Loot Entertainment is taking it back to the Old Skool with Q*bert™

Nothing better than going to Pizza Hut as a kid and having tables with built-in arcade games like Centipede, Asteroid and of course Q*bert™. That was my childhood in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas growing up.

I could not believe it when Loot announced Q*bert™ on the PlayStation Blog. But then again, why not? We had a blast playing Fluster Cluck released earlier this year by Loot and now we get to play one of the all time classics!

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Jamie Ottilie, CEO of Galaxy Pest Control Games mentioned:

“Q*bert: Rebooted remains faithful to the commercially successful 1980’s arcade game while creating an entirely new experience that appeals to today’s savvy gamer. We saw an incredible opportunity by partnering with LOOT to bring Q*bert and his band of adversaries, like Coily, Ugg, and Red Ball, to the 21st Century via PlayStation®.”

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Now you are not just getting the Classic Q*bert™, you get Q*bert™: Rebooted as well, rated E for everyone and PEGI 3, and is now available for download on PS4™, PS3™ and PSVita™ entertainment systems for $9.99 and $6.99 for PlayStation Plus members (SCEA) and €8.99 and €5.99 for PlayStation Plus members (SCEE.)

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So for less than $10 you are getting 2 games in one, the original and Rebooted which replaces the cubes with 3D hexagons and introduces new playable characters such as Q*bot, Q*bertha, Q*knight, Q*nicorn, and Q*zilla, along with new enemies, traps, gem collecting, and power-ups.

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Q*bert™ is a must have for any gamer out there and even better for you parents out there that want to show the kiddos how we gamed back in the day. Too bad there is not a coin slot to collect quarters from the kids like we had to do it!

More information on Q*bert: Rebooted or LOOT Entertainment can be found at www.lootentertainment.com. Players can follow Q*bert: Rebooted on Twitter and Facebook or by visiting www.qbert.com.

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E3, MVPs, H-Hour, Chicago, PS4 so much going on

So it has been a crazy week for Urgent Fury with E3 and all but so much more is going on too… We recently posted a video recorded with NO_Fear and myself talking about what community meant to us, strolling down some Socom memory lanes, H-Hour and such:

E3 was by far one of the most exciting which should not be a surprise since it was in fact probably the biggest console releases in gaming history with XBox and PlayStation going head to head this year. We saw many games on all consoles and PC and played plenty as well. I know I can be labeled as a PlayStation fanboy time and time again, but that is my personal preference and has been thanks to Socom. To each his own.

Since there have been millions of posts about the console wars I won’t dive deep into it, and even as I finally write this, Microsoft has done a u-turn on some of their policies after the out crying of the gaming community and frankly horrid preorders. I really think they just approached the concept the wrong way and well PR was a complete disaster. I actually support getting control of the used game market and ensuring that publishers get their due from retailers. I do not support publishers going after Joe who sells his game to Johnny over like Craigslist or eBay, only businesses that make billions off of giving Joe $5 for a game and then turning around and selling it for $5 less than retail.

I did get my hands on some PS4 play with Blacklight Retribution and I am very happy with the Dualshock 4. It was very well thought out, comfortable and not an overwhelming change. I would say it is a natural evolution.

Blacklight Retribution, a F2P Shooter, was pretty cool. It will release with PS4 I believe from Zombie Studios.

Walking the floor there are several blockbusters coming to current and next gen consoles, so prepare to be broke this holiday season no matter what console you choose. Honestly between the meetings and such, I did not get to experience near enough games this year.

Of course you have seen us all over the announcement of H-Hour: World’s Elite’s KickStarter by SOF Studios. We really talk in the video above how much of an impact the early Socom Games had on all of us, and how David Sears is looking to bring back that style of gaming we have been looking for. Make sure you head over and support this project with a pledge http://bit.ly/ufsupportshhour

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We also announced that this Saturday, June 22nd we will be hosting a live Q & A with David Sears on our Twitch Channel, so get your questions ready… we will have the chat on a limiter to make sure that we are not getting spammed.

