Multiplayer Mayhem
We get an early peek at what Infinity Ward is cooking up for Call of Duty 4's multiplayer. (Hint: it's amazing.)
Published: August 10, 2007
One of the coolest things about online first-person shooters is the fact that there's still plenty of room for growth. Most of it right now seems centered around the idea of a persistent character that gains experience and abilities the more you play, and it's not surprising that this is exactly what developer Infinity Ward and publisher Activision are doing with the Call of Duty franchise.
Gone are the over-used battles of World War II, in their place a near-future tug of war with enemies that aren't so clearly defined, and with weapons that finally do more than just fire rockets or bullets in a straight line. Now, you've got weapons that can fire through thin walls, experience that builds as you run through fights, and the ability to completely customize your online persona from weapons to special abilities called Perks.
Perks are undoubtedly one of the most creative parts of the game, not so much because they're entirely new, but because of the way Infinity Ward has implemented them. Though you have three slots for various perks that range from increasing accuracy to making shots more powerful to mounting extra accessories on your gun, they all carry a specific value, so adding an extra powerful Perk will negate your level one slot. Sure, it's good to be able to have more health, but it's even better to have something like Martyrdom -- the ability to prime a grenade as you die to off someone as they run by -- or Last Stand, where you're given just a few second to fire off shots from your pistol as you slowly succumb to death.
The perks, like all of the game's customization, happen once you reach private rank, and it's here that all of your ass-capping pays dividends. Just killing the other guy will get you experience, yes (which you can always see at the bottom of the screen), but there are bonuses for offing people in special ways (we got some for killing someone through a wall). This all ties into the rankings system, which lets you unlock progressively better weapons as well as accessories for them. Though you start with pre-set classes, by the time you hit Private, you're able to create (and name, and save) your own classes, allowing quick and instant access to a particular style of fighter.
So yes, the core parts of a role-playing game's character growth are starting to bleed into online first-person shooters, and it's nothing short of intoxicating when you finally get to feel the progress being made, but perhaps the strongest thing that can be said about Modern Warfare is just how damn amazing the game looks. The visuals are still impressive -- even with a bunch of people running around -- but the fact that it all runs at 60 frames a second with nary a hitch proves just how much technical prowess Infinity Ward has.
So why would we cover the 360 version so readily? Here's the straight poop: at the multiplayer event for the 360 version of the game, Activision pulled us into a little semi-hidden theatre to see the game running in single-player on the PlayStation 3. It. Looked. Awesome, to the point where we were left a little flabbergasted that Infinity Ward was able to pull off what few developers so far have: they managed to make an effectively 1:1 PS3 version with the 360. The game ran flawlessly, with a gorgeous framerate, tons of atmosphere and great modeling all over the place. Here's praying the PS3 version gets a multiplayer beta too, though we're not getting our hopes up...
Gone are the over-used battles of World War II, in their place a near-future tug of war with enemies that aren't so clearly defined, and with weapons that finally do more than just fire rockets or bullets in a straight line. Now, you've got weapons that can fire through thin walls, experience that builds as you run through fights, and the ability to completely customize your online persona from weapons to special abilities called Perks.
Perks are undoubtedly one of the most creative parts of the game, not so much because they're entirely new, but because of the way Infinity Ward has implemented them. Though you have three slots for various perks that range from increasing accuracy to making shots more powerful to mounting extra accessories on your gun, they all carry a specific value, so adding an extra powerful Perk will negate your level one slot. Sure, it's good to be able to have more health, but it's even better to have something like Martyrdom -- the ability to prime a grenade as you die to off someone as they run by -- or Last Stand, where you're given just a few second to fire off shots from your pistol as you slowly succumb to death.
The perks, like all of the game's customization, happen once you reach private rank, and it's here that all of your ass-capping pays dividends. Just killing the other guy will get you experience, yes (which you can always see at the bottom of the screen), but there are bonuses for offing people in special ways (we got some for killing someone through a wall). This all ties into the rankings system, which lets you unlock progressively better weapons as well as accessories for them. Though you start with pre-set classes, by the time you hit Private, you're able to create (and name, and save) your own classes, allowing quick and instant access to a particular style of fighter.
So yes, the core parts of a role-playing game's character growth are starting to bleed into online first-person shooters, and it's nothing short of intoxicating when you finally get to feel the progress being made, but perhaps the strongest thing that can be said about Modern Warfare is just how damn amazing the game looks. The visuals are still impressive -- even with a bunch of people running around -- but the fact that it all runs at 60 frames a second with nary a hitch proves just how much technical prowess Infinity Ward has.
So why would we cover the 360 version so readily? Here's the straight poop: at the multiplayer event for the 360 version of the game, Activision pulled us into a little semi-hidden theatre to see the game running in single-player on the PlayStation 3. It. Looked. Awesome, to the point where we were left a little flabbergasted that Infinity Ward was able to pull off what few developers so far have: they managed to make an effectively 1:1 PS3 version with the 360. The game ran flawlessly, with a gorgeous framerate, tons of atmosphere and great modeling all over the place. Here's praying the PS3 version gets a multiplayer beta too, though we're not getting our hopes up...
