Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare didn't receive anywhere near as much hype leading up to its release as its sequel has. That's a given considering it was the first in the Modern Warfare franchise and the first Call of Duty game to move onto the modern battlefield. We all knew it was going to be great, taking the series to all new heights with more advanced weapons and a great online experience. But it blew up. It went crazy. Halo 2 may have defined online gaming for consoles, helping make XBOX Live the great online service it is today, but COD4 seemed to redefined it. It was able to attract an all-new market of gamers to not only the genre, but also to online multiplayer gaming.
That's why to this day COD4 is still one of the most played games online, two years after its release. That's pretty amazing considering it's had to go up against the likes of Killzone 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Gears of War 2, Resistance 2 and Halo 3: ODST in that time-frame, all of which have strong online communities.
What's even more amazing is that even after the release of the next Call of Duty sequel (prequel?) in World at War, COD4 still stayed in the top few games with online activity. As great as WaW has been online, it always seemed to be that little step behind COD4, no matter how much content Activision threw its way.
That's not without saying that WaW has its following, and, especially on XBOX Live, you'll find that many COD4 fanatics often switch between the two because they each offer an outstanding online experience.
But why will Modern Warfare 2 stand out? Why is it so special? If COD4 was so great, why didn't WaW receive as much hype? The obvious answer is because WaW took a "step back" to World War 2, an act many gamers and COD faithful deemed to be an actual step back in quality for the franchise.
It definitely didn't lose any quality and the final product was great, but it's the brilliance of COD4 that ultimately shifts the attention to its direct sequel. Modern Warfare 2's predecessor seemed to bring gamers of all walks together, creating one unified market that has grown substantially over the past two years. The closest thing we've seen to MW2 hype this generation was Grand Theft Auto IV hype, and even that title didn't seem to generate a united front from every specific type of gaming culture.
Reports are coming in that Modern Warfare 2 is breaking pre-order records all around the world. It might be some genius PR spin, something the unified gaming heavyweights in EB Games and GameStop have conjured up to increase product awareness. But that's doubtful. If that's not obvious from the attention this game has gotten on gaming forums around the world, then it's from the fact that pretty much every person you know that owns either a XBOX 360 or Playstation probably has a pre-order for the game somewhere. If you don't believe it, go and ask. Now. We'll wait.
So now the question is put forth to you: Have you pre-ordered Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Why? And is this game your most anticipated game ever? Why/Why not?
05/11/2009
Written by Ben Salter
Hot off the heals of Left 4 Dead 2 being refused classification, and effectively banned, in Australia yesterday I am left wondering why am I not allowed to play these games? This is not a new thought, nor is it one that’ll be resolved in the near future.
The R18+ rating for videogames debate is going only going to grow stronger as more and more games are not allowed to be sold in Australia, as they are deemed inappropriate for 15-year-olds. We’re meant to be living in a free nation, and yet as an adult I cannot chose what games to play. I can waste away on alcohol; I can gamble away my life savings, I can watch terribly graphic movies, and yet I cannot play in a virtual world, a world made up of rendered, not human as they are in movies, characters.
I can watch a crazed murderer take to an innocent victim with a chainsaw in a film but cannot do this in real life (every since Resident Evil 4 there's been something about chainsaws in games with me). In the middle of that, should I be allowed to control a virtual character doing it in a videogame? That seems to be what we, and the non-gaming government, cannot decide on. I can kill characters in games, even those controlled by other people, with guns and relatively known weapons, but the minute that turns to "high impact violence” it is instantly not allowed in this country. What’s the difference? I’ve still killed them, and I can watch this type of graphic violence in a film (which is a lot more graphic when it happens with real people).
