

Thank you.

always welcome.

it's COD series we're talking about, just to remind you. Not Red Orchestra or Arma.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

BLOPS erases all the negativity I've had against the franchise since after the glory days of COD4.

Exactly how I feel. It's redeemed my faith in COD.

 

[NullPointer]

It had the worst campaign since WaW, which was the worst since COD3. I'm done with this crappy pattern of events.

Since I buy COD games primarily for the campaign this was a huge letdown.

 

[Snuggles]

It's nice to see all of their hard work and dedication rewarded.

 

[TacticalFox88]

It had the worst campaign since WaW, which was the worst since COD3. I'm done with this crappy pattern of events.

Since I buy COD games primarily for the campaign this was a huge letdown.

....Why the fuck would you do that?

 

[Vizion28]

People buying the same $60 game over and over again year after year with only slight variations of the others slapped with a different title as confirmed to me how the masses are mindless 'sheeple.'

Good for you Activision. You can bank on churning out yearly variations of the same game with no incentive for creativity or innovation. Man, what an easy money maker.

American Idol is still the highest rated show, a cliche, formulaic movie about blue aliens is the highest grossing movie, people with no talent are famous (Kardashians) and rappers like Lil Wayne sell millions of records. Surely America is declining.

 

[jedimike]

GAF likes to take rhetoric and run with it... especially with "mainstream" games. The sales of Black Ops are well deserved. The multiplayer game is much better than any COD game before it.

The multiplayer is really chock full of great ideas the execution is horrid. The game is almost unplayable sometimes if your connection is not humming.

Wrong! I have days of playtime and not once has it been unplayable. Not once!

 

[NullPointer]

....Why the fuck would you do that?

Because they used to be worth it.

And GTFO with ignoring half the damn game. It was only cute the first 150 times.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Wow, CoD is a beast

 

[TacticalFox88]

Because they used to be worth it.

And GTFO with ignoring half the damn game. It was only cute the first 150 times.

Who said I ignored the campaign? -_-. I play the campaigns always, first. Then i jump into MP. I would never buy it JUST for the SP.

 

[Kittonwy]

Joystiq



Wow. That's a loooooooooooooooot of money. It's a shame it had to be the worst(and only bad) COD game released to do it.

That's mad money to start another goldmine should they decide that COD isn't doing it for them anymore.

 

[steadfast]

I read the article twice to make sure. I couldn't find the source of their $1B claim. Is it from Activision PR? Chartz? Has it really sold 17M units?

Edit: found it, Activision PR, no mention of units sold.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...s-1-billion-in-sales-worldwide-112253214.html

 

[kamspy]

People buying the same $60 game over and over again year after year with only slight variations of the others slapped with a different title as confirmed to me how the masses are mindless 'sheeple.'

Good for you Activision. You can bank on churning out yearly variations of the same game with no incentive for creativity or innovation. Man, what an easy money maker.

American Idol is still the highest rated show, a cliche, formulaic movie about blue aliens is the highest grossing movie, people with no talent are famous (Kardashians) and rappers like Lil Wayne sell millions of records. Surely America is declining.

Surely this is the worst post I'll read on GAF today. I hope at least.

 

[NullPointer]

Who said I ignored the campaign? -_-. I play the campaigns always, first. Then i jump into MP. I would never buy it JUST for the SP.

I'd put myself at about 80% campaign, 20% multiplayer. Although spec ops alone was worth half the purchase of MW2 for me.

The multiplayer is great stuff. Really intense, really reactive, and pretty much a pleasure right from the get-go, network conditions depending. But I'm not always in the mood to run circles around the same arenas getting insta-killed or doing the insta-killing (and screaming bullshit at the lag). Sometimes its nice to have changes in pace, and some fiction that ties the various battles together. To that end Infinity Ward knew what the hell they were doing.

