Call of Duty: Ghosts Multiplayer Reveal

Today is the Call of Duty: Ghosts Multi player reveal, and a lot of information has come to fruition.There's a lot of info to digest, so I'm gonna try to keep it rather short.

They began with a trailer of a bunch of features, while a brand new Eminem song played in the background. It is apparently a world premier from his new album. So, some new multi player stuff. It's going to be a bit jumbled, because a lot of the information they provided was back and forth and integrated into all other new announcements

Complete soldier customization - appearance, clothing, faces, gender, camouflage. Approximately 20,000 combinations possible.

Classes are now your Squad - Instead of 10 classes, you get a squad. Essentially tailoring each soldier to what you want them to be. If you want a ghillied LMG expert, have fun, and so on and so forth.

Squads - Compete across all modes. Squad v squad puts you and your AI squad against another player and their squad, war game - which you hand pick 5 squad mates against 5 AI opponents, and safeguard - a wave based squad game mode

The AI will be refined and attempt to play like humans, ala like douchey kids who like to drop shot, jump shot, etc. I understand this is part of the game, but when you say that your game is realistic, this stuff tends to take away from the experience, as it's a cheap way to take advantage of the shooting system and mechanics. What makes it worse is that Infinity Ward is actually supporting this form of game play. 

Dynamic maps - Set pieces and scripted events you can trigger, like moving locations, falling debris/buildings, map specific kill streaks, and some destructible cover.

Kill streaks - 20 new kill streaks have been added, and they're also removing a lot of air based streaks to minimize the necessity to carry around specific equipment to neutralize them. Care packages, UAV, mini gun, sentry guns, juggernaut, choppers, are all returning, plus more. Also Riley, the campaign dog will be a kill streak. He will follow you around, help with CQC, and act as a personal UAV. Death streaks have also been removed.

The idea behind removing holding certain equipment for game play takes away even more of the strategy element of the game. I understand that some kill streaks were very overpowered in past iterations, but now making them ground based might even make it worse. 

Weapons - 30 new weapons have been added, they didn't go into specifics, other than a new gun class called marksmen rifles that looked to be like the FAL-DSW, M21, etc. Essentially single/burst/full auto high powered weapons that can have high powered scopes or normal red dot, etc.

Again this is something I don't like. Giving weapons full customization is an awesome thing. But the power of some of these weapons is great enough, and the whole quick/no scoping, and rapid firing semi auto rifles with no recoil give the game an annoying touch to it. This is another piece of annoying community fanfare they're embracing that I personally don't agree with.

Second screen - They're embracing second screen a lot. Seems like just enhanced stats, customization on the fly. There's also a lot more second screen options like touch screen emblem creators, clan operations, etc.

Weapon Overhaul - The system to building your squad (class) has been overhauled. For the first time since modern warfare 1 the new system is considered "most flexible." They've adopted the "pick 10" system from Treyarch, but is slightly redesigned with new/more perks. Every perk has a set point value from 1-5. The maximum quantity of picked perks is set to 8, without weapons it goes to 11. Now, XP gives squad points to unlock the usual - difference is pick what you want to unlock at any point, in any order. So, instead of classes, you singly level 10 different soldiers. Each soldier has 1 prestige, equaling the usual 10 prestige levels.

Strike Packages - Are back. They didn't go too much into it though. I'm assuming because it's the same as MW3, with assault, support, and specialist.

Game Modes - 
Cranked -It's TDM with faster pace. Every kill gives you faster movement, like reload speed, ADS, but with a timer. If you don't get a kill in the timer, you die. It's a similar idea to the movie Crank where he has to keep moving with adrenaline or he dies.
Search and Rescue - This is similar to Search and Destroy, but after your death, instead of being done, you can be revived. When you die, your tag drops. If you grab a teammates tag they respawn. If you grab an enemy tag they stay dead until the next round.
Squads - Is explained above. These are also considered in the new game modes.


Movement - Now the movement system has been more streamlined, so moving over cover, or mantling, is now easier and you don't lost momentum. They have also added in a leaning cover system where you don't need to press any more buttons, it will do it intuitively, and a knee slide to slide into cover, obviously.