15-year-olds can watch films like Saw. Should they
be allowed to play violent games like Left 4 Dead 2?What annoys me more is that a lot of this so called ‘high impact violence’ is fine in films that 15-year-olds are allowed to see. Many of the Saw movies are MA15+, and I’m sure they have a lot more “frenetic and unrelenting violence” than Left 4 Dead 2. Real people portray this violence; surely one could argue that it’s much worse than a graphic character doing the same thing (or in many cases something that isn’t as bad)? Interactivity is what they’ll say, but I can yell at my TV demanding a screwdriver to that face. I would still have the same motive even if I didn’t have the same control. The Internet, and web 2.0, is full of interactivity. We can jump onto forums and discuss our favourite parts of graphic movies and send messages to the creators telling them what we’d love to see in sequels; this too is a form of interactivity.
This leaves me thinking, surely there’s more to it than the interactive argument, and there’s no way you’ll convince me violence in a game is too realistic, especially when compared to a film. Is it because gaming stereotypes still exist? While we know the days of being labelled the school nerd for playing Tetris are over (because everyone in school now plays Tetris is the crazy sales are anything to go by), does the government? Must we all suffer because one guy in America plays Doom then goes on a shooting rampage at his school?
Our culture, in general, has a violent mindset for entertainment purposes. The highest rating shows on TV involve criminal violence, shows such as CSI and 24 have a massive supporter base, and yet we haven’t seen an influx in the amount of people getting their knee caps shot to make them talk. However, if I did that in a game would I be more likely to in real life? Research and common sense points to no, but that hasn’t changed anything.
We have an increasingly violent entertainment culture
in other mediums. Why aren't gamers
offered the same luxury? I want to play violent games like left 4 Dead 2, but I am not a violent person. They haven’t made me more violent and I’m by no means addicted. While I like them I also like the more family friendly titles. Recently I’ve been playing LittleBigPlanet and Scribblenauts, which are fun for the whole family. Similarly I like violent movies like Saw, but at the same time I also enjoy light-hearted films like Up. I’m not going to turn into a maladjusted teenager from playing these games. I’m not going to end up sitting in my room being anti-social playing them 24/7 (although the whole games, and the Internet, being antisocial thing really annoys me. We play with friends online, we chat online, it’s a new form of being social that we fit into our busy lives. Not that it should take over going out on weekends, but that’s an argument for another time). I doubt the people in their 20s and 30s who want to play these are going to suffer from these either.
The average gamer in 30. That stat is thrown around all the time, and so it should be. To be honest, we don’t care if the OFLC says a game is not suitable for a 15-year-old, especially those of us who have celebrated our 18th birthday (or can grow an epic beard, I never could in my underage days). Yes, I could argue all day that these younglings are allowed to view films that are far more violent than the videogames we want to play, but I know - the whole interactivity thing. So I’ll give up on that and go back to the R18+ rating for videogames. It always comes back to this. Every time a game is banned it gets brought up; we feel one step closer to getting the rating introduced, then someone comes along and crushes us back down to where we were (not mentioning any names *cough* Michael Atkinson *cough*). Fortunately Left 4 Dead has a massive Australian following, so we may be in with our best chance yet of pushing the case for an R18+ rating for games further than it’s ever gone before.
Movies are for all ages, including adults; games are for all ages, including adults. It looks clear-cut to us; hopefully the powers to be see it that way as well sooner rather than later. I don’t expect them to agree with me that some of these games (some, by no means all) may be acceptable for 15-year-olds if some MA15+ movies are, but I do hope they realise that we need laws that allow an adult medium to accommodate adults.
18/09/2009
Microsoft have been the timid performer at E3 over the past few years. They haven't exceeded expectations, nor have they disappointed. Last years expo had a few surprises - some good (like Final Fantasy XIII coming to 360) and some bad (like the You're In The Movies fiasco).
But as the current console "war" begins to heat up and hit boiling point, one can't help but have high expectations for this years expo. Everyone expects Nintendo to come out guns blazing after an embarrassing conference last year and Sony has teased and promised plenty of things. Then again, teasing and promising is just what Sony does.
Over the course of the week we’ll be looking at what Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have in store for us this year. What we expect to see, what has been teased, predicted and what we’d like to see surprise us this year.
