Reply to All: Call of Duty, Sexy Games, and I Don't Even Know What

9 Comments Posted November 6, 2009 - By Andrew Pfister

Reply to All: The G4tv.com Community Mailbag

I stopped playing Madden after I left the confines of college housing, as I was no longer forced to provide human competition to my addicted roommates. And even then, using the term "competition" was a stretch. Even though I love watching the sport and I know how the game works, the deeper strategy of football play-calling has always eluded me, which is why I was one of those guys who always called a fake punt on 4th and 12. It usually didn't take longer than halftime for me to be excused back to my room and Unreal Tournament. I bring this up because I had to endure last Sunday's Packers/Vikings rematch, and watching Aaron Rodgers (whom I still kind of believe in, kind of) go down sack-after-sack reminded me of my own struggles on the gridiron. Slamming my fists repeatedly on the table wasn't a show of frustration, no…it was me frantically pressing the A button to get him to throw the damn ball already. I mean, how could he not see that Driver was wide open? What camera angle is he playing with?! And shame on Mike McCarthy for not attempting a 73-yard field goal. You can't win if you don't score.

In that spirit, let's get started with this week's Reply to All, which has absolutely nothing to do with the story I just told.

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Sex in video games has become much more prevalent (especially in BioWare games). I've been reading reviews for Dragon Age: Origins and most of them mention awkward sex scenes, which I felt was awkward in Mass Effect. My question, I guess, would be do you feel sex in video games really contributes to the story telling aspect of the game or is it just there to bring about some notoriety or attention to the game? -- usemeup

How much or to what effect a sex scene contributes to a story, regardless of the medium, is entirely dependent on the skill of the writers, directors, and actors involved. If done properly, it can contribute quite a lot...the ultimate expression of human love is indeed a powerful thing, but its meaning and impact is heavily dependent on the relationship of the participants. That's why it's much more challenging to get right in video games, where action frequently trumps meaningful character development, and it can easily come across as awkward or done simply for the shock value.

Heavy Rain Madison That's not to say that it can't be done in action movies, as anyone who's seen Shoot 'Em Up can tell you. The scene with Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci was shocking in an over-the-top way, but because it fit in with the unrestrained insanity of the entire movie, there was a certain frantic and satirical artistry to it. The closest analogy would be Kratos' exploits in God of War, which could explain why it slipped by the mainstream media relatively free of controversy.

Keep your eye on Heavy Rain, though. We recently interviewed Quantic Dream's David Cage and asked him about sexuality in games, to which he replied, "It is what two adults in love usually end up doing, it is a way to express feelings. I don’t think there is anything wrong if you deal with it in a non-gratuitous way and in a tasteful manner." Basically, if you're a developer who wants to put a sex scene in your game, it behooves you to first ask "Why?"

THIS LETTER HAS MODERN WARFARE 2 SPOILERS!

It seems that Infinity Ward is repeatedly shooting itself in the foot when it comes to the media hype around Modern Warfare 2. Back when the trailer was released that revealed there was conflict on US soil, it felt like a huge spoiler in my opinion. Then with the leaked video of terrorist gameplay and now the recent ad against "frag spamming," it feels like this media coverage has ruined a portion of the game for me. Do you guys think that the hype revolved around Modern Warfare 2 has become detrimental to the game and possibly its sales? -- jsleibold

Patrick Klepek and I talk about this on almost a daily basis, but the way Activision and Infinity Ward are handling the traditional PR run-up to Modern Warfare 2 has been utterly baffling. The amount of goodwill that Infinity Ward has accumulated over the past few years could easily put them at the level of a Valve, a Bungie, or a Blizzard: gamers believe in your brand so devoutly that you can just sit back and let the game speak (and sell) for itself. Instead, we get something new to be confused about every week.

1) We still lack the context for the scene of a destroyed Washington D.C., but regardless, that image will have lost a lot of emotional impact by the time we encounter it in the game -- just as if we saw the now-famous mushroom cloud in a commercial prior to COD4. Simply knowing that something like that exists is enough to damage the experience.

2) The airport scene is a wait-and-see thing for me. That, too, is lacking context, and since you can't fully blame Activision and IW for a leaked video, they deserve the benefit of the doubt (though it is surprising that something that controversial was allowed to get into the wild). It could be a daring and thought-provoking perspective on the blurry lines of modern-day war. Or it could be mindless shock value. We'll find out and debate it next week.

