Call of Duty "4.2" Modern Warfare 2

[retiredgord]

Thanks for the great review. I'm thinking this may be on my Christmas Wish List.
"spray a mouthful of raspberry cordial all over it" would prompt me to kill the sprayer. Indeed such waste of a fine liquer would be a crime itself ans subject to a declaration of war  lol :D.

[fragger]

Lol Gord ;D

Ok, I've played a bit more. I didn't have to sit through the credits again, so it must be a first-time thing.

It is looking like a pretty short game, I've been playing for about 3-4 hours in total and I think I'm well over halfway through. I've revised my opinion of the graphics, they are quite a bit better than the last MW, with a wealth of detail and terrific smoke and explosion effects. There are a LOT of different weapon types dropped by bad guys, and the modelling of them is excellent. I can't find any way to take screenshots, there may be no support for this in the game and I don't have any capturing type software, so sorry, guys, no piccies. Which is a pity, some of it is really great to look at.

The missions are quite tough with many full-on firefights. Without going into detail about the storyline, the battle has now moved onto American soil and I've just been fighting my way through Downtown USA, through the 'burbs and into a very heavy scrap around a fast-food complex. It's kinda fun, blasting my way through Pizza Hut and Burger King type places (of course, they're not called that in the game). As with MW1, I'm jumping between two characters, one British and one American, and also like the first game, it appears that the two nationalities will converge eventually. One of my guys might buy it like the American player character did in MW1, we'll see what happens. I've just begun the 9th mission, which begins underwater in hi-tech scuba gear to get me and my team onto an enemy-held oil rig.

So far though, there's nothing really revolutionary here. The fights are frequent and intense, more action I think than in MW1. The impression I'm forming is that it'll be like all preceding CoD games, fun to dip into now and then but not hugely addictive or habit forming like FC2. It's VERY linear, but they've all been.

System requirements are not too heavy, I'm playing on the same resolution I used for MW1 and it's smooth as silk. There doesn't appear to be any texturing or tweaking options to speak of except for res size, but I don't think it's a hugely demanding game system-wise. Infinity Ward's games have always been fairly easy on resource usage, which is pretty admirable given the graphics complexity.

I think this game is worth getting if you're a CoD fan, and if you don't mind paying the price for what's looking like an all-too-short experience. Remember, I haven't played all of it yet, but to give you an idea, there are three acts, and I'm very well into the second one already (I can't tell how many missions there are as they only appear as you've completed them on your first 'thru). Otherwise my advice would be to wait until it hits the bargain bins. For the price, there are other games out there that'll give you more bang for your buck.

Unless, like Gord, you can get someone to put it in your Xmas stocking ;D Then I'd say, "go for it!"

[fragger]

Oh, and don't forget, you'll need to set up a Steam account if you don't already have one, if you want to play the game, or even install it. This is still a sore point with me.

[PZ]

Thanks for the detailed review fragger - very helpful.  As I read your account, it reminded me of the only other COD game I've played - the last one - World at War (because WWII is about the only war-style period that I like).  The lighting in the game reminded me of the old Howard Hawk John Wayne movies like Eldorado - you could tell that it was unnatural, but I liked it anyway.  Because the game was linear, I rarely go back into it (feels like just playing the same script again), but when I do, I usually appreciate the fine w@&k the developers did with the graphics.

[Art Blade]

Oh, and don't forget, you'll need to set up a Steam account if you don't already have one, if you want to play the game, or even install it. This is still a sore point with me.

Thanks, but no, thanks. That's it for me. Not again! I didn't buy HalfLife2 because of steam, I won't buy MW2 for the same reason, and I'll try hard to defend my sinking ship as long as I can.

