Alright,
It's lunch time and I've been dying to write a review on my multiplayer experience - so here's a quick review.
Before I begin, I'd like to acknowledge that when I first began playing the multiplayer, it seemed like a BF2 + CS:S combination, but after a few more hours, it became more of its own "genre" - for lack of a better term.
So I installed CoD4, launched MP, was greeted with a "enter username" screen, and then logged in. There was no hassle whatsoever in creating an account, no entering of emails, etc.
When to join a server, everything worked flawlessly. I'm just saying all of this because, there has never been (in my past experiences) a game so easy to install and start up.
********************************
Gameplay
********************************
The most popular gametypes, from what I've seen, consist of Team death match (TDM) Death match (DM) Headquarters (HQ) and a mixed server.
Deathmatch and TDM play very similar, a lot of intense action from the time you spawn until death - there is never a dull moment in this game.
So I started with the default special ops kit, and was surprised at how effective even an MP5 was against higher ranked players. There was very little disadvantage to being a new player - and even the little disadvantage I had was skill level/familiarity with the gameplay, which is reasonable.
Shooting through walls became a common tactic, as you could enter a room, then back out if you were engaged while still firing through the fall, injuring your target.
Also, people in Call of Duty 4 seemed to all be on the same "skill level" - now I don't mean skill level as in experience level. Nobody seemed to have no clue what to do, and there were very few amounts of "noobs" - which obviously had never played a shooter before, which once again, is understandable.
The ranking system is great, I never felt like I was too far from a rank, and even as the distances grew between ranks, new challenges arose to provide me with the necessary points. These challenges include doing things such as obtaining a 3-7 kill, kill streak all the way to "vandalism" - blowing up a certain amount of cars.
The airstrikes and helicopter support functions didn't seem overpowering either, which came as a huge relief.
My only major critic is the fact that the sizes some of the maps (one in particular which is basically a flat map with a few containers) combined with no spawn protection, leads to endless amounts of spawn killing at times. At times I was very frustrated, but as the games progressed and I grew more familiar with the CoD4 playing style, I was rarely in a situation where I wasn't in control.
Deathmatch - Not much to be said. Great fun, instant action.
Team Deathmatch - Very fun once again, but the rounds are extremely short, which turned me off.
Headquarters - My favorite gametype. Long rounds, great potential for teamwork.
*these are the only types I have played so far, not a list of available gametypes.
I didn't notice any servers running a "24/7" map server, which was great because it allowed me to experience each of the different maps without changing servers.
Also, something I like about the multiplayer in CoD4 is the fact that each map plays differently, unlike Battlefield 2. Each map requires a different weapon/mindset to be succesful. While I have found good sniping spots on all of the maps, the gameplay, even in sniping, varies greatly between maps.
There is an equal oppurtunity to have similar amounts of action no matter what playing style you choose, which is a big bonus.
********************************
Weapons
********************************
Ok, I'll have to finish this section up when I get home, but here's the start:
All of the weapons in Call of Duty 4 feel "meaty", like they have power. I never pick up an mp5 and instantly feel weak, and the opposite is true as well, I never pick up a machine gun and instantly feel god-like (Sniper rifle, that's another story
).
This creates very balanced gameplay (as stated above).
*Quick Critic - I absolutely hate the fact that the default sniper rifle only receives 20 rounds... even when I don't waste my rounds I many times run out of ammunition very quickly.
What is to come...
********************************
Ranking System
********************************
Quick Note: I really like how IW did the ranking system. Challenges are unlocked, and you receive a fair amount of points for not only kills, but also for assists, capturing objectives, and even being on the winning team.
The ranks, unlike Battlefield 2, do not seem to influence gameplay very much (unless you are going for a specific weapon unlock, but even then you aren't allowed to choose what weapon you receive.)
********************************
Maps
********************************
********************************
Community
********************************
********************************
Game Types
********************************
********************************
Tips for Success
********************************
Quick Tip: Don't try to play CoD4 like another game (Battlefield 2, 2142, CS:S). Treat it as its own unique game-style. I realized this after a few hours, and it made me much more successful on the battlefield.
