Gaming, General Gaming, Microsoft, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360|June 30, 2010 9:23 am

Why Is Anybody Still Playing CoD?

Over the years, I’ve built up a mental list of stuff that I struggle to understand why any sane human being would enjoy: Those awful spoof movies, the music of Razorlight, the comedy of Lee Evans, and, lately, Call of Duty.

In the interests of full disclosure I should point out that I’ve not played any of the games in the series in any great depth – a few deathmatches here and there, and the odd round of Nazi zombies (which I do get). But anyone with an interest in gaming – hell, anyone sentient – will have picked up on just how much this series has consumed the entertainment industry and the free time of at least one generation.

The question is – why?

From what I’ve picked up online, in magazines and (gasp) real life, the people who play MW2 have put me off ever exploring it fully:

1. Kids

I’m a teacher by trade, and I’m hard pushed to find a boy at my school who doesn’t play MW2, despite the fact that not a single one of them is entitled to play this game, intended as it is for adults. Aside from the legal and moral implications – why are parents buying it for their kids? Don’t they look at the cover? It has ‘war’ in the freakin’ title! – this means that gamers have to face a gang of unruly brats in the online arena. Great if you’re taking them down, less fun when you’re getting teabagged by an 8-year old. Not that that’s ever happened to me.

2. Glitches

There are scores of YouTube videos available for players who want to exploit the game, either to gain ranks or to simply grief other players. Sure, there are patches, and Microsoft and Sony can ban cheats, but this only slows the process rather than dealing with it. The thrill of doing something they shouldn’t and the threat of getting caught just keep them coming back. They’re probably getting more play out of the game through trying to break it than legit players are from any amount of DLC.

3. Activision

Gaming’s latest archvillains hiked up the price for MW2 just because they could, and now there’s rumblings of a subscription model. While people who shop around rarely pay the recommended retail price (at least in the UK), such bare-faced greed was pretty repulsive. Add to that the insistence on releasing yearly iterations of the franchise (though Black Ops might be a step forward for Treyarch) and the sacking of key staff for daring to investigate other publishers, and some people are left questioning whether they should even support the series.

4. Bad Company 2

I’m not a military man, so BC2’s not high on my wishlist either – but even so, it just looks more fun. Destruction! Vehicles! Character Classes! Opponents who aren’t still wearing Spongebob pyjamas! Plus, it’s still got all the leveling goodness we’ve come to expect from a good multiplayer.

I’ve not said anything here about the single player and co-op games, simply because there’s nothing to say. They look excellent. And the original MW has done a lot to create the modern multi-player climate. But everything seems to point to a flawed and frustrating online experience, and I’m wondering why people persevere? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Author: Mervyn Robinson (Rut3g3r) I'm a Teacher based in Glasgow, Scotland by day, gamer and erstwhile P*N blogger by night. I've got a busy job and a young son, so I don't get to play as much as I'd like; my interests are mainly in dark, atmospheric action-adventures like the Condemned and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, though I'm partial to a bit of rhythm action, too.

http://www.platformnation.com Mark Withers. (MarkWithers)

COD sucks.

OK people, just admit it. Its too easy and everyman and his dog thinks they are good at it

http://n4g.com lol

I bet you didn’t bet the mile high club on veteran (mw1) or finish both games on veteran, thats not easy, I don’t care what you say. The mile high club on COD:MW1 had me so pissed, I punched the living junk out of my pillow. followed by a victory run after 2 1/2 hrs of punching the pillow.

http://n4g.com lol

sorry grammer is a lil off there. I’m going to bed I just got off mw2 and it’s 3:40 am, I was spanking people all night. Maybe this is the whole reason for the article, you got on I had predator, harrier, pavlow… after ten rounds of that shit I would hate the game too. don’t worry I get pissed if I don’t get better then a 1.50….. I used to suck so I got to make up for letting friends play and my horrible start off k/d. I went from a .80 to a 1.28 and it’s cruzing up almost every other day.

Megamorf

All of you who like fast-paced shooters without cheap gameplay elements should check out Timesplitters Future Perfect. My favourite shooter in over 8 years of shooter experience. Unfortunately people are so fond of ‘realistic’ shooters that rather comical shooters like Timesplitters are being marginalized.

Crysis aquired the Timesplitters rights when they bought Free Radical whose members originally ceated Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark. If they said if there is enough demand they’d continue working on Timesplitters 4.

A shooter that you should be feverishly be looking for. Unfortunately, as long as CoD gets released every year all the players will carry on buying each game along with all the annoyances that ship with the game.

I personally think that CoD has ruined the shooter genre. The underlying cause is that developers are longing for CoD’s success. Therefore they copy gameplay elements and the market gets flooded with more generic shooters.

There is also a phenomenon that I’d call ‘CoD-effect’. On CoD, players, who are below-average or average, actually can kill more poeple than in other games (Which also makes for a self-overestimation).

When those players get their hands on a different game and see they can’t cope with most of their opponents they get back to CoD where they know they can get a certain amount of kills.

This of course affects other shooters because their community shrinks and becomes less active. That leads to less developer support and the game goes down the drain.

