Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Monday, March 15th, 2010
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This is crap. Pure and simple crap. Modern Warfare 2 ’s upcoming map pack is going to cost $15 freaking dollars. $15! For five maps! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? DLC’s have recently been touted as the future of video games. Developers like them because they can keep adding fresh content to games and the fat cats like them because they bring in more slush money. It’s a win win. It’s even a win for gamers most of the time because they often share the same feelings as the developers. DLC at least in theory increase the replay value of a game. That’s great and normally these packs are available for around $5 or $10 dollars. Borderlands is currently on its third DLC with The Secret Armoy of General Knoxx. For $10 players get the chance to beef up their characters an extra 11 levels to 61, drive more vehicles and collect a host of new guns to conquer the new missions. That’s worth $10. Then there’s the new Modern Warfare 2 map pack. It will costs $15 and comes with five multiplayer maps, two that are recycled from previous games. Of course the fun part here is that online players will likely be forced to purchase the map pack if their favorite game server or buddies upgrade. There might also be new guns, but that’s not the point. A $15 DLC should come with more than just five multiplayer maps. And if Activision only has five new maps available, then the packs should cost less. This is just clearly another example of Activision gouging gamers. Hopefully other game publishers are taking notes, not of Activision’s tactics, but rather of gamer’s reactions.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
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We featured a so-called leaked video showing MW2 ’s upcoming map pack last week but had no idea when players will get access to the new maps. Activision finally came clean, though, and announced that the DLC will hit PCs first on March 30, with consoles getting it sometime afterwards. Oh, and yeah, it will be named Stimulus Package just like the rumor stated, which is a kind of appropriate name, actually. March 30 is almost a month after Battlefield: Bad Company 2 launched and you have to imagine that many MW2 players defected to BC2 after it launched. But the map pack’s 10 new maps might be just enough to draw players back. The free DLC might indeed be MW2’s stimulus package. Activision didn’t officially announce the new maps, but here’s the list that’s been floating around the ‘Net over the last week. Abandon DCWH-The White House Compact Revolt Complex Storm It’s supposed to also have these COD 4 maps. Shipment Vacant Overgrown Crash I would embed the preview video again, but Activision all of them. Losers.
Posted by Kevin Huffman
Tech
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
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Let’s go back to the year 2005. That autumn, RedOctane released a game called Guitar Hero . It was pretty successful, so it spawned a sequel, Guitar Hero II . That came out on the fall of 2006. One year later, Rock Band first popped up. Then, in the span of around two years, video game publishers lost their minds, and published approximaely 800 music rhythm games. Now you have a situation where not even The Beatles can make Rock Band big again. The lesson: don’t saturate the market with same-y games too suddenly. With that in mind, laugh : Activision has created a “dedicated [ Call of Duty ] business unit that will bring together its various new brand initiatives with focused, dedicated resources around the world.” “Brand initiatives,” folks. Get ready for, like, 900 new Call of Duty games in the next few years! Is Activision crazy like a fox or merely crazy? I’d suggest the latter, but let’s look at the facts: • Activision likes to make money, and lots of it • The last Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 2 , sold a zillion copies So you understand Activision’s thinking here: hey, this series is popular, so let’s keep giving people what they want. The thing is, do you want a Call of Duty MMO ? Because that looks like it’s going to happen. What about Call of Duty 24: Filling Out Enlistment Papers ? You really can only play these games so many times before it’s like, you know what, I’m tired of holding down R1 to shoot people. We need to take bets: how long until people are burned out on Call of Duty ? I’ll give them one more game of really good sales, then it drops off from there. And then Activision will have to find another cash cow to milk dry. Not that I have any special affinity for Call of Duty , but it’s just hilarious to see Activision blow through yet another franchise so quickly.