Treyarch has yet to learn the lessons behind creating a decent campaign. The only thing they understand is big explosions, followed by bigger explosions, which is only a part of the craft.

 

[DieH@rd]

I wonder what amount of that money went to Treyarch. Probably 0.

Amazing gif.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Even though I still don't complete 60% of the games I start because of stupid connection errors they don't seem to know how to fix I've sunk in 75 hours so far, great game.

 

[sajj316]

I actually liked BLOPS more than this POS which is called MW2. But it got old fast. So no, I'm definitely not a fan of IW. They know their shit though.

And no, Battlefield brought unlock and RPG elements to FPS. Or Battlefield 1942, I don't remember. Anyway both were released before 2006 and had massive success on PC. COD4 brought this kind of gameplay on consoles and made it popular. COD4 was a perfect multiplatform game, nothing comes close these days and that's pretty ironic.

I stand corrected then on the leveling and unlocks. I didn't play Battlefield until Bad Company and 1943 so my first experience was with COD4.

 

[Trick_GSF]

Jesus. I've always said COD was tripe and shallow. Just my opinion of course, but I've played so little of it/them.

I take what I said back. That many people cannot be wrong.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

GAF likes to take rhetoric and run with it... especially with "mainstream" games. The sales of Black Ops are well deserved. The multiplayer game is much better than any COD game before it.

Certainly explains why everyone on my friends list is still playing it....oh wait.

 

[kamspy]

It had the worst campaign since WaW,

I think it had it's moments. It's like they had two lead level designers who split the campaign 50/50. I swear I'm playing two different games one level to the next. Some are among the best in COD history, some feel like COD3: Vietnam.

Take the designer who did the first Nam level with the crazy respawning enemies. Send him over to the Tony Hawk division. Then, take the guy who did the rooftop level and the Nam level with the Rat Tunnel. Make him the only lead. Boom. Treyarch are instantly a better COD studio.

 

[shintoki]

Jesus. I've always said COD was tripe and shallow. Just my opinion of course, but I've played so little of it/them.

I take what I said back. That many people cannot be wrong.

 

[GillianSeed79]

I declare that to be an illegal amount of money.

 

[NullPointer]

Take the designer who did the first Nam level with the crazy respawning enemies. Send him over to the Tony Hawk division. Then, take the guy who did the rooftop level and the Nam level with the Rat Tunnel. Make him the only lead. Boom. Treyarch are instantly a better COD studio.

I like the way you think :lol

I'll also agree that it had its moments. The prison breakout was a novel idea, but it let me down when the armored guards would run right past the allied AI and focus on me (ala Resistance 2). The biking through a window and fighting other cars on the road was something out of Tomb Raider or Just Cause and just didn't fit imo.

One of the biggest letdowns was the blackbird level. Ingenious idea to swap between piloting the jet and taking part in actions on the ground. But the actual execution of it played out like an insta-fail QTE. Compare that to the C-130 level in COD4 or manning the helicopter chainguns in MW2. Night and day difference.

I don't even have to bring up the Vietnam sequence with the napalm barrels, but let me add the APC run and fighting through the Nova gas sequence for sheer frustration levels (on hardened). The levels that are so scripted, with such a lack of confidence in the player to forge their own path that they almost play themselves.

There is a fine line between challenge and frustration, and for my money Treyarch almost always misses the mark. The end result is scenarios that look great in trailers and video reviews, where absolutely everything is cranked up to 11, and yet the experience isn't nearly as fun as it looks.

That's my personal take anyway. And from talking to my friends about it and looking at the games being played on my friends list, I'm not the only one. But hey, if you enjoy the game and can truly find the fun, I'm happy for you.

 

[TheSeks]

So is this article about MW2 or blops?

It can't be both?

Spoiler

PS3 player here, hi!

 

[jedimike]

Certainly explains why everyone on my friends list is still playing it....oh wait.

Thanks for your anecdotal reply. My friends list is full of people playing it.

