On Glitches and Cheating

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Modern Warfare 2 is an incredibly fun experience online, whether you’re grouping up in one of the few rooms that allows party chat or going lone wolf like I tend to. The game is consistently rewarding, and I rarely feel frustrated to a degree where I consider quitting.

That used to be the case until a new exploit in the game became all the rage. You may have experienced a scenario where an enemy soldier sprints towards you with a Javelin launcher equipped, intent on suicide. You pop a few rounds into him, mutely thanking the newbie for an easy kill. Just as you begin gloating, the oncoming adversary explodes and takes you down with him. By using some sneaky controller manipulating, the griefer is essentially turned into a human bomb with a dead man’s switch. Killing him causes the Javelin to go off, triggering a massive explosion.

Fortunately, this new way to show your immaturity is being patched, and those who are caught using it face bans. This got me thinking, however. As much as this glitch peeves me, there are some legitimate things in Modern Warfare 2, and other games besides, that aren’t exploits per se but are incredibly underhanded.
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Today’s WTF: Amazing MW2 Knife Throw

One of the things I’m enjoying about Modern Warfare 2 is the final kill cam, which shows everyone the way the last dude in the match got owned. While I’ve seen my fair share over the last week, none of them come even close to being as awesome as this video. You need to see this to believe it.

May Require Instructions

instructionsIs there anything better than opening a new video game? OK, well maybe a few things, but seriously, purchasing and unwrapping a new game is for real a cool feeling. Something about the anticipation, the smell, and most of all… the instructions.

I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. One of my favorite things about buying a new video game is to take out the instruction booklet and give them a good read-through before I even put the game in. Call me a dork, but it’s part of my ritual before I play. However, lately, I’m noticing a downward trend in the effort that people seem to put into instruction manuals.

Whereas old games used to have fun art, bios and worlds of information regarding the game, nowadays it seems that all we get are black and white cheapo prints that any five year old could make. Heck, the Modern Warfare 2 instruction manual ranks among the worst I’ve ever seen. Granted, the game is fun, so in the long run it’s all good, but I seriously love me some good instructering.

So am I the only crazy guy who cares about this kind of thing?

Abandoning Ship: Choosing a Different Console for Sequels?

assassinscreed2If I were in charge of the PlayStation division of Sony, I’d be feeling pretty good about myself right now. According to Gamasutra, more and more consumers seem to be buying up the hotly anticipated sequels to Assassin’s Creed and Modern Warfare on the PS3 as opposed to the X-Box 360.

Gamasutra’s article focuses on something called “franchise lineage”, which for us laymen is “gamer intent to purchase sequels to successful games”. The direction of the lineage seems to be changing for Assassin’s Creed 2, which shows the biggest shift. According to GamePlan Insights, the company that ran the research, fifteen percent of those who own the X-Box version plan to buy it on PS3 while only seven percent of PS3 Assassin’s Creed owners are purchasing Assassin’s Creed II on the X-Box.

While Assassin’s Creed II seems to be in the forefront of this movement, the report also indicated that Modern Warfare 2 shows a varying trend as well. The big question is this, though: why is the X-Box 360 losing sequel sales to its competitor?
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Rumor: Modern Warfare 2 With a Third-Person Perspective?

Okay, I am thoroughly confused by this one. I’m a big supporter of the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” game design method, so I’m a little puzzled as to why Infinity Ward thought that their upcoming blockbuster needed a third-person multi-player mode. The following video was taken off a live stream of someone in France (the big source for all leaks, apparently) showing off the supposed alternate view point for Modern Warfare 2. It certainly looks legit, but I’d wait until an official comment comes from Infinity Ward before going too crazy. I mean, those poor guys have enough problems as it is.

The video is of questionable quality, which is a natural consequence of recording off a live stream. It shows the action well enough, and it does look like MW2. The third-person modes in question appear to be Team Death Match and Cage Match, so I wouldn’t expect to see this camera option appear in the campaign or SpecOps. What do you guys think? True or fake, and is this a weird move for the series?

Edit: So, it looks like this is true. Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling confirmed the existence of a couple third-person playlists, citing it as “another way to play”.

Source: Destructoid

GameCop Vs LameCop Vs PsychoCop

In the past, GameCop vs. LameCop has been a feature where Anthony and I argue about video game issues, playing the role of either the GameCop or the LameCop as we do so. However, with the addition of a new GamerSushi team member, we’ve added another more absurd character to the bunch: Psycho Cop.

If you’re unfamiliar with this feature, we discuss gaming issues and we switch roles each time. The GameCop has your best interests as gamers at heart, while the LameCop is just what he sounds like: kind of a lamewad. Meanwhile, PsychoCop is a crazed, rabid forum troll that rants like a complete lunatic.

In this week’s edition, we not-so-calmly debate Day 1 DLC and Modern Warfare 2’s erasure of dedicated servers.

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Modern Warfare 2: Infamy Trailer

There is no question that Modern Warfare 2 is the most anticipated title of the year, with a hype level that has been snowballing as of late. As if that wasn’t enough, the folks over at Infinity Ward have released a brand new trailer for the game, moving me from excited to a near fever pitch. One of the wildest parts of the trailer? Images of what looks to be Washington, DC under attack. Why isn’t it November yet?

Sneak Peak: Modern Warfare 2 Gameplay

Christmas has come early for you Modern Warfare fans, as some considerate soul has put up a minute and a half of juicy single-player footage. It’s off-screen, unfortunately, and the music is placeholder, (it’s actually the track Scorponok from the Transformers film), but it’s a good indication of the changes from Call of Duty 4. Take a look:

Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Debut

Now here is one FPS that I am looking forward to in a real bad way. I still maintain that Call of Duty 4 has some of the best (if not the best) multiplayer gaming of this generation so far, so I really can’t wait to see what Modern Warfare 2 does to improve upon that. So that’s why it’s exciting to see this new Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer debut trailer, which dishes out some of the dirt about a new perk, customizable kill streak load-outs. Awesome.

Modern Warfare 2 Details From Game Informer

modern-warfare2Got the newest issue of Game Informer in the mail today, and I was pleased to see that this issue’s cover story was a first look at Modern Warfare 2, from Infinity Ward. Considering we’ve had naught but two tiny teasers to go on so far for this game, I was instantly excited to tear it open and read away.

While there’s no real earth shattering news about the game, there are a few details that have been confirmed by the developers. For one, there doesn’t seem to be a co-op mode for the single player campaign, however, there will be a new co-op mode called Special Forces. This mode thrusts the player into crazy scenarios (a la Mile High Club from CoD4) built for co-operative play with some buddies.

In addition, Modern Warfare 2 continues the story of the first game, taking you to the snowy regions of Russia as well as the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan and will be about 8-10 hours long, about the same amount as CoD4. Enemies will carry modifiable weapons, much like foes might in multiplayer. Also, there will be lots of destructible props within the environment, many more than in previous entries.

All in all, while there’s nothing to really get pumped about, it’s cool to hear more about Modern Warfare 2. I’m really pumped about Special Forces mode, as it is full of the kinds of scenarios that Infinity Ward couldn’t fit in the story. The one in the magazine featured commandos storming a shower room, decked out with riot shields as enemies fired down from above. It looks awesome.

So, who else is pumped about this game?