NN ORIGINAL: Today I said goodbye to Modern Warfare

Today I said goodbye to my copy of Modern Warfare 3. If you would have told me when I got the game in November that I'd be cutting the cord with it only 4 months later, I wouldn't have believed you. I thoroughly enjoyed MW2 and pumped over 10 days into the online multiplayer. On day one with MW3 I dove straight into the campaign and I honestly enjoyed it immensely. It was everything I wanted from a Modern Warfare campaign (minus children getting exploded) and although it may have been repetitive, the formula worked for me. Then I jumped into the multiplayer.

This is where Modern Warfare is supposed to shine. The campaign is great and all, but the online experience puts you up against other gamers in an epic firefight to the death. There are more than a few problems with the MW3 online play, but there are two things that forced me to change my perspective on the game.

The first, most glaring problem with the MW3 online play is the community. It truly saddens me that almost without fail I can enter the waiting room for a new match to begin and hear an array of racist, sexist, immature slurs. I also don't know what's more upsetting; the 40 year olds or the 12 year olds telling other players to s**k their ******* c***** s*** f*****g m****fu**** t**s.  The fact that the MW3 community has so unabashedly taken to the fact that you will never have to answer for calling someone a "faggot" over the internet is something we should truly be ashamed of. There are several games I play that require communication to others online and none of the communities are as offensive and immature than in CoD. Perhaps we should move towards the methods of Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS; no chat, no text, just gaming. But the community is what it's all about! When online gaming started, it seemed that we'd be able to experience the elation that came from sitting in the living room with your friends and pumping hours upon hours into Goldeneye or Mario Kart...but your friend could smack you in the face if you said something dickish towards him. I really wish the MW3 community treated each other better, making an inviting environment would turn more people onto the concept of gaming and could go a long way in disproving the apparently correct theory that most gamers are immature, rude and anti-social.

The second reason I've said goodbye to Modern Warfare is my own fault. Over the past few weeks I began to realize that I never shut the game off with a smile on my face. It had become like gambling. You sit down at the blackjack table and you start to win a few hands. You see your stack of money start to pile up and there seems to be no end in sight to your luck! Then, just as you consider it might be time to cash out, you lose a big hand. Well, you've been lucky for most of the night, so you play a few more hands to try and win back the money you just lost. It doesn't take very long until you're deep in the hole, walking away from the table wondering why you even played in the first place. I never seemed to turn off CoD after I had a great round. Why would I stop playing when I just went 25-6 and took first place in the match? No way! I'm going to ride that hot hand and keep raining fire down on my enemies. The next round I go 16-10; not quite as good but still solid. 12-12, 8-10 and then finally, with sweaty palms and a fierce desire to get back to that 25-6, I go 4-15 and quit halfway through the match in a frustrated heat. I want my gaming experience to be nothing but pleasure from beginning to end. That's why we play games, isn't it? To get away from the frustrations and pressures from work and school. Not to feel even more pressure and anxiety! When I find myself turning off Skyrim, I can't wait to dive back into the world and continue exploring or crafting, when I finished up Portal, I marveled at the incredible experience I had just gone through, when I shut down Super Mario 3D Land I revel in the nostalgia and ingenuity of the game...when I slam the power button on the Xbox after MW3 I'm furious that I didn't quit while I was ahead. So today I quit for real while I was ahead. I won't spend any more time playing games that I don't find enjoyment in. From this point forward, I will never play a game that I can't turn off with a smile on my face. I hope you do the same.

VIDEO GAMES: Haters gunna hate!

It seems that everyone is only allowed to fall into one of two camps regarding the Modern Warfare franchise at this point. Either you're a ridiculous fanboy who has terrible taste in games and is too stupid to realize how much the MW games suck, or you're a critical, snobby, pretentious douchebag who hates Modern Warfare for the sole reason that it is the most successful video game franchise in history. Well regardless of which type of douche you are, you can't deny that the games are damn successful. How successful? Well in 16 days since its release, Modern Warfare 3 passed the $1 billion sales mark. Holy s**t! It took Avatar, the most successful movie in the history of ever, 17 days to reach that number. That is such an absurdly insane amount of money! So regardless of how you feel about MW3, it's certainly a perfect example of how to do good business!