I really hope we’ll get some original shooters soon because I’m getting tired of the CoD-Trend.

My advice: if you still have a PS3 with BC, an Xbox/PS2/Gamecube get the Timesplitters games (4-player multiplayer on one console )
A7X777

dude ima be honest with all of u ive been playin call of duty since it first came out in 1998 for the PC and the gameplay hasnt changed in a bit since halo changed the system of u doin everything from the primary weapon like call of duty 1 in order to throw grenades you needed to swithc ur gun till u get the grenades by the time u do tht ur dead while halo changed the FPS generation of shooting ur rifle n throw a grenade with any other key=buttons and call of duty changed to copy tht i may sound a halo fan but i am not i dont own a xbox either i rather play medal of honor or battle field its a little but more realistic in terms of using perks come on people call of duty online is like and arcade theres no such thing tht makes u run faster out of no were theres no such thing of havin martydom or havin more life bars or wat ever but thers 1 thing every1 has diferent likes so play wat ever no 1 cares sos top makin stupid blogs OH PPL STILL PLAY COD IF THEY DO LET THEM BE HAPPER GAMERS ARE HAPPY I LOVE PLAYIN CALL OF DUTY ITS JUST FUN DAMMIT
N2Paul

This article is a pure bullshit .
Have you ever thought that COD games are fast paced instead of Battlefield witch is slow paced and not everybody likes slow paced ?!
For me COD games are fun and it haves competition ( i always try to be the best , to help my teammates and so on ) its fun despite the problems its having (especially the PC version ).
COD multiplayer its awesome and that’s a fact . The real question is why people are still playing Counter Strike , in Europe almost everybody plays it (and DOTA also ) and that game sucks compared to COD .
http://www.myspace.com/zx71 Col

CoD 4, CoD 5 and CoD MW2 are superb games. Super smooth 60fps, precision aiming makes online gameplay feel (for me) like the outcome depends on skill rather than random luck of the draw. BFBC2 and most other FPS games, feel clunky in comparison.

I’ve played a lot of both MW2 and BFBC2 – BFBC2 is a richer experience, there’s more to do, but my enjoyment of the game is seriously impaired by an aiming system which feels less precise compared to MW2 and THERE ARE FAR TOO MANY FRIGGING SNIPERS in BFBC2 which is very annoying.

MW2 is not perfect, but it is the best online FPS I’ve played. Hardcore Ricochet SD is superb game mode.
Chris

Hmmm…a snotty elitist prick is going to tell me that I should stop playing a game that I enjoy? Oookay there buddy. Have fun with that.
wtfwtfwtfwtf

@ Sean O’ Brian

… Really? Because compared to Killzone 2 and Bad Company 2, Call Of Duty’s mechanics are the most pathetic.
wtfwtfwtfwtf

Oh and Call of Duty is NOT as good of a FPS as Bad Company 2.

Its story is bad, just going through random missions killing SCRIPTED AI that is not at hard at all when you just find out that its scripted and you can just take one out at a time easily and grenade them… The AI is pathetic and scripted unlike Killzone 2 and I believe Bad Company 2s is not scripted either… All Call of Duty has done is make you believe its epic by climbing up an icy mountain by pressing L1 then R1 then L1 then R1 over and over… Then it tries making you think its epic by having a nuke hitting Washington shown from space that somehow blows away the freaking satellite… All Call of Duty does is trick you into thinking its the best FPS. You think its epic and well put together if you are the common stupid consumer. The AI is terrible and scripted, the guns are inaccurate, the online is unbalanced, glitchy, peer to peer, and the community is terrible and it even has hackers. This game should be an 8 or below but no. Everyone loves to rate games high so their websites won’t get flamed and because they partially rate based on success and past games.
quip

personally I only thoroughly enjoyed call of duty world at war. the new call of duty is god awful. I am not sure what the big buzz is. the shooting mechanics are garbage. if players are supposed to get an experience that they are in the war and things are supposed to be realistic then hmmm there is this thing called bullet drop. the grenades are god awful. for as big funding these people have and the amazing amount of glitches they got it is pathetic. I would have sacked more than what has been sacked
dynamicburrito

There are just no other games that deliver an equivalent experience and i cant stand to play this game but do due to the lack of serious competition
mark

Well unless all future cod’s support ps-move then I am not going then mw2 will be my last cod. It is bad enough that i have to put up with hackers and people that lag, but i cant take having to play with a last gen controller like the duelshock anymore!!!. You cant fire a precise shot to save your life unless the autoaim kicks in and saves your a@#.
lastgensucks

I have to agree with Mark. Its time we get rid of last gen controllers in 1st person shooters they are outdated and can not even match a mouse much less something like a next gen controller like the move on the ps3.
D

to each their own my friend, to each their own.
Ricky N Frisco

I agree. But I find that there is ALOT more kids on the 360, and more adults 18+ on the PS3. PSN has alot of people that don’t hate if you do good. I even got friends request from them cuz I did good. Thats coo in my opinion. Can’t wait for Medal of Honor…damn!!
Balong