We can’t forget that we have added a PS4 Giveaway. To clear it up, we are giving an actual PS4 away, we are doing the pre order and will ship to the winner. This is limited to the US. Sign up now: http://bit.ly/winaps4

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Along with all of this going on at E3, in a PlayStation blog post today (where you can see my ugly mug) Kristine outlined our involvement as MVPs for PlayStation at E3. It was an amazing experience for all the MVPs, especially those that were at E3 for the first time. We had some very direct feedback sessions with PlayStation as well as some get sessions with several developers. This program provides engaged members of the PlayStation community direct access to the right people. With this access your voice can be heard through the MVPs.

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Now that we are done with E3 and all, we turn our attention back to the competitions at Urgent Fury. We have the Urgent Fury on Tour Chicago event coming right around the corner. Get your teams signed up, this is a guaranteed prize pool, so if only 8 teams sign up they are all going home cash in hand, if only one team shows up they are getting $7500 for doing almost nothing, we might make them play the staff lol. Remember there is a 64 team cap, we will not increase this, so it is first come first serve. We have now had a few teams register this week and expect to end up with a waiting list when it’s all said and done. Team Pre Registration is $280 and will be $320 at the door if there are any spots left.

 

 

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How Used Games Could Work Next Gen

With all the talk spawning from the XBox One reveal last week, one of the subjects that is sticking hard to gamers is DRM and getting a handle on the Used/Rental Game Market. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a big supporter of the Used market personally but I understand that it is there. As an IT professional we are trained in licensing and accept that you do not see a used software market. So is there a solution that can work for the industry? I think there is a fine line that could work.

Since XB1 has verified they are going to require game installs (that is a whole other subject with a 500gb drive) there is talk of how it could work that would make sense.

Scenario 1 Lending the Game to a Friend:

Johnny buys COD Ghosts new, and his friend Tommy wants to check it out. Johnny has already installed it on his system so when Tommy takes the game to his house it would deactivate Johhny’s install so Tommy can play. No Fee, just verifies which console the disk is at. When Tommy brings it back, Johnny puts the disc back in to activate at his house and Tommy’s console is now deactivated for the game.

Scenario 2 Rental Services:

Now this situation would work pretty much the same way as lending a game to a friend, but the renter will benefit from the time it takes to send back to the rental company and how ever long it takes for the game to be installed by a next renter. Just as before no fees are needed but once the game reaches another console, it will deactivate the previous install.

Option to Buy:

With the two above scenarios, it is easy to see an option to buy the game to reactivate it via the online store giving the publisher their normal profits and a cut to the console. For the Rental Service, they could have a means of selling an activation code as well letting them get the cut instead of the console online store. This is a win win for everyone and almost how it works now for the Rental Services.

Scenario 3: Used Game Store

gamestop-streaming-611x350Ok so this is where it gets a little more complicated. The key to a Used Game market is buying the game for $X and Selling the game for $Y with the difference equaling a profit. Currently the average difference is about $15 to $30.

For this to work, Johnny would bring his game to the GameStore, and would get $X. The GameStore would then turn around and need to sell the game for $Y but would need to include a reactivation license. Now it would be up to the GameStore to work a deal with the publishers so that at the end of the day the difference between $X and $Y equals enough profit to stay a viable business model and include the required activation codes. But by doing this, the publishers/devs now get their dues from the sale of the game.

At the end of the day that is what the big argument about used game sales have been based on. The current system cuts out the publisher/dev from their part of the sales of their hard work. Now we are not sure how it is going to work with the PS4 yet, but if this solution was adopted I think everyone could accept the process.

What are your thoughts on this? Let us know below.

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Being Quadriplegic Will Not Hold me Back

trellisWith the announcement of the UF on Tour Black Ops 2 Tournament in Chicago this summer, we have fielded questions ranging from permissions for minors to hotels, but one question never prepared us for this inspiring gamer.

