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Modern Warfare 3 – Collection 4: Final Assault Review

  by   Shawn Kegarise  
September 5, 2012 1:53 pm in Features

The end of Modern Warfare 3 content season is upon us. With the final Collection 4 pack arriving tomorrow for Xbox 360 users and soon for PlayStation 3 and PC users, the devs behind the DLC wanted to go out with a bang. How might they do that, you ask? By hitting all of you multiplayer enthusiasts with 5 new maps. If you aren’t an ELITE member, this is the map pack you have been waiting for. After Collection 3 hit, many were disappointed with the lack of multiplayer focus. No need to worry Call of Duty fans, Collection 4 is for you.

Decomission

This shoreline-based setting of rotting ocean liners is the perfect place for those run-and-gun types. For those of us ELITE users, Decomission is not a new map. Having released all the way back in July, we’re probably already familiar with it.

I found Decomission to be one of the maps more suited towards the run and gun style I originally played this map with my trusty ACR but found more success once I switched over to the P90 and MP7. Now I’m not saying you can’t achieve decent scores here by sitting back with an assault rifle or sniper, play as you please. There’s a few areas that seem to be pretty populated and those are the higher levelled areas from old ocean liners. When you are navigating through this map don’t just run around like an idiot, although this map is suited for run and gun, there’s plenty of room for flanking opportunities. Always pay attention up top as that’s where most enemies liked to position themselves when I was playing.

Off Shore

Off Shore leaves you trapped on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean. With plenty of recognizable areas such as helipads, cranes and various perches for those of you who like to snipe, it’s easy to navigate this map. Again, for those of us ELITE users, Off Shore has been made available since July. I really dig the concept art for this map, it’s pretty badass.

Try to run with Dead Silence here, the click clanking on the oil rig’s hard metal surface can give your position away quite easily to those who run with gaming headsets. Not to mention it becomes extremely annoying to hear after a minute into the match. The first time you play this map you may get a tad bit confused but after that you should feel right at home. There’s high levelled playing areas you can rain down sniper fire on unsuspecting foes, or you can just run-and-gun with your SMG. This map fits all play styles nicely, although I could do without the annoying click clacking noise from the oil rig surface. I know I’m not alone here, either.

Parish

Parish takes you to the war-torn French Quarter located in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States. This map is one of the smaller maps of the bunch, perfect for those who want to run-and-gun amongst the rubble left behind by the destruction of war.

This is probably my most favorite map of the bunch. Gulch is dominated by close quarters combat with narrow walkways. This is definitely not a map you want to snipe on, unless of course you’re one of those awesome quickscoper guys. My advice would be to run with an SMG so you are light on your feet, these areas are very small so you don’t want to sit around for too long. Of course you’ll have your campers who won’t move that will slow the pace of the game down, but without that issue, this map is actually one of the better DLC maps we have seen on Modern Warfare 3. There’s a few indoor areas you can run into if there is some sort of lethal attack chopper in the sky. I’m sure when you are done playing Parish you will want to vote for this map instantly right afterwards.

Gulch

Gulch is an abandoned mining town surrounded by mountains, mine shafts and equipment sheds. You’ll have yourself plenty of opportunities to flank opponents on this map. The color palette of this map will take you back to the Modern Warfare 2 days where we remember Afghan. Now these two maps are not similar in any way, but you get that feeling when you see brown dominate your screen, with a bunch of big ass rocks everywhere.

Despite the dominate brown color palette that sweeps through Gulch, this is one of the more nicer looking maps on the entire game. There’s a nice river that flows through the map that leads into a waterfall, which you can fall off of and kill yourself, which I recommend you don’t do. Outside of a small cave, and a few small broken homes there’s not much place for cover here. You’ll have to bob and weave your way around the rocks and broken shelter to play here. If it wasn’t for Parish, Gulch would be my #1 DLC map in Modern Warfare 3. This map just plays perfectly. There’s not many places to sit and pitch a tent and it can cater to all play styles nicely.

Boardwalk

Set on the Jersey Coast of the United States, your battlefield is set on a sunny afternoon at the boardwalk. With various tourist attractions around, such as a rollercoaster or arcade, you’ll battle it out on this war-torn map. Boardwalk can get a bit intense at times. There’s so many shops you can run in and out of that can change the pace of the game up in an instant.

The one thing I hate about this map is that it reminds me of Jersey Shore. You know, that terrible show on MTV that finally got cancelled? The thing I did like about this map, is that I got to shoot it up and kill some bad guys in the process. Finding your way around this map can be a bit tricky, because there’s so many shops you can enter that it may be hard for some to distinguish the difference between them. You won’t have any trouble ducking and hiding from incoming Predator Missiles here. I’m not quite sure how sniping would work here, but I wouldn’t recommend it until you familiarize yourself with the map. There’s t-shirt shops, tattoos shops, game rooms and food areas to navigate through. It’s quite confusing at first, but if you’re an avid Call of Duty player you should welcome this map with open arms.

Conclusion

Well, after reading a bit about each of these maps, the final 3 drops for us ELITE users today (Boardwalk, Gulch, Parish) were by far my favorite DLC drops on Modern Warfare 3 period. Not only do you get that rush of urgency that people are actually running around and playing, the game feels good. If I had to pick a favorite from this pack, it would be Parish. If I had to pick my least favorite, it would be Off Shore. Off Shore doesn’t really lend itself to the quick run and gun style that I’m a huge fan of, and that annoying metal surface can be bothersome. Parish is everything I look for in a Call of Duty map. Action packed, quick to navigate and remember, gun on gun action and it doesn’t suit the camping play style.

If I had to rate this map pack as a whole, it easily gets a 4.5/5. This is the map pack all of you multiplayer junkies have been waiting for. There’s no extra Spec Ops mission or tacky game mode thrown into this collection, it’s strictly multiplayer. After a long content season of the biggest DLC support in Call of Duty history, Modern Warfare 3’s post-launch DLC support is now over. It’s a bittersweet yet exciting moment, as most players look ahead in the future to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 launching in 2 months.

Don’t forget that Collection 4: Final Assault launches for Xbox 360 users tomorrow. A date for the PlayStation 3 and PC have yet to be confirmed, but once that information is available we will publish it here on MP1st. So how many Modern Warfare 3 heads are patiently awaiting this pack? Let us know in the comments below!

Tags: Call of Duty Collection 4 DLC Featured Infinity Ward Modern Warfare 3 PC PS3 Review Sledgehammer Xbox 360

Shawn Kegarise

Hailing from beautiful Pittsburgh PA, Shawn has spent most of his 25 years playing video games. The original Killzone on PlayStation 2 captured his love for competitive multiplayer experiences and has thrived on that ever since. Now I live, breathe and eat multiplayer madness with the guys and gals of Lucky Strike. Subscriber

Home > News

Battlefield 3 – Traditional Map Rotations Now Live For Consoles

  by   Shawn Kegarise  
1:37 pm in News

DICE has been listening to fan feedback and today they acted with more traditional map presets for consoles. The brand new map rotations can be found below.

Conquest Classics

Live now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, conquest only with a mixture of vanilla and Back to Karkand expansion maps.