MW2 blip

3) However, the grenade spam video was a complete public relations failure. Infinity Ward's most-outward facing employee Robert Bowling, aka "fourzerotwo," described the video as a "social commentary joke" on his Twitter feed. But what that actual commentary was still isn't very clear. That the bulk of their own audience consists of foul-mouthed adolescents? Yeah, we already know that, and it's not that funny. That the design of their game allows for poor play experiences? Also not humorous. Even in the hands of comedic masters, socially-charged humor has a lot of baggage attached, especially when you start throwing around damaging slurs (in acronym form or not).

It may not have been a "fist-bump of acceptance" of the behavior as Bowling claims it wasn't, but officially endorsing it sure as hell wasn't the condemnation it deserves.

4) That's not the only evidence that IW is having a community communication breakdown. PC gamers who were previously looking forward to Modern Warfare 2 have been getting bombed with a constant barrage of bad news. First was the $59.99 price tag (on par with the consoles, but $10 higher than the PC version of COD4), then came the news that there'd be no dedicated game servers, no mod tools, no custom maps, a reduced player limit for multiplayer, and no console commands ("console" in this instance meaning finely-tuned game and technical settings). They even took out the "lean" ability. The omissions themselves speak volumes of IW's attitude toward PC gamers, but that wasn't enough. In a recent online chat, Infinity Ward representatives treated PC-related concerns with vague answers and visible disdain:

maniac1969
Vince, there are 178,000 voices that say you need dedicated servers for the PC. COD4 is the bigest online game in history! Why in the world would you take away dedicated servers and change the whole MP experience for us? And Mackey, the PC version with dedicated servers is already the best experience the way it is!

Vince-IW
All I can say is that we changed it to make it a better and easier experience. Also, not all of the names on that list are legit. ;)

Mackey-IW
402 signed it 4 times I heard.

And:

Moriarte
Ignoring IW.net, is the PC version a direct port of the console version?

Mackey-IW
No, PC has custom stuff like mouse control, text chat in game, and graphics settings.

Here's the thing, though. Modern Warfare sold millions and millions of copies. Modern Warfare 2 is GameStop's most-preordered game of all time. While it makes a difference to industry observers like you and me, the truth is that the summation of these PR blunders does not amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme. Call of Duty sells. And outside of the peripheral marketing noise, the games themselves are generally very well done (there's a reason 99% of people in the office can't wait to play it, even the Style Network girls).

END SPOILERS!

Are you not planning a review of Torchlight? Sure, it's PC only and has to be bought through Steam or directly from the developer, but it's becoming a really hard choice for me each day of whether to fire up Borderlands or head back into the Ember mine. At $20 it's probably the best value in gaming right now. I have a lot of respect for what you guys do on X-Play and g4tv.com, but I wish you'd give Torchlight some love. -- Brad

Torchlight isn't currently on our official reviews list, but I recently downloaded it from Steam because it's been getting such good worth of mouth. I haven't had much time to attack it yet due to other assignments, but I can easily see it eating up hours and hours of my free time just based on the 45 minutes I've put into the intro. I'll try to make more official coverage happen in the near future. In the meantime, if you like the loot, definitely check out Torchlight.

Torchlight

Will they make E3 open to the public? -- Michael

Probably not, but honestly...you don't want to go to E3. You want to go to Penny Arcade Expo (PAX). More and more publishers are showing their games there, there's more that's playable, and guys like me don't get to cut in front of you. E3 is properly enjoyed from the comfort of your den, office, or living room, streaming videos, reading previews, and arguing on forums while drinking tasty beverages and wearing loose-fitting clothing.

In fact…Adam and Rob, if you're reading this, I officially am choosing not to attend E3 next year. Let me know if you have any questions!

What classic Sega games would you like to see remade? Jet Set Radio is the main reason I bought an Xbox, and I'll be damned if it doesn't get another game. -- DreamingDarklyRobin

I came from a Nintendo family, so my appreciation for Sega games is based mostly on the Dreamcast. That part of me wants to see Jet Set Radio, Chu Chu Rocket, Crazy Taxi, Sega Bass Fishing, Skies of Arcadia, Virtua Cop…but another part of me wants to let that era of Sega live peacefully in the past. Their development studios aren't the same, their publishing philosophy isn't the same…and as much as we'd all love Jet Set Radio Future Perfect or Get Way More Bass!, it'd be awfully difficult to recreate that turn-of-the-millennium magic. They tried with Crazy Taxi 3, and it didn't work.