We receive a simple question from Trellis, aka iDeoxide, asking if we could accommodate him for the event as he is a Quadriplegic. After a few back and forth emails to better understand his situation it was not hard to say of course. Now this sort of threw us off, why would he even need to ask other than maybe to give us a simple heads up that he was coming to the event and would need a set up that he can use.

But after talking more with iDeoxide it came to light that he has tried several times to go and compete in these events with no success. No one would take the time to understand his needs and make the necessary setup he needed. Check out this interview his local station he did this weekend, below is his own YouTube video explaining how he plays.

Now nothing could prepare us for how good he was either, last weekend he joined us for a little Black Ops play and I have to tell you, he made me look worse than I already am! He is spot on when it comes to gun play, knife play and overall Call of Duty play.

We have helped Trellis set up a GoFund me program to help raise funds to make the trip up to Chicago from Mississippi. Though he is quite agile, he does need assistance with some of his daily tasks which in turn having someone travel with him to the event. You can help fund him via the widget below or go to the fundraiser page.

He is an inspiration to gamers and to Urgent Fury, we look forward to seeing Trellis at the Chicago event this summer. Be on the look out in a few weeks when Trellis joins Doc to tell us his story.

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Military Gamers Cannot use the XBox One in the Field

So in an interview with Aaron Greenburg on GamerTag Radio  the question was posed about the XBox One on a Navy Ship where the typical sailor does not have internet access.

At the 31 minute mark is where Danny (host) brings up the scenario for a gamer at sea. Aaron responds at the 32 minute mark with the comparison of the XBox One to a Tivo device that is always connected going on further to say that those that do not have an internet connection or are going to be gaming in the middle of the ocean, they should stick with the XBox 360.

odgcarrierAaron goes on further to explain that they feel this only a small population of gamers affected, but I would say that this is a bigger population than they are thinking.

Now do not get me wrong I understand that the XBox One’s entertainment functions need you to be connected to take advantage of those new features, but at the end of the day isn’t this a Game Console for playing games? What I took away from this particular part of the interview was that no, it is not a game console. The XBox One is an entertainment device.

This is a shame for all the active duty military that take their gaming system out into the field with them… What are your feelings on this? Are you in the military or a veteran that has been deployed to areas that do not have internet?

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POW II Intel Sponsored by BradyGames

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Last time we introduced POW II and talked about the new Interactive TacMap . Today we are going to go in-depth and show you an example of how the Intel will look when you click on a territory in the TacMap. BradyGames a long time sponsor and partner with Urgent Fury has been gracious enough to offer the best Intel in the business to further enhance your TacMap experience.

Each Territory will include the Map, the assigned mode and will also include particular information that relates to that.

In the example below we are showing below, we have Meltown in the War Zone Configuration. War Zone Territories will make up the majority of the TacMap Territories and are Search & Destroy.

You will see the routes for both attackers and the defenders along with the location of both plant locations and various info like ladders, directional arrows etc. All of this can be found in the Official BradyGames Black Ops 2 Strategy Guide.

POW II Intel by BradyGames

For more details about POW II and information on how to register head over to Urgent Fury for Details.

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Urgent Fury Presents the POW II TacMap Tournament

POW IIUrgent Fury is notorious for enhancing the tournament experience with their Signature Scenario Based TacMap Tournaments. Over the years these events have had various twists to make the tournament event more interesting and POW II is no different.

Prisoner of War was by far one of the most popular adaptations to the TacMap experience added by creators Tow and Sniper. So with the release of Call of Duty Black Ops 2, the Directors and Staff felt we finally had the platform to bring POWs back into the mix. The last time POWs were found in a Call of Duty TacMap was Riot Act back in 2008. But before we go into the details about POW II, let’s talk about the TacMap 4.0.

All earlier TacMaps have been flash based making for tough updating and almost useless to IPads and mobile devices. So we have worked hard to find a new solution that is easier to manage as well as friendly to devices such as Tablets. So with great pleasure we are proud to announce the TacMap Version 4.0.

