Saw my 5yro cousin play CoD:BO (Not a hate thread)

[Negatempest]

I will say this now, Not a hate thread. This will not be about how video games are ruining kids or bad parenting, yada yada.

Now my point being that he is "able" to play a FPS at all, I mean complete the game.... I used to believe CoD may of been challenging...but realize that it was more of a "Snack" game than a Hearty game. You know, more filling once accomplished than filling like not much was done. Heck with the signs everywhere pointing where he should go and the regenerating health...it just feels pretty shallow to beat a CoD game.

I just recently played a game by the name of Flashpoint: Red River. Other than the "AI so dumb you could throw your controller at a wall." It was very satisfying. A shot to kill a guy or a shot to kill the player if hit in the right spot. No regenerating health, but finding a place to heal yourself. Watching your ammo to make sure you have enough for the next firefight. It felt less like your The Terminator and more like your a normal guy and can die from a lucky shot. I would love to see more games like Flashpoint and original Rainbow Six games to exist again. T^T

I can now understand now why game devs make a game like CoD they way they do. Get more people to play a game that requires very little skill since every hero is a bullet sponge. You get more people playing Checkers, than Chess..... but I want more Chess too.

 

[SSJBlastoise]

I'm going to guess he was playing on the easiest mode because the hardest difficulty (veteran?) isn't a walk in the park. I can breeze through them on normal but that's because it's not the hardest difficulty. When everyone can breeze through the hardest difficulty of a game then there would be a case to say the game is too easy.

I have no problem with a game being easy to complete if their is easier difficulties. Lower difficulties allow less experienced gamers to complete the story and take in some of the experience. I usually complete games the first time through on normal so I can get through the story quickly (i.e no long breaks in between story elements due to me being stuck on a part) and then challenge myself by playing the harder difficulties later on.

 

[Christopher Fisher]

I will say this now, Not a hate thread. This will not be about how video games are ruining kids or bad parenting, yada yada.

Now my point being that he is "able" to play a FPS at all, I mean complete the game.... I used to believe CoD may of been challenging...but realize that it was more of a "Snack" game than a Hearty game. You know, more filling once accomplished than filling like not much was done. Heck with the signs everywhere pointing where he should go and the regenerating health...it just feels pretty shallow to beat a CoD game.

I just recently played a game by the name of Flashpoint: Red River. Other than the "AI so dumb you could throw your controller at a wall." It was very satisfying. A shot to kill a guy or a shot to kill the player if hit in the right spot. No regenerating health, but finding a place to heal yourself. Watching your ammo to make sure you have enough for the next firefight. It felt less like your The Terminator and more like your a normal guy and can die from a lucky shot. I would love to see more games like Flashpoint and original Rainbow Six games to exist again. T^T

I can now understand now why game devs make a game like CoD they way they do. Get more people to play a game that requires very little skill since every hero is a bullet sponge. You get more people playing Checkers, than Chess..... but I want more Chess too.

Yeah, CoD are fairly easy to beat, as are most FPSs that have regenerating health. It ruins any sense of tension when you can just retreat behind a wall and get back to full health in a few seconds. In my opinion, the hardest FPS I've played this gen has been Hard Reset, but Hard Reset has far more in common with old school FPSs than with the post-Halo FPSs.

If you like Operation Flashpoint, you should also check out Arma2 and Arma3 when it gets released (the alpha is coming out very soon). Both are military sims, and I know one of my friends who is into these kind of games prefers Arma2 and has said it's considerably harder than what you get in other similar games like Operation Flashpoint. Personally, I am not really into military sims, but to each their own.

 

[Negatempest]

I'm going to guess he was playing on the easiest mode because the hardest difficulty (veteran?) isn't a walk in the park. I can breeze through them on normal but that's because it's not the hardest difficulty. When everyone can breeze through the hardest difficulty of a game then there would be a case to say the game is too easy.

I have no problem with a game being easy to complete if their is easier difficulties. Lower difficulties allow less experienced gamers to complete the story and take in some of the experience. I usually complete games the first time through on normal so I can get through the story quickly (i.e no long breaks in between story elements due to me being stuck on a part) and then challenge myself by playing the harder difficulties later on.