But there's no reason we can't get those games re-released on Live Arcade or PSN. You hear that, Sega? No. Reason.

Gay Tony I was wondering whether I should get Left 4 Dead 2 or Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City. Can you give me your opinion? -- Julian

To me, these questions are just as ineffective as "What should I have for dinner, grilled cheese & tomato soup, or a delicious steak?" The answer, always, is to satisfy the immediate craving. L4D2 has you killing zombies with your friends. Lost & Damned and Gay Tony are really well-done Grand Theft Auto stories. If you can only do one, which one do you want to do first?

If that doesn't help, I'll flip a coin. Heads is L4D2, Tails is GTA.

….flipping….flipping…flipping…

…enjoy Liberty City!

What do you think about a G-Police remake? I think that was a title ahead of its time and suffered from lack of technology. I think with multiplayer (good guys vs. bad guys) and open world gameplay the opportunities would be near limitless. What's your take? -- ghostflesh

You know, the near-complete disappearance of space shooters has been baffling me for quite a while. It doesn't make any sense: people like shooting things, people like space, ergo, people should like shooting things in space. I know that G-Police didn't even take place in space, but its cousin Colony Wars did, and both are two PlayStation era franchises that I'd love to see come back. The developer that made them, Psygnosis, is now a part of Sony's internal studio system (renamed as Studio Liverpool). They've been busy updating their other other PSone classic franchise, Wipeout, so it's not a complete stretch to think they could do the same for G-Police and/or Colony Wars. If you put G-Police type vehicles in an open world in the vein of say, Crackdown? I would buy.

We can also hold out hope that "Starhawk" comes to fruition soon. Remember that? All we have to work on is a trademark filing from earlier this year, which includes the comment "Operating a real-time game for others over global and local area computer networks."

In the meantime, I'm going to check out Shattered Horizon for the PC. It's an FPS and doesn't involve spacecraft, but it reminds me so much of the battle room in Ender's Game that I cannot resist. I'll also continue to harass LucasArts' official Twitter feed (@lucasartsgames) to get them to re-release the X-Wing and TIE Fighter games. And...and...the great Freespace 2 is available on Good Old Games for $6.

Shattered Horizon

Is there any possibility that Brutal Legend will come out for the PC? -- Gorlioth

Possible? Sure. Probable? Doesn't seem like it. Double Fine's Tim Schafer did a live chat with Eurogamer back in July and shot down the idea, stating that the game "was meant to be on a console." It's one of those situations where the door isn't locked, but it's been securely closed, soundproofed, and somebody's blocking it from the other side.

But who knows? Maybe one day you'll try to go through the door, and as you grab the handle it opens outward and almost smacks you in the face. Then you awkwardly apologize, even though it's ridiculous to feel guilty for trying to go through a door. Yes, this has been happening a lot to me in the office.

F7 Letter of the Week

need for speed sucks again heres why again they suck at making games not everyone wants to steer with the L3 button or the joy stick or the anolog stick there are those that are fine with using the direction buttons you know the buttons with arrows and here is the big one not a two player game on the ps3 internet only 2 or more forget that i want my friends in the same room to play games with and not every one has cable internet because they live to out in the striks so take your game and stick it were the sun does not shine

-- Eric M.

I sympathize with your plight, Eric, in regards to the lack of local multiplayer. We've been hearing a lot about that in Feedback and mailbag questions lately; it's something that we're going to look into.

But I am curious about your aversion to analog technology (as well as your complete aversion to punctuation, nice job on that). Especially since we're talking about a racing game. I'm going to assume you are not yet of the driving age, so believe me when I say that when you get behind the steering wheel of a real automobile, you're going to want a little more control over where you're going. There's a reason the government outlawed those giant "Left" and "Right" buttons in cars built after 1992.

WEBMASTER DOESN'T UNDERSTAND YOU

Monkey scribbles,

Corrupted illumination, banana feast. Ark house demolishing carnauba. Surfing kaleidoscope blasted noodle; abrasively down plentiful renderings child-like miasma.

Drowning intellect?

Dave
Ann Arbor, MI

Sanitized stapler,

Dwindling water supply, the sharpest of knives. Sun going down, then up, but sideways. Falling technology eats all of the cake -- phosphorescent memories reappear with severe tire damage. Three hundred and twenty-six.

Ya dig?

Webmaster
Los Angeles, CA

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Send your letters to webmaster@g4tv.com. Correspondence will be edited for sanity.