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Our new interactive TacMap brings new features to the player as well. Like before when you mouse over you will get the details about the Territory including the Name, Number, Map and Mode. But now when you click on a Territory it will offer specific Intel for that Territory. In the case of the example here, you will see we clicked on a Territory and it brought up the Game Map for that particular city.

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In the TacMap you will also see the continued use of color coding per clan and the return of the Clan Intel showing Territories owned and what clans are in a critical or eliminated status.

POW II for Black Ops 2 on PlayStation 3

So now let’s get into the nitty-gritty. POW II will be a Black Ops 2 Tournament for PlayStation 3 players. We are changing things up a bit this time around. Gone are the 13 week time limit with sudden death and a final championship. To win this event you have to eliminate all of your opponents period. Now with that in mind we are pretty sure you guys do not want a repeat of when our Clan held down Antenora for over 30 weeks dragging the end out beyond anyone’s belief. So we are introducing the new Stale Mate Provision:

The Stale Mate Provision activates once we have 4 or less clans that have not been eliminated. During the Stale Mate period, Clans have to gain at least one territory a week. If a clan fails to gain a territory, the clan will declare a territory to be returned to the battlefield.

A clan can be eliminated simply by not making any forward progress very quickly when we reach the Stale Mate Phase. You will also notice that the territories are returned to the battlefield. We will explain how the Neutral Cities work shortly, but this is also a change.

City Types

HQ Cities: All HQ cities’ maps will consist of only DEMOLITION map modes. In all DEMOLITION modes for HQ cities, defenders will play with 8 players, attackers play with 7. POWs are taken in these types of wars when the winning team sweeps their opponent, denying them a single round of victory. Two POWs are taken by the winner with the winner first choosing their POW and then the loser giving up one more of their own choosing. The winning clan may only take POWs if the winning clan owns a POW camp on the TACMAP. If they do not, then no POWs exchange hands.

teaser002POW Cities: All POW cities’ maps will consist of only TEAM DEATHMATCH map modes in an 8 v 8 match. If Clan A owns one or more POW cities, then when Clan A takes POWs from Clan Z in a war, Clan A places those POWs in one of its held POW cities. A POW city can ONLY be attacked by a Heliport City. Without a Heliport city, no POW city can be attacked. When a POW city is taken in an attack, the attacker must release all POWs from ONE clan (no matter how many) and must keep all other clan POWs in the city (no matter how many). This match is set with a 5-life respawn cap so teamwork and patience is critical. POWs are taken in these types of wars when the winning team still has four or more gunners alive by the time the match ends. Two POWs are taken by the winner with the winner first choosing their POW and then the loser giving up one more of their own choosing. The winning clan may only take POWs if the winning clan owns a POW camp on the TACMAP. If they do not, then no POWs exchange hands.

Heliport Cities: All Heliport cities’ maps will consist of only DOMINATION map modes in an 8 v 8 match. A Heliport city is the ONLY MEANS of placing an attack on a POW camp. Without a Heliport city, no matter what, you will be unable to potentially save your clan mates who are stuck with no chance of rescue. Whereas HQ and Heliport cities must be attacked by the borders that connect them, Heliport cities can mount attacks to ANY POW city or standard city on the Tacmap, regardless of distance. POWs are taken in these types of wars when the winning clan holds the losing clan to a score of 300 or less (the score cap of this match is 500 points to declare a winner). Two POWs are taken by the winner with the winner first choosing their POW and then the loser giving up one more of their own choosing. The winning clan may only take POWs if the winning clan owns a POW camp on the TACMAP. If they do not, then no POWs exchange hands.

War Zone Cities: All War Zone cities’ maps will consist of only SEARCH & DESTROY map modes in an 8 v 8 match. A War Zone city is the most common city found on the TACMAP, comprising nearly half of it. War Zone cities are considered “too hot” for landing, therefor, no Heliport cities may attack a War Zone, even if the Heliport City borders that War Zone. POWs are taken in these types of wars when the winning clan sweeps the losing clan, preventing the losing clan from winning a single round in this multi-round match. Two POWs are taken by the winner with the winner first choosing their POW and then the loser giving up one more of their own choosing. The winning clan may only take POWs if the winning clan owns a POW camp on the TACMAP. If they do not, then no POWs exchange hands.