  • Caspian Border
  • Operation Firestorm
  • Noshahr Canals
  • Wake Island
  • Gulf of Oman
  • Strike at Karkand
  • Sharqi Peninsula
  • Kharg Island

All-Out Rush

Live now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rush only on vanilla and Back to Karkand expansion maps.

  • Operation Metro
  • Kharg Island
  • Grand Bazaar
  • Seine Crossing
  • Damavand Peak
  • Wake Island
  • Gulf of Oman
  • Strike at Karkand
  • Sharqi Peninsula

Armored Kill Conquest Only

Live now on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 11, Conquest only on Armored Kill expansion maps.

Armored Kill Rush Only

Live now on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 11, Rush only on Armored Kill expansion maps.

Tanks Are Superior

Live now on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 11, Tank Superiority on Armored Kill expansion maps.

This news comes a few weeks after DICE announces they have quadrupled official servers. Let us know in the comment section below how you feel about these new map rotation presets. As always, stay tuned to MP1st for all of your Battlefield news.

Tags: Battlefield Battlefield 3 DICE Featured PS3 Xbox 360

Shawn Kegarise

Hailing from beautiful Pittsburgh PA, Shawn has spent most of his 25 years playing video games. The original Killzone on PlayStation 2 captured his love for competitive multiplayer experiences and has thrived on that ever since. Now I live, breathe and eat multiplayer madness with the guys and gals of Lucky Strike. Subscriber

Home > Features

What Battlefield 4 Needs to Get Right, On Console Mostly

  by   BOSS JEDIZOHAN  
9:38 am in Features

As suggested to me in the comments of a previous post (which one I’ve of course forgotten), someone asked if I could round up a list of all the major bugs plaguing BF3.  While I think the idea of exposing the gritty dirt of all the bugs and glitches is a good one, I don’t see how it could do much good.  Of course if enough people start bugging DICE to fix whatever I mention DICE will probably do something, but BF3 is nearly a year old now.  As far as games these days are concerned, BF3 is on life support and DLC is basically the only thing keeping it relevant.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed BF3 very much and have no plans to stop playing once MoH:WF and BOII release, but let’s be honest here, BF3 is on death’s door.  So, what is my objective here?  Isn’t getting BF3 bug-free worth it?  Of course, but getting a year-old game running 100% bug-free is less important to me than making sure the next game has less bugs than the old one.

But bugs aren’t the only thing that bother me about BF3.

For the most part, I think DICE has done a great job in fixing most of BF3’s bugs.  Yes, it took them forever but most of the major bugs have been or will be fixed soon. Yes, the M26 Dart glitch should never have made it into the wild, but how many bugs has DICE actually fixed?  I’ll guess and say more than 1.  In fact, if your review the patch notes for BF3, you’ll see that DICE has done basically nothing but listen to the community.  If they did something we didn’t like (suppression buff), they revisited their decision.  If there was something we thought was imbalanced, they made an effort to rebalance it (FAMAS).  The patch that just recently released was also “100% based on community feedback,” according to community manager Daniel Matros.Yeah, BF3 was buggy as hell when it launched and there are still a few issues that need to be fixed, but overall, I give DICE an A for keeping their patching process rolling smoothly and fixing issues as they are reported.  Additionally, I’m fairly certain every tweet I’ve ever sent to @Battlefield has been responded to within minutes.  So all you folks complaining about their customer service can take a chill pill.

Bugs aside, I think BF3 has some major issues that need to be addressed in Battlefield 4.  These issues are not things that DICE can fix in BF3, so don’t go ranting and raving at them please.  Please keep in mind that my experience with BF3 has been strictly on console.  I’ve played BF3 on PC, but not for more than an hour or so in total.  Also keep in mind that a lot of these issues stem from the fact that BF3’s dedicated server system makes doing what P2P games do difficult in some ways and impossible in others.  So it’s not all DICE’s fault.

Issue 1: Party System

It would be an understatement to say that BF3’s party system sucks.  Frankly, it’s a load of shit.  For a multiplayer game of BF3’s scale, only being able to join lobbies 4 people at a time is just dumb.  What’s worse is that half the time, my friends end up on the other team or in a different squad.  For BF4 to ride the wave of BF3’s massive success, they are going to have to improve or totally overhaul the party system.  At least 8 people need to be able to play together in a party without having to worry about what team they’re going to end up on.  I’ll admit that the smaller party size helps ensure quicker matchmaking, but I’d rather wait an extra 10 seconds than have to fight the game to put me and my friends on the same team and in the same squad.  On a side note, the default VOIP setting should be team, not squad (wink wink @Battlefield).

Issue 2: Post-Match lobby

While I really do enjoy watching all my in-game achievements and rewards whiz by, it’d be really great if I could actually modify my classes while waiting for the next match to begin.  It’d also be nice to know what map is going to be next.  But the biggest issue with the post-match lobby system is that, well, it’s basically functionless.  Aside from the scoreboard, the post-match lobby in BF3 doesn’t do anything.  This is one thing that COD has gotten right, and in a big way.  The post/pre-match lobby in COD has a lot of functionality.  I can adjust my classes, vote on the next map, invite my friends using the in-game party system, and interact with everyone else in the lobby.  BF4’s post-match lobby is just a scoreboard and load of useless eye-candy to someone that has unlocked everything.  BF4 needs to take a hint from COD and make it so we can create/join squads, invite our friend into our squad/game, edit our classes, and at least see what map/game is next.

Issue 3: Performance

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that BF3 on console runs about as well as a car that’s been set on fire and had cement poured in the trunk.  I’ve played BF3 at 120fps on a PC and while I might have sucked balls at it, I’ll be damned if it didn’t feel amazing to get my ass kicked.  On console, BF3 runs scaled-down maps with inferior textures and reduced destruction, all at an underwheleming 30fps.  While fps might not mean much to you, it means a lot to me.  Fps is essentially the resolution of motion, the more fps, the more detail and clarity you get out of moving objects.  Fps makes a big difference to an experienced player and if BF4 doesn’t run at 60fps or greater on next-gen consoles, I can’t say that I’ll be very happy.  There are some other things about how BF3 preforms that I dislike like visual and auditory bugs, and I’ll admit that PCs are always going to run games better than consoles, but BF4 really needs to up the ante on console over its predecessor to keep the BF franchise competitive.  60fps is a standard benchmark of good performance for a reason.

Additionally, everything I’ve heard regarding the PC version of BF3 seems to indicate that it is a crash-fest.  While I agree that games constantly crashing is beyond annoying, I think the issue has way less to do with the game or DICE than it does with the fact that EA basically forced the Origin platform on DICE.  Origin, for lack of a better description, is a boat-load of shit.  Most games that require it to run are prone to crashing, so it’s no surprise that BF3 suffers as much as it does from shutdowns.  Essentially, EA needs to overhaul Origin and DICE needs to examine possible fixes for the crash issues so BF4 doesn’t have the same issue.

