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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Urgent Frequency Ep. 98 – Mark Christianson, Medal Of Honor: Warfighter, & zombies!

On this episode…Commander Fury spends some quality time with Mark Christianson (Rigger82), C.O. of the Off Duty Gamers. And they talk about Pax Prime 2012, Medal Of Honor: Warfighter, Battlefield 3‘s third XPack, “Armored Kill“, zombie apocalypse safety tips, and the ODGs forthcoming 24hr GO*VETs charity gaming marathon.

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Urgent Frequency Ep. 91 – The 2011 VGA Preview Episode

After a year of major game releases, the game industry & gamers from all over the world are set to pick the best of the best for the 2011 Video Game Awards.

Shane Bell (Urgent Fury CIO) & Doc (The Tester (Season 1) & Replay w/ Doc) join Commander Fury to preview a few of the categories & make their 2011 VGA picks.

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Battlefield: 3 Now ‘Banned’ in Iran…

Story by: CritiKiL

First the Lawsuit, and now This? ~ Iran has banned this video game in all of Iran, which is very popular here in the USA. In the picture above, it shows the US invading Iran. With the latest incident leading to the killings via Drone-airstrike by NATO, this video game is the first of expressions showing the countries unrest with what happened. Battlefield: 3 has been banned in that country because of it’s depictions of US armour and aircraft launching  assaults on and in the city of Tehran, according to an Iranian IT magazine today.

Tehran Highway: A nighttime map where players start off in the hills out side of the city and work their way in. Sounds a lot like Strike At Karkand. The map starts open, but ends “on a much more urban and tight note” with focus on infantry combat.

The game (EA’s current top-selling title), can be played as a solo campaign or as a group mission with up to 24 players online. The Iran scenario sees US forces fighting hostile militia near the Iraq-Iran border then moving on to Tehran under a looming nuclear threat. Intense gunfights are depicted in various military, industrial and urban locations in the capital, including Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar.

According to EA, 5 million copies of Battlefield: 3 were sold within just ‘one week’ of it hitting the market on October 25, 2011. The game is available on DVD-ROM and as for download from the Internet. EA has no resellers in Iran, but pirated copies of all major videogames and computer software are widely available worldwide. This is the first time an official ban on the game was reported, but some computer store owners said they had declined to stock the game  initially, anticipating a possible crackdown on it.

Iranian police overseeing public places “raided (some shops) and arrested owners for selling the game secretly” even before the ban became public, said by one anonymous store owner who did not want his name mentioned. The Fars news agency said the game had prompted an online protest by a group of Iranian youths. One group said in an online petition, with more than 5,000 signatories so far:

“We understand that the story of a videogame is hypothetical … (but) we believe the game is purposely released at a time when the US is pushing the international community into fearing Iran…”

Although Not noted in the petition as far as we know: ‘an Iranian leader in the game outright calls Americans terrorists’, in explaining the source of the struggle in the Launch trailer that I’ve attached to this story below. Whatever the outcome, it looks like this game won’t be accessible or played in that part of the world ever again, but that’s just my take on the given situation. Let us know what YOU THINK, by commenting on this story! Don’t forget to watch the video below:

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Modern Warfare: 3 ‘Trounces’ Battlefield: 3, in Online Play Time!

Story by: CritiKiL

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is blasting away at Battlefield 3 in the number of hours played, according to an analysis and survey of 10 million gamers by the Raptr gamer social network. Raptr reports that play data collected from its gamer network shows the Call of Duty franchise still dominates the $5 billion first-person shooter market when it comes to online play. Modern Warfare 3 users have logged more total hours in their first week after launch than Battlefield 3 users have logged in the past three weeks. Modern Warfare 3 users logged about 40 percent more hours played on launch day (6.19 hours on average on Nov. 8) ) than Battlefield 3 users did (4.45 hours, Oct. 25), although Battlefield 3′s launch [as far as ‘gameplay’] was plagued with connectivity problems. During the first week, Xbox 360 players logged 17 percent more play time, or 20.45 hours, on Modern Warfare 3, compared to 17.37 hours on Battlefield 3.