Neutral Cities: All Neutral cities’ maps will consist of only HARDPOINT map modes in an Multi-Team match. A Neutral city is up for grabs by any bordering territory. If a single clan owns all bordering territories, they may claim the Neutral City as one of their attacks. If multiple clans border a Neutral City, up to 5 teams may send 3 players to attack the city. Neutral City Attacks are to be held at 9pm cst every Thursday and participation must be declared during the war meeting. This does not count as one of your attacks unless only one team declares an attack on a Neutral city, They are awarded that city and it will account for one Attack. POWs cannot be taken in Neutral Cities. Neutral Cities are not considered a pass through territory.

Prisoners of War

uf_pow2_noescapeWPWhen a player is taken as a POW from his clan, so too is his spot on the roster. The spot AND player taken as a POW cannot be re-filled at the beginning of a month when rosters can be amended. The spot and the player cannot take part in any of his clan’s UF: POW II wars until that player is freed. The only way to revive that player and his spot for future wars is if the POW city that he is held in is attacked and he is freed, either by his own clan or someone else’s, or by succeeding in a Great Escape week, which will be explained shortly. Once the POW Camp is Designated, the Player will be placed in the POW Camp usergroup on Urgent Fury. They will not have access to any forum except the Designated Camp Forum in effect cutting them off from the World of Urgent Fury. This forum will not be publicly accessible until after the completion of UF: POW II and is for the POWs to communicate and Plan any escapes, or post mail to their families and clan mates to be shared weekly on the forums.

The Great Escape is a specific week in which POWs can take freedom into their own hands by breaking free of the POW camp and the clan holding them captive. Great Escape weeks will be clearly labeled in the weekly schedule so that clans know when a Great Escape is approaching. All POW camps which hold AT LEAST FOUR or more POWs in them can see their captive POWs choose to band together during a Great Escape week and attack their captors. In this case, POWs are considered attackers and the owners of the POW camp are considered the defenders. All Great Escape wars must happen at 9pm CST on the day that the POWs collectively call for. No other time is allowed other than 9pm CST. The defenders, or owners of the POW camp, have NO say in the day that a Great Escape war is to happen. This attack is considered bonus in that the attack AND the defense does NOT count towards the 2/2 quota of attacks and defenses given to all clans every week. All Great Escape wars are scheduled at the Sunday war meetings.

Escapes will be a maximum of 8 v 8 in a Team Deathmatch Hardcore Setup. The POWs are limited to starting with a regular knife and the Defenders are only armed with the Five-seven Handgun. POWs can pick up the gun from a dead defender to even the battlefield.

We will also see the return of the Forced Offensive week and some other little twists and turns here and there. We have waited a long time to bring this back to the battlefield and call all clans to strap up and move out. Applications are now open and will close February 20th. Stay tuned to www.urgentfury.com for more information.

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Uncharted: Fight For Fortune announced for the Vita

Remember that Indiana Jones type of 3rd person adventure game Uncharted? Well in a bizarre chain of events, Nathan Drake is sent out on a mission to collect cards and do battle with them! From the Playstation blog’s Chris Reese, he describes Uncharted: Fight for Fortune as a turn based card game exclusive for the Vita!

 

Remember that Indiana Jones type of 3rd person adventure game  Uncharted? Well in a bizarre chain of events, Nathan Drake is sent out on a mission to collect cards and do battle with them! From the Playstation blog’s Chris Reese, he describes Uncharted: Fight for Fortune as a turn based card game exclusive for the Vita!

