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SgtRicko Since: Jul, 2009
#126: May 31st 2019 at 7:58:22 AM

Biggest concern I've seen voiced on Reddit was how Activision pulled a fast one regarding the premium currency and microtransactions for BLOPS 4. They deliberately held back on the premium content until two months after launch in order to prevent reviewers and online personalities from complaining about the pricing on premium shop items. And unfortunately, there's reason to be concerned, given how Activision was even charging $5 USD just for the sake of customizing the red dot that appears on gun holo-sights.

LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#127: May 31st 2019 at 12:12:29 PM

I hope that won't be the case here, but given that it is Activision, who knows.

Also, apparently the creators are planning to go even further in terms of the game being Darker and Edgier than any other title in the series, if previews are to be believed.

rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#128: Aug 1st 2019 at 2:12:34 PM

Multiplayer reveal.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
SgtRicko Since: Jul, 2009
#129: Aug 2nd 2019 at 3:05:42 AM

So you can now take control of a Bradley IFV as a killstreak reward? How exactly would players without anti-tank weaponry counter that?

LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#130: Aug 2nd 2019 at 6:46:36 AM

[up] Thermite Grenades. Plus, they've talked a lot about how seamless changing loadouts mid-match is.

SgtRicko Since: Jul, 2009
#131: Aug 2nd 2019 at 6:54:21 AM

Fair enough. Typical lifespan in a Co D match isn't very long anyways. Die against enemy armor? Just switch classes into something with anti-armor/air capabilities.

rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#132: Sep 25th 2019 at 1:24:42 PM

Story trailer and behind the scenes stuff.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
Demongodofchaos2 Face me now, bitch! from In a Cultivation World (Ancient one) Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Face me now, bitch!
#133: Sep 26th 2019 at 8:04:49 AM

The Spec ops survival exclusive to the PS 4 version for a whole year, with Pay to win micro transactions to boot.

So yeah, Activision being Activision. What else is new?

Edited by Demongodofchaos2 on Sep 27th 2019 at 12:15:56 PM

Watch Symphogear
LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#134: Oct 24th 2019 at 10:57:30 PM

Been playing through the campaign. I gotta say, while it isn't at SOTL levels (no WP dropping on civilians), the game is still pretty intense for for a COD game. I mean geez, this game makes you shoot the husband of a mother right in front of her. And later, in the embassy mission, you find one of the villains holding a boy and his father hostage. The only way to proceed is to allow both to die, as trying to save them via opening the door will just get you killed.

Man, this game isn't pulling any punches in trying to depict a War Is Hell mentality, with Black-and-Grey Morality being clearly shown.

HallowHawk Since: Feb, 2013
#135: Oct 26th 2019 at 2:02:11 AM

Saw a walkthrough of Modern Warfare 2019 (calling it as such to differentiate from the previous Modern Warfare continuity). My insights:

1. Other than nods to the previous continuity, there are mythology gags to the Treyarch/Black Ops continuity, specifically Call of Duty: Black Ops (and not just a CIA-SAD guy named Alex).

a. Russian antagonist utilizing Deadly Gas without restraint (Dragovich and Nova 6 = Barkov and whatever chemical armaments he is using)

b. Prison break involving taking weapons found in a locker (Mason and Reznov's prison riot in Vorkuta with Olympias/KS-23s taken from a locker = Farah starting the prison break and taking A Ks from a locker)

c. Raid where it's just one high-ranking CIA official guaranteeing the heavy firepower against the rogue Russian general (Hudson personally leading the raid against Dragovich in the Rusalka on UH-1s converted into gunships = SAS, Alex, and Farah's resistance outfit leading the attack on Barkov's facility with heavy firepower provided by CIA)

2. The beginning of the "20 Years Later" flashback, where it begins with Farah and her dead mother trapped in rubble. What a Tear Jerker, coming from a Call of Duty of all franchises. Then we see Barkov's troops coming, they just kill anyone they see and the rescues helping the civilians... yeah... From Bad to Worse indeed...

3. Everything about Barkov. Given that every Russian soldier under his command is willing to do horrid stuff, Barkov and his army might be the stand-in for Shepherd and Shadow Company. More on that later.

4. The ending where Al-Qatala rebuild to the point they have tanks now and are lead by someone who should be Khaled Al-Assad might be how Islamic terrorism in real life evolved from Al-Qaeda's attacks to Islamic State as they ended up acquiring tanks and other heavy equipment.