Issue 4: Hacking (PC)

From what I’ve been able to gather from watching PC players and reading up on the epidemic of hacking BF3 players have been subjected to on PC, I can only say that if hacking isn’t dealt with better in BF4, BF on PC is going to die.  Right now, hacking, or “scripting” is basically destroying DayZ’s momentum.  Granted, DayZ is just a free mod and a real DayZ game is just a few months away from release, but hackers and script kiddies have soured the DayZ experience to the point that a lot of the people have stopped playing it.  That’s going to hurt the standalone DayZ’s sales, which is going to hurt the future of DayZ.  Hacking in FPS games is high on the list of shit gamers hate dealing with and if DICE and other game developers can’t stop hackers from polluting the online experience, the lifespan of their games is going to drop off much faster than it does now.  Rockstar has the right idea in forcing hackers to play against each other and segregating them from legitimate players, but the ability of people to hack online games needs to be addressed, head on.

Issue 5: Bad Players

For my final complaint, I’d like to make it clear that I am routinely astounded by the lack of skill the average player of FPS online games seems to have.  Back in my day, if you were 18 or younger, you were basically assumed to be a beast at gaming.  Kids used to rule gaming and today, it seems like they’re just fish in a barrel.  Maybe a decade of experience and the intelligence that comes with being a college-educated 25 year old gives me a slight advantage over most of the people playing COD and BF3, but holy shit do most people suck at these games.  I can’t even begin to describe the level of stupid I am subjected to when I play online FPS games.  Most people can’t aim for shit.  Just about everyone runs in whatever direction they happen to be facing when they spawn, regardless of what’s happening on the rest of the map.  Playing the objective seems to be the opposite of playing the objective.  The mini-map might as well not exist.  And I’ll be damned if 2/3 of all players can’t fly a helicopter to save their life.

BF3 isn’t as easy to get kills in as in COD.  The maps are bigger, there’s a lot more going on between all the vehicles and additional players, and the guns aren’t nearly as death-laser-accurate as the ACR 6.8.  But that’s no excuse for how bad most people seem to be at BF3.  On the rare occasion that I run into a competitive group of players, they’re on the other team and stomping my team’s ass.  Despite how well I do, it seems like I lose more often because of dumbass teammates than anything else.  So, it’d be great if BF4 had some more options for matchmaking, like a “don’t put me on a team of trolling derps” matchmaking option.  How do you determine who’s a trolling derp for a brand new game?  Well, as time goes on, people should get better at the game.  If they don’t, then they get matched with other equally-unskilled players.  Think of your stats and how often you’re rewarded for playing the objective like a measure of how good you are.  If your numbers improve week-to-week, you are getting better.  If they aren’t, you’re doing something wrong or don’t have the skills to be a good player.  I want to play against players as good as I am and I think skill-based matchmaking will resolve a lot if not all of my player-related issues with the BF franchise.  It will also improve the lifespan of all FPS games by making it easier for players late to the game to get better at it instead of just always getting stomped by the people with tons of experience.

To wrap it all up, BF3 has laid the groundwork for the future of the BF franchise.  For BF4 to be a success, BF3’s issues have to stay BF3’s issues.  Issues carrying over from one game to the next is what’s been holding COD back since WAW and it’s a big part of what kills franchises.  If BF4 can improve the BF experience and address BF3’s mistakes, I think it has the potential to wrest the crown of the king of games from COD’s massive hands.  If not, oh well.  Overcoming the challenges of next-gen console development is going to make or break a lot of games and franchises for Holiday 2013, hopefully BF4 isn’t among the bruised and broken come 2014.

What are your thoughts?  Are there any issues you think DICE needs to address for BF4?  Also, don’t bring up your desire for MOH to not exist or their being a sequel to BF:BC2 instead of BF3 in 2014, shit ain’t happening.

If you want DICE to hear what you have to say and can be constructive and form a strong/intelligent opinion, get in touch with them on their twitter profile.

Thank you for reading.

Tags: Battlefield 3 Battlefield 4 Featured PC PS3 Xbox 360

BOSS JEDIZOHAN

I've been a gamer since before most gamers were born. Now a full-fledged member of the PC Master Race, I'm enjoying all the best games from both AAA and Indie developers in glorious 1440p. Praise Gaben and may the Steam deals be ever syphoning funds from your life savings. Subscriber

Home > News

Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection 3 Coming To PS3/PC September 13th

  by   Shawn Kegarise  
September 4, 2012 7:34 pm in News

[youtube id=”BRJLE_7a-Nc” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Rejoice PlayStation 3 and PC users, Content Collection 3 for Modern Warfare 3 is almost at your fingertips. To those of you waiting for more multiplayer maps to master and have fun on, you’ll have to wait. Content Collection 3’s main primary focus is on improving the Spec Ops experience, although Face Off get’s some final support as well.

Included in the Content Collection 3 are as follows.

Chaos Mode
U-Turn
Vortex
Intersection
Vertigo
Arctic Recon

U-Turn, Vortex and Intersection are the final pieces that will be added to the multiplayer Face Off mode. Vertigo and Arctic Recon are the final additions to Spec Ops, and Chaos Mode adds a whole new meaning to survival. If you have yet to see any of this content, you can read our own reviews on these items here and here.

Any PlayStation 3 and PC users excited to finally get their hands on this content? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget Xbox 360 users, Content Collection 4 will be available to you this Thursday on September 6th.

Tags: Call of Duty Collection 3 DLC Featured Infinity Ward Modern Warfare 3 PC PS3

Shawn Kegarise

Hailing from beautiful Pittsburgh PA, Shawn has spent most of his 25 years playing video games. The original Killzone on PlayStation 2 captured his love for competitive multiplayer experiences and has thrived on that ever since. Now I live, breathe and eat multiplayer madness with the guys and gals of Lucky Strike. Subscriber

Home > News

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron ‘Havoc Pack’ DLC Available Now

  by   Shawn Kegarise  
6:59 pm in News

Featuring 5 playable multiplayer characters, including all of their parts is the brand new Havoc Pack. These new body parts can be interchanged within all the other Transformers sharing the same class. With this addition of 5 new Transformers and new body parts, it adds to the impossibly high number of possible combinations you can come up with. For those wondering, each part can be bought individually for those who only want certain parts from this pack.

This new Havoc Pack can be bought directly from each system’s marketplace, or from the character selection screen for 800 Microsoft Points, or $10 via PSN. Don’t worry, all purchased DLC will immediately be added for fast access to the multiplayer customization area. The 5 new Transformers include Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus, Perceptor, Zeta Prime and Blast Off.

Any loyal Transformers fan out there diving into Fall of Cybertron yet? Feel free to let us know your thoughts on the game or DLC itself in the comments below. If you haven’t yet, feel free to check out our own multiplayer review of Fall of Cybertron!

Tags: Fall of Cybertron Featured Havoc Pack High Moon Studios Transformers Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Shawn Kegarise

Hailing from beautiful Pittsburgh PA, Shawn has spent most of his 25 years playing video games. The original Killzone on PlayStation 2 captured his love for competitive multiplayer experiences and has thrived on that ever since. Now I live, breathe and eat multiplayer madness with the guys and gals of Lucky Strike. Subscriber

Home > News

Resident Evil 6 Demo Confirmed For September 18th

  by   James Lara  
2:22 pm in News

Capcom has officially revealed the dates and details of the upcoming Resident Evil 6 demo.