I completely agree with you Ricky N Frisco. I originally bought mw2 for the ps3 but traded it for the xbox 360 version because none of my friends have a ps3. online went from being mostly enjoyable to being F%@#ing terrible. Too many little kids and adults acting like little kids. Just my two cents
A

ur right about the bloody kids, I personally like the first modern warfare better, more realistic, better maps, the only thing I can pick from mw2 was silencers on snipes that was zen and liked single player campaign, RIP ghost, oh and also bumped up graphics on returning guns, online though for mw2 is too bs for me, not as cool as mw, that’s just me anyways, still, c u fags online on mw2!!!!!!
Nathan Roebuck

Like this article and I agree with you on some points. I admit that I’m just 16 and I’ve the game. Another friend of mine owns it, too and we play it ONLY together. We enjoy it even if we meet some 8-14 yrs old kids who can do nothing else, but shouting into their headsets. I always try to resolve this situation without muting them. They are just not persuadable. Then I mute them so they can’t ruin my gameplay experience. Another thing I just realized that people are taking this game so serious that they would even kill in real life if get pwned. I mean somebody seriously kills him e.g. 10 times in a row. Why can’t people understand that these games are for fun and to get GOOD experiences? I often meet people who say I should f*ck my mom because I killed him in Search & Destroy. What do these guys expect? That I let them kill me because I CAN enjoy playing this game? And why do they play the game if they just get frustrated with it? I don’t get so I can play it with a smile on my face. And more importantly I don’t exploit the game. There are N00B guys who can play the game only like this. UMP N00Bs, MarathonLightweightCommando N00Bs, Sniper Quick-shot N00Bs, and the list goes on! Why can’t they play the game with brain and reflexes? Why should they do everyone up who plays fairly? And the best thing with these guys is they don’t admit that they are bad players. Once I wrote to a guy who’d used UMP and MarathonLightweightCommando that he is a N00B. Guess what he wrote back. That he isn’t a N00B and I’m a sucker. I just laugh on it because I cannot do anything against these exploiters. And I don’t agree with the BC2 part of the article. Someparts yes it is better but in a lot of cases not.
I’m currently on 4th Prestige and I still enjoy the game though I can’t understand those guys who have more than 14 days of gameplay in the game. I have 7 days since the launch of the game. This always shocks me but I can’t undo it. Anyway great article and thanks for writing it down.
http://101arena.wordpress.com EddyF 101

Yeah i agree that its real annoying when you get little kids singing down their headset, and the glitches were annoying but most have gone now.

But, kids and glitches aside, MW2 is still one of the most fun online shooters out they’re, and not many other FPS games can deliver the level of competitiveness that MW2 does.
Jordan

I don’t play MW2 anymore. I platinumed it on the PS3, got a K/D of 2.4 then moved onto Bad Company 2, where I’ve stayed. COD has gone downhill, and I blame IW. COD4 was the first to remove actual skill requirement online. Nowadays, look at your friends list, anyone who plays MW2 isn’t a gamer. They play ONLY COD and nothing, nothing else, ever.
joel

is that it?

You just seem like one of those people who just dosent like popular things. They want to appear unique or something

MW’s core gameplay, is more fluid and refined than any multiplayer shooter since Halo 3. Thats why its popular.
Kapado

dude dont be stupid u know why people still play Cod i left if for BFBC2 ,and MAG but more people play COD than all my other favorite shooters together . maybe i should have read ur article but i refuse to read bait and switch titles
The Chem Girl

As a girl who enjoys a good shoot ‘em up, I agree with Mervyn wholeheartedly – especially when it comes to those s@dding eight year olds!

Does Mr Robinson have a girlfriend? I might just be interested in signing up……
yodasearwax

How about you stop making assumptions and ACTUALLY PLAY THE GAME.
THE Mp is addictive, competitive, and affords the player a host of options to customize their guns, as well as the title/emblem system.
The game has its flaws, but can still provide an enjoyable experience despite said flaws.

Again, instead of making an uninformed judgment, PICK UP THE CONTROLLER AND PLAY IT.

I have both games mentioned, and they both are fun, but completely different experiences. And if you’re not playing w/ friends in BC2, you can forget ever winning a match; there are quite a few Battlefield vets that will pummel lesser teams to pieces. At least in MW2, 1 player can truly be the difference in winning or losing.
Nathan

The single player in Most cod games have nice set pieces but only last for the initial first or maybe second play.

Multiplayer has never stuck to me like it should I get sucked in I do very good but I guess it’s a mix of no sense of accomplishment/teamwork and the ever growing glitch list is what sent me to my local shop to trade my copies in.

Mechanics I hate the games hit boxes in this game they’re horrid. I also dislike the lack of a balanced experience but whatever I guess I’m nit picking here .

I think the big draw especially last few cods where that people always asked for a mainstream modern shooter people always bitched they wanted “real” guns and relistic gameplay which I’ll go on and say MW/cod don’t deliver but it’s close enough for some people
MarkMitt

Go play a decent shooter such as MAG. I don’t care if nowhere near the number of players hit MAG as COD. It is approximately 100,000,000 times better than any other FPS on the market today. So much scope, so many online players, so much fun!