VIDEO GAMES: Modern Warfare 3...changing your game

So a few weeks ago we all inserted Modern Warfare 3 into our gaming systems. A fair number of us dove straight into the campaign to wrap up the story we've been following for three games while others went charging online to play the much anticipated multiplayer. The campaign was lots of fun, although not much different from previous entries, and the multiplayer had relatively great reviews in the short run. The maps were interesting and compact, there was a deeper level of customization, and Call of Duty Elite (although not working properly at launch) promised to offer a more in depth experience than ever before. But something was going wrong...our kill/death ratios were in the garbage! For whatever reason those of us who had dominated in Modern Warfare 2 found ourselves struggling with this game that looks and feels exactly the same! It was entirely frustrating and started to have me worried that I wouldn't lose myself in the MW3 multiplayer like I had with MW2.

Enter Matt McKnight. A dude with some filthy facial hair and a passion for gaming, particularly first person shooters. His website, Lethalfrag.com serves one purpose. To share his love for gaming and use it to make us all better players. I've followed on Twitter for awhile and finally decided I needed some help to get my MW3 numbers up and finally start enjoying the game. After watching two videos on the site I fired up the game and something incredible happened. I went five games in a row with a positive K/D. Something that was unheard of up until that point! So what changed? What could Matt have possibly said that resulted in such a noticeable difference in my game? It was two simple things.

1. Modern Warfare 3 is a very different game and you need to adjust your gameplay accordingly. Modern Warfare 2 was a very methodical game and I played it that way. Moving from point to point on the maps, favoring the precise weapons like the M16 or a sniper rifle. I would often finish games with a score of about 12 kills and 5 deaths. That won't fly anymore. Taking Matt's advice to heart I switched over to the speedy UMP45 and created a class based on speed and stealth. It worked. Gone are the days of slowly patrolling a map looking for tight corners and lookout points. Now is the time to lock and load and charge the frick into combat! MW3 favors the fast paced gameplay. You need to think quickly and react! And let me tell you, it's a ton of fun!

2. Stop worrying about things like your K/D ratio. In one of Matt's videos he talks about not letting K/D ratio determine whether or not you're having fun...duh! I had spent so much time focusing on getting a great ratio that would impress everyone I had forgotten how to enjoy myself. Games where I finished with 12 kills and 20 deaths left me fuming and hating everyone involved in developing the bowel movement that was MW3! But I finally set that aside and focused on enjoying myself, trying new weapons, and taking the time to learn the game. It's amazing how my K/D has steadily started to creep back up now that I don't worry about it.

So what's the point of this article? To encourage anyone that's less than excited with MW3 to give it a chance. Realize that this is a very different game and some patience is required to get a feel for it. Hopefully you guys haven't written it off yet because I know I was extremely close to doing so. So check out Lethalfrag and get back out there!

VIDEO GAMES: Modern Warfare 3 First Impressions

We come to it at last. The third installment in the Modern Warfare franchise which promises to be one of the most popular video games in history. I finally got my copy this afternoon and have spent roughly the last seven hours playing the thing. I completed the campaign and have started getting into the multiplayer and I have one thing to say...I'm not sure what people were expecting.

Here's what I want from my Modern Warfare games. Minimal story, maximum action, slow motion badass set pieces and a multiplayer that I can play for weeks on end. This is exactly what we have been given.

I'll talk about the campaign first. Yes, this is more of the same. There are still countless slow motion jumps to helicopters, frantic gunfights and ridiculous stunts that would leave any human dead in less than a second. The story isn't all that intriguing and at times it's pretty tough to follow...but who freakin' cares. I want my Modern Warfare to make me feel like I'm playing the action scenes from a Michael Bay movie and that's what the campaign brings. I won't spoil anything since it's only been out for a day but to be honest the campaign was everything I hoped for. It took roughly 5 hours to complete and I finished up the story surrounding Makarov and his diabolical scheme. Those who cry for something different have to start being more specific, because honestly I'm not sure they even know what they want. Would you like extended dialogue to develop the characters? Perhaps a love interest for one of the five guys you play as? What are you looking for from the Modern Warfare franchise? I don't know, to me I guess the games are just supposed to be wild fun.