The demo will be arriving on September 18th for PS3 and Xbox Live Gold Members (25th for silver). The demo consists of three story campaign modes that can either be played Solo or you can take it online in Co-op matches. You’ll play as either Leon S. Kennedy or Helena Harper and fight through three stages. This demo is completely different than the previous one that was released on Xbox a while back.

Also, if you did buy Dragon’s Dogma for the PS3, the demo that was on Xbox 360 exclusively will be available VIA token download tomorrow.

Tags: Featured PC PS3 Resident Evil 6 Xbox 360
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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Transformers: Fall of Cybertron – Dinobots Are Coming To Multiplayer Next Week

  by   James Lara  
2:11 pm in News

If you played Fall of Cybertron multiplayer you would have notice that it’s missing one of the biggest things about the game, the Dinobots. While they are apart of the single player portion of the title, the reasoning behind leaving them out of Multiplayer sadly had to do with just how would they incorporate it into the multiplayer.

“They have a different animation system, their rigs are different, and we didn’t know how we would fit them into the carefully balanced set of archetypes (cars, trucks, tanks, and planes). They didn’t fit any of those classes, and we couldn’t make a fifth class and have it be just the Dinobots,” director Matt Tieger told Polygon.

However, it seems that this has now been fixed and starting next week you’ll be able to download a new Multiplayer pack titled “Dinobots Destructor”, which will include the Dinobots Grimlock, Slug, Snarl, and Swoop. All Dinobots will have a vehicles form, along with special abilities and their own classes. No pricing, however has been set for this new DLC pack.

Screenshots of the new DLC:

What are your thoughts on this DLC Pack? What if it costs money? Leave your comment down below.

Tags: Featured PC PS3 Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Xbox 360
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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Battlefield 3: Armored Kill Launch Trailer

  by   James Lara  
9:27 am in News

Battlefield 3’s massive expansion pack, Armored Kill, is finally releasing today on the PlayStation Network for those who are Premium subscribers and to celebrate, EA has released the official launch trailer.

[youtube id=”oB8lWvpp4ww” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Tags: Armored Kill Battlefield 3 Featured PC PS3 Xbox 360
Avatar photo

James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > Features

Medal of Honor: Warfighter Hands-On at PAX Prime, Camaraderie and Authenticity Set This Shooter Apart

  by   David Veselka  
September 3, 2012 5:23 pm in Features

Many shooter fans might be asking themselves, why pick up Medal of Honor: Warfighter this October 23rd among the handful of other AAA shooters arriving this fall? Competition is stiff when you’ve got games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Halo 4 and the continued support of Battlefield 3 with its numerous expansion packs.

After having the fortunate pleasure of getting some intimate hands-on time with Warfighter during a recent Medal of Honor community event at this year’s PAX Prime in Seattle, I know why I’ll be picking up this truly authentic, military FPS this fall, and here’s why you should too.

First, let’s outline exactly what was playable during this event. The roughly 20 of us or so were set up on some high-end PCs (the Xbox 360 version was playable on the floor at PAX Prime) to get a taste of a more recent build of Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s multiplayer, Global Warfighters, including three different game modes and two maps detailed below.

Sector Control

Sector control plays a lot like Battlefield’s Conquest Domination or Call of Duty’s Domination. Three flags are set up on a map as two teams battle for control. The map we explored, set in Somalia, played very well and provided some intense CQC fire fights. This proved to be a very traditional, familiar yet fun experience.

Hot Spot

Hot spot has players planting a bomb at a specific location on the map while the opposite team must defend, much like Battlefield 3’s Rush or Call of Duty’s Demolition. What kept things really interesting here is that though there are five different objective locations, only one is highlighted at a time. Once it is destroyed or the attacking team fails to plant in time, another location is selected at random. To keep things balanced, the defending team is always notified of the new location a few seconds in advance.

Homerun

Homerun is what Danger Close calls Warfighter’s “Sport” mode. It is very competitive and keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. Two teams of six are tasked with with either capturing one of two flags and bringing it back to home base, or defending. The kicker here is that you only have one life. There are ten rounds with a half-time period where players switch sides. This mode definitely had us cheering and smack-talking the most. We played both Hot Spot and Homerun on the Sarajevo Stadium map set in Bosnia during nightfall.

Interestingly, each mode is played on a completely different section of a map, meaning one map could have three or so different playable locations among the different game modes. During this play session, classes were locked to one per six different Tier 1 Operator units and persistence was turned off, meaning we didn’t get a feel for the unlock progression or weapon/equipment customization.

The first noticeable, major improvements over Medal of Honor 2010’s multiplayer was the map design and Scorechain system. No longer will you need to fear narrow choke-points – walking straight into the sights of a high-powered sniper rifle-wielding dude camping at the back of their base. The maps seemed balanced in their layout and lent to a number of different play styles. It was also a huge relief to be able to focus on on the gunplay without having to be bothered by a relentless number of cruise missiles or strafing runs. While these Scorechains, both offensive and defensive, are still in the game, they are much more reasonable this time around. Players are briefly notified of incoming fire to avoid those pesky insta-deaths, though you will still be heavily suppressed should you be within the area of effect. Scorechains are also specific to each class, meaning only some will have access to a UAV while others can call in mortars etc.

Speaking of classes, don’t expect too much of an importance placed on ‘role’ as Battlefield 3 emphasizes, for example. While you will have your own set of weapons, Scorechains and abilities, crucial abilities like replenishing ammo and health are allocated to the fire team mechanics (more on that below). This could be a turn off for players looking for that role-based teamplay, but there are far more important things to worry about. Take, for example, your Fire Team buddy.

This is truly the “meat” of Warfighter’s gameplay experience and what I think will separate it from other shooters on the market. Consider it co-op in competitive multiplayer. You and a buddy are assigned to a Fire Team; you must watch each other’s back, keep each other supplied with ammo and keep each other healthy at all times in order to be successful. What I loved and appreciated the most about this mechanic was that the on-screen information automatically fed to me was the very same type of information you would normally have to convey via call-outs over the microphone/chat. This means that, for one, Warfighter makes it extremely easy and an absolute blast to play with a good friend online and, second, should still prove a pleasant experience must you be partnered with a mic-less random online. Here’s what I liked:

  1. I always knew where my Fire Team buddy was via his green glow.
  2. I was always notified of his actions (kills, deaths, assists, etc.).
  3. I was always automatically made aware of his killer if he died via a short red glow.
  4. I was able to gather health and ammunition from him, rather than waiting for him to supply it.
  5. I would always safely spawn behind my Fire Team buddy, instead of in direct fire, if the option was available.

The sense of camaraderie that this unique mechanic delivered was truly astonishing and gave Warfighter’s multiplayer an extremely authentic feel. Just remember, while always being able to see your partner or your partner’s killer through walls (for a very short period of time) could be considered unrealistic, this is simply one way that a video game can convey the same senses a combatant would experience on the field. I feel Danger Close really did their homework here and accomplished something great in this regard.