But hey, here's some actual evidence to the contrary...

http://majornelson.com/archive/2010/12/17/live-activity-for-week-of-nov-dec-6.aspx


One month later and it's still the most played game. Care to place any wagers on what it will be next week? The week after? or even 4 weeks from now?

 

[Shambles]

You are all the problem!

Spoiler

But really if you like the game then all the more power to you

 

[sajj316]

Thanks for your anecdotal reply. My friends list is full of people playing it.

But hey, here's some actual evidence to the contrary...

http://majornelson.com/archive/2010/12/17/live-activity-for-week-of-nov-dec-6.aspx


One month later and it's still the most played game. Care to place any wagers on what it will be next week? The week after? or even 4 weeks from now?

PS3 version maybe .. Xbox friends list is full of people playing BLOPS. PS3, I only have one in my list.

 

[jonnybryce]

Amazing that it's been such a success when it's such a disaster and Treyactivision doesn't give shit.

Credit goes to where it's due though. Congrats, greedy ones.

 

[jedimike]

PS3 version maybe .. Xbox friends list is full of people playing BLOPS. PS3, I only have one in my list.

You missed the point... individual friends lists are irrelevant. I'm quite certain that if Sony were to publish on-line stats, Black Ops would be the most played game.

I understand the PS3 version is not as polished as Xbox (par for the course with most multiplatform titles), but that doesn't mean the PS3 version is unplayable or isn't getting played.

I think the negative feedback stems a lot from PS3 owners just being butt hurt that Black Ops provides a better experience for 360 owners. But hey, that's the price of playing on a console with the least sales. Developers have to spend the majority of their resources where they can get the biggest return on investment. Economics 101.

 

[antonz]

and just like with avatar people are left asking WHY!!?!?!

 

[TacticalFox88]

I like the way you think :lol

I'll also agree that it had its moments. The prison breakout was a novel idea, but it let me down when the armored guards would run right past the allied AI and focus on me (ala Resistance 2). The biking through a window and fighting other cars on the road was something out of Tomb Raider or Just Cause and just didn't fit imo.

One of the biggest letdowns was the blackbird level. Ingenious idea to swap between piloting the jet and taking part in actions on the ground. But the actual execution of it played out like an insta-fail QTE. Compare that to the C-130 level in COD4 or manning the helicopter chainguns in MW2. Night and day difference.

I don't even have to bring up the Vietnam sequence with the napalm barrels, but let me add the APC run and fighting through the Nova gas sequence for sheer frustration levels (on hardened). The levels that are so scripted, with such a lack of confidence in the player to forge their own path that they almost play themselves.

There is a fine line between challenge and frustration, and for my money Treyarch almost always misses the mark. The end result is scenarios that look great in trailers and video reviews, where absolutely everything is cranked up to 11, and yet the experience isn't nearly as fun as it looks.

That's my personal take anyway. And from talking to my friends about it and looking at the games being played on my friends list, I'm not the only one. But hey, if you enjoy the game and can truly find the fun, I'm happy for you.

Speaking of the Blackbird level, I seriously thought I was going to be piloting that awesome badboy. I was beyond pissed when it was a simple RTS click and watch BS. Missed Opportunity of Awesome indeed.

 

[TacticalFox88]

You missed the point... individual friends lists are irrelevant. I'm quite certain that if Sony were to publish on-line stats, Black Ops would be the most played game.

I understand the PS3 version is not as polished as Xbox (par for the course with most multiplatform titles), but that doesn't mean the PS3 version is unplayable or isn't getting played.

I think the negative feedback stems a lot from PS3 owners just being butt hurt that Black Ops provides a better experience for 360 owners. But hey, that's the price of playing on a console with the least sales. Developers have to spend the majority of their resources where they can get the biggest return on investment. Economics 101.

