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Tuesday 15 January, 2008
Second Game Log for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Gameplay: For the second log entry I figured that I would focus on the multiplayer aspect of the game instead of the single player. I had high hopes for the multiplayer portion of the game because I was so impressed with the gameplay of the single player. The initial set up of the multiplayer looked impressive. The games were fun and exciting. This excitement came from the fast paced action. In team deathmatch, players play on two teams of 6 that work together to kill the other team. When a player dies they respawn and the cycle continues until one team achieves the score required for victory for this setting 750. This type of play reminded me of the popular game Counter Strike, which I enjoyed immensely, and for the first time since Counter Strike I felt like I had found a great online first person shooter. Because there are so many different strategies within the levels and because every person has their own unique style of play the situations and possibilities are endless. Its easy to get into a game where the play is so fast paced, if you die it doesn't matter because you respawn quickly enough to keep the game interesting. This style of play kept me engrossed in the game because I could always try a different strategy.
What I find interesting about this game is that people enjoy to watch other people play, because no one person plays the same. With level variations and different team members I am able to keep my interest in the game for at least two hours. The game has a reward structure that rewards you for doing well by giving your team points and promoting your rank which allows you to get different guns, grenades and modes of play. I find myself not only playing for fun, but playing to have the ability to have even more fun, if that makes sense. I am a fan of skill based competition games which is also why I enjoy this game. Whether you live or die really depends on your skill level successfully making a first person shooter where there are many variations of skill is a difficult task for developers. The fast paced competition is a great aspect of this game. Social interactions were good while watching but I found my friends wanting to play with me so we could coordinate our own strategies together. However, there is no way to play online with your friends in the Playstation version on the same console. On the Xbox 360 you may play on one console online with your friends and the lack of this feature greatly disappointed me. I cannot understand how the developers left this feature out of the game. To me this was the main aspect of the game that I was hoping to have. Multiplayer by yourself is fun for a certain amount of time, but playing with your friends never gets boring to me, if its a good game.
Design: The main design aspect that I find great about this game is the way the developers were able to balance different strategies (hiding places, map movement, etc), weapons (guns, grenades, etc.) and powerups (extra speed, extra damage, air strikes, etc.). This allows for players to have great variances in tactics, even if their skill levels are the same. It is also easy to notice differences in skill levels between players. The fact that players cannot play together on the same console almost ruins the online multiplayer for me. For me the social aspect of this game had potential to compare to the amazing social play of halo. Level design however is incredible, each type of area within levels have their own advantages and disadvantages, hiding in building provides cover from the outside however allows you to easily be flanked while your back is turned for example. Their are many different areas and strategies to choose from within levels. The levels are varied for different types of game play and different amounts of players and this allows for a multitude of game play variations. The ability to make this game your own is an amazing quality of this game. The tone of the game is realistic and modern. Just as in the single player game the player is drawn into the realism design of each scenario. I am regretfully forced to give the online aspect of the game a 3 out of 5 for the ridiculous lack of social interaction, if I have friends over taking turns is not half as fun as playing together. The rest of the online multiplayer I, however, find to be nearly flawless. With a 3 out of 5 for the multiplayer and a 5 out of 5 for the single player I give the game a total of 4 out of 5.
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