[youtube id=”6ES3CiugqM4″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

So, how does Warfighter play and feel? As primarily a Battlefield 3 player, I felt very at home thanks to the use of the Frostbite 2 engine. While Warfighter didn’t scream Battlefield 3 at my face, It was very nice to see the character animations carried over like vaulting, diving to prone, crawling as well as weapon and takedown animations. Peak and lean is also an available movement in Warfighter’s multiplayer. Like Battlefield 3, knifing (or axing in this case) takes two strikes from the front to kill (though it is much quicker), or one takedown technique from the rear. Weapons handled somewhere in between Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 with a decent amount of recoil, forcing me to burst-fire in many situations. ADS times also varied depending on the weapon/optic. Class abilities were helpful but didn’t seem unbalanced. My only hopes for a future build of Warfighter is more support for controller customization and, of course, to get a better feel for the progression and weapon/equipment unlock system.

While the look and feel of Warfighter might carry that Battlefield 3 flavor, the gameplay should certainly appeal to the Call of Duty audience as well with its smaller map designe, faster-paced gameplay and scorechains rewards. The new “sport” mode might even turn the heads of a few Counter-Strike vets.

As previously mentioned, Warfighter will incorporate dedicated servers across all platforms as well as the Battlelog, including many of the same features found in Battlefield 3 like Matches and stat-tracking. Though Danger Close has clearly stated their intent to further accomodate the e-sports audience, they were unable to confirm the inclusion of a spectator mode. However, they did tell us that they’ve definitely heard the community on this subject and are working towards it.

In all, I can safely say that any multiplayer worries about Warfighter conjured up by Medal of Honor 2010 can be gathered into a body bag and thrown out of a 20-story building into a dumpster. Danger Close has listened to the community and delivered on all fronts with what I had the fortunate chance to get my hands on thus far.

I’m truly looking forward to Medal of Honor: Warfighter this October 23rd and recommend that any military FPS fan looking for a fun but authentic experience does as well. Please, feel free to leave your questions and concerns in the comments below.

Make sure to keep your sights locked on MP1st for everything Medal of Honor: Warfighter! Remember, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Tags: Featured Global Warfighters Pax Prime PC PS3 Warfighter Xbox 360

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > News

Borderlands 2 Mechromancer Character Class Dated And Priced

  by   Joel Santana  
4:31 pm in News

During the PAX Prime event that was held last weekend, Gearbox Software, developers behind the Borderlands 2, have finally announced the release date to it’s fifth playable character, the Mechromancer. Randy Pitchford, the president of Gearbox Software, has stated that Borderlands 2 players will  get to experience The Mechromancer character class when it drops on October 16th, for a hefty price tag of $10.00.

But, for those of you who don’t want to pay for the Mechromancer character, just head on to your nearest Gamestop and pre-order Borderlands 2 since doing so nets you a free upgrade to the Premium Club that includes a token that let’s you download the Mechromancer class for free. This also includes the Gamestop exclusive bonus the Creature Slaughter Dome.

For more information on the Mechromancer class and what it has to offer, feel free to check out our article where we cover the basics and the skill tree that its set to include, as well the other pre-order goodies for Borderlands 2.

Borderlands 2 is set to release  on  September 18th in the North America region and September 21th internationally, for the PC, PS3,  and Xbox 360 platforms.

Thanks to our community member Valter, for the tip.

Tags: Borderlands 2 Featured PC PS3 Xbox 360

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > News

All Battlefield 3 September Premium Content Outlined

  by   David Veselka  
1:27 pm in News

DICE lays it all on the table, detailing all of the content that Battlefield 3 Premium members can expect for the month of September, 2012.

On top of the Battlefield 3: Armored Kill expansion pack, due out for PS3 Premium members tomorrow, September 4th, all Premium members can expect a number of content drops including more Premium Events and another Strategy Guide. DICE details below.

Also, make sure to check out the latest Battlefield 3 patch notes and Armored Kill Dog Tags and Assignments.

EXPANSION PACK

What: The Battlefield 3: Armored Kill expansion pack.
Released: Sep 4 for PS3 Premium members / Sep 11 for Xbox 360 and PC Premium members
Where: Download it at no extra charge in the in-game store or from Origin/Battlelog.

UNIQUE IN-GAME CONTENT

What: 5 Premium exclusive Assignments tied to Armored Kill, each unlocking one Premium exclusive dog tags. On top of this, you get one additional Premium exclusive dog tag and 5 new Premium exclusive weapon camos. You can read all about the Assignments in Armored Kill in this blog post.
Released: September 4 for all Premium members.
Where: Automatically available in-game when you have applied the latest multiplayer update.

STRATEGY GUIDE

What: Another great strategy guide from our friends at Prima. This one features a lot of info and playing tips on Armored Kill.
Released: Second half of September (Date TBA).
Where: Available to download (when released) on the Battlelog Strategy Guides section.

PREMIUM EVENT #1

What: Double XP weekend.
When: September 15-16.
Where: Any ranked server, any ranked game mode.

PREMIUM EVENT #2

What: To be announced
When: Second half of September (Date TBA)
Where: To be announced

PREMIUM VIDEO

What: A video presented exclusively to our Premium members (Contents will be announced later)
When: Second half of September
Where: Available to view (when released) on the Battlelog Videos section.

BONUS CONTENT

This row in the Premium calendar is reserved for small bonus items outside of the game. None will be delivered in September (as the empty cell reveals).

What do you think of September’s Premium content? Let us know in the comments below.

Thanks MP1st Forum user, Brandon_2535, for the tip!

Tags: Battlefield 3 Battlefield 3 Premium Featured PC PS3 September Content Xbox 360

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > News

Battlefield 3 September 4th Official Patch Notes

  by   James Lara  
12:10 pm in News

We have all been waiting for it and DICE has finally delivered the long awaited notes for tomorrow’s patch, which weighs in at around 1-2GB (depending on system, more info below), and that’s without the Armored Kill download!

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill will also go live for PS3 Premium members tomorrow along with the patch.