Tags: Nintendo DS, PC Gaming, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Reply to All, Videogames, Webmaster Hates You, Wii, Xbox 360

Comments

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Displaying 1–9 of 9

RebeliousMinds

Thank you, that last one just made my day.

Posted: November 6, 2009 3:02 PM | Reply | Report

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bolo73

Why has Microsoft stopped making first party games for the 360 and PC. I want (and I know I am not alone) more games like Age of empire(s), and Mech-warrior (rts and Simluation). Why the abandonment?

Posted: November 6, 2009 3:03 PM | Reply | Report

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Turtleboy7

the time has come for the pc gaming community to bend over and take it with a smile like console gamers have been doing for years.(ps it hurts at first but it eventually turns into a constant rhythm of getting less for your money)

Posted: November 6, 2009 4:09 PM | Reply | Report

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2 Replies
Spybreak

Very cool read and man did I love my Freespace. I still have the childhood memories of getting Freespace 1 or 2 on Christmas and being sooooo happy! Then I played it, so want a remake!

Posted: November 7, 2009 1:55 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

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BoydofZINJ

PC users get the SHAFT in Modern Warfare 2. Sure you heard about it. Sure, most games are all about the XBOX and the PS3. Sure in MW2 most of the sales will be the infamous XBOX and PS3 and the PC sales are a nonfactor to most companies. However, there is a thriving community and set of PC dedicated users and gamers out there. As I type this out, I realize I am doing it on... a PC! You might even be reading this on a... a PC!

WE PC-Gamers do live.

I will never claim to be best FPS gamer out there. In most of my MW1 experience, I was normally on the bottom half of the totem pole in kills versus death ratios. I rarely got the airstrike perk, for instance. I will also admit there are cheaters and botters out there!

Few will argue that we do not need to get rid of the bots and cheat programs! So, why are we PC gamers up in arms? Is this whole arguement about control or the ability to have control?

On the surface it does look like us PC users are arguing for the sake of argument or for the ability to control stuff that other people deem a nonfactor. However, it is more than that! This is about demoralizing an existing time proven PC ability and turning it into a XBOX or PS3 version. If we wanted a XBOX or PS3 version of MW2, why do you think we do not simply BUY a PS3 or XBOX version of MW2?

First, there is a whole communiy out there who loves to MOD and create new features to existing games. Want to extend the life of a game? Easy, make it possible for the users to create nifty upgrades and mods. Of course, there is the danger of cheaters and bot programs - because of this.

Second, the official website points out about that THEY will be doing an AUTO MATCH MAKING feature.

W T F

I am not the world's quickest draw, gunfighter, nor can I use the mouse to down 5 enemies with 5 bullets in 1.5 seconds. However, I want to play against people who are better than myself. Believe it or not, I like to be beaten and whipped and want to have the ability to see and view other people who are better than me. I love to know how someone got a +10 kill streak on a one life per match server. It helps me improve my game. It lets me try to get the edge on people. It lets me improve. There is nothing wrong in auto-matching, if I want it. However, I will want it mostly off! How will I know what to do to better myself if I am with the same crappy low skilled players - all the time?

Third, I dont want any RAMBO SERVER and I want a mature server. I want a server that enforces you to play like a trained soldier and will reward players who do so. Versus a server that does not care and only reward people who can get the most kills no matter how unrealistic the events were. I am a nerd. MOST OF US ARE NERDS. Then there are people who think shouting out the latest 4 letter verbage is natural. If I wanted to talk about that or about "your mom" then I would join the XBOX live games. I want the ability to play with other like minded individuals who are wanting to increase the maturity of the game and raise the bar in skills and communication skills.

Posted: November 7, 2009 5:48 AM | Reply | Report

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BoydofZINJ

What are my ideal type of servers?

Hardcore type servers. Servers that force us to think and behave more like a trained soldier rather than a Rambo type person. I want a Server where I only get ONE LIFE per MATCH. If a match lasts 10 minutes and I die within 15 seconds - I do not want to respawn and be a RAMBO style player and rush to another death. I want to be ashamed of my death and watch other people play as I wish I played better. I want to be pushed to my limits and get penalized when I either get unlucky or foolish. I want to be able to win a game - because a random set of people come up with a solid good strategy and win versus closing your eyes and tossing a nade at the spawn point. i also want a server that will make you feel good about winning. When my side wins and I live - it feels like I really accomplished something.

Will we have these types of servers?