 

“So you’re probably wondering, how exactly does Fight For Fortune work? I’ll explain. The core gameplay in UNCHARTED: Fight for Fortune involves creating a team of Faction cards featuring heroes, villains, and mercenaries from the UNCHARTED universe, then using that team to defeat your opponent while defending yourself from their attacks.
Each Faction card can be equipped with powerful Resource and valuable Fortune cards, which enhance their stats and give them special abilities. Once you’ve selected and equipped a card, it’s time to head into battle! During combat, attacks either reduce the health of opposing Faction cards or the health of your opponent. Defeating an opposing Faction card removes it from play, while reducing the health of your opponent to zero wins you the game.”

 

Whether you enjoyed Golden Abyss or not, Bend Studios returns to the portable Uncharted series with turn based action! December 4th is when we’ll see how the $4.99 PS Vita game of Uncharted: Fight for Fortune will fare against other spin off card games based on our favorite Playstation treasure hunter.

 

Uncharted: Golden Abyss trailer

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United Mercs Crowned the Urgent Fury Dust Champion on Starhawk

UNIT brings home the gold after a long hard battle to comeback and win it.

After a grueling 12 weeks, we had 6 teams that entered into the Dust Championship. Normally we expect a smooth playoff but not so much this time. Teams were faced with the dreaded XMB Kick randomly, teams cheating and for one team an endless battle of fatigue. But in the end a champion rose from among the ashes to be crowned the UF: Dust Champion for Starhawk on PlayStation 3.

United Mercs gained entry into the Dust Championship by winning the second of six deployments serving as the preliminary events leading up to the championship followed by a long battle in the championship ending with a final record of 4 wins and 1 loss.

Their only loss came from Mech Warhawk Society which by far was the most handicapped team with the majority of their members are in the UK making the match time in most cases 3am BST. After facing and eliminating Killer Instinct, UNIT returned to meet MWHS in the Semi Finals is a win or go home situation. UNIT held strong winning the Semi Finals only to have to return Friday night to face MWHS again, now a third time. At this point both teams had a 1 – 1 record against each other and whoever won would be crowned a Champion and the team that loss would have to settle for second place.


Watch live video from Urgent Fury Gaming Live on TwitchTV

Each team set their fate by choosing their maps, modes and loadouts for the finals, here is how it was laid out:

  • Map 1: Scourge- Conduit – CTF – Air Superiority – Chosen by UNIT
  • Map 2: Dust – Outlands – Team Death Match – Lone Wolf – Chosen by MWHS
  • Map 3: Space – Orbital – Zones – Lone Wolf – Chosen by UNIT
  • Map 4: Dust – Outlands – Zones – Ground Pounder Blitz – Chosen by MWHS
  • Map 5: Cypress – Orgin – CTF – Classic Beta Blitz – Chosen by UF

In the final match Unit was given home field advantage so their two maps came in the first three rounds, which being the best of 5, that played in their favor.

Round one: Unit took the map 2 – 0
Round two: MWHS took the map 65 – 57
Round three: Unit took the map 2935 – 917 Time Expired
Round four:  Unit took the map 1401 – 1146 Time Expired

Both teams fought hard to reach this point and we commend them as well as Killer Instinct which received the MVC (Most Valuable Clan) award.

Over the next week we will be announcing the next line up of tournaments for Starhawk including the Starhawk King of the Hill Series. The series will include a King of the Hill set up for each of the team based modes where teams can challenge the King and attempt to take his crown.

We will also detail the next league which will run on Tuesday and Thursday Nights every month. So get over to www.urgentfury.com and get your teams set up.

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PAX 2012 Medal Of Honor: Warfighter Community Event

Before I get into the “meat & potatoes” of Medal Of Honor: Warfighter, and my experience with the game during the PAX 2012 Medal Of Honor: Warfighter Community Event…I should give you a little background intel about myself.

I am not just a fan of the Medal Of Honor franchise. I am a battle hardened veteran of almost every Medal Of Honor battle space” ever made available to me from the fine folks at Electronic Arts.

I was part of the team that destroyed “Railgun Greta” (I always thought that would be a great name for a band). I was there with the French Resistance, when they put a stop to the V-1 menace. I survived the horror of “Panzerknacker Unleashed“. I experienced the tragedy & triumph, of both D-Day & Pearl Harbor.