For the first time ever for any franchise, three Call of Duty games (including last year’s Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 from two years ago) were in the top 10 play-time charts on Raptr. On average, Call of Duty players play the game for 60 to 70 hours, mostly on multiplayer since the campaign game is five to 10 hours. This year, Activision is finally trying to monetize those extra hours of play by coming up with its premium subscription for the Call of Duty Elite service. Raptr tracks actual game play data from its 10 million users. It compared that data with a survey of 6,000 participants in its Battlefield vs. Call of Duty showdown promotion. This news isn’t great for EA, which made a major attempt to unseat Activision Blizzard with Battlefield 3.

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Battlefield: 3 Faces Lawsuit Over Game Promotion…

Story by: CritiKiL
Electronic Arts is facing a class-action lawsuit over a recent Battlefield 3 promotion. Legal firm Edelson McGuire has filed a complaint against the studio on behalf of customers who were promised a free copy of Battlefield 1943 when they purchased the PS3 version of the game. EA later changed the terms of the promotion, announcing via Twitter that those who preordered Battlefield 3 on the Sony console would receive early access to DLC expansion packs instead. In the filing of the lawsuit, it alleges that EA “misled and profited from thousands of their customers by making a promise that they could not, and never intended, to keep.”

According to the lawyers, all that those signed up to the class action want out of EA is the free copy of 1943 that they were originally promised. The customers affected are said to only be seeking their free copy of Battlefield 1943, reports Kotaku.Battlefield 3 was released for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in October. The game sold almost 2 million copies in its first month in the US alone. EA as of yet, has not responded to these allegations.

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Urgent Frequency Ep. 89 – He’s BAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKKKK. BOOOOYAH!!!!

In this episode….Commander Fury returns after a much-needed summer vacation just in time for the 2011 Urgent Frequency Halloween Special. He welcomes Call Of Duty “blades only” phenom & YouTube sensation…ONLYUSEmeBLADE. We’ll tell you how you can help support our wounded warriors just by buying a T-Shirt. Plus, we serve up chills with “The Devil Is not Mocked”. A terrifying tale based on the short story by Manly Wade Wellman.

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Ultimate Battlefield: 3 Simulator ~ Full Story

Story by: CritiKiL

I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago but it was vague in nature. This time I’m bringing you all the Full Story, about how this project got started and who the participants are who helped make the ‘Ultimate Battlefield: 3 Simulator’…come to life. In the UK, Channel 5 has a program called The Gadget Show and they cover in-dept how this awesome Simulator started. On paper, what they’ve done sounds like a simple gimmick that will get plenty of people thinking “it’ll never work”. But the results were quite surprising when it all came to life!

First off, in order to build the Ultimate Gaming Experience The Gadget Show used an “Igloo Vision Dome” to potentially offer full 360 degree immersion, tie that in multiple High Definition projectors, a roller driven “omni-directional treadmill” which tracks the users actual movement, a Kinect, a massive array of paintball guns to simulate being shot and an awful lot of software that damn near literally puts you into the action of Battlefield 3.

For more information on the contributors who helped to make this simulator happen:

 

The full story of The Gadget Show‘s FPS gaming simulator build originally premiered on Channel 5 in the UK at 8pm on Monday October 24th 2011. The video we’re showing in this article contains mostly the highlights, so just checkout the video (below) and leave us a comment with your thoughts…

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So Far, Nothing Beats Battlefield: 3…

Story by: CritiKiL

The war for the military FPS game of the year has begun, and Battlefield 3 has fired the first shots.  The attention to detail and care that DICE has put into its Frostbite 2 engine shows (which is ‘also’ incorporated in NFS: The Run racing game!), and leaves gamers with a highly polished and addictive shooter.

