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[XANDER CAGE]

One of the games I picked up in the Origin 20 dollar off "sale". I'd played a bit on console before and after its release in 2010, but I was in the mood for shooting dudes tonight and I sat down to really dig into it. I don't know what I was expecting, but I had heard that there were some people who actually really liked its campaign (like our benevolent protector Y2kev).

I don't really get it. This game takes the typical Call of Duty game design - which I don't hate, mind you - and unwittingly throws it into sharp relief by trying to frame it with down-to-earth events and chatter. It just doesn't work. I just listened to my squad do a tense post-firefight ammo check while standing next to a magic ammo box. I was congratulated for "flanking" a gunner by taking literally the only path available. The buildings are all Arab dispensers. My character is incapable of climbing short walls or opening doors. There's nothing unique about this experience at all.

The shotgun is cool, I guess. It at least tears shit up. I don't really get it though, does the game fan out a bit later on, or are people just fans of the aesthetic? I love the look and style, but it only serves to make the gameplay mechanics seem even more ludicrous than they usually are in this kind of shooter.

I've played some of Warfighter at PAX, and it seems equally "okay". There's nothing terrible about these games, I guess, but it boggles my mind that EA thought simply meeting a standard was worth rebooting a franchise over, especially when Airborne was actually a pretty awesome game. Is there anyone who thinks that this was the right path to take for the series? Is there something totally rad about this one that I'm missing?

 

[Roxas]

The most telling thing about the game is, i cannot remember a single thing about it...it just kinda happened, and then disappeared. Nobody talked about it, and was instantly forgotten.

 

[samus4ever]

Only 2 main parts I can remember about the SP portion. The sniper part and the helicopter part. Other than that, it was really too easy, even set to the hardest difficulty. Plus, it was like only 4 and half hours long too.

 

[AlexBasch]

Should have grabbed something else from that sale.

I dunno, Spore.

 

[elektrixx]

I remember being able to see textures during explosions looking like a PS1 game.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

The most telling thing about the game is, i cannot remember a single thing about it...it just kinda happened, and then disappeared. Nobody talked about it, and was instantly forgotten.

And yet a sequel is coming out in a few days. Yay video games!

 

[Sethos]

I've played some of Warfighter at PAX, and it seems equally "okay". There's nothing terrible about these games, I guess, but it boggles my mind that EA thought simply meeting a standard was worth rebooting a franchise over, especially when Airborne was actually a pretty awesome game. Is there anyone who thinks that this was the right path to take for the series? Is there something totally rad about this one that I'm missing?

Right path? That'd be a big no. It was just a way of using ( whoring ) an established name to push yet another military fist-bumping generic scripted shooter, nothing else. Such a cheesy and boring game all the way through.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

I remember being able to see textures during explosions looking like a PS1 game.

Details are not the strong suit, that's for sure.

 

[industrian]

It's the most pedestrian facsimile of Call of Duty gameplay I've ever seen albeit stripped down to it's easiest level imaginable. No story, no originality, and generally no reason to play it outside of achievements or a personal sense of accomplishment. That and it's janky as fuck with my character literally running into spawning enemies on one mission, and generally has PS2-era shooter sensibilities.

If it were a FPS made by an Eastern European developer on a shoestring budget then I would look the other way. But I find it really telling that a company can pour millions into a game and get this as an end result. Completely absymal.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I just enjoyed a more grounded campaign, following a small number of soldiers. And there are some fantastic moments. I'd at least recommend playing up to the fight in the hut at the bottom of the Valley. It's one of the few times I've felt truly scared by the overwhelming force of a situation in a game.

I tried MoH Airborne, the controls were kind of bad, graphics very bland, and you need to start the mission over if you die. Even after like 30 minutes. Yeah, no thanks.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

I tried MoH Airborne, the controls were kind of bad, graphics very bland, and you need to start the mission over if you die. Even after like 30 minutes. Yeah, no thanks.

Wait, what? No you don't. I thought you airdrop in as a different duder.

I'm also partial to the idea of a grounded campaign, but this game doesn't seem grounded at all. It just has a more realistic coat of paint over equally Hollywood gameplay.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Wait, what? No you don't. I thought you airdrop in as a different duder.