Unfortunately it seems to be the future, software being sold exclusively over the web, but I don't like the idea behind it. It is literally priceless for the production/sales companies, but the user loses rights, for example of property. You'll no longer own a product but buy a license to use it, and many more sad facts... well, my opinion, maybe I'm the only one thinking that way, but still  :)

[fragger]

You're not the only one who feels that way Art, I don't like that practice either. But I really wanted to play this game so I caved. Man the guns and defend that ship well, my friend! :)

Just an update for those who are interested, I'm now on mission #15 and I think I'm nearing the end. I was wrong about Captain Price, he pops again (yay!), he's as tough and cynical an s.o.b. as ever. I'm actually enjoying the game the more I play it, it becomes more immersive as I progress. I'm now very impressed with the graphics, they sort of start off low-key but become more ambitious the further into the game one progresses. There are terrific locations which are meticulously detailed, and there are some great looking weather effects (they're not dynamic like FC2, of course). There are a few coolly animated scripted sequences as per MW1 which are quite spectacular to behold. Fortunately they've kept the number of scripted scenes low, I guess about as many as in MW1.

A word about the music, it's excellent, more like a film score than a bunch of music tracks for a game. Infinity Ward's game music has always been first-rate, they always go to the trouble of orchestrating it as opposed to sampling and synthesizing it. It tells.

I've been fighting through a devastated Washington DC, man that town's copping a hiding in games lately. I've had a jolly old time clobbering baddies in, among other parts of town, the Capitol and the White House, no less. I've even been in a firefight in the Oval Office (so that's what the view looks like from that side of the desk! I doubt that Obama has to look at fallen masonry, dead soldiers and shell holes, though.) The Man wasn't home, he's squirrelled away in some hidey-hole somewhere while us grunts are slogging it out at ground level to save his presidential bum. There are some TOUGH fights, I'm playing on Normal mode, which is the second-easiest skill level out of four, and I've been topped more times than I can count. No shortage of action in this one, it's fairly challenging.

So I would definitely recommend this one for MW fans, if you feel like shelling out the dough, can live with the relative shortness of it, and can put up with Steam's shenanigans.

[Art Blade]

hehe, I'll try :) Nice story telling there, anyways  :-X and I'm glad you're enjoying it :)

[fragger]

Cheers Art :)

Yes, I am enjoying it, I will be coming back for more. It's just not the sort of game I could lose myself in for hours though, more like just drop in and play a mish or two from time to time. Same with the other CoD games, I still play the odd mission of Modern Warfare 1, World at War, and even CoD2 sometimes.

FC2 is still where my heart is, though from what I've been reading, FO3 may give it a run for its money. :-\

[Art Blade]

I like both games (FC2 and FO3). Both are the kind of game you can sink into for hours non-stop :)

[Fiach]

Im curious as to why you hate Steam so much.

I bought HL2 and had no problems with it, I bought it again for the 360 as the Orange Box, which included expansions and Portal (it was cheaper than buying the PC expansions seperately). Of course the Orange Box on 360 didnt need Steam. but its an awesome game and its a shame if you havent played it.

I can see the merits of Steam as anti piracy and a very handy way to upgrade your game with easy to find patches, but I cant see the downside orther than a minor annoyance at having to register the game. I dont think you ever actually owned videogames, I think they were always sold, subject to the fact you were just getting a "licence" to use it, rather than outright ownership.

EA did it very well, with Dragon Age : Origins, you logged into their online server and got free content in the game like extra quests and equipment, if you were registering a new copy, second hand copies had to pay for the extra content (15 bucks I think). Which gave EA a slice of the second hand market "pie", which has been impacting game sales significantly (and as far as I know, second hand games are illegal, there is most likely something in the ToS about it).

The second hand market and piracy will decimate originality, if they are not halted, because it takes tens of millions of dollars plus a few years, to make a AAA videogame, if companies do not get a fair return on their investment, they will just keep pumping out sequels to known IP's as a safer bet than gambling on originality and pushing boundries.