And of course, I was there when Mother, Preacher, Voodoo, & Dusty all said goodbye, to one of their own.

But enough about me, let’s talk about Medal Of Honor: Warfighter. I just thought that it was important for you to know as you read this, that the opinions expressed here, are not those of some casual gaming blog writer, or some detached industry media guy who could really care less about the game.

These are the opinions of a guy who knows this franchise, and has come to expect a certain something when he plays Medal Of Honor.

Flash forward to Seattle, Washington. The “Jet City“.  Friday, 31 August, 2012. Westin Hotel. 1900 hours.

20 or so Medal Of Honor community members fill the lobby, and you can feel the sheer anticipation pulsing throughout the room.

After signing in, we are finally led upstairs to a huge meeting room filled with food, fun, & fireteams.

As we started the gameplay portion of the evening I was instantly caught off guard, by just how good the game looks.

I play Battlefield 3, so I know what the Frostbite 2 can do. But you could immediately tell that Danger Close has a firm grasp on the engine’s real capabilities.

The second thing that I noticed was the sound design. It was even a topic later in the night, during a Q&A session with the DEV team.

The ambient audio in general is superb. But the gunfire in particular, is simply stunning. Each weapon has it’s own distinct sonic personality. You can almost “feel” the difference between weapons, based solely on how each one sounds.

With regard to the essentials, Warfighter’s basic gunplay and control interface, remain relatively unchanged from the game’s predecessor. All in all, to this point, I’m feeling pretty optimistic about everything I’ve experienced so far.

But, keep in mind that 2010’s Medal Of Honor was a hybrid endeavor. With Danger Close developing the Singleplayer mode (on a heavily modified version of the Unreal Engine 3), and DICE (EA Digital Illusions CE) developing the Multiplayer mode on the Frostbite 1.5 engine.

In fact, that may have been the only thing wrong with the 2010 iteration. You could tell that the two modes were somehow related, but were also distant cousins at best.

So, as I blazed my way into Warfighter’s Multiplayer mode, I was a bit apprehensive about what I might find.

However, I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised to find that Danger Close had re-imagined the Multiplayer mode, and has aptly transplanted it’s DNA into the mode’s fabric.

Unlike 2010’s game, you can tell that Danger Close developed this mode. It didn’t seem like I was playing someone else’s version of Medal Of Honor. The HUD, and player icons were well thought out, and unique. I didn’t notice the usual visual clutter on the screen like you see in some shooters. And thanks to the technology of the Frostbite 2, player movement was smooth, and very natural.

The Spec Ops mode was interesting, though I rarely found myself using it. It gives you a very quick “IR” peek at your environment when you need to amp up your situational awareness a bit. Some players may complain about it, but as I mentioned, it’s not something you can “lean on” during the course of the game. It really is something that you’d only use if you find yourself in a “tight spot“.

There is also a “suppression” effect that occurs when you find yourself taking enemy fire. It’s similar to the Battlefield 3 suppression mechanic, but is toned down enough to distract & disorient you, more than it disables you. I like the execution of the effect overall, and I think most players will agree.

Other elements from the 2010 game make a return to Medal Of Honor: Warfighter. Offensive & Defensive Support Actions are back, and have been tweaked a bit.

They seem more useful and balanced, but must be used strategically in order to achieve any real results. I also love the way a player must think before he deploys one of these actions. For instance, if you launch a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). Your player actually stops, and literally “launches” the UAV by hand. If you call in an A-10 “air strike”, your player must again stop, and actually “lase” the target for tasking. It makes the player vulnerable, which means you have to use discretion when deploying any of the support actions.

I also love the revised melee mechanic. At one point, I jumped off a raised position to engage an unsuspecting foe below, dispatching him with a well placed tomahawk. If I could have, I would have “high-fived” myself.

And although we only played on two maps during the event (Somalia & Sarejevo). It seemed like we played on 3 or 4 different maps, due in large part to the unique map design Danger Close implemented. Depending on which game mode we played, we’d find ourselves fighting on a different portion of the overall map.