WEAPONS BALANCING

Reload timer adjustments

A number of weapons have had their reload timers adjusted to better fit their animations and gameplay balance. For most of these weapons the gameplay timers were slightly out of sync with the actual reload animation, meaning the player could either fire before the animation was done, or had to wait longer than the animation played. Primarily this is a cosmetic change (around 0.1sec); however for a few weapons (M416, F2000, FAMAS, KH2002, MK3A1, JNG90, MG36 QBU-88, SVD, Pecheneg, SCAR-H, AN-94) this should also improve the performance of the weapon. Full details below:

  • Short and Long reload reduced: SCAR-L, AEK-971, F2000, AN-94, AK-74, PP2000, G3A3, SKS, MG36, JNG-90, MK3A1, SCAR-H, SVD, QBZ-95B
  • Long reload reduced: AUG A3, 44 Magnum, KH2002, Pecheneg, L85A2, QBB-95, M1911, MP7
  • Short reload reduced: M417, FAMAS, M39 EBR, M416, PP-19, QBU-88
  • Short and long reload increased: ASVal
  • Long reload reduced, shot reload increased: M4A1
  • Long reload increased: P90

Damage output/range adjustments

  • UMP: Increased the close range damage of the UMP but reduced its damage over range. The UMP now has a sweet spot in CQB but suffers compared to the PP2000 at longer ranges.
  • PP2000: Increased the long range damage of the PP2000 to highlight its role as a mid-range, low recoil PDW.
  • M1911: Increased the minimum damage of the M1911 to make it fit better between the Magnums and the M9/MP443
  • M93: Reduced the M93R’s damage and range, as it was an obvious go to pistol compared to the M9/MP443. Its recoil has been reduced for a smoother burst action to counter the reduced damage.
  • 12G Frag rounds: These rounds have been adjusted to do their damage in a smaller area but to be more consistently apply the maximum possible damage.
  • AA: Slightly increased the damage of the AA against infantry, the AA was simply over nerfed in a previous update. The AA guns now also properly do damage to MBTs again.
  • 12 Gauge buckshot close range damage has been slightly increased.
  • Slightly reduced the range penalty for the suppressor on the SCAR-H.
  • Increased bullet velocity for the coaxial HMG, making it easier to hit targets over longer ranges.
  • Increased the minimum range of the 40mm Flechette and tightened the cone of fire for more consistent damage levels.
  • Slightly reduced the range bonus added by the heavy barrel on the 5.56mm, 5.45mm, 6.5mm Assault Rifles.
  • Slightly reduced the range penalty for the suppressor on 5.56mm, 5.45mm, and 6.5mm weapons: AR, Carbine, and LMG.
  • Slightly reduced the range penalty for the suppressor on the SCAR-H.
  • Slightly reduced the range penalty for the suppressor on 5.56mm, 5.45mm, and 6.5mm weapons: AR, Carbine, and LMG.
  • Slightly reduced the range bonus added by the heavy barrel on the 5.56mm, 5.45mm, 6.5mm Assault Rifles.
  • Increased the damage of the M5K.

A select set of weapons have had their recoil adjusted based on joint community feedback and statistical analysis to provide greater balance in the weapon choices players make. Specifically, the M16A3 and M4A1 have increased recoil to make them less attractive in all situations. Competing weapons like the SG553, G36C and M416 have been improved to also increase viable player choice in primary weapons.

  • SG553: Horizontal recoil reduced to help make this weapon more controllable.
  • MG36: Vertical recoil reduced to make this weapon more controllable.
  • M416: Vertical, Horizontal, and First Shot recoil have all been reduced to make this weapon clearly different from the M16A3.
  • M16A3: Recoil amounts slightly increased.
  • M4A1: Recoil amounts slightly increased.
  • G36C: Vertical and First Shot recoil amounts reduced.
  • M16A4 and M4: These weapons have been adjusted for the increased recoil they now have. The burst versions of these weapons give the player a reduction in horizontal recoil for greater control.

Miscellaneous weapons changes

  • FIM92 and IGLA now lock on to air vehicles at both lower altitudes and longer distances.
  • Added Burst Fire to the M5K as an available fire mode.
  • Increased the bonuses provided by a number of bipods: F2000, G3A3, M27, M416, Pecheneg, Type88, FAMAS, MG36
  • Belt Fed Machine guns are now more accurate when standing and firing while aiming. This affects the M240, M249, Type88, Pecheneg, and LSAT.
  • 44 Magnum: Rate of fire reduced slightly to highlight this side arm’s role as a slow firing heavy hitter and differentiate it from the MP412 REX.
  • Increased the fire rate and reload time of the MP412 REX to better highlight the improved CQB performance over the 44 Magnum.
  • Removed burst fire from the L85 and added Single Shot to the L86 as is authentic for these weapons.
  • Slightly increased the radius for maximum damage of the 40mm LVG. While the overall damage level remains the same, the LVG will be lethal over a larger area.
  • Reduced the aimed accuracy bonus of the M417 with a suppressor to balance it with the other weapons in the game.
  • Increased the aimed accuracy bonus of the ACW-R, L86 LSW, LSAT, MP5K and MTAR with a suppressor to balance with the other weapons in the game.

Weapons fixes

  • Underslung weapons on the AUG and SCAR-L now properly benefit from the hip accuracy bonus of an attached laser sight.
  • The SOFLAM will no longer lock onto your own vehicle if deployed and not immediately activated by the player.
  • SCAR-L: Fixed the heavy barrel not increasing recoil when zoomed and standing.
  • Corrected some incorrect descriptions of clip sizes and bullet types for weapons added in Close Quarters: M5K, LSAT, and ACW-R
  • The PKS-07 is now available on QBB-95
  • The M417’s foregrip was incorrectly reducing horizontal recoil by too large an amount. It has been adjusted to be balanced with other foregrips.
  • The ACR Foregrip, MG36, QBB-95 and RPK Extended magazines as well as the RPK and SKS Heavy Barrel are now able to be unlocked and equipped in the accessory screen.
  • Fixed an issue with incorrect damage for the M320 buck when used with certain attachments.
  • MK3A1 now uses flechette rounds instead of Frag rounds in Gun Master mode (in Close Quarters).

VEHICLE RELATED TWEAKS & FIXES

  • Removed flares from gunner position in helicopters. With the right combination of unlocks, an attack helicopter could be effectively invulnerable to lock on missiles. Removing the flares from the gunner balances the attack helicopter against ground fire.
  • Air Radar now shows friendly vehicles as well.
  • Helicopter weapons can now destroy equipment with splash damage.
  • The Laser Designator unlock on the Scout Helicopters has been changed from a Pilot Upgrade to a new stance in the Copilot seat (position 4). Like the CITV turret on the Main Battle Tanks, the Scout Helicopter’s Laser Designator is permanently available to players who have received the unlock.
  • Repair tool damage against enemy vehicles lowered by 10%.
  • Changed reload behavior on Tank / Tank Destroyer cannon weapons to prevent being able to fire 2 shots from different weapons quickly one right after another.
  • Firing mode can now be seen from the vehicle passenger seats where you are allowed to fire your own weapons.
  • Fixed the hit indicator showing when entering a vehicle after previously shooting a soldier.
  • Increased the damage helicopter and jet rockets do to helicopters, jets and infantry.
  • Increased the damage helicopter gunners and IFVs do to helicopters and jets.
  • Fixed Jets not getting top attack damage bonuses on Laser Designated targets.