Now let's talk multiplayer. Oh hell yea. I'm only a couple hours in but I can promise you that the multiplayer is the best yet. The maps I've played so far have all been incredible. Well laid out and intricate giving several options as far as where you want to go. The most popular new game mode, Kill Confirmed, is superbly addicting. You can now level up your weapons to unlock attachments, perks, camos for that particular weapon. You can now choose to either have a kill streak reward to do damage to opponents or one aimed at supporting your team. Call of Duty ELITE allows you to track any stat imaginable and bring your online play to the next level. I could write so much more about it right now but to be honest I just want to go play more.

So here's where I am after one day with Modern Warfare 3. Is it perfect? Not by any means. Is it the most fun Call of Duty game to date? You bet it is. Highly recommended. Go buy it now.

VIDEO GAMES: The results are in!

Well it is past midnight and people across the country can finally start killing eachother in Modern Warfare 3. All game sites were embargoed from releasing their reviews of the game until the clock struck 12 tonight and now we finally have all of their opinions. I don't think anyone was waiting for the reviews to determine whether or not they would get the game but in case they were here's some of the results. Modern Warfare 3 was given a 9 from IGN, 9 from GameInformer, 4.5/5 from Joystiq, A- from 1UP and an 8.5 from Gamespot. Most of the reviews seem to agree that although the formula for the game is somewhat familiar by now, it is still something that works. The multiplayer sounds like it will be by far the best yet and although the main story line will wrap up, it may not be the perfect ending. I'm just as excited, if not more so by these reviews as the multiplayer is obviously where most of the time with the game will be spent. Unfortunately for me I only have 3 days to try and finish the campaign before Skyrim comes out so I likely won't be able to dive too deep into the multiplayer for at least a couple of weeks. Oh well. So get out there and kill some noobs cuz Modern Warfare 3 is officially here!!!

VIDEO GAMES: Are you a vet or a noob?

I'm sure most of you have already seen the live action Modern Warfare 3 trailer featuring Sam Worthington and Jonah Hill. It's been the buzz of the internet over the past couple of days mostly because it's one of the few live action video game trailers that doesn't completely suck. It's actually pretty well done and there's some parts that are freaking hilarious if you've spent days of your life playing either of the first two Modern Warfare games. At this point I'm not sure how much any advertisements will convert people to either buy or not buy the game but it's always cool to see well made ads. So if you haven't watched it already here ya go!

VIDEO GAMES: Here's how to get an early copy of Modern Warfare 3.

Freaking steal it with tear gas and knives. Yea, cuz that's what happened in Paris over the weekend. So here's the story. Apparently a van was delivering shipments of Modern Warfare 3 to retailers in the area. This particular van was carrying 6,000 copies of what is likely to be the best selling game of all time. The culprits smashed into the side of the van and then proceeded to use tear gas and knives to subdue the drivers while they stripped the van of its cargo. This is insane. Like seriously, I can't believe something like this went down. I'm not even sure what they can do with 6,000 copies of the game only 2 days before its release. It's not like the police will now carefully track any early sales of the game through ebay, amazon, etc...oh wait, yea they will. This means the criminals will have to sell the games directly to consumers and they better have substantial resources to unload 6,000 copies in two days. Crazy. Anyways, the rest of us will have to wait until midnight tonight to get our hands on the sacred MW3!

VIDEO GAMES: Ready your wallets and clear your schedule!

Well Battlefield 3 has hit stores nationwide and for the most part it's blowing peoples' minds. Although there has been some server problems and minor glitches with the game (this is why you don't rush release dates) the feedback from those who have been playing BF3 has been nothing but positive. So there you have it! There's nothing else to look forward to this year...oh wait. Actually there's so much to look forward to before this year finishes that it literally keeps me up at night. Like seriously, there are so many games coming out within the next couple months that are going to be incredible.

Here's my list of what I think are the most notable games hitting shelves before the end of 2011!

November 1st:
Title: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Platform: PS3
For any of you PS3 owners out there this is going to be an absolute must buy. The Uncharted series has been what I believe to be the posterboy series for PS3 exclusives and I'd be lying if I said I was never close to running to Gamestop to buy a PS3 almost only to play Uncharted. The absolutely rave reviews for all three games have always intrigued me and it seems that almost everyone who has played the games is in love with Nathan Drake. This one is less than a week away so get ready PS3 owners!