Really? I only tried it for an hour or so, as I say, I hated the controls. But every time I died, sometimes after 20-30 minutes, I'd have to start over. Hmm...

Also, have you played the section at the bottom of the Valley yet? It's my personal highlight, but yeah, I also remember it being quite glitchy. :/

 

[Sethos]

Also, have you played the section at the bottom of the Valley yet? It's my personal highlight, but yeah, I also remember it being quite glitchy. :/

Mean that boring section where you sat in a bombed out stone hut and just shot waves and waves of spawning enemies and when they finally got close they either stood around doing nothing, ran into walls etc. ?

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Mean that boring section where you sat in a bombed out stone hut and just shot waves and waves of spawning enemies and when they finally got close they either stood around doing nothing, ran into walls etc. ?

I seem to remember admitting it was pretty glitchy. But for me, it was a thrilling section of the campaign. I guess it wasn't for you, fair enough.

 

[PinkCrayon]

Hot garbage.

 

[Semblance]

Beat it last weekend and the only thing I can even remember now is strolling through a cave and the AI partner starting leaning against a wall, deciding not to push forward anymore. It's like even he was all, 'fuck this shit, I'm done.' Amusing. Had to restart that section though, I continued on without him and the game refused me, putting an invisible barrier near the end of the cave. Working follow this bro! AI isn't something EA really understands, seemingly. Pretty lazy game!

 

[M.W.]

Awesome SP campaign.

 

[industrian]

Mean that boring section where you sat in a bombed out stone hut and just shot waves and waves of spawning enemies and when they finally got close they either stood around doing nothing, ran into walls etc. ?

There was nothing special about this section whatsoever. The game in a nutshell really.

If you want a real "our back is against the wall but we have to hold our position until the end" segment, play the British levels in the original Call of Duty. Pegasus Bridge, bitches, very few games have ever come near it, let alone match it.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Hot garbage.

Awesome SP campaign.

Opinions, they different and stuff.

Also, Hot Garbage is one of my favourite derogatory terms for something like this. It's like, it's not just a pile of rotting rubbish, but it's a hot, steaming, sweaty pile of rubbish. It's so evocative!

 

[Nabs]

I loved the taliban clown cars towards the end. There was a point where I couldn't figure out where the game wanted me to go exactly, so I just killed a million enemies. I should get a medal for that.

I had more fun playing Revelations 2012.

 

[Sethos]

There was nothing special about this section whatsoever. The game in a nutshell really.

If you want a real "our back is against the wall but we have to hold our position until the end" segment, play the British levels in the original Call of Duty. Pegasus Bridge, bitches, very few games have ever come near it, let alone match it.

Well, personally all my intense moments come from ArmA 2 with my clan. Probably why I have such a high standard in 'exciting moments' because nothing beats actually lasing targets for a human pilot or being in all out urban warfare in a realistic environment with 32 players on each side.

Then it's so hard to get just a semi-chubby over some scripted shitty laser designator mini-game or any of the other stuff people tend to praise, it's like the scripted kindergarten version of military stuff with a big safety cushion.

But yes, I do remember the old Call of Duty events - Fantastic games, played all of the real IW's games on highest difficulty and man, so many insane and intense moments that are always ended with some fantastic music. Any mistakes and it took your head clean off.

Only thing I truly remember from Medal of Horror 2010 was that segment where you had to take down a machinegun nest that was indestructible until you moved closer ... That's when the flies around the turd gets a bit too much.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Also the weird "we're not making political statements, we swear!" writing is really grating. God forbid a video game make an interesting statement one way or the other about something.

 

[Locke_211]

Also, it has the worst build-up to an ending EVER. You literally climb a hill and the ending sequence kicks in.

 

[tiny raptor]

There was nothing special about this section whatsoever. The game in a nutshell really.

If you want a real "our back is against the wall but we have to hold our position until the end" segment, play the British levels in the original Call of Duty. Pegasus Bridge, bitches, very few games have ever come near it, let alone match it.

Someone who gets it.

Infinity Ward at the top of their game. Call of Duty 2 also had some brilliant "back against the wall segments" like in Pointe Du Hoc.