A world of videogames just populated by Madden and Genero-shooter #56, would be horrible :(

Ooops.... went off on one again lol...apologies :)

[Art Blade]

Compare it to buying a car. Compared with online sales such as STEAM (only one random distributor) it would mean you sign a contract and transfer your money, they bring you the car.  Now you are allowed X trips (X installations) with it, then your contract is void. You are unable to drive it, and you are forbidden to sell it. :)

Regarding games or software in general, nowadays you are forced to have an internet access. I was offline myself for some time and I had this hybrid thing: Bought a CD (FC2) but couldn't even install it because the installation required me to be online while installing the game. Nice, spent money on a CD I couldn't use because I was offline.

With STEAM software it is even worse, you don't even get a CD od DVD any more, crash your HD and it's gone because you can't install from a CD you never had. Oh, you decideded to cancel your ISP contract or you have moved to a place without cable/dsl? Wow, now you need a satellite dish or the likes, at least you'll have to pay for the traffic which can be quite something, depending on the download size of the software.

There is nothing wrong reselling something if you don't like it any more, only the industry doesn't make extra profits. But hey, used cars... think of poor students who can't afford buying a brand new vehicle, they'd of course buy a second hand car. Industry never lost a client, because that client would never have been one due to lacking money for the new product. But he might like the second hand car and once he's got enough money he might decide to buy the same brand, right off the assembly line.

There is only one reason why the software industry shifts towards online selling: Lower production costs, more profit. It is only a side effect that this reduces the risk of piracy. The main reason is saving production costs. They don't need to produce CDs any more, no more packing, no shipping etc. Imagine how many people w@&k in those fields... they'll lose their jobs. You know, they create more profits, even, buy telling you "product X will only w@&k for a year, after that you need to buy a new license." This does already exist, a CD you purchased, used, and all of a sudden it would quit working. Because the license has expired. See antivirus products: You've got the program but what is it good for if you can't download signatures any more because of an expired license. Buy a new license. Seems halfways understandable for an AV product, but mate, they do it with other software already, like those that help you with your tax return.

Got my point? :)

[Fiach]

But cars aren't pirated :P

But you analogy would be more akin to renting a car, you can only use it under certain conditions, you know this when you enter the rental agreement.

I didnt know about the limited number of installations, I saw that with Bioshock, but after pressure the devs caved in and increased it to 20 or something.

I also didnt realise about changing ISP's caused you to not be allowed to use the software, seems weird, because all the MMO's I play, if you have d/l'd copies, if your HD crashes or you change ISP, you can re-download, using your password access.

I wish I had bought hard copies of GTA4 Lost and Damned DLC and FO3 GOTY (for its DLC content), because they wernt available or announced when originally released, But I know that I can log into LIVE and redownload them for free in the future if I have a problem.

As regards the licences, well thats what you are buying, a licence, it expires, you already know this before you buy it, same as a TV licence, a dog licence or a driving licence.

But in the end, I do see your point, but personally, I dont see any problems and I dont doubt you about if your HD dies and you cannot re-download, I just think that its bonkers on Steams side not to allow you to redownload the product, but I can see why they do that, again its to lower the frequency of piracy.

I think piracy will always be a thorny issue, I believe that the SIMS devs did a study prior to releasing a game with no anti piracy measures in it, they concluded that the loss of actual sales through piracy would be marginal at best, because the people that use pirated versions of games, would not actually buy retail copies in the first place.

Hopefully that is the case and we wont have to suffer the likes of Starforce or Steam for much longer :)

[Art Blade]

Agree with rental cars. What I meant was intenting to buy a car but being treated as if rented it.

When I mentioned ISPs, I didn't mean changing them was a problem, but to be without any ISP for some time. :)

There are models that w@&k much nicer, a game sold comparatively cheap and DLC that only needs the original license. No payments for DLC, just the license. People buy the software because it's not immensely expensive and they're kept happy because of free DLC that keeps being delivered every once and then. There are still products available that don't require you to go online, and a quite recent game I've got (North&South:Pirates) did neither require you to go online at any time nor to enter any registration key. Just buy the game, install it from CD, and play :)

[Fiach]

There are models that w@&k much nicer, a game sold comparatively cheap and DLC that only needs the original license. No payments for DLC, just the license. People buy the software because it's not immensely expensive and they're kept happy because of free DLC that keeps being delivered every once and then.