November 1st:
Title: Sonic Generations
Platforms: 360, PS3, 3DS (December 8)
Remember when Sonic was an awesome game? Well I barely do because I was like 6 years old when I played it on the Sega Genesis. Apparently Sonic Generations brings the beloved hedgehog back to his glory days with an impeccable combination of side scrolling and 3D gameplay. I personally can't wait to play Generations on my 3DS but I'm not sure if I'll be purchasing it as soon as it hits shelves; this may be a Christmas title for me.



November 8th:
Title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Platforms: 360, PS3, PC, Wii
Do I really need to say anything? I'll see all you guys at Gamestop on the 8th!



November 11th:
Title: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Platforms: 360, PS3, PC
I am about 99% positive that this will be my game of the year. With the promise for breathtaking landscapes, and a completely immersive world I literally cannot wait for Skyrim to come out. I have spent recent nights struggling to fall asleep as I battle with myself over what kind of character I will play in Skyrim. Will I be a lightning chucking mage, a warrior with proficiencies (not sure if that's a word) in sword and shield or two handed weapons or something else entirely? Once Skyrim hits shelves it is likely that I won't play anything else for quite a long time.



November 13th:
Title: Super Mario 3D Land
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS is finally starting to heat up. With Sonic Generations and Super Mario 3D Land both hitting within the next couple weeks and Mario Kart 7 just around the corner I am finally getting excited to play the thing consistently. Mario 3D Land promises to be a gorgeous Mario game that combines everything we love about past Mario games into one awesome experience. I mean come on, you get to use the Tanooki suit while experiencing game play like Mario Galaxy! I for one am pumped!



November 15th:
Title: Assassins Creed: Revelations
Platforms: 360, PS3, PC (on 12/29)
Now I've never gotten into the AC games so I'm not even sure which game in the series this is but I know a ton of people are excited for it. Unfortunately that's about all the information I know. So yea, if you're into being a hooded badass who roams the streets killing bad people in awesome ways then you might want to check this one out!



November 15th:
Title: Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary
Platforms: 360
It was a decade ago when the first Halo graced Xbox systems everywhere and introduced us to what is no doubt the most popular and successful Xbox exclusive title out there. It started a series that has produced almost no weak games and has consumed hours upon hours of our lives experiencing awesome multiplayer. This anniversary edition brings back everything we loved about the first game but brings the graphics up to date offering an experience much like the one the developers imagined but couldn't give us with their current technology. I'm expecting this game to sell very well.



November 18th:
Title: Minecraft
Platforms: PC (for now)
What?? I thought Minecraft was already out? Haven't people been playing it addictively for months creating incredible worlds and such? Well yes, but believe it or not Minecraft is still in beta! Personally I have put quite a few hours into my little world and I'm excited for the game to finally actually be released in all its glory so hopefully more people can experience its awesomeness.



December 4th:
Title: Mario Kart 7
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
How could you not love Mario Kart? I mean honestly every Mario Kart game in the series has been completely awesome. Whether or not they tread new ground is irrelevant to me since the game is always so damn fun anyways. But it does look like 7 does tread some new ground with underwater portions of tracks as well as extremely customizable karts! This is one I'll definitely be getting on release date as I'm sure it's going to be completely absorbing on the 3DS!



December 20th:
Title: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Platforms: PC
Could this mark the end of World of Warcraft? A Massively Multiplayer Online experience set in the world of Star Wars? Where you can be a Sith, Jedi, bounty hunter, pilot, etc. and follow your own unique story line in a galaxy far, far away! This is perhaps the most highly anticipated game of the year and to be honest I think the expectations are getting a little high. The concept of the game is brilliant and intriguing but I can't help but feel that EA may be rushing its release like they just did with BF3 which translates into a lot of problems in the first month which is when most people will decide whether or not they'll play the game. I'll be checking it out for sure but I'm not sure where I'll end up with ToR.

VIDEO GAMES: New trailer for MW3 campaign.