 

[codhand]

Campaign blander than British food.

 

[spindoctor]

Game was total garbage. Not just for trying to ripoff the Call of Duty formula without an ounce of original game design, but actually failing to do even that competently. It has some of the worst scripting I've seen in a shooter in years.

 

[Sojgat]

In many ways MOH just tries to copy COD's style of linear military shooting, and does it badly, however it also does some interesting things with the way it's presented. The SP campaign plays much better on the hardest difficulty where you actually have to rely on the cover and quick pistol mechanics. It makes you approach the whack-a-mole shooting in a more measured way. It gives the illusion of being a more "realistic" and tactical experience, which is what the game seems to be all about.

The campaign has a couple really cool set piece moments, which people a have already mentioned, that work because they do actually feel tense and "authentic". It's tone is what differentiates it from COD and all it's other clones. It's no more real world than any other military FPS, but if it were a tv show you might find it plausible for the most part, if not actually realistic. Having watched the Warfighter intro I can see already that much of that has been lost for the sequel. It leaves me wondering if the grounded, smaller scale of MOH's encounters, and it's overall tone, was intentional, or just due to the fact it was rushed out to compete with Black Ops.

 

[Parakeetman]

The game a lot of the events which take place in it are based off of real events which happened out in Afghanistan. 2 main ones would be Operation Red Wings and Operation Anaconda. Having been one who read the books, could see a lot of the areas where they pulled the inspiration from. So while some things have gotten the "Hollywood" treatment esp the taking of Baghram Air Base and the apache bit, a lot of the other scenarios were more grounded in reality than most "modern" setting shooters.

In regards to the story, its interesting how on the civilian vs. military gamers side the views of the quality of the story and esp the ending is quite different. That and all the other smaller details about the SP campaign.

Anyways dont have much else to say, since seems like most folks are set with what they think about the game.

*disclaimer: as no misunderstandings occur I am not affiliated with the US military in any way shape or form.

 

[Sapphire Dreams]

This is one series I wish it stayed in World War 2.

 

[tiny raptor]

So while some things have gotten the "Hollywood" treatment esp the taking of Baghram Air Base and the apache bit, a lot of the other scenarios were more grounded in reality than most "modern" setting shooters..

Yeah, people were saying that Warfighter looked implausible, but MoH 2010 bended reality sometimes too. Overall it still looks like Warfighter will strive to keep an authentic tone.

 

[Parakeetman]

Yeah, people were saying that Warfighter looked implausible, but MoH 2010 bended reality sometimes too. Overall it still looks like Warfighter will strive to keep an authentic tone.

My main problem with Warfighter is, either its the trailer or something but it looks like it got even more of a michael bay treatment than the first game. Really am hoping that the story will be good though.

This is one series I wish it stayed in World War 2.

Im glad it didnt. Why? Because no one is willing to push the envelope with some new scenarios. Its almost always the same damned thing over and over and over again. How many times can we hit normandy, market garden, moscow etc. There is a lot of interesting stories out there to be told, but for the most part everyone just wants the bigger well known campaigns. And as said before we have been through that a 1000000000 times already.

 

[Sethos]

Im glad it didnt. Why? Because no one is willing to push the envelope with some new scenarios. Its almost always the same damned thing over and over and over again. How many times can we hit normandy, market garden, moscow etc. There is a lot of interesting stories out there to be told, but for the most part everyone just wants the bigger well known campaigns. And as said before we have been through that a 1000000000 times already.

Yeah, because they are really pushing the envelope with all these generic military shooters.

 

[tiny raptor]

My main problem with Warfighter is, either its the trailer or something but it looks like it got even more of a michael bay treatment than the first game. Really am hoping that the story will be good though.

In a topic on GFaqs, NightMystic said this:

"Finished the campaign in five and a half hours. I thought it was fantastic. With the HD textures the game looks great, the story was decent, and the emotional impact was something I didn't see coming. Gameplay was smooth and well polished as well.

I wouldn't say its a $60 game for the story alone, but I'd definitely recommend checking it out."