Redefined Sound - The new system sounds good. Depending on where you are on the map, say a metal warehouse, or a carpeted room, the fire fights, and explosions will sound differently. They have also added in combat chatter which will help with locating enemies, and other things around the map without any prompt.

Field Orders - In the live demo, while they were playing a game of Cranked, the first player killed dropped a briefcase, the briefcase contains an order from anywhere to humiliate your opponent to a certain number of kills. If the player holding the orders dies, someone else can pick it up and try to complete it Upon completing this gets you a care package that could be anything. Now I don't know if this is across all game types or just cranked, but it's actually a cool idea.

Clans - Integrated clan support and in game challenging, as well as 2 week long Clan Wars involving maps, and challenges to determine a winner, all in game. Winning events will earn you exclusive gear, emblems, camo, etc.

Prestige edition - They had a really dumb video of the two guys from college humor showing off the prestige edition of the game, with a helmet cam that resembled a Go-Pro, and how it is shock and water proof. I don't know, I didn't get it. But there's obviously other goodies in it. Also, the season pass is back.

So, Eric Hirshberg stood on stage and said that there is a holiday every year in November called Call of Duty time, and referenced pop culture like how when the franchise was born Pierce Brosnan was 007, Ironman was only a comic, and the Avengers wer

e something, I forget, but... there was something about this guy talking that gave me cringe worthy chills down my neck. Touting stats of what Call of Duty has done, how the series brings that "holy shit" reaction to gamers, bringing Eminem in for a shameless plug for his new album, and cameo saying to stay tuned for more information, and just overall trying to be too overly funny and culturally hip.

In my honest opinion, as someone who's been in love with the brand, Call of Duty is heading in the wrong direction. I get it, they want to keep making the billion they make every year. I'm all for companies doing their thing. I just don't really like how they're trying to market the annoyances of the game, like drop shots, and quick scoping, and upping the speed of the game, but still have the audacity to talk about the realism it portrays. They have actual US soldiers playing the game, yet none of the soldiers would ever do anything in the game. Again, let me reiterate, I understand the franchise is essentially a hero's idea of war, and supposed to be arcade-like super speed action. I just don't think they should be advertising it as realistic for anything other than their attempt at graphics.

The series is a mainstream thing, which is no problem at all, but it seems like they're having problems staying humble as well.The issue there, is that they're talking about game features that have been present in their biggest nemesis, the Battlefield series, for a little while now.

In the end, there are a lot of things I like about the idea of the new Ghosts entry. Enhanced customization, interactive maps, new game modes, bigger emphasis on clans, and a complete class overhaul. These are the things that need to push the soon to become boring FPS genre forward. Embracing the social media space, new generations of gamers and consoles, different styles of game play are all great ideas, and I hope they succeed in attempt to make the franchise seem fresh again. I just hope they don't lose site of what made Call of Duty a multi-billion dollar franchise in the process.

Call of Duty Ghosts releases on all major platforms, including next gen on November 5th, 2013

Rich

Presenting: Xbox One

After much hype and anticipation, the new Xbox has been revealed, now known simply as the Xbox One. It was rumored it could have been called the Infinity, Fusion, 720, but they decided to go with One, as in the "All in One" console.

So here's what we saw:

The console itself - Touting the actual thing, unlike Sony did for the Playstation 4, it looks like how you would expect it to. It's a big black glossy box, with the Xbox Symbol on it, and some vents. It does look huge, but it's got a lot of tech inside it so it's probably on par with what the PS4 will be. 

Kinect 2.0 - It will be bundled with all Xbox One's, and will apparently need to be connected to the system for the system to work. In other words, if its not plugged in, your new Xbox One won't function properly. It does appear to have enhanced capabilities, better body and facial recognition, and a design synonymous with the new console. 

Games - So far we saw the new Forza Motorsport 5, and Quantum Break, which were actually the only console exclusives shown  almost all EA sports games were shown off in a prerendered trailer form, but with the oddly notable not present NHL series, but did include the new UFC title from EA, and Call of Duty: Ghosts. Other than that we didn't see much in terms of games.

User Interface - It looked similar to the Xbox 360, but now everything can be controlled with voice and hand gestures, but can also be done with the remote. Switching back and forth between TV, Movie, Games, YouTube  and back to the home screen are done with ease. Not much else seems to have changed other than that.