It's lunch time and I've been dying to write a review on my multiplayer experience - so here's a quick review.
Before I begin, I'd like to acknowledge that when I first began playing the multiplayer, it seemed like a BF2 + CS:S combination, but after a few more hours, it became more of its own "genre" - for lack of a better term.
So I installed CoD4, launched MP, was greeted with a "enter username" screen, and then logged in. There was no hassle whatsoever in creating an account, no entering of emails, etc.
When to join a server, everything worked flawlessly. I'm just saying all of this because, there has never been (in my past experiences) a game so easy to install and start up.
********************************
Gameplay
********************************
The most popular gametypes, from what I've seen, consist of Team death match (TDM) Death match (DM) Headquarters (HQ) and a mixed server.
Deathmatch and TDM play very similar, a lot of intense action from the time you spawn until death - there is never a dull moment in this game.
So I started with the default special ops kit, and was surprised at how effective even an MP5 was against higher ranked players. There was very little disadvantage to being a new player - and even the little disadvantage I had was skill level/familiarity with the gameplay, which is reasonable.
Shooting through walls became a common tactic, as you could enter a room, then back out if you were engaged while still firing through the fall, injuring your target.
Also, people in Call of Duty 4 seemed to all be on the same "skill level" - now I don't mean skill level as in experience level. Nobody seemed to have no clue what to do, and there were very few amounts of "noobs" - which obviously had never played a shooter before, which once again, is understandable.
The ranking system is great, I never felt like I was too far from a rank, and even as the distances grew between ranks, new challenges arose to provide me with the necessary points. These challenges include doing things such as obtaining a 3-7 kill, kill streak all the way to "vandalism" - blowing up a certain amount of cars.
The airstrikes and helicopter support functions didn't seem overpowering either, which came as a huge relief.
My only major critic is the fact that the sizes some of the maps (one in particular which is basically a flat map with a few containers) combined with no spawn protection, leads to endless amounts of spawn killing at times. At times I was very frustrated, but as the games progressed and I grew more familiar with the CoD4 playing style, I was rarely in a situation where I wasn't in control.
Deathmatch - Not much to be said. Great fun, instant action.
Team Deathmatch - Very fun once again, but the rounds are extremely short, which turned me off.
Headquarters - My favorite gametype. Long rounds, great potential for teamwork.
*these are the only types I have played so far, not a list of available gametypes.
I didn't notice any servers running a "24/7" map server, which was great because it allowed me to experience each of the different maps without changing servers.
Also, something I like about the multiplayer in CoD4 is the fact that each map plays differently, unlike Battlefield 2. Each map requires a different weapon/mindset to be succesful. While I have found good sniping spots on all of the maps, the gameplay, even in sniping, varies greatly between maps.
There is an equal oppurtunity to have similar amounts of action no matter what playing style you choose, which is a big bonus.
********************************
Weapons
********************************
Ok, I'll have to finish this section up when I get home, but here's the start:
All of the weapons in Call of Duty 4 feel "meaty", like they have power. I never pick up an mp5 and instantly feel weak, and the opposite is true as well, I never pick up a machine gun and instantly feel god-like (Sniper rifle, that's another story
).This creates very balanced gameplay (as stated above).
*Quick Critic - I absolutely hate the fact that the default sniper rifle only receives 20 rounds... even when I don't waste my rounds I many times run out of ammunition very quickly.
What is to come...
********************************
Ranking System
********************************
Quick Note: I really like how IW did the ranking system. Challenges are unlocked, and you receive a fair amount of points for not only kills, but also for assists, capturing objectives, and even being on the winning team.
The ranks, unlike Battlefield 2, do not seem to influence gameplay very much (unless you are going for a specific weapon unlock, but even then you aren't allowed to choose what weapon you receive.)
********************************
Maps
********************************
********************************
Community
********************************
********************************
Game Types
********************************
********************************
Tips for Success
********************************
Quick Tip: Don't try to play CoD4 like another game (Battlefield 2, 2142, CS:S). Treat it as its own unique game-style. I realized this after a few hours, and it made me much more successful on the battlefield.
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