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/661937-medal-of-honor-warfighter/64377630

 

[Parakeetman]

In a topic on GFaqs, NightMystic said this:

"Finished the campaign in five and a half hours. I thought it was fantastic. With the HD textures the game looks great, the story was decent, and the emotional impact was something I didn't see coming. Gameplay was smooth and well polished as well.

I wouldn't say its a $60 game for the story alone, but I'd definitely recommend checking it out."

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/661937-medal-of-honor-warfighter/64377630

I already have it on order a buddy sending it up my way as am overseas in Japan. PC ver. Not paying the stupid price for whatever Origin set as the JP region pricing which is like 80+ bucks I think. Really hate this regional IP bullshit. There seriously should be some sort of clause for expats.

Id get it for the PS3, but unless I can get my hands on a US version, Ill be stuck with trying to get an Asian account to get content for the game if any is released. So will make do with the PC for now and see how the SP is. Ive been a big supporter of Greg Goodrich and his team at Danger Close. Esp with the fact that he actually listens to folks from the military and takes feedback seriously. Which is why I am curious to see how they did with my own eyes for the multiplayer portion of the game itself. Do hope that the quality of the SP product and the little features also make their way in to MP too. One of the largest features to me for SP was the fact that there was an actual ROF mode. Being able to do most of the work in semi auto was a huge thing for me and really made the overall experience a lot better. As it is just stupid how most games force you to be on constant full auto. Sure you can "tap" the trigger / button, but to me its not the same. Another one am pretty sure SP had this but MP didnt (since DICE used their standard teacup grip) the proper current taught grip for how the pistol was held in game, just showed the amount of research they really did and those little things add up.
*Vid bout pistol grip for those not familiar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgLmQl1zDw

---

One thing I will say though, *Dont read if you have not completed the first game

Spoiler

is its going to be tough to beat that feeling of emptiness, rage and determination that welled up during the ending of the first MOH. Its an emotion that gets pulled at even harder if you are familiar with the feeling of losing someone. The feeling of emptiness from losing a friend, rage at the enemy who did this and determination on knowing you will get another chance to finish the job. All of those things ran through ones mind as you were airlifted out and you watched the mountains in the distance.

*On a separate related subject - dont read if you have not completed silent hill 2.

Spoiler

Which is why Silent Hill 2 Id say was pretty deep also. At how much that psychological side can cut and with that game the whole wanting to believe someone gone is alive again, thats some real scary stuff to deal with that can relate too with that particular title. I think its why SH2 was such an excellent title. It really pulled at the right strings of the human psyche correctly and knew how to cut deep.

 

[industrian]

Im glad it didnt. Why? Because no one is willing to push the envelope with some new scenarios. Its almost always the same damned thing over and over and over again. How many times can we hit normandy, market garden, moscow etc. There is a lot of interesting stories out there to be told, but for the most part everyone just wants the bigger well known campaigns. And as said before we have been through that a 1000000000 times already.

You're criticising the lack of scope in WW2 environments? So I guess that all these generic Middle Eastern environments, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, etc are much better, yeah?

WW2 got played out because of two reasons. 1) The WW2 shooter genre was milked to hell. 2) It's in the past and as such there's nowhere you can go with it. Modern and/or near-future FPS games, whilst equally milked to hell can at least go somewhere with fancy technology-driven storylines and shit like that.

But WW2 is nowhere near depleted for ideas. It's just that the only developers who would probably touch the genre are Americans, and as such would solely develop games from an American POV. So that's why you get the recurring levels such as Normandy, Bastogne, etc.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

The buildings are all Arab dispensers.

Weird they're Arabs, considering it's in Afghanistan. Not a comment on you more the game itself.

I actually enjoyed my time with the game. I won't buy the new one until I have time to play but I thought it was as decent effort.

 

[dragonlife]

I'm playing it as well because of the Origin sale. As someone who almost never buys shooters but enjoys them from time to time, I have to say the campaign is pretty boring and underwhelming so far. Hopefully it gets better.

 

[ii Stryker]

The MOH 2010 SP campaign(story wise) is still leagues better than the laughable turd BF3 SP was and anything the COD games have had to offer. The gameplay is an absolute wash though.