Sarajevo, is set at the Kosovo Olympic Stadium. What was once a proud structure that represented something glorious, is now just a shell of rubble & untamed vegetation after years of civil unrest in the region.

I can’t put into words how dense, and cluttered the terrain is on this map. Be advised, there won’t be any “Run & Gun” here kids. To properly navigate this AO, you almost have to “move & shoot” the “Tier 1” way. I think the saying goes…”slow is steady, and steady is fast“.

A “bombed out” bobsled track snakes it’s way throughout most of the map, and provides hundreds of vantage points from which to engage the enemy. In addition to the many man-made structures that litter the map, rocky perches and natural terrain also provide players with a plethora of tactical options.

The three game modes we experienced were “Sector Control“, “Hot Spot“, and an e-sport game mode called “Homerun“.

SECTOR CONTROL-
This mode is exactly what is sounds like. It’s very similar to Battlefield 3‘s “Conquest” mode.
Players must capture & defend designated “nav points” on the map, to push the enemy back and ultimately control the AO.
It should also be noted that because of the nature of the game modes we played, the infantry combat is fierce at times, and will really test a team’s ability to work together & communicate. In other words…team work is essential.

HOT SPOT-
Next up is “Hot Spot“, my personal favorite of the three game modes we saw during the event.
In this mode, players are tasked with either planting or defusing a bomb that will destroy a designated tactical target if it isn’t defused in time. The cool thing is that you don’t choose where to plant the bomb if you’re attacking, HQ does. Similarly, players on the defending team will have 2 or 3 “potential” target sites to defend, but won’t know which site is actually being attacked, until the bomb is planted. It makes for a mad scramble at times. And the fire fights that ensue are epic to say the least.

HOMERUN-
Finally, we come to the “e-sport” game mode that was named by the Medal Of Honor community at-large. Homerun is a fast paced, no respawn, “Capture The Flag” game mode, that almost always comes down to a “last man standing” scenario. The fact that you only get one life per round (10 rounds in all), cranks up the stakes considerably, and was the only game mode that evoked cheers from the community players in the room. It sucked to die, but it was actually fun to watch the match unfold from the “dead lobby“.

Overall, I’m glad that Danger Close seems to understand the importance of innovation with regard to the Multiplayer mode. The Fireteam feature alone, proves that they are at least conscious about getting players to work together to achieve the objective.

But with that being said…there is one aspect of the Multiplayer mode that I’m concerned about.

Honestly, I’m still a little skeptical about the clan support options that we’ll see with Medal Of Honor: Warfighter. When asked about it, we were told that clan management would take place via Battlelog (like Battlefield 3). I firmly believe that developers have neglected the demographic of players who prefer a “team first” gaming experience. Most Multiplayer shooter titles today, seem to have forgotten those of us who want to be part of a team. A group of like minded gamers, who share a real collective identity. We want the ability to create and manage private matches, and to manage our clan down to the last shooter. We want the ability to achieve an actual online presence. But sadly, most titles focus on the individual. A players rank or KDR seem to be more important than the greater good of the team these days, which I think promotes a selfish “me first” type of dynamic. We’ll see how Danger Close chooses to handle this, but I’m not 100% sold on the idea of using Battlelog to manage my clan.

After all, most of us already have a “friends list“.

Regardless, I’ve got my fingers crossed. All I know is that for about six and half hours in Seattle, I was Tier 1. Danger Close has clearly found it’s identity, and has put it’s stamp on the franchise. And without question, I left Seattle with an excitement I haven’t felt in a while. Medal Of Honor: Warfighter seems to have everything a grizzled Medal Of Honor veteran like me would expect, or want.

We’ll find out soon enough if that’s enough to compete in a somewhat crowded genre/market. Medal Of Honor: Warfighter from Electronic Arts & Danger Close (PC, PS3, & Xbox) goes loud, on October 23rd.

Until then shooters. Watch those corners….and Stay frosty.

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