DiscoDave
12-02-2003, 02:18 PM
I'm not a big "realistic shooter" fan. Lemme get that right out into the open. A lot of people are, and I can respect that. But the last WW2 shooter I've really enjoyed was Wolfenstien. The ORIGINAL one, and that's not for lack of trying.
I didn't like Medal of Honor. It was "okay", and it did keep me interested enough to finish playing it, but I felt it was mighty mediocre for being such a highly praised game. I like shock rifles, 30mph running speed, and rockets coming from every where...that's where I feel most comfortable.
Call of Duty didn't give me that, but I really enjoyed it anyway. While I wouldn't say it's the best game of the year, or the best shooter of the year, it's far better than I expected it to be. Why?
First of all, it's oozing with atmosphere. And I mean OOZING. The solid if not revolutionary graphics, the superb sound, voice acting...they all do a great job of bringing you into the story. The game is also able to pull of one of the things these types of games can ever pull off...you NEVER feel alone. You're always working with friendly soldiers, and when one of them gets blasted to bits, I couldn't help but feel a bit of remorse and guilt. Especially when they die by my hand.
While most of the game is pretty action oriented, there are a few levels dedicated to snipe hunts...while I generally HATE snipe battles in games, this actually worked for me. Maybe it's the way the ai ducks around corners, maybe it's due to the superb level design, or maybe it's because by the time I hit that part of the game, I had already been absorbed into the experience. Honestly, I can't tell you...but it's the first time I ever remember enjoying hunting for snipers.
Ah yes, the ai. Your fellow troopers do a great job of ducking behind cover at every chance they get, and at no point will they be sitting out in the open. I don't recall ever getting shot by them (which is more than I can say for many other games of the type), and at the very least they served as my accidental victim far more than I ever served as theirs.
The enemy ai is a little different. While they also duck behind cover, they do so with annoying predictibility. If someone is ducking behind a wall, it doesn't take much to sit there and wait. Within about 5 seconds, they'll poke their heads out, and you've got yourself a blasted baddie. You'll see this pattern all over (and I mean, all over) the game. It'd be nice if they were to occasionally fire some random shots so they're not the only ones that need cover. Maybe not ALL the time, but scattered around so you don't feel so secure sitting in the middle of the hallway waiting patiently.
And that's the biggest, and the only real flaw with the game...the enemy ai is just too predictable. Suffice to say, it's dwarfed by the rest of the game.
8.5/10.
I didn't like Medal of Honor. It was "okay", and it did keep me interested enough to finish playing it, but I felt it was mighty mediocre for being such a highly praised game. I like shock rifles, 30mph running speed, and rockets coming from every where...that's where I feel most comfortable.
Call of Duty didn't give me that, but I really enjoyed it anyway. While I wouldn't say it's the best game of the year, or the best shooter of the year, it's far better than I expected it to be. Why?
First of all, it's oozing with atmosphere. And I mean OOZING. The solid if not revolutionary graphics, the superb sound, voice acting...they all do a great job of bringing you into the story. The game is also able to pull of one of the things these types of games can ever pull off...you NEVER feel alone. You're always working with friendly soldiers, and when one of them gets blasted to bits, I couldn't help but feel a bit of remorse and guilt. Especially when they die by my hand.
While most of the game is pretty action oriented, there are a few levels dedicated to snipe hunts...while I generally HATE snipe battles in games, this actually worked for me. Maybe it's the way the ai ducks around corners, maybe it's due to the superb level design, or maybe it's because by the time I hit that part of the game, I had already been absorbed into the experience. Honestly, I can't tell you...but it's the first time I ever remember enjoying hunting for snipers.
Ah yes, the ai. Your fellow troopers do a great job of ducking behind cover at every chance they get, and at no point will they be sitting out in the open. I don't recall ever getting shot by them (which is more than I can say for many other games of the type), and at the very least they served as my accidental victim far more than I ever served as theirs.
The enemy ai is a little different. While they also duck behind cover, they do so with annoying predictibility. If someone is ducking behind a wall, it doesn't take much to sit there and wait. Within about 5 seconds, they'll poke their heads out, and you've got yourself a blasted baddie. You'll see this pattern all over (and I mean, all over) the game. It'd be nice if they were to occasionally fire some random shots so they're not the only ones that need cover. Maybe not ALL the time, but scattered around so you don't feel so secure sitting in the middle of the hallway waiting patiently.
And that's the biggest, and the only real flaw with the game...the enemy ai is just too predictable. Suffice to say, it's dwarfed by the rest of the game.
8.5/10.