What’s Expected
Microsoft have been steady ever since the 360 launched. It was never going to fly off shelves in Japan, but it's been a steady seller in Europe, the US and Australia. Microsoft have announced quite a few bundles over the past few weeks, including games like Halo 3, Forza and even both Gears of War titles bundled together with an XBOX 360 Pro console. Sales have never dropped or risen significantly since launch, but even if Microsoft is eventually over-taken by the PS3 in sales numbers, Microsoft really shouldn't worry. Software sales, especially in 2007, have been spectacular, and XBOX Live is the most used online gaming service in the world. In the mean time, what do they have planned for the near future?
Alan Wake
Everyone needs to see Alan WakeIt's been far too long between drinks. The highly anticipated XBOX 360 exclusive needs to be shown. If it doesn't, expect plenty of backlash. We expect it to be shown purely because it hasn't been in so long. There are murmurs that new consoles won't be announced for a few years and that this E3 will be the biggest and best as well, so what better time for Microsoft to show off their supposed "system seller".
Improved Avatar system
More of a focus on Avatar's?Not that the current system really needs improving, but Microsoft really pushed the Avatar's at last years E3. We've seen the implementation of Mii's into party games on the Wii, so we expect to see some Microsoft-developed titles that use the Avatar's shown at this years E3. Microsoft have really pushed the family aspect of the 360 over the past 12 months, releasing family-centric console bundles and increasing support for XBLA.
New RARE title
We don't know why, but buzz has increased around RARE over the past few weeks as E3 approaches. RARE have failed to impress on the 360 as they did on the N64 when owned by Nintendo, and while their titles have been consistently good, but not great, we expect something big to be announced during Microsoft's conference. Maybe a new Perfect Dark?
Forza 3 trailer
Forza 2 is without a doubt one of the best racers so far this generation. Rumours have been spreading about the development of a third and there's strong reason to believe a new trailer will be shown as well. We expect Microsoft to show off the racer during their press conference to counter any GT5 footage Sony might show.
New Lionhead project
We expect an all-new Lionhead project to be announced, although it's doubtful it will be another Fable. It's been quoted that the developer doesn't want to be known purely for one franchise and it's heavily favoured that a new game will be shown during the conference.
What's been Teased
Health and fitness games
With the (expected) showing of the motion controller, there have been murmur's about possible fitness titles also come to the 360, similar to the craze currently owning the Wii.
Motion-controller
Microsoft have teased it for almost a year now and we expect to finally see it at this years E3. Whether or not it's announced alongside some motion-sensoring compatible games is yet to be seen.
The things we won't see
XBOX 720
It won't happen. At least not this year. There's no way any of the three major players will announce a new console yet, with so many great titles still to come out. It's far too early and too many analysts have come out saying that the current generation still has plenty of years.
Metal Gear Solid 4 on 360
Let's be honest - it has just as much chance of happening as GTA has of appearing on Wii. Then again, it's not like MGS has never appeared on a XBOX console before.
Halo 4
We can't imagine a new Halo sequel coming out anytime soon with the recent release of Halo Wars and a Halo 3 spin-off coming soon.
XBOX 360 console redesign
Microsoft didn't redesign the original XBOX and while we've seen upgrades/redesigns of other Microsoft hardware, we don't expect the 360 to change in appearance anytime soon.
26/05/2009
Another week flies by with no release and more catching up to do. While I'm actually enjoying this time off from spending my hard earned cash and catching up on some rather great gaming, I can see some big releases on the horizon that excite me.
Skate 2 is my first big anticipated title of the year. For those of you who missed out on EA's first adventure in the Skating world, Skate offers the player a realistic approach to skating, one that is more free roam and has a focus on learning the moves rather then button mashing. Skate is due out the end of Jan and I'm jumping for joy at the thought of grazing my virtual knees yet again!
