I hate to be the guy, but why the hate for COD?

[Dumori]

It's close to the same game each time, it's boring, bland, linear (in how you do each mission not plot) not feeling of needed skill or tactics in MP or not as there are just so many decent first order strategies. The plot tends to be predicable and/or overly converulted. The jumping from war zone to war zone as a diffrent person from tiem to time doesn't add more than it removes. It lacks "zazz" it's not special or fun in my eyes; it just is.

On top of that the multiplayer is unappealing the heavily unlock and streak based system might be "cool" but it leads to grinding, camping and a rulett feel to MP. I want to be killed by a good shoot or the odd lucky one. Not soem dumb sky-aimbot or equaly stupid means. Sure it took look or skill to get out but it feels lame and shitty. Unlock based mulitplayer espcaliy with levels only annoys me greatly. It requires you to fart around for hour to get a load out that works for you with weapons added only to make they more needf to max out not for usefulness in none compeative games.

I've found that games that give you full right over weapons and ability are much more tactical and fun as every one is on the same field from the start. The learning curve is a bit nastier but the feel of oh wow I coudl pull the off next spawn or if i teak my load out so is much more fun than damn I couldn't have counted that if i wanted seeing as I dumped my unlocks in too X. Or he was one level higher.

Yes my flaws with CoD are comman in a lot of "CoD likes" and that why I disliek them ALL. CoD is also increaing stagntation but it's more on a publisher level than devleopers. Trying to push or a risky AAA standard game is next to impossable to indy and publishers are morlikey to fund a rehash of waht works than some thing shakey that even if it floped a tad might open dooes to totaly new ideas. Inevation is happing in rare AAA titles and in the indy and mod scene and if this carries on every one will catch on and be bored with gaming as it is.

Tl;DR
Unlock based MP is shite and the games are reak of cookie cutter slap-dasherie than real need to put out a gem.

 

[Sight Unseen]

I personally don't hate COD so much as I hate their publisher, Activision. I have played COD and enjoyed it for a while, but I am on a personal boycott of anything with the word "activision" on it. I do hate how Acti are trying to charge ridiculous sums of money for things that should and have historically been free. Battlefield BC 2 had free DLC maps if you had the online pass. COD charges $15 for map packs with only one or 2 original maps in them. It's a ripoff. And don't even get me started on this new "COD: Elit3".

I also hate how glitchy and broken the multiplayer is in the COD games. More often then not you get killed cheaply by people abusing bugs and exploits of the system, or get killed immediately after you respawn and have no chance to even defend yourself.

Overall though I don't hate the series, its just a mediocre at best shooter that does not in any way deserve its popularity ( at least after MW1). But I do hate their publisher and so will never be buying a COD game myself.

 

[Bakuryukun]

I don't bother myself with disliking Videogame franchises anymore, I used to, but then when I took a step back, I saw how silly it really is to do so. Now I just enjoy the games I love and don't actively pay any attention to or purchase games that I don't.

If I don't know a lot about a series or don't understand what draws people to it so fervently, I ask someone who enjoys the series why the enjoy it, in my experience peoples positive impressions of games are usually far more informative and interesting. I might still not be a hardcore Call of Duty guy, but now I've at least talked to enough people about the games that I can definitely see the appeal.

I like doing things this way, it gives me a better understanding and respect for the industry and the games, and the people who play them.

 

[RottingAwesome]

why do I hate it?
because it's not that it's a totally terrible game per se, it's the fact that it is so painfully mediocre yet wildly popular
especially since in my school (and most other schools i'm sure) the majority of people play almost exclusively CoD and perpetuate stereotypes for themselves and consequently the whole gaming community. they're not quiet about it either and non-gamers look down upon it and thus gaming as a whole
whether or not this is the case with most CoD gamers isn't relevant, as it's the vocal minority that ruins it

i'll occasionally play local multiplayer with friends because, again, it's not a TERRIBLE game and everything is more fun with friends, but that's about it

the franchise has seems like it's being manufactured by robots, spit out by a machine as they release a new one every year, not to mention gauging consumers with overpriced DLC which in itself should warrant one to be at least a little upset
its very presence (and especially its popularity) is counterintuitive to the "games are art" image many gamers and developers are trying to portray the industry as. Originality is something we need to make this image happen and CoD brings little to the table

just because something is popular doesn't mean it's good or that it has to be enjoyed by everyone

....or maybe all those reasons are void and i'm just hating because it's "cool" to.