I also want the ability to find like minded people and enjoy the game with my online frends. Would you believe I have met people online who I value my friendship over some real life friends? Just recently, a woman I have met online in a game came over on my birthday (yes women do play) and we had a blast meeting each other in real life! She even got her first tattoo on my birthday to celebrate the event. I was just lucky enough to be holding her hand for hours on end and chatting as she got inked.

Will we have these types of servers?

No I do not want online dating. Believe it or not, you can be friends. Regardless, I am looking for a core group of people who I like to get to know and befriend. Some people call them clans and other call them guilds. WHO CARES. I want to be able to join a server and know some or most of the people there will be people I will enjoy playing with. Likewise, I want to go to a server that has a hardcore ruleset and will also be willing to befriend me and know who I am as well!

Am I done ranting?

Not yet, I have not signed the PC Petition. Let us face it, the game looks amazing. I still want to play it! I know many PC gamers are angry, but most will probably end up buying the game. Sure, a few will hold out a day or two... until other people go, "OMG WOW! DID YOU CAN DO XYZ AND FIND ABC?"

However, if we truely want companies to listen we must do what is important to them... not buy the game - make them listen to us or make them lose money. if you sell out now, you are promoting lower quality games. Sure you will lose out on the Experience. But in the end, do you want high quality games or crappy games not worth your money? I have not signed the petition. It will not matter and most will still buy the game (one way or the other). However, if you are tired of game companies thinking the PC is only for WOW and other MMOs - do the right thing and DO NOT BUY THE GAME.

Until companies realize not to abuse their customers and listen to the game communities I will stick with games I want to play. Dont expect me to rush out and buy any XBOX or PS3 for this or any game I want to play on my PC. I have been a PC gamer for over a decade. Why should I change? If game companies dont make games for what I have - then why should WE spend more on a silly game system if we dont want or like to?

VIVA EL COMPUTER (ya ya french and spanish)

Posted: November 7, 2009 5:49 AM | Reply | Report

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BoydofZINJ

I am having trouble posting a reply to...
bolo73
Why has Microsoft stopped making first party games for the 360 and PC. I want (and I know I am not alone) more games like Age of empire(s), and Mech-warrior (rts and Simluation). Why the abandonment?

My Reply is...

Microsoft and many game companies believe the PC-Gamer is a MMO market. However, RTS and Simulations (and the 'mech FPS/Simulator) are a type of game that are traditionally for the PC and make poor XBOX and PS3 and Console games.

Look at Modern Warefare 2 and how they slapped the face of the core and soft PC-Gamer for that game. And guess what, MW2 will lose very little because of the lack of PC sales. Let us face it, it looks great. It probably is great! Half of those petitioners will probably still buy it on the day it comes out. The other half will buy it in a few days afterwards. Perhaps a few people here and there wont. But, because the sales will ultimately not be effected, why not abuse the consumer. LET THE CONSUMER BE WARNED. CONSUMERS DONT MATTER. YOU DONT MATTER. YOU SUPPORT WATER DOWN GAMES BY BUYING THE GAMES.

I am putting my foot down now. The PC-GAMER is not dead. WE LIVE! WE ARE HERE! WE LOVE TO PLAY NON MMOS! WE WANT TO SPEND OUR MONEY ON GOOD QUALITY GAMES FOR OUR BELOVED PCS! I refuse to buy any game from a company that treats me like CRAP. Why settle for a game that will be crappy when I want a good game? Modern Warefare 2 has made me realize - game companies want the console and PS3 and XBOX money. If the PC community is not a huge market - they will water us down and ignore us. We are icing in their cake. A few dozen sales or lack of sales will not make or break this game.

The Modern Warefare petition is a joke. WHO CARES if they dont get my money. When PS3 and XBOX users are buying the game and some users are buying the game for BOTH SYSTEMS?

You are right, bolo73. Few will argue there was a market for the PC version of the MechWarrior. When the release video came out - fans came out of the woodwork to support it. Upto the point they blundered and did not secure all the necessary rights to all those pesky 'Mechs. DARN YOU HARMONEY GOLD!

Viva El Computer (yea yea spanish and french)

-BoydofZINJ

Posted: November 7, 2009 6:13 AM | Reply | Report

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djboogymonster

What do all three have in common?

They're all overrated.

Posted: Last week | Reply | Report

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arrdvarkus

I think a lot developers are seeing the pc market as being largely made up of people who do not pay for games, so who can blame them if they focus on console gaming? I think piracy is to blame for their indifference to the outcry.

Posted: Last week | Reply | Report

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