I cant see that being a very successful business model, cheap software and ongoing free DLC, looks like a map to bankruptcy :)

I dont buy PC games anymore, Bioshock was the last one, (which I actually bought for PC and 360), do they till use the old code system on the back of the manual, looked something like :

12456-BW025-365WO...... etc?

I used to hate those bloody things >.<, always got the letter O and zero's mixed up LOL, To me they were nearly an incitement to piracy ....... Consoles ftw :)

[Art Blade]

yeah, most games do that code system thingy :)

[fragger]

I bought HL2 Orange pack online from Steam a while back. I had no choice, because it wasn't available in any game shops here, and I really wanted it. So I bought it online. It took:

8 hours to DL the main game;
4 hours to DL Episode One;
6 hours to DL Episode Two;
6 hours to DL Portal;

which used up a s**tload of my Internet DL allocation (I'm on Prepaid Wireless Broadband as I can't get DSL where I am). I should point out that while purchasing these from Steam, at no point was I given any indication of how large they were, nor how long they would take to DL. Now, these games and add-ons will stay listed under, and be available from, my Steam account in the future (at least, I sincerely hope they will be - I paid for them, after all), so presumably if I ever have to, say, rebuild my PC at some point, I can still get them all back, but it'll mean another 24 hours of downloading and most of my bi-monthly Internet DL allocation shot in one 24-hour period. Which means, in one sense, I'm paying for the games all over again. Now I know the idea is to combat piracy, but I'm not the criminal here, so why should I have to essentially pay for those that are? I guess what I'm getting at is that if I buy a game from Steam, I should at least be sent the physical discs, otherwise every time I need to reinstall their games I'm going to pay... and pay... and pay. But you could argue that because I was buying these games online, and DL-ing them, and knew that there'd be no physical product involved, that I knew what I was getting myself into, and you'd be right.

My beef with MW2 is that I DID buy it in a shop, I have the physical DVD on my shelf, but I still have to get the nod from Steam to install it and play it, this is what rankles with me. I have a tangible, legally purchased product from a real shop, not an electronically DL'd one, yet I still have to get Steam's approval to play it, so thus I don't really own it. I mean, how would anyone feel if they parted with their hard-earned cash for something, only to be told it still doesn't belong to them? This is what I have a problem with. As far as I'm concerned, a DL'd game is one thing, a physically purchased one is another. I just feel that if I've paid for something, and can hold what I've paid for in my hands, then I have a right to own it. I shouldn't have to be dependent on someone else's say-so as to whether I can use it or not.

[Art Blade]

I concur  ;D

[fragger]

OK, finished! There are 18 missions in the game proper. Completing all of them however unlocks a bonus mission. Well, not a mission as such, more like a mini-game along the lines of "Nazi Zombies", which popped up at the end of World at War. This new mini-game is quite amusing, if seemingly pointless. It's a "Night in the Museum" type affair, where you find yourself in a 3-room museum, 2 rooms of which feature half a dozen dioramas depicting scenes and characters from the game you've just finished. Each diorama contains half a dozen full-size figures, which are inanimate - at first. As you approach each diorama the figures begin to slowly move around on the spot, like something out of a Disneyland for soldiery. In the centre of each of these rooms is a long display case containing all the weapons from the game, plus an ammo top-up crate. Also in the centre of each room is an information desk, with a big, red button on the counter that you are admonished NOT to press...

So you grab a couple of weapons from the case in either of these two rooms (the third room just contains models of vehicles and such, these don't appear to do anything and there's no big red button in there). Before you push one of the buttons, you can go around and just shoot the figures, which cry out and drop as though they're alive. Of course, once you push the big red button, any figures in that particular room that are still standing will come to life fully, leave their dioramas, and start coming after you and shooting at you. I guess the idea is to see if you can defeat them all. Once they're all down, if you leave then return to that room, they'll all have respawned as displays once more. You push the button, and it all happens all over again. I only mucked around with this for a little while, so I don't really know what the point of it is, or even if there is one. Whether they get tougher each go-around or what, I don't know either, possibly. It's funny and cute, but rather silly.