 

[SovietSecrets]

People hate it because they don't like the same formulas to games most of the time. Which is strange considering how much people cry when developers change their game to something else. Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 are recent examples of this. In short, people are insane.

 

[ELD3RGoD]

Because before MW there was the Beta... and in that Beta people got to shoot... through muthafreaking walls. Seriously, people could shoot through walls, and walls had thickness and cover was not always cover and people were like "ZOMG THIS IS AWESOME!!" because it hadn't been done before. It was innovative and new and perks were like "Holy crap!? We have perks!? And Classes!? And Attachments!?" And everything was totally new.

And then there was the competition between CoD4 and Rainbow Six and Gears of War, with each group having large fanbases (Xbox i'm talking about.) And it was pretty evenly distributed. And then W@W came out and it was pretty decent, and it also used a Beta (see where this is going).

And then it got more and more and more stale. Nothing innovative was added. The support was aweful for MW2 and it had NO BETA. Balance had gone completely out of the window and prices had shot up. Not to mention Map DLC skyrocketing from a measly and well deserved 400 MS points to a whopping 1200!?

With MW2, they added... pro perks... wooo... /sarcasm - and they gave the game no patches, no balance changes, nothing. Left it to rot, and rolled in there billions whilst people had shelled out for something below par when compared to CoD4.

And Black Ops was just an over rated piece of crap which claimed for balance etc, yet is just as unbalanced as MW2 and also retained the skyrocketed map prices. It didn't even do anything new, it just threw in the old formula of zombies onto another one of their games. (ALSO NO BETA)

Not to mention how everything before CoD4 was exclusively directed at PC gamers (Forget CoD3) and how they'd been all but abandoned there onwards. I'm sure there are much more like shitty campaigns etc, but i'll leave it there.

 

[4RM3D]

really, you are saying yourself you are not contributing to the topic, well done.

also cash cow? its the same price as every other game that comes out. (DLC is optional by the way, so it doesnt count towards your argument (i dont even buy the DLC anymore)).

furthermore, you hate it because its more multi player than single player? big deal, thats a reason to simply not play it rather than hate it. lastly, 'a toilet break' how fucking long does it take you to go to the toilet???, please stop exaggerating, its not smart, and doesnt help your argument.

Pointing out that the game is a cash cow (IMO), is a contribution, albeit a very minimal one.

Cash cow isn't about how expensive a game is. Every new release costs about the same. I already made a post about it further back in this thread (link [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.288681-I-hate-to-be-the-guy-but-why-the-hate-for-COD#11428892]).

I don't hate the game because it has more multi player than single player. I don't like the game because the multi player is unbalanced. Also mentioned that (link [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.288681-I-hate-to-be-the-guy-but-why-the-hate-for-COD?page=2#11429241]).

I could have mentioned those points in my initial post, but that's what discussions are for.

Lastly, exaggerating? No shit, Sherlock. I just tried to make it sound more interesting. But apparently you didn't like it. Well, can't please everyone.

 

[Ben Agar]

Meh! Don't hugely hate COD4 here but I got it very late in the peace so found myself getting really, really frustrated with it, not just having to contend with everyone being better online but also everyone had much, much, much better weapons. Getting killed every few seconds drove me nuts.

So that made me give up on it and haven't bothered with it ever since, that and FPS's in general.

 

[ninetails593]

I fucking LOVE CoD!

 

[4RM3D]

People hate it because they don't like the same formulas to games most of the time. Which is strange considering how much people cry when developers change their game to something else. Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 are recent examples of this. In short, people are insane.

Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 both have changed, but that doesn't necessarily means that change is good. Dragon Age 2 shift to console style pissed a lot of PC gamers off. Mass Effect 2 shift away from RPG, made RPG fans angry. If you gonna change something, fine. But be aware if that change is gonna affect your target audience.

 

[LopezPerry]

First off my hate for COD is huge. All they do now is make maps for people who like to sit in a corner with there campfire and tent. Second they dont fix things they should like mod controllers or people who hack the game.

 

[Quantom Quak]

I'm the guy.

 

[SovietSecrets]

People hate it because they don't like the same formulas to games most of the time. Which is strange considering how much people cry when developers change their game to something else. Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 are recent examples of this. In short, people are insane.

Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2 both have changed, but that doesn't necessarily means that change is good. Dragon Age 2 shift to console style pissed a lot of PC gamers off. Mass Effect 2 shift away from RPG, made RPG fans angry. If you gonna change something, fine. But be aware if that change is gonna affect your target audience.

Right then so if the changes might be bad and you run the risk of pissing off your fans like Bioware did, then why change CoD and run that same risk? Obviously people love it the way it is now like people did DA 1 and ME 1 so why screw with that?

 

[LightningBanks]

Its just the commuinity that I cant stand, its one of the worst ive ever seen, on all 3 consoles (xbxo, ps3 and pc)

Tl;DR
Unlock based MP is shite and the games are reak of cookie cutter slap-dasherie than real need to put out a gem.

This is why Tf2s get items randomly works so well, because theres no real motive to play cheap in order to get unlocks (apart from idlers, but Id rather have them than what we get on COD)

 

[Composer]

because of the majority community of players

 

[DevilWolf47]

You answered your own question. It's a hideously executed story with gameplay that was never improved after COD4, and yet it is a top-seller. It's the same reason a lot of people give excessive hatred to Transformers. It's horrible, but sells well and as a result badly damages it's own medium. The sheer amount of overrating it receives is what attracts the hate.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Title pretty much says it all... Why is COD so incredibly hated (well among people who probably would consider themselves "hardcore gamers")? I mean, i aint no fan of COD, i've tried every single game, but i just feel that by Black Ops, it's kind of just the same..
But my hate is no way near the amounts that pretty much every gaming forum has for COD, and i never really understood it..

So yeah.. Why the immense hate for one of the best selling videogame franchises ever?

Spoiler: Well in my opinion...

The gameplay is slow paced and boring. There's absolutely no effort put in to the story and writing. The graphics (While techenically impressive) are brown, gray, and just dismal to look at. The campaign is only 5 hours long on a good day. Hardcore difficulty is a cake walk while Veteran difficulty is only playable if you have catlike reflexes and can see the future. There are about a billion guns and only 3 that are worth using. (at least in MW 1 and 2, Blackops was a little better in that respect). And the multyplayer is totally fucked.

Spoiler: allow me to elaborate

The game lobbies aren't ranked so new players will pretty much always be severally outmatched by level 40 or 50 players who are seriously skilled. That wouldn't be so bad if leveling up didn't give you access to better perks and weapons. So here you are a level one with no perks and a pea shooter up against a team of level 50's with sniper rifles and heavy machine-guns all with the juggernaut last stand parks. You get cut down 50 times before your feet hit the ground. I think competitive Multyplayer is a bad thing in and of its self but the crap they pull in CoD is just unforgivable.

But that's all my opinion and personal biases, ripe for the ignoring.

The thing is that CoD makes more money than God for what is essentially the same game over and over again every year. And since CoD 4 other developers have been making CoD 4 ripoffs, and it's gotten to the point to where seeing something that isn't just CoD 4 in a different box is a real rarity. The popularity CoD is making cover based FPS games the majority of the games being released.

Gears of War can share the blame for that too.

So I guess you can say we hate CoD because it's popular but that's only half of it.

 

[Burnhardt]

The main reason why I hate what CoD has become, and I've said this before, it's the FPS equivalent of Madden, FIFA and PES.

Constant yearly updates with little improvements and changes since Modern Warfare. Also having the cheek to 'forget' to include popular maps and charge for them some time after release.

Others include the community (I'll use what I what thank you very much), game modes (mainly just varriants of Deathmatch), and the level designs (give us all the controversial levels you want, nothing will ever top All Ghillied Up)

But its not going to ever change. It's got a formula that millions of gamers love.

Lets face it, if we're completely honest with ourselves we like what we know and tend to stick with things we're familar with and dislike it when developers make major changes to a series or screw up a genre.

 

[4RM3D]

Right then so if the changes might be bad and you run the risk of pissing off your fans like Bioware did, then why change CoD and run that same risk? Obviously people love it the way it is now like people did DA 1 and ME 1 so why screw with that?

That is a valid point. That's why companies like to play it safe. Even DA2 and ME2 changed to appeal a greater audience. The intent was to generate more money, making it more of a cash cow. This doesn't automatically make it a bad game.

If you judge a game purely on its own merits it might actually be a good game. But when you start comparing it, is when the shit will hit the fan (pun intended!).