Well the Battlefield 3 beta seems to be mixing peoples' opinions over whether or not the game will actually mark the beginning of the end for Call of Duty. To be honest after getting over how beautiful the game looked I couldn't help but feel like EA's strategy for taking out Call of Duty was to make Call of Duty. Obviously one level in beta form is not nearly enough to judge BF3 but I guess it just didn't sway me one way or the other. Plus, there are still a TON of bugs with the BF3 beta and the game is less than a month away. I mean the Gears 3 beta came out months before the game was released and there was almost nothing wrong with it. Anyways, call me what you want but I love the Modern Warfare games. Yes, even MW2. I've been excited for the conclusion for a while now and I know I'll dump hours and hours into the multiplayer. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Today Activision released a new trailer for the MW3 campaign and personally I think it looks sick. Very excited for November 8th.

Video from IGN!

More Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Videos

VIDEO GAMES: Did you think the MW3 multiplayer video from earlier was cool?

Then check this the frick out! G4 has a freaking awesome video showing some of the BF3 multiplayer and oh my goodness it is going to be the most intense experience ever! However, I am super excited at how different than MW3 it really looks. I mean obviously the two are competitors and the slander between the two companies has gotten a little ridiculous over the past couple months. But we need to realize that these are VERY different games. Battlefield focuses so much more on the vastness of combat. Massive multiplayer maps with heavy vehicle combat gives it perhaps a more realistic feel than Modern Warfare. But Call of Duty focuses on a more refined set of skills pertaining only to ground combat. I'm not trying to say that these two games aren't competitors, only that maybe they can co-exist in a perfect world. I for one will be purchasing both games and I don't really think there's a need to claim an allegiance if both games are going to provide entertainment. I mean isn't that what it's all about? If the game is entertaining then who freaking cares?

PC Games - E3 2012 - Battlefield 3

VIDEO GAMES: Check out one of the multiplayer maps from MW3!

Now personally I'm still excited for MW3 even though it looks pretty repetitive. I've always been a believer of the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And, in my eyes, Modern Warfare ain't broke because I enjoyed the second one immensely. Maybe that's why this video that shows some Domination mode on the map "Resistance" actually gets me even more excited for the game. Check it out!

VIDEO GAMES: Which will you get? BF3 or MW3?? Or both?

Right now I'm leaning heavily towards both. I gotta get MW3 because I think I'm one of the few that actually got quite a bit of enjoyment from the campaign of MW2 and I want to see how the story ends. I've also pumped a ton of time into the online play and haven't had too many complaints. But BF3 just keeps looking more and more awesome with each announcement and video released. Today we've gotten one of each. First is the announcement from the Battlefield Blog that talks about some of the aspects of vehicle warfare in the game. There will be over 20 drivable vehicles over 12 separate classes. These include armored transports, main battle tanks, scout helicopters, attack helicopters, fighter jets, and attack jets...dang how does that not sound awesome?? There are also over 80 ways to customize your vehicles with three customizable slots on each vehicle for weapons, gadgets and upgrades. And here's the biggest change, your vehicles can repair in the right situation. Frustrated from driving your tank towards the opposition and taking an RPG in the gut? Guess what, you can find cover and take some time to repair your tank's armor. However, at a certain point vehicles will not recover after taking too much damage. So not only is this all well and good but the folks at BF3 also released a video today giving some incentive to pre-order the game from certain retailers. The video gives us a look at the Physical Warfare DLC pack that people who pre-order the game may get and it's got some pretty tasty weapon upgrades that seem genuinely useful. So check it out!!!

Full article on the vehicle upgrades HERE!

Ok I'm off to Disneyland like all day so I won't post anything else until later tonight! Happy Friday!

VIDEO GAMES: Oooh survival mode looks sweet in MW3!

So one of the things about Modern Warfare 2 that people loved was the Spec Ops portion of the game. This was a mode where you could play with friends to complete certain challenges. It was awesome and I think we all wanted to see more of it; well it looks like they heard us when developing Modern Warfare 3. The video that came out today shows some of the Survival Mode that will be an option in the Spec Ops and it looks freaking awesome. Basically Modern Warfare's version of Nazi Zombies, the only goal...survive. It also looks like they have come up with some incredible ways to make it challenging in the form of dogs with bombs strapped to them, juggernaut type enemies and much much more. Personally I'm more excited for MW2 and Battlefield 3 and this video does nothing to sway that judgement. So check it out!

PC Games - E3 2012 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3