Back to the game proper: the last few missions are VERY tough! I don't think I've ever completed any mission in any CoD game without getting hit at least a few times, but this is insane. I took over half an hour just getting past one particular spot, it was die, reload, die, reload, die, reload... Considering I'm playing on the second-easiest skill level, it was very difficult. How you're supposed to do it on the highest skill setting I don't know. There are more than a few places like this, where you fight for a few seconds, cop multiple sprays of raspberry cordial in the face and fall down dead, reload and try again – and again – and again. There are some sequences similar to the truck chase at the end of MW1. There's one where you're in a jeep-like vehicle trying to get across an airfield where a hellish battle is taking place, and a Zodiac chase on a rapids-laden river where you're driving (sailing?) the Zodiac at high speed, with the indomitable Captain Price defending in the bow, chasing one of the two arch-fiends in the game. In these last missions, you're Soap Mactavish once again, one of your two earlier alter-egos having snuffed it in a dirty backstabbing scripted sequence a ways back.

The story isn't as clear-cut as it was in MW1, it seems a bit muddled. This one has more twists, with a couple of nasty betrayals from leading characters, as in the above. Overall it's good though. Concerning the conclusion of the tale: Without giving anything away, let's just say that there's a very obvious intention to make a MW3.

So, a rollicking game with action aplenty, much tougher than MW1, very good AI, brilliant graphics, meticulously detailed locations, terrific music, reasonably good story albeit with a partially up-in-the-air ending. But oh so short, I guess about 10-12 hours will see you through it, depending on how well you play. If you're a deadeye dick and a natural born commando you may get through in about 8 or 9 hours or so. I'm not, so a good dollop of my gameplaying time consisted of multiple reloads while trying to get on top of some of the tricky bits. My subjective issues with Steam aside, I'd recommend this game, but maybe only for die-hard MW fans.

For now, I'm hankering for a holiday in Africa to chillax with some of my old merc buddies for a while. All this saving the world stuff takes it out of me.

[IamVince]

I bought this last week...spent 2 days down loading it.They sent me the wrong links ,its in Itlain.I get a email saying sorry here's the fix and the correct links.Spend the next 2 days installing the fix and transferring to steam.Try to to play it and the writing is all messed up.
I'm trying to download the correct links now(another 2 days)
My first dealings with steam...they suck

[Fiach]

Ouch  ::)

[fragger]

Sorry to hear that, IamVince... Geez, and I thought I  had probs...

Btw, I don't think I've given you a welcome to OWG, so... Welcome to OWG! :)

[fragger]

Oops... I completely forgot to mention the Spec Ops game! This is in addition to the game proper. This is another way of playing, either in solo mode or co-op (but I think the co-op mode is for two players only). These are a collection of one-off, one-man missions (solo), which take place in some of the same locations as in the main game. The missions are arranged in 5 groups, called Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo, with typically 5 missions in each group. As far as I can tell that is, I've only gotten into the first two groups. This is because all the groups are locked except the first one, Alpha. The missions in each group can be played in any order, and on completion of a mission you are awarded 1, 2, or 3 stars, depending on your skill setting and how well you do. Once enough stars are earned in one group, the next group is unlocked, and so on. I've only made it to Bravo at present, and of course the missions get progressively tougher.

So there is a bit more of MW2 to play with, and these Spec Ops missions are quite fun. Some require you to hold off a certain number of waves of attackers, some are time trials, there are some where you earn more stars for avoiding civilian casualties, and there are missions with various other objectives. There's quite a variety of them, and they're fun to play.

[PZ]

I love that new avatar, Art  :-X

[Art Blade]

hehehe, cheers :) It's the successful code-breaking attempt on a FO3 terminal :)

[PZ]

I thought it looked familiar!

Back on topic, my youngest son purchased MW2 and was playing it when I visited his home yesterday - the graphics were outstanding on his PS3  :-X