Now, on comparing Barkov to Shepherd. Because of that comparison, I now see that everything about the former was a waste in plot. The guy kept claiming that his actions in Urzikstan were to rid Russia of terrorists but that's only him talking given that you're playing his enemies. One of whom was victimized by Barkov. In Shepherd's case, he started World War III in Modern Warfare 2 because the general public ignored the idea that 30,000 Marines were killed in a nuclear explosion and while that hasn't been elaborated on from anyone not named Shepherd, you played one of the Marines that was killed in the explosion as depicted in the first Modern Warfare.

On what I think should have been done for Barkov was the following:

1. Mention why Urzikstan's history with Russia is rocky to say the least, given how Barkov claimed all Urzikstan does is "produce terrorists''.

2. A level where you play as a younger Barkov attempting to foil a terror attack in Russian territory by Urzistanis that has to end in failure to have Barkov as a Urzistani-hating mass murderer. Could also be used to make him a foil to Gerrick/Gaz, who was first playable in a terror attack striking London and that the whole game made him question the motives for his orders in which that, while Gerrick/Gaz is still assured that good comes from achieving his orders, Barkov became more and more unhinged, being no different than the terrorists he claims he's fighting.

And that is all I have to say on the matter. Apologies for long post. Wanted to get that out of my system.

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#136: Oct 26th 2019 at 9:12:19 AM

The storyline with Urzikstan directly mirrors the way Russia has acted in numerous Middle Eastern and Eastern European countries, so I’m not sure any backstory motivation is needed there. That’s actually what Russia does in countries it invades, and that’s what their usual rhetoric surrounding the invasion is.

The part at the beginning where the CIA tells the Urzikstani freedom fighters that Russia doesn’t make any distinction between them and terrorists and their leader replies saying that the freedom fighters make no distinction between Russia and terrorists might as well be lifted directly from Syria. It’s all very “ripped from the headlines”.

They should have sent a poet.
NesClassic Meh-meh!? from Flyover Country Since: Dec, 2012 Relationship Status: In another castle
Meh-meh!?
#137: Oct 28th 2019 at 2:00:13 PM

On the subject of "ripped from the headlines" the game evidently bases a war crime Russia commits in-game on... a real life war crime committed by America.

As of now the game's being review bombed by a not-insignificant number of Russian people for it and some sites are picking up on the story. (Newsweek also put an article out on the matter but it includes photos from the real life Highway of Death incident, so I'm not going to link it directly.)

Edited by NesClassic on Oct 28th 2019 at 2:00:47 AM

🏳️‍⚧️she/her | Vio Rhyse Alberia
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#138: Oct 28th 2019 at 4:15:29 PM

The deliberate reference to the Highway of Death seems a little on the nose, but it’s worth remembering the Soviets actually did do that in Afghanistan. In fact, they did a lot worse. [1]

They should have sent a poet.
Alycus Since: Apr, 2018
#139: Oct 28th 2019 at 6:01:02 PM

Checked out a playthrough of the game online.

Good news: We finally have fleshed out sympathetic Arab characters in a military shooter game in the form of Farah and Hadir Karim. The game actually puts in the effort to show their stories and experiences, but also show their differences. And even when Hadir is revealed to be the one that stole the chemical weapons, he's still not necessarily shown as evil, just incredibly desperate to try anything to get Russian forces out of his country after 20 years of fighting them with little results. They and the ULF help to balance out the stereotypical terrorist villains The Wolf and The Butcher.

Bad news: The above comes with a side order of quite possibly the most over-the-top negative and villainous depiction of Russians I've seen in media, which is really saying something. Soldiers committing war crimes, check. Sociopathic general, check. Look, yes, I know Russian forces have committed bad things in Syria and Ukraine, but you can't depict them as the only ones bombing civilians when Western forces have also done the same in Iraq and Afghanistan (even if by accident). And by the time friendly Russians show up at the end of the game, it feels kind of too late. Really, I wouldn't blame any Russians who are offended by this game.

Also, the ending suffers from what I call 'name-dropping syndrome' - mentioning names from earlier works for the sole purpose of exciting fans that recognize them while leaving newer players in the dark. So while some will be thrilled by the impending return of Gaz, Soap and Ghost, others are left wondering who exactly are these guys, and why Price says "one four one" so dramatically.