Left 4 Dead has been playing through my Xbox in between my RROD problem. I have attempted to host games over at My360.com.au the last few nights but after some problem, my Elite finally died. I picked up a new console today though, so if you want to catch some online Left 4 Dead action you can add my Gamertag x Hellerphant x. I will be hosting a different game every week, so make sure you head over to My360 to see what we will be playing.
Work has begun on the MyMedia PC site which is going to be totally awesome! Can't wait to unleash this bad boy, and it's a reminder to just how exciting the time is right now over at the Mysites. MyPS3 just saw the launch of their new interface and it's totally sexy! The updates for the other sites are coming guys, don't you worry! But while My360, MyPS3 and MyWii are always busy, please don't forget to hang out at Mybluray and Mytelly. Both are great sites, and a great place to chat about movies and TV shows and the like!
Many people have praised our Retro-Grade segement and have been asking when the next podcast will be released. Tano and I will start work on the next episode of The Voice in the next few weeks, we have to wait until there is some notable things to talk about before we dump another podcast on your doorstep. The next Retro-Grade segment will follow the week after, and hopefully we can get a flow going with 2 episodes of The Voice a month plus one Retro-Grade segment. Thanks to all your support, and make sure you email us your ideas and comments to podcast@mymedia.net.au
PC is still getting a workout for me right now, Team Fortress 2 is constantly keeping me awake at night, and I still jump on the old Call of Duty 4 every now and then to throw down a few kills. Does anyone around the MySites play Day of Defeat Source at all? I'm looking to get back into that game!
So enjoy this exciting times over at the MySites! I've just got a copy of Super Smash Bros Brawl and Animal Crossing so if you are keen to meet online just hit me up over at MyWii. Happy new Year and tell me, what are you keen to play in 2009?
07/01/2009
First Lost and Damned Trailer
If you've been skeptical up to now, that's got to change your mind!
The trailer doesn't give much away, but it does introduce some of the characters through video and shows off some of the fantastic narrative already highlighted in previous Grand Theft Auto titles.
The first episode of downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV, titled The Lost and Damned, will be released on Xbox Live on 17 February 2009. The episode will feature a new central character, Johnny Klebitz, who is a member of Liberty City's biker gang, The Lost. Dan Houser, vice president of creative development at Rockstar Games, claims the episode will show "a different side of Liberty City".
16/12/2008
Hi Guys!
Let's face it, the last few weeks has been epic! We have seen some of the biggest releases coming out on all platforms, it's hard to keep up and it's hard to afford so many great games!
Currently sitting on my desk is a few new titles, there is Shaun White Snowboarding which was a surprise hit for me. I wasn't expecting too much, but the multiplayer aspect had me hooked from the get-go! You can check out the featured review here.
Quantum of Solace is currently spinning in my Xbox 360 and I have to say it's not that bad at all. It looks great and pushes the COD 4 engine even further, but don't expect the realism we saw from that title! Bond is all about over the top action, and so far it does it well. The review is coming next week so stay tuned.
But the one game that keeps me coming back for more and more is Rock Band. I can't get enough of this game! I just love the track list, my mates are always coming over to check it out, and we have now dubbed Friday Nights Rock Band night! Seriously you guys gotta get Rock Band or Guitar Hero World Tour, best fun ever! You can check out the Rock Band v Guitar Hero Comparison here.
Shaun White on Wii was another big surprise putting the balance board to more use than my personal scales, it just simply works. Wish I could say the same for Skate It, I like the concept of it, but it really needs a sensitivity option. I haven't spent a lot of time on the board though, so we'll give it a few weeks and see how it goes!
So I guess you are all wondering what is happening with "The Voice Is Coming"? Well I can't tell you much except that it will be arriving on Dec 4th, and it's going to be EPIC! Can't wait to see the looks on your faces....well I guess I can't see them as such, but imagine them for sure!
All you Little Big Planeters make sure you check out our extra special Level Creation comp we are running over here
Until next week, keep gaming! Let me know what you are all playing, what are your hot tips? What did you expect to be awesome and it turned out to be a steaming pile of un-awesomeness?
Heller
25/11/2008