Actually he was playing in normal. Saw him walking in the middle of the battlefield soaking up bullets like they were nothing. The very idea of such an action in a classic FPS game would get you killed. For me, difficulty from an FPS comes when they AI becomes more intelligent and aware of their location. Instead of every single one becoming a bullet sponge and have weapons so modified it would make Spec Ops jealous.

 

[thesilentman]

I can now understand now why game devs make a game like CoD they way they do. Get more people to play a game that requires very little skill since every hero is a bullet sponge. You get more people playing Checkers, than Chess..... but I want more Chess too.

Funny you post that; I just finished a match of competitive chess, and I can't quite get enough. :-D

COD... Well, it's good at what it offers. A nice FPS to play to feel like a badass, which always has people attracted. This also reminds me of the people who say that they like "realism" and point to COD as an example, but that's a story for another day.

"Make a something for the intelligent, and it will be niche. Make something for the idiot, and there becomes a monopoly."

It's a saying that I quite find fitting about this situation. Many people use games as escapisim, so they aren't going to be as interested in the experience as some of us will be.

It actually reminds me of all those Skyrim/Dark Souls arguments that I had with my friends. One's a fantasy badassery simulator while the other's one of the best ways to truly invest yourself in a game. Am I going to recommend a Skyrim fan Dark Souls? Vice-versa? I can't recommend them as they're a fine example of apples and oranges.

Most people picked Skyrim from my experience, as they wanted to feel the badass they were. Only two of my friends picked Dark Souls, but they did not see the difference between the two games. One game targeted one niche, and the other did the same thing.

It's all just a matter of personal preference. I personally like my games to assault my testicules and make me feel part of the experience via difficulty and some aspects that you mentioned, OP. What I seek isn't for everyone and I'm cool with developers choosing to guarantee income to experiment and further the medium. I don't see this happening, which makes me a sad panda...

 

[AVeryClassyCat]

I think the one thing that CoD has going for it is that the difficulty can be really adjusted to make anyone capable of getting through the game whether they want a huge challenge or little to none at all. Personally, I picked one of them up to play the multiplayer to get used to FPS controls on the console when I bought my 360 a few months ago. It has been a great way to get acclimated to the basics, and I got to see first hand how well structured the multiplayer experience levels and perks and doodads and such make progression really engaging and fun. Call Of Duty knows what it is doing when it comes to being an excellent entry level/standard FPS and a really well designed multiplayer experience (though Battlefield 3's multiplayer modes are, imo, far more imaginative).

Game devs make games like CoD not because they are easy, though. They add elements of a standard, well-received console experience to expand the number of people who can jump in to their game using strategies they are already familiar with. It's not a bad idea on paper. It's also not necessarily a good idea either, because it might be a signal that developers are relying on essentially "dollar votes" to determine what kind of design choices to make in their games and letting more innovative ideas be passed over. When the public becomes content with a standard and the industry becomes conservative to prevent failure, we all lose out on ideas that could be brilliant if only given a chance.

In my opinion, the hardest FPS I've played this gen has been Hard Reset, but Hard Reset has far more in common with old school FPSs than with the post-Halo FPSs.

Much love for Hard Reset! I loved that game.

 

[Frezzato]

I will say this now

...If you like Operation Flashpoint, you should also check out Arma2 and Arma3 when it gets released (the alpha is coming out very soon). Both are military sims, and I know one of my friends who is into these kind of games prefers Arma2 and has said it's considerably harder than what you get in other similar games like Operation Flashpoint. Personally, I am not really into military sims, but to each their own.

Honestly, the true difficulty in the first Operation Flashpoint (which by the way is the only one worth playing I feel) is the awkward way in which you interact with the world. Yahtzee nailed it on the head when he said trying to stand up in that game is like having a fridge strapped to your head. The game was ruined by the incredibly stupid controls later in the game, where you're forced to take over a squad. That section is basically an exercise in teaching robots how to walk, having to hold their hands in every step of what it means to be a human being:

"Four, stand up."
"Four, move to this point."
"Four, change to your LAW rocket."
"Four, target...T-80 at 12 o'clock."
[Cannot fire.]
(What the hell?)
"Four, move to...tree at 12 o'clock."
[Four starts walking like a duck because he still has a LAW rocket on his shoulder.]
"Four, change to rifle."
"Four, move to...tree at 12 o'clock."
"Four, target T-80 at 12 o'clock."
[Four starts switching back to his LAW when the general area he's standing in explodes.]
"Four...respond."
[Four...is down.]
AAAAAAAAERERRRRRGGHHH RAGE QUIT.