Mandatory Game Installation - this is leading to the idea of no used games with the One. When you pop in your new game, you'll need to download the title. Major emphasis on the new. Apparently the new idea behind this, is that you can buy used games, but when you install them from a used disc, you will have to pay a fee. Sounds pretty awful right? There will be more information made available at E3 soon. Microsoft has said they have a plan for used games. If it's anything like what it appears to be, its a botched one. 

Controller - the controller doesn't look too changed, other than maybe being a little bigger, and a minuscule redesign. The buttons are pressure sensitive now, and the triggers each have their own rumble sensor. The battery in the back also moved from the back central, to the top rear part. I really don't understand the use of exterior batteries at all anymore if that's what they're using. 

Backwards Compatibility - the Xbox One will not play your Xbox 360 games. That's all you need to know. 

Blu-Ray - the Xbox One has made the leap from the regular DVD drive to the originally exclusive Blu-Ray drive. So look forward to finally getting to use your Blu-Ray discs on your new One.

TV - Tv and other applications will be an integral part of the system. Microsoft wants to work closely with cable providers to give seamless transition from TV, movies, games, apps, and everything in between. ESPN, and NFL are two major names tacked on to give the One some spark. 

Here's what I don't know yet.

Pricing - they said nothing about this. You have to figure there will be multiple bundles. A base one, stripped of everything good coming in probably around $350-400. A middle Tier from $400-450. And an elite tier probably from $450-500. This is just speculation, but it's what Microsoft has been doing when offering the 360. Different hard drives, wireless vs. wired controllers, games, better headset, customized outward appearance, and a couple other little features. We'll find out more at E3.

Always online - the dreaded words no one wanted to hear. There's been some hush hush talk about it is or it isn't happening. Some have said it has the capabilities to be always on, but they're leaving that up to the developers. Some have also heard rumors that it will be always on all the time period, which is why their would be a connection to your cable provider, and Kinect. This one is still open for talk.

Release date - I along with probably every one else, is assuming late October to mid November. Games are being listed for the systems around then, and it's going to be a holiday nightmare finding these. Which in turn is exactly what the companies want.

Online - a big reason why some people choose to not use the Xbox online is that it costs money to access the Gold membership account. They haven't stated whether or not the pay model will return, but since it's only $60 for a year, I don't see why this won't be back. 

Overall, those are the main talking points. There are a few more, but I didn't consider them to be too substantial. If you have any other concerns feel free to ask and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge.

Lastly, I hate to say it, but I wasn't really impressed with their conference. Other than some application functions, they didn't say or do anything to wow me. The whole Kinect 2.0 scheme they're trying to pull on the Xbox crowd is going to be its make or break function. I just don't think it's going to work as well as they're showing it to. Especially when what they were doing actually seemed to be prerecorded. The presenter was doing his hand grab to stretch open and close motions while also talking to the Xbox One. Which was fine, except when he said you could do it on the fly, he said something along the lines of Xbox, watch ESPN. It instantly flicked over to ESPN. Sounds fine, and awesome at that. But what was showing? A basketball game. Cool, it's playoff time afterall. Well, it was of two teams not in the playoffs, of which I can't remember. He snapped to a game, which was already in progress of a car driving. Who was playing the game? Why was it automatically playing? Who was actually playing it? Honestly, I don't have a clue. Then back to ESPN. A completely different basketball game. This time it was the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets. Two teams eliminated from the playoffs. It was also 10:30 A.M. in Washington where the conference was being held. If I had to guess, at this time there would've been Sportscenter playing. He snaps to a movie which is playing. One cool thing to note, is that he did minimize the movie, brought up a clean UI of the One's dashboard and took an incoming Skype call in a smaller window in the top corner. 

I'm pretty baffled by the press conference. I don't know what to make of the new Xbox One. Part of me is semi excited, and another part is full on disappointed. A company that size, with that much power in their teams, put on a show like that, with few mentions to any notable games other than the yearly releases, and a couple of voice and gesture activated features has me worried for them. I guess, and we'll hopefully be finding out more about the console at E3 in a couple weeks.