Hallway >set piece>hallway>set piece >whack-a-mole>whack-a-mole>set piece>credits

Games like this only deserve a rental IMO or purchase used when they're $10-20.

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Weird they're Arabs, considering it's in Afghanistan. Not a comment on you more the game itself.

I actually enjoyed my time with the game. I won't buy the new one until I have time to play but I thought it was as decent effort.

Haha, I was just being glib about the genre, I didn't mean to be disrespectful. Although presumably that part is actually at least semi-accurate (apart from the ridiculous number of enemies), since the enemies are mostly Arab Taliban operatives, given the time period/setting.

The MOH 2010 SP campaign(story wise) is still leagues better than the laughable turd BF3 SP was and anything the COD games have had to offer. The gameplay is an absolute wash though.

Hallway >set piece>hallway>set piece >whack-a-mole>whack-a-mole>set piece>credits

Games like this only deserve a rental IMO or purchase used when they're $10-20.

So far I'd say they're equally iffy. At least BF3 had a killer soundtrack.

 

[Parakeetman]

The MOH 2010 SP campaign(story wise) is still leagues better than the laughable turd BF3 SP was and anything the COD games have had to offer. The gameplay is an absolute wash though.

Hallway >set piece>hallway>set piece >whack-a-mole>whack-a-mole>set piece>credits

Games like this only deserve a rental IMO or purchase used when they're $10-20.

What I hated the most about the BF3 campaign was just how cheap the enemy AI was for the most part even on normal difficulty. Not to mention accurate. The part when you were pushing up towards the residential area from a lower elevation at night. Jesus christ that place was a nightmare considering that as always EVERYONE targeted you and with pinpoint accuracy of all things, in both from firearms and explosive devices.

Thunder Run? though was pretty cool. The flying part wasnt too interested in since it was all done on rails.

 

[ii Stryker]

What I hated the most about the BF3 campaign was just how cheap the enemy AI was for the most part even on normal difficulty. Not to mention accurate. The part when you were pushing up towards the residential area from a lower elevation at night. Jesus christ that place was a nightmare considering that as always EVERYONE targeted you and with pinpoint accuracy of all things, in both from firearms and explosive devices.

Thunder Run? though was pretty cool. The flying part wasnt too interested in since it was all done on rails.

BC1 has had the best SP campaign for a military shooter and its all been downhill from there becoming more and more linear with each subsequent release. With BC1 DICE at least retained the sandbox gameplay that the MP in lauded for and ever since COD's success(which is all due to the MP NOT the SP) developers/publishers think they have to ape that horrid shit.

EA also NOT issuing review copies well in advance of Warfighters release IS some shady shit.

 

[Parakeetman]

BC1 has had the best SP campaign for a military shooter and its all been downhill from there becoming more and more linear with each subsequent release. With BC1 DICE at least retained the sandbox gameplay that the MP in lauded for and ever since COD's success(which is all due to the MP NOT the SP) developers/publishers think they have to ape that horrid shit.

EA also NOT issuing review copies well in advance of Warfighters release IS some shady shit.

With BC1 the bit of the sandbox stuff was nice but one thing I noticed was that it really was lacking enemies that spawned. Thats one thing that always bothered me. But it was a good campaign asides from that design aspect. It wasnt really all that realistic, but it made for good entertainment. Which is the whole purpose of gaming anyways.

Number 2 was a lot more scripted and linear, but at least the firefights in general felt more intense. Though what a waste that they went the more serious route and changed the characters up. But there was still humor if you left them idle. Some of the arguments the guys would have were hilarious.

 

[tiny raptor]

I already have it on order a buddy sending it up my way as am overseas in Japan. PC ver. Not paying the stupid price for whatever Origin set as the JP region pricing which is like 80+ bucks I think. Really hate this regional IP bullshit. There seriously should be some sort of clause for expats.