So aside from the freaking RETARDED squad controls (and also tank platoon controls), the single-player campaign is phenomenal. You could drive any vehicle that worked, you could reload, repair tanks you find (if you had the ammo or repair truck) and you could fly helicopters and such. All of that disappeared in the newer, shinier Op Flash games on 360/PS3.

 

[Negatempest]

I totally understand CoD being the way it is now. I just wish more games were available similar to Flashpoint in the form eof mechanics. With the AI having some form of competent thought. I also loved Rainbow Six games in the form of kinda stealth gameplay.

 

[The White Hunter]

Well like you said, CoD is a snack, it's fast and gratifying and fun while it lasts. I can agree that I like the odd FPS that is more of a 3 course meal than a quick hamburger though. Flashpoint: Red River was actually pretty fun for a while, more so than Dragon Rising but still not so good as Rainbow Six.

I do hope Rainbow Six Patriots is good. I also hope it's more substantial than the PS360 flashpoint games.

I also hope Battlefield stops it's progressive cod-ification...

Edit: I've actually taken more to having an issue with ranking up to unlock equipment, too many games fuck it up. Killzone and Battlefield both suck at it, handing out unlocks at a glacial pace and making newer players woefully underequipped for the job. I really would rather just have everything unlocked at the start and have the game be it's own reward but then how would developers sell unlock packs.

 

[The White Hunter]

Snip

That's quite a good comparison, the Skyrim vs Dark Souls one. I do know a lot of people who thoroughly enjoy both of those games though and I'd count myself among them. They tickle different parts of my gaming palette as it were.

Dark Souls offers a trying, difficult and rewarding slog through a hellishly unforgiving world.

Skyrim appeals to my love of exploring to the horizon and stealing all the loot. It's also much easier to play in bite sized chunks than a Souls game is.

We can has all the types of game! : D

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Actually he was playing in normal. Saw him walking in the middle of the battlefield soaking up bullets like they were nothing. The very idea of such an action in a classic FPS game would get you killed.

Ehh... I remember in the easier difficulties of Medal of Honor Frontline a perfectly viable strategy was to just strut around like a terminator taking ALL THE BULLETS! I remember not needing to seek cover while reloading, even if you were taking SMG fire at point blank range, but at the same time you could only do that once until you found another healthpack.

The main difference in the games I think is the power curve: Easier difficulties had a power curve where, as the levels increased, the health, damage and accuracy of enemies also slowly increased to give the game a constant challenge, so generally the last level on easiest difficulty was similar to playing on hard mode. Because of this it took around a year for me to finish Medal of Honor Frontline, and the same with the other FPSs I played back then. Nowadays the difficulty stays static the whole way through, meaning if you can finish the first level you can finish the last. I think that is the main difference that makes these games so easy to everyone (although regenerating health and shorter games also contribute to making the games shorter and easier)

 

[Colt47]

I enjoyed the Modern Warfare series a lot when I first encountered it as well. It's easy to grasp and the unlocks were fun to get and play around with. The only issue it suffers is that it keeps rereleasing itself. I actually wouldn't mind too much having a five year old play the game if I'm sitting with him while he is playing it as well. I mean, most people tend to forget that just about every generation has their version of the cowboys and indians thing going: My parents used guns that had pop-caps in them to generate noise, I had nerf guns and other foam beat sticks, and now it looks like we are moving to nerf + video games. Still think nerf guns beat CoD though simply because I owe it to my nerf bow that I was able to own everyone at archery.

Bulls-eyes at 50 meters and the ability to nail moving targets at 30 meters or closer. XD

As for gaming difficulty, most games are aiming towards being accessible over being challenging these days. The costs of development are just too high in the AAA market to specifically target just experienced players, and those that do are quickly relegated to being niche (like Dark Souls, even though that game is really immersive).