HallowHawk Since: Feb, 2013
#140: Oct 28th 2019 at 10:01:30 PM

[up]

Bad news: The above comes with a side order of quite possibly the most over-the-top negative and villainous depiction of Russians I've seen in media, which is really saying something. Soldiers committing war crimes, check. Sociopathic general, check. Look, yes, I know Russian forces have committed bad things in Syria and Ukraine, but you can't depict them as the only ones bombing civilians when Western forces have also done the same in Iraq and Afghanistan (even if by accident). And by the time friendly Russians show up at the end of the game, it feels kind of too late. Really, I wouldn't blame any Russians who are offended by this game.

Exactly why I'm not too fond with how Barkov was portrayed. He's so one one-dimensional that Vladimir Makarov from the previous Modern Warfare continuity and Gabriel Rorke from Call of Duty: Ghosts have more depth. As I'll say again, we need a flashback level where you play a younger Barkov trying to foil a terror attack in Russia by Urzikstani terrorists that ends in failure to explain why he's so determined to prevent any more terror attacks on Russia by Urzikstanis.

Edited by HallowHawk on Oct 29th 2019 at 1:02:32 AM

LDragon2 Since: Dec, 2011
#141: Oct 28th 2019 at 10:08:26 PM

Yeah, the game does go a bit far when portraying the Russian forces as evil. That said, I don't see hoe people are coming to the conclusion that the Americans and the like are shown as saints, when in the campaign, you partake in many morally questionable actions, including killing potential fathers and mothers, even if they are pointing a gun at you. That, and I thought it was made clear by the end that Barkov and his forces are a rogue unit, and don't represent all of Russia.

Edited by LDragon2 on Oct 28th 2019 at 10:17:41 AM

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#142: Oct 29th 2019 at 1:12:01 AM

[up] The Americans end up disavowing the heroic rebels halfway through the story, which is portrayed as an unambiguously bad thing to do to the point where the CIA main character defects to stay with them. That, and the FSB pretty much ends up being portrayed as morally good.

[up][up] You’re missing the part where the backstory is real life. The “your country breeds terrorists” line isn’t meant to be taken at face value, it’s the propaganda the Russians have historically used to justify brutal invasions of adjacent countries.

Edited by archonspeaks on Oct 29th 2019 at 1:13:21 AM

They should have sent a poet.
MajorTom Since: Dec, 2009
#143: Oct 29th 2019 at 5:44:48 AM

RE: Highway of Death.

The American-caused version was never classified a war crime, nor can it. All targets involved there were military and there's no such thing as a war crime for blocking up and devastating a retreating military force.

The idea of it being a "war crime" is on the same level of stupidity as thinking sinking the ARA General Belgrano in the Falklands War was a war crime when it was a bog standard warship sunk via submarine incident.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#144: Nov 16th 2019 at 5:45:47 AM

Interestingly, Barkov doesn't really get a Start of Darkness because he arrives in Urzikstan completely ready and willing to commit massive numbers of war crimes. It's just, shock of shocks, these don't actually result in the populace becoming more compliant.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
dRoy Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar from Most likely from my study Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just high on the world
Professional Writer & Amateur Scholar
#145: Dec 12th 2019 at 6:23:10 PM

Random shocking trivia I recently learned. Well, shocking to me, at least.

Call of Duty series is actually the third best selling video game series in the world, period. Only Pokemon and Mario series outsell this series.

Damn, I knew this series was massive but not THAT big.

Continuously reading, studying, and (hopefully) growing.
jormis29 Since: Mar, 2012
#146: Mar 9th 2020 at 2:00:09 PM

News - Activision and Infinity Ward have revealed a free-to-play Battle Royale Game, Call of Duty: Warzone that launches March 10 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Edited by jormis29 on Mar 9th 2020 at 8:03:28 PM

MajorTom Since: Dec, 2009
#147: Mar 10th 2020 at 7:09:01 AM

I think they might be a little late to the party with that one. I've heard the Battle Royale craze has been flaming out.

TheAirman Brightness from The vicinity of an area adjacent to a location Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Brightness
#148: Mar 10th 2020 at 8:56:13 AM

And not soon enough. What’s weird is Activision already threw the Black Ops line into a dumpster fire by excising whatever story the Treyarch was going to tell in in the fourth game in favor of shoving in the most soulless Battle Royal mode I’ve ever seen

Edited by TheAirman on Mar 10th 2020 at 10:59:26 AM

PSN ID: FateSeraph | Switch friendcode: SW-0145-8835-0610 Congratulations! She/They
rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#149: Mar 31st 2020 at 3:12:27 PM

MW2 Remastered is out for download.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#150: Mar 31st 2020 at 3:58:09 PM

Honestly, by Black Ops 3, one of the best plotted game lines had gone completely off the rails.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.

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