Id get it for the PS3, but unless I can get my hands on a US version, Ill be stuck with trying to get an Asian account to get content for the game if any is released. So will make do with the PC for now and see how the SP is. Ive been a big supporter of Greg Goodrich and his team at Danger Close. Esp with the fact that he actually listens to folks from the military and takes feedback seriously. Which is why I am curious to see how they did with my own eyes for the multiplayer portion of the game itself. Do hope that the quality of the SP product and the little features also make their way in to MP too. One of the largest features to me for SP was the fact that there was an actual ROF mode. Being able to do most of the work in semi auto was a huge thing for me and really made the overall experience a lot better. As it is just stupid how most games force you to be on constant full auto. Sure you can "tap" the trigger / button, but to me its not the same. Another one am pretty sure SP had this but MP didnt (since DICE used their standard teacup grip) the proper current taught grip for how the pistol was held in game, just showed the amount of research they really did and those little things add up.
*Vid bout pistol grip for those not familiar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQgLmQl1zDw

---

One thing I will say though, *Dont read if you have not completed the first game

Spoiler

is its going to be tough to beat that feeling of emptiness, rage and determination that welled up during the ending of the first MOH. Its an emotion that gets pulled at even harder if you are familiar with the feeling of losing someone. The feeling of emptiness from losing a friend, rage at the enemy who did this and determination on knowing you will get another chance to finish the job. All of those things ran through ones mind as you were airlifted out and you watched the mountains in the distance.

*On a separate related subject - dont read if you have not completed silent hill 2.

Spoiler

Which is why Silent Hill 2 Id say was pretty deep also. At how much that psychological side can cut and with that game the whole wanting to believe someone gone is alive again, thats some real scary stuff to deal with that can relate too with that particular title. I think its why SH2 was such an excellent title. It really pulled at the right strings of the human psyche correctly and knew how to cut deep.

I was just giving you some info on the story, you said you were hoping it'd be good.

 

[Parakeetman]

I was just giving you some info on the story, you said you were hoping it'd be good.

Stopped reading through most of that thread, but thanks for posting that small bit of useful info.

 

[tiny raptor]

Stopped reading through most of that thread, but thanks for posting that small bit of useful info.

The thread was just provided as a reference point. No problem!

 

[Stallion Free]

For a game that is trying so hard to pretended it's grounded, the headshot indicator pat on the back always stood out like a sore thumb to me. FUCK YEAH dude, you destroyed that terrorists head.

"Finished the campaign in five and a half hours. I thought it was fantastic. With the HD textures the game looks great, the story was decent, and the emotional impact was something I didn't see coming. Gameplay was smooth and well polished as well.

I wouldn't say its a $60 game for the story alone, but I'd definitely recommend checking it out."

Oh, they actually added 2 hours to the play time?

One thing I will say though, *Dont read if you have not completed the first game

Spoiler

is its going to be tough to beat that feeling of emptiness, rage and determination that welled up during the ending of the first MOH. Its an emotion that gets pulled at even harder if you are familiar with the feeling of losing someone. The feeling of emptiness from losing a friend, rage at the enemy who did this and determination on knowing you will get another chance to finish the job. All of those things ran through ones mind as you were airlifted out and you watched the mountains in the distance.

I shed the manliest tears as Linkin Park started to sing.

 

[Parakeetman]

I shed the manliest tears as Linkin Park started to sing.

Spoiler

The emotions conveyed through the voice acting, facial expressions and this may sound odd to some, the eyes of the characters is what really makes that whole scene all the more powerful. I dont know how they did it, since really thats something that just exists in real life, emotions through eyes that is, but they managed to pull it off. You could just see it as they watched their friends life slipping away and the fact that with how they felt powerless to stop it.

 

[Sethos]

Spoiler

The emotions conveyed through the voice acting, facial expressions and this may sound odd to some, the eyes of the characters is what really makes that whole scene all the more powerful. I dont know how they did it, since really thats something that just exists in real life, emotions through eyes that is, but they managed to pull it off. You could just see it as they watched their friends life slipping away and the fact that with how they felt powerless to stop it.

Oh c'mon.

 

[Parakeetman]

Oh c'mon.

Its not just me talked to a lot of other friends that have served and played the game. They agree on that part, besides all of the other varying issues they had with the game itself.

You either get it or you dont. Not much else one can say to convince another otherwise.

 

[Stallion Free]

It's just hard to really feel the connection when you spend so little time with the men and there is hardly any real dialogue outside of combat. Oh and on top of that you keep changing roles.