 

[DSK-]

I will say this now

...If you like Operation Flashpoint, you should also check out Arma2 and Arma3 when it gets released (the alpha is coming out very soon). Both are military sims, and I know one of my friends who is into these kind of games prefers Arma2 and has said it's considerably harder than what you get in other similar games like Operation Flashpoint. Personally, I am not really into military sims, but to each their own.

Honestly, the true difficulty in the first Operation Flashpoint (which by the way is the only one worth playing I feel) is the awkward way in which you interact with the world. Yahtzee nailed it on the head when he said trying to stand up in that game is like having a fridge strapped to your head. The game was ruined by the incredibly stupid controls later in the game, where you're forced to take over a squad. That section is basically an exercise in teaching robots how to walk, having to hold their hands in every step of what it means to be a human being:

"Four, stand up."
"Four, move to this point."
"Four, change to your LAW rocket."
"Four, target...T-80 at 12 o'clock."
[Cannot fire.]
(What the hell?)
"Four, move to...tree at 12 o'clock."
[Four starts walking like a duck because he still has a LAW rocket on his shoulder.]
"Four, change to rifle."
"Four, move to...tree at 12 o'clock."
"Four, target T-80 at 12 o'clock."
[Four starts switching back to his LAW when the general area he's standing in explodes.]
"Four...respond."
[Four...is down.]
AAAAAAAAERERRRRRGGHHH RAGE QUIT.

So aside from the freaking RETARDED squad controls (and also tank platoon controls), the single-player campaign is phenomenal. You could drive any vehicle that worked, you could reload, repair tanks you find (if you had the ammo or repair truck) and you could fly helicopters and such. All of that disappeared in the newer, shinier Op Flash games on 360/PS3.

Hahahaha! I read this in the exact same radio voice I had in the original Operation Flashpoint. Everything you said is 100% true.

 

[Robot Bunny]

I enjoyed the Modern Warfare series a lot when I first encountered it as well. It's easy to grasp and the unlocks were fun to get and play around with. The only issue it suffers is that it keeps rereleasing itself. I actually wouldn't mind too much having a five year old play the game if I'm sitting with him while he is playing it as well. I mean, most people tend to forget that just about every generation has their version of the cowboys and indians thing going: My parents used guns that had pop-caps in them to generate noise, I had nerf guns and other foam beat sticks, and now it looks like we are moving to nerf + video games. Still think nerf guns beat CoD though simply because I owe it to my nerf bow that I was able to own everyone at archery.

Bulls-eyes at 50 meters and the ability to nail moving targets at 30 meters or closer. XD

As for gaming difficulty, most games are aiming towards being accessible over being challenging these days. The costs of development are just too high in the AAA market to specifically target just experienced players, and those that do are quickly relegated to being niche (like Dark Souls, even though that game is really immersive).

I agree with that, but as a kid I did not have nerf guns and the like just my mind and a whole of lot Lego, which still sometimes amuses me. The first game I think I ever played a lot was at the age of 7 and it was mercenaries which was very violent. The game that got me in though was Rome total war because I played it with friends and other people, so for kids these day they play this because it allows them to interact with there friends, but of course I wish it was a better game they are playing but really if you are not a parent what can you do.

 

[talker]

He completed call of duty: black ops? does not compute *fzzzzzt* fzzzzzzzzt* *BOOM*

 

[Negatempest]

I enjoyed the Modern Warfare series a lot when I first encountered it as well. It's easy to grasp and the unlocks were fun to get and play around with. The only issue it suffers is that it keeps rereleasing itself. I actually wouldn't mind too much having a five year old play the game if I'm sitting with him while he is playing it as well. I mean, most people tend to forget that just about every generation has their version of the cowboys and indians thing going: My parents used guns that had pop-caps in them to generate noise, I had nerf guns and other foam beat sticks, and now it looks like we are moving to nerf + video games. Still think nerf guns beat CoD though simply because I owe it to my nerf bow that I was able to own everyone at archery.