In the campaign mode you’re in the shoes of Henry Blackburn, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps who’s being interrogated and as he tells his side of the story, you play through ‘his’ events and end up playing as a few different characters watching the story unfold from their individual perspectives (much like the Call of Duty franchise). It is clear that DICE tried too hard to capture the Call of Duty audience, but overall it owns up to having it’s on individuality. That’s what Battlefield is all about though, watching tanks battle and etc. But there’s a scene  that’s a skydiving mission and that is Awesome.  The Co-Op mode is not bad either.

However, it is the Multiplayer mode which steals the Show! It reminds me of the Socom we used to love but now hate. Don’t miss it at all. The squad based combat encourages teamwork and coordination. We have the choice of four classes; Assault, Engineer, Recon, and Support. Each class has its own set of abilities that aid the team. The Assault class can drop med kits to heal your comrades, the Engineer can repair damaged vehicles, the Recon class can spot targets and mark them, and with Support you can replenish your teammates’ ammo.  There are also a variety of customization options for each class with dozens of primary weapons and secondary weapons to choose from, and camouflages to earn for your soldier. Unlocking new weapons, attachments, camouflage, vehicle upgrades are dependent on your performance and how well you work with your team. We’re just not awarded for kill, but assists help us unlock equipment and weapons. Unlocking new items to customize our character is the heart of the multiplayer, and these rewards will keep you coming back for more.

So, if you’re looking for a deep multiplayer experience where working as a team is encouraged, Battlefield 3 is the game you have waited for. The campaign mode is nice, but the multiplayer is so fun and addictive that you can easily overlook the campaign’s shortcoming. Battlefield 3 will have your attention for months on end with its sharp graphics, amazing sound effects and team-based multiplayer. DICE once again shows that it knows how to make an enjoyable multiplayer experience.

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It’s All About the ‘BattleLog’, on Battlefield: 3

Story by: CritiKiL
First-off, I’d like to say that I hope everyone is enjoying the Battlefied: 3 Beta. I acquired it just yesterday and it seems like it’s going to be a really great game. But whats going to make this an even ‘greater’ game is definitely going to be, the BattleLog! The game Drops on 10/25/2011 for the PC, PS3 and of course XBox 360, and I strongly suggest that you fork-up the money for all that you’ll be getting! Here are just a Few of the things that is going to make this upcoming game, spectacular:
  • COM CENTER ~ Your friends list lives at the bottom of the page in the Com Center. There you can join their game and chat with them.
  • FRIENDS ACTIVITY FEEDGet instant reports when your friends unlock new weapons, get new awards or make plans for tonight’s game.
  • FINDING THE RIGHT SERVERSelect your favorite game modes, maps, and map sizes with the browser filter. Click a server you’d like to join alone or with friends.
  • INVITE YOUR FRIENDSDrag your friends from the Com Center to a Drop Zone and they will get an invite to join.
  • KEEPING UP TO DATEGame updates are automatically pushed to you. Use the Game Manager (‘bottom-menubar’ of BattleLog), to start the update process.
  • SHOW WHO YOU AREYour Profile is where other people come to see you. Your Soldiers, Stats, Favorite servers and your own personal Battle feed. 
  • NEVER PLAY ALONE ~ Join a platoon or create your own.
One more interesting point I’d like to make (not making any comparisons here!), but it’s interesting that with all we are getting with BattleLog, it’s FREE…and COD Elite is Charged (hmmmm ~ lol!) But if you want to get a True Comparison, check out this ‘Comparison Link’ below. There is no difference as they are both ‘comparisons’ to a video game:
Now, to Access the BattleLog, just click this link below:
DON’T FORGET TO WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW. It give’s an ‘in-depth’ look at the features and functionality of the free social platform Battlelog. Battlelog will change the way you play, track your stats, and interact with your friends in Battlefield 3.
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