PERSISTENCE RELATED TWEAKS & FIXES

  • Changed how MCOM station defend/attack kill score is calculated. Victim no longer needs to arm/disarm the crate but rather be in a 5 meter radius of the crate. Also increased kills needed for the Crate Defend Ribbon from 2 to 4. Overall, these changes should make it somewhat easier to get the ribbon, while increasing the opportunity for strategic play around MCOM stations.
  • Premium Engineer assignments are now counting all shotgun kills independent from the class using it.
  • Fixed so you can get score from awards in coop.
  • Accuracy dogtags now show the correct stats.
  • Coop Stars and dogtag are now properly unlockable and equip able.
  • Gun Master and Domination Winner ribbons and medals added.
  • Fix for assignment with multiple dependencies showing as unlocked in frontend. (Jack of All Trades & Only for the Dedicated)

UI RELATED TWEAKS & FIXES

  • Added letters to the capture point icons displayed directly over the mini-map.
  • Fixed the grenade counter acting strangely when entering a vehicle with a grenade in hand.
  • Fixed the damage indicator which showed the wrong direction if the damage dealer was dead.
  • Fixed the hit indicator showing when spawning or closing the in game menu.
  • PC specific: Fixed laser designator related icons disappearing from the screen when you enable the chat.
  • Fixed a bug where the clan tag sometimes shows as the player ID.
  • Added clan tags in nametags and kill card.
  • PC specific: Fixed the vehicle hit indicator being shown each time you re-enter the first person camera of a ground vehicle.
  • Fixed so commorose VO works when sitting in an AA vehicle.
  • Fixed so you get the critical health fullscreen color tint while in the post revive state.
  • Removed the join button in the server list for non-Premium users on Premium exclusive servers.
  • Fixed so the spawn menu always disappears when you are revived.
  • Bugfix the colorblind objectives showing the wrong icons and blinking with a black background.
  • Fixed M-Com distance not updating if user moves towards it with EOD Bot.
  • Mortar strike explosions are now shown on the HUD for the shooter.

MISCELLANEOUS TWEAKS & FIXES

  • Fixed so the MAV gadget will not remain floating in midair if the user exits it while still flying.
  • Fixed bug where it was possible to shoot while transitioning from sprint into prone.
  • Fixed so you can’t revive a player who switched team since he died.
  • Fixed two exploits on Donya Fortress that allowed players to get on top of the level.
  • Fixed bug where you could get an incorrectly calculated longest headshot with the EOD bot.
  • PS3/Xbox 360 specific: Added map rotation settings to preset list in detailed server info. Players can now see all relevant settings that are being run on the server.
  • Xbox 360 specific: Introduced a clickable promotional spot on the main menu.

How to download the latest update (Multiplayer Update 4) and Armored Kill

PLAYSTATION 3 SPECIFIC INFO

Patch goes live: September 4
Armored Kill goes live: September 4 for Premium members / September 18 for non-Premiums
Patch size: 1.53GB
Armored Kill size: 1.55GB
How to download patch: When starting the game, the patch will automatically download. It is mandatory to accept this download if you want to play the game.
How to download Armored Kill: Armored Kill is available on the PlayStation Store and in our in-game store as a manual download. If you are a Premium member, this download will be available at 0 cost.

XBOX 360 SPECIFIC INFO

Patch goes live: September 4
Armored Kill goes live: September 11 for Premium members / September 25 for non-Premiums
Patch size: 1.44GB
Armored Kill size: 1.56GB
How to download patch: There will first be a small (184MB) Title Update automatically downloaded when you start the game. When restarting the game, you will get a popup notifying you that Multiplayer Update 4 is available. It is not mandatory to accept this, but we advise you to do so. Otherwise, you can find Multiplayer Update 4 both on Xbox Live Marketplace and in our in-game store as a manual download.
How to download Armored Kill: Armored Kill is available in our in-game store as a manual download. If you are a Premium member, this download will be available at 0 cost. If you are not a Premium member, you can also find Armored Kill on Xbox Live Marketplace.

PC SPECIFIC INFO

Patch goes live: September 4
Patch size: ~2.2GB
Armored Kill size: 3.2GB
Armored Kill goes live: September 11 for Premium members / September 25 for non-Premiums
How to download patch: As soon as you start your Origin client, the latest game update will automatically start downloading (unless you’ve disabled the option “Automatically keep my games up to date”, in which case it will start downloading when you try to run the game). In Battlelog, you will be notified from the Game Manager. Once you acknowledge the update, it will start downloading within the Origin client.
How to download Armored Kill: Armored Kill will automatically download if you start Origin or if you are logged in to Battlelog. You can also start the download from the Battlefield 3 game details page (i symbol) if Origin is already running.

Tags: Armored Kill Battlefield 3 Close Quarters Featured Patch Notes PC PS3 Xbox 360
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > News

Battlefield 3 Armored Kill Assignments and Dog Tags Revealed

  by   James Lara  
7:58 am in News

The Battlefield 3: Armored Kill DLC release is just around the corner.

Trophies and achievements for the DLC pack have already been revealed here, but now, finally, the new Dog Tags and Assignments have also been released for your eyes to feast upon.

Dog Tags

 

Armored Superiority
Unlocks the Armored Superiority Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills in MBT’s

 

 

 

Mechanized Infantry
Unlocks the Mechanized Infantry Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills in IFV’s

 

 

 

Get to tha Choppa
Unlocks the Get to tha Choppa Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills with scout or attack helicopters
> Destroy 25 MBT’s with scout or attack helicopters

 

 

Maverick
Unlocks the Maverick Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills with jets
> Destroy 25 attack or scout helicopters with jets

 

 

Need a ride?
Unlocks the Need a Ride Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills in jeeps, boats, quads or transport helicopters
> 50 squad driver assists

 

 

Assignments

It’s also been confirmed that Premium users will be receiving some exclusive assignments later on this month.

What do you guys think about the Tags/Assignments? Do they look hard to get?

Thanks for the tip, Andre Hill.

Tags: Armored Kill Battlefield 3 Featured PC PS3 Xbox 360
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > News

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Minimum PC Specs Detailed and FAQ

  by   David Veselka  
September 2, 2012 7:29 pm in News

Treyarch outs the official minimum system requirements for the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, as well as answers a few questions all PC players need to know.

What are the Minimum System Requirements?

OS: Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom X3 8750 2.4 GHz
Memory: 2GB for 32-bit OS or 4GB for 64-bit OS
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 3870 512 MB

Can I run the game on Windows XP?

No, sorry. Since we upgraded the engine to use DirectX11, Windows XP is no longer supported. It requires Windows Vista or later.

Will the game actually be playable on my minimum spec machine?

Absolutely. We have tested extensively on a variety of hardware and we are very confident in the performance even at the minimum specs.

What engine is used for Black Ops II?

The Black Ops II engine builds upon the Black Ops engine with a number of improvements including performance optimizations, enhanced graphics, and proprietary anti-cheat technology.

What performance optimizations have you introduced for Black Ops II?

Performance has been a top priority for Black Ops II PC from day one and we have achieved significant improvements. We’ve improved the way the engine handles multiple threads. Additionally, we moved the engine from DX9 to DX11. The DX11 API is leaner than DX9 and requires less CPU time to do the same amount of work. It is important to point out that this benefits the entire range of supported GPUs, not just DX11 hardware. We have also added more “quality vs performance” options than ever before so you can customize your experience to either run faster or to satisfy your taste in eye candy.

You mentioned enhanced graphics for the PC version. Can you tell us more about that?

Black Ops II PC features enhanced lighting, shadows, antialiasing, bloom, depth of field, ambient occlusion, and other enhanced effects that are still in the works. And the game can run at higher resolutions and higher framerates on the PC.

Will there be a framerate cap?