Bulls-eyes at 50 meters and the ability to nail moving targets at 30 meters or closer. XD

As for gaming difficulty, most games are aiming towards being accessible over being challenging these days. The costs of development are just too high in the AAA market to specifically target just experienced players, and those that do are quickly relegated to being niche (like Dark Souls, even though that game is really immersive).

Oh no. It's not so much that I do not want him to play the game. It is more like a self reflection of, "Did I actually believe CoD was challenging?" It's a quick joy of a game, but I would love a game as well that's a full course meal. Which just don't exist well in consoles. Not that they cannot sell, just that developers are spending FAR too much money to make the game.

 

[Colt47]

I enjoyed the Modern Warfare series a lot when I first encountered it as well. It's easy to grasp and the unlocks were fun to get and play around with. The only issue it suffers is that it keeps rereleasing itself. I actually wouldn't mind too much having a five year old play the game if I'm sitting with him while he is playing it as well. I mean, most people tend to forget that just about every generation has their version of the cowboys and indians thing going: My parents used guns that had pop-caps in them to generate noise, I had nerf guns and other foam beat sticks, and now it looks like we are moving to nerf + video games. Still think nerf guns beat CoD though simply because I owe it to my nerf bow that I was able to own everyone at archery.

Bulls-eyes at 50 meters and the ability to nail moving targets at 30 meters or closer. XD

As for gaming difficulty, most games are aiming towards being accessible over being challenging these days. The costs of development are just too high in the AAA market to specifically target just experienced players, and those that do are quickly relegated to being niche (like Dark Souls, even though that game is really immersive).

Oh no. It's not so much that I do not want him to play the game. It is more like a self reflection of, "Did I actually believe CoD was challenging?" It's a quick joy of a game, but I would love a game as well that's a full course meal. Which just don't exist well in consoles. Not that they cannot sell, just that developers are spending FAR too much money to make the game.

We all started on games that were rather simple, anyway. I think the first game I played was a side scrolling space shooter on an apple PC, followed by Gods on a windows 95 PC. In any case most of the games were simple side scrollers with not much depth to them and simple mechanics, which pretty much describes Call of Duty. Shooters are to this generation as side scrollers were 20+ years ago.

 

[Negatempest]

I enjoyed the Modern Warfare series a lot when I first encountered it as well. It's easy to grasp and the unlocks were fun to get and play around with. The only issue it suffers is that it keeps rereleasing itself. I actually wouldn't mind too much having a five year old play the game if I'm sitting with him while he is playing it as well. I mean, most people tend to forget that just about every generation has their version of the cowboys and indians thing going: My parents used guns that had pop-caps in them to generate noise, I had nerf guns and other foam beat sticks, and now it looks like we are moving to nerf + video games. Still think nerf guns beat CoD though simply because I owe it to my nerf bow that I was able to own everyone at archery.

Bulls-eyes at 50 meters and the ability to nail moving targets at 30 meters or closer. XD

As for gaming difficulty, most games are aiming towards being accessible over being challenging these days. The costs of development are just too high in the AAA market to specifically target just experienced players, and those that do are quickly relegated to being niche (like Dark Souls, even though that game is really immersive).

Oh no. It's not so much that I do not want him to play the game. It is more like a self reflection of, "Did I actually believe CoD was challenging?" It's a quick joy of a game, but I would love a game as well that's a full course meal. Which just don't exist well in consoles. Not that they cannot sell, just that developers are spending FAR too much money to make the game.

Oh, you should of just said that earlier. Would of made more sense. Though I am personally eager for something a little more different now than another fps/3rdps. Maybe go back to some beat-em ups again or side-scrollers.
We all started on games that were rather simple, anyway. I think the first game I played was a side scrolling space shooter on an apple PC, followed by Gods on a windows 95 PC. In any case most of the games were simple side scrollers with not much depth to them and simple mechanics, which pretty much describes Call of Duty. Shooters are to this generation as side scrollers were 20+ years ago.

 

[TheBelgianGuy]

You see your 5 year old cousin playing CoD and your first reaction was 'Wow, these games sure have gotten easier!' and not 'Why the hell is a 5 year old being allowed to play a highly violent shooter'?

Silly me, I too thought this thread would be about "Why are preteens playing violent videogames", but apparently we're the only two to notice?