......:lol :lol :lol

 

[Guileless]

$75 burning a hole in my pocket....I could either buy the Paradox complete pack in the Steam sale or go to Wal-Mart, pay $59.99 + tax for a 360 copy of BLOPS along with an 18 pack of Busch. What should I do GAF?

 

[jedimike]

......:lol :lol :lol

I <3 Gaf... If you can't formulate an intelligent response, just use some emoticons. That'll do the trick

 

[TacticalFox88]

I <3 Gaf... If you can't formulate an intelligent response, just use some emoticons. That'll do the trick

Because your justifying developer laziness.

 

[Majine]

I <3 Gaf... If you can't formulate an intelligent response, just use some emoticons. That'll do the trick

Yeah, you should try that yourself.

 

[Tain]

People buying the same $60 game over and over again year after year with only slight variations of the others slapped with a different title as confirmed to me how the masses are mindless 'sheeple.'

Good for you Activision. You can bank on churning out yearly variations of the same game with no incentive for creativity or innovation. Man, what an easy money maker.

American Idol is still the highest rated show, a cliche, formulaic movie about blue aliens is the highest grossing movie, people with no talent are famous (Kardashians) and rappers like Lil Wayne sell millions of records. Surely America is declining.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[TheKingsCrown]

You missed the point... individual friends lists are irrelevant. I'm quite certain that if Sony were to publish on-line stats, Black Ops would be the most played game.

I understand the PS3 version is not as polished as Xbox (par for the course with most multiplatform titles), but that doesn't mean the PS3 version is unplayable or isn't getting played.

I think the negative feedback stems a lot from PS3 owners just being butt hurt that Black Ops provides a better experience for 360 owners. But hey, that's the price of playing on a console with the least sales. Developers have to spend the majority of their resources where they can get the biggest return on investment. Economics 101.

If this were the case they'd be spending a whole heck of a lot more on the Just Dance 2's of the world.

 

[clav]

I <3 Gaf... If you can't formulate an intelligent response, just use some emoticons. That'll do the trick

It's still a shitty effort on the 360 version. It needs no explanation, so it's laugh worthy. Yay for mediocrity.

I'm out.

 

[Lunchbox]

Because they used to be worth it.

And GTFO with ignoring half the damn game. It was only cute the first 150 times.

call of doody has a campaign?

 

[sajj316]

You missed the point... individual friends lists are irrelevant. I'm quite certain that if Sony were to publish on-line stats, Black Ops would be the most played game.

I understand the PS3 version is not as polished as Xbox (par for the course with most multiplatform titles), but that doesn't mean the PS3 version is unplayable or isn't getting played.

I think the negative feedback stems a lot from PS3 owners just being butt hurt that Black Ops provides a better experience for 360 owners. But hey, that's the price of playing on a console with the least sales. Developers have to spend the majority of their resources where they can get the biggest return on investment. Economics 101.

I think I did get the point. My friends list was full of people playing MW2 on the PS3. Not so much with BLOPS. They are playing GT5 and Brotherhood There are alternatives and folks will go to alternatives if they're experience is not good.

Not a good justification for the issues in PC/PS3 version. This is not the first time. MW and MW2 both had network issues that were eventually resolved. Every game would be 360 lead according to your economical logic but it isn't.

I bought MW and MW2 for the PS3 but ended up getting BLOPS for the 360 because the PS3 effort was sub-standard and lacking polish of the 360.

 

[mattiewheels]

Oh sweet lord that's great :lol

 

[Tain]

People buying the same $60 game over and over again year after year with only slight variations of the others slapped with a different title as confirmed to me how the masses are mindless 'sheeple.'

Good for you Activision. You can bank on churning out yearly variations of the same game with no incentive for creativity or innovation. Man, what an easy money maker.

American Idol is still the highest rated show, a cliche, formulaic movie about blue aliens is the highest grossing movie, people with no talent are famous (Kardashians) and rappers like Lil Wayne sell millions of records. Surely America is declining.

i can't get over this