No. Unless you want one. We have included an adjustable FPS cap slider in the game options. The minimum setting is OFF (no cap).

Source: Black Ops 2 Forums.

Tags: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Featured PC PC Specs PS3 Xbox 360

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > Videos

DayZ – Introducing The Shepard

  by   James Lara  
7:07 pm in Videos

DayZ players have been waiting anxiously for the upcoming DayZ patch, which is set to bring many new bug fixes, along with the introduction of Dogs to zombie filled world.

Dean Hall sits down with IGN in their latest “Let’s Play DayZ” video, showing off a very early stage of the next update.

[youtube id=”F8mehZNQ6EI” width=”600″ height=”350″]

If you haven’t heard yet, DayZ will be receiving a stand-alone version that’ll be hitting retails sometimes later this year (possibly early next).

Tags: DayZ Featured PC
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > News

Playing Ball in Halo 4 War Games – 343 Industries Updates Oddball and Grifball

  by   David Veselka  
4:33 pm in News

343 Industries shows off some brand new features in some old favorite game modes during their panel at this year’s Pax Prime, Halo Reborn.

This November 6th, Halo 4 War Games will see the return of the classic Capture-the-Flag game mode, as well as the franchise’s more quirkier but popular modes, Oddball and Griffball. However, Halo fans can look forward to a whole new way of playing thanks to the inclusion of a few simple but effective mechanics.

During the panel, 343 Industries first demonstrated Capture-the-Flag on the new map Exile, one of Halo 4’s larger maps, also playable at this year’s PAX Prime. While we got to check out some of the updates made to the scoring and HUD elements, the show-stealer was definitely the sleek and sexy flag assassination, or as some would call it, “flagsassination”. If you haven’t yet, you can check out some CTF screens and gameplay right here.

Moving on to a quick Oddball demo, a simple objective-based game mode where one team must hold on to the objective (the skull) for as long as possible, 343 Industries delightfully introduced a brand new game mechanic: Throwing. Much like throwing a grenade, players can now throw and pass the objective to each other as an effective way to keep it out of enemy hands. Spartan IV-in-the-middle, anyone?

The hammer smashing Grifball game mode, now an official Halo 4 game mode, also received similar treatment, however, with the addition of the “Hammerpass”. Quite simply, players will also be able to smack the ball around the arena with the hammer, adding to the gameplay even further. Another technique demonstrated was what I call the “steal”. Players can use the Energy Sword to assassinate and immediately steal the objective, rather than smacking both the enemy and objective away from oneself.

These new throwing and passing mechanics looked great, seemed to work rather seamlessly and should hopefully promote that sense of team-play. Perhaps we can expect “Halo Football” in the future?

Tags: Featured Grifball Halo 4 Oddball Pax Prime Xbox 360

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > News

Report – God of War: Ascension Beta Begins In November

  by   James Lara  
3:09 pm in News

Sony Computer Entertainment recently released yet another God of War collection titled “Saga”. The collection came packed with God of War 1-3, Ghost of Sparta, and Chain of Olympics. There were also some bonus content such as skins and a free month of PS+, which may have revealed the date of the multiplayer Beta.

Labeled on the voucher, it states “Redeem this voucher on 11/13/12 for exclusive access to the God of War: Ascension Beta”.

So for those who did buy the SAGA Collection you may want to hold off on using that voucher, unless you plan on buying PS+ by November anyway.

God of War: Ascension releases early 2013 and will be the first God of War title to feature multiplayer.

Thanks Trendy Gamers

Tags: Featured God of War: Ascension PS3
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > News

Halo 4 – More War Games Footage, Stunning Screenshots Inbound

  by   Joel Santana  
September 1, 2012 11:38 am in News

343 Industries satisfies our crave for more Halo 4 media with these awesome screenshots and game play footage of it’s new and improved War Games, Halo 4’s competitive multiplayer. It offers in-depth character customization, such as armor specializations that gives your Spartan IV warrior a unique combat enhancements to make it fit your play style.

Any how, as promised, here’s some of the awesome screenshots of Halo 4 War Games. Click for larger size, and enjoy!

Check out this small glimpse of War Games being played on the new Exile map (check out those sweet flag assassinations):

[youtube id=”zqJAEtfHIMI” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Halo 4 is set to release for the Xbox 360 on November 6th.

Tags: Featured Halo 4 Xbox 360

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > Videos

Borderlands 2 Gets a Brand New Introduction Trailer

  by   Joel Santana  
11:23 am in Videos

With Gearbox Software’s highly anticipated FPS RPG Borderlands 2 nearing it’s release date, a new trailer has been released that goes over the basics of what’s new and what people should be expect in this new installment of the Borderland series.

In this video, Sir Hammerlock serves as your survival guide for new and old players of the Borderlands games. Here we get a glimpses of the new terrain including futuristic cities, freezing wastelands, highlands and many more breath-taking scenes that we get to explore this time on planet Pandora. We also get a brief explanation and look at the new bad ass system that awards you for daring and exciting deeds.

It’s time to take some notes from Sir Hammerlock himself on what we can expect this time on the planet of Pandora:

[youtube id=”Y-gntxQDcR0″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

Don’t forget to pre-order Borderlands 2 for exclusive goodies, like the Creature Slaughter Dome which can only be obtained by pre-ordering the game at your local Gamestop. Additionally, it included a free upgrade to the Premium Club, which you  gives a free token to download the 5th playable character, the Mechromancer, set to be released 60-90 days after Borderlands 2 initial release date.

Also if you’re looking to get the most of out of your Pandora adventure on Borderlands 2, read here to learn about the Borderlands 2 Season Pass.

Borderlands 2 is set to release on September 18th for the North America region and September 21th internationally on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Tags: Borderlands 2 Featured PC PS3 Trailer Xbox 360

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > News

Battlefield 3 Armored Kill Achievements And Trophies Revealed

  by   Joel Santana  
12:48 am in News

The Battlefield 3: Armored Kill release is just around the corner and with a recent game achievement update on the Xbox 360, the latest achievements and presumably trophies have all been revealed.

The upcoming Armored Kill expansion pack is set to bring in 5 new achievements/trophies, which bumps up the total to 53 achievements (1,360 gamer points) and 54 trophies. The achievement/trophy list for Armored Kill can be found just below:

From the looks of things, these achievements/trophies seem a lot easier than the other DLC expansion packs that have been released thus far. There are also no secret achievement to boggle our minds, such as the ones found in Back To Karkand and the recently released Close Quarters expansion pack.

Armored Kill is slated for a September 4th release on the Playstation 3 for Premium members and September 11th for the XBOX360/PC Premium members. PS3 non-Premium members can expect it on September 18th. Finally, non-Premium Xbox360/PC members will be able to download it September 25th.

After checking out the Armored Kill achievements/trophies, which one will you go after first? Leave your answer in the comment section below. If you’re craving some breathtaking Armored Kill videos, feel free to look at our Alborz Mountain article.

Thanks to our community members Agugagaga and our fellow writer PR0Tential for the tip and pics.

Tags: Achievements Armored Kill Battlefield 3 Featured PC PS3 Xbox 360

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

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