What's Wrong With Video Games: Call of Duty

Art by: Torren Mitchell

    I feel as though the title says it all; Call of Duty has seriously damaged the integrity of video games.

    As a former fan of the series, I have to say I loved Call of Duty: World At War. The World War II atmosphere, the brutality of combat, the feel of the weapons, all of it combined to be an immersive and amazing game. Because it was based in reality. 

Recent additions to the Call of Duty series are based in modern, near-future time periods that detract from the atmosphere of the game. The storylines are bland and predictable, chock full of through-the-door slow motion that was cool in the first game, but has long-since gone stale.

    I first noticed my complete hatred for the Call of Duty series when I began playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. I was a huge fan of the Nazi Zombies mode in both World at War and Black Ops. I loved the frantic survival, the pulse pounding action, the old school high score feeling when you beat your best round. Nazi Zombies was a throwback to old and unforgiving games, and Black Ops 2 FUCKED IT ALL UP!

    Now, my buddies were more interested in Do It Yourself hobby kits, building shields and devices to open doors than surviving as many waves as possible. The Easter eggs in previous zombie modes were just that: a hidden thing to be found. The storyline was similar; you had to piece it together off of eerie recordings and clues hidden throughout the maps.

    Black Ops 2 zombies relied on gimmicks and the maps became far too complex. The primary objective used to be survive. Black Ops 2 turned it into “Give the retard candy so he opens doors.” (No, really. Black Ops 2 features a map called “Buried” and has a large giant creature that opens obstacles if you give him sweets.)

    But fine, whatever, right? I’m just a guy who hated the new additions to the series, like every Star Wars fan. I can deal with that, but Call of Duty did something else that I find unforgivable. It put video games in the hands of the DudeManBros. DudeManBros are a species of human male, aged 16-30, that constantly call each other “dude”, “man,” or “bro.” They take video games to a new level of competitiveness, feeding their egos with killstreaks and triangular chips.

    Why do you think Call of Duty is sponsored by Doritos and Mountain Dew? It appeals to slack-jawed idiots who buy the same video game every year, just like Madden fans. Now, the Madden fans play first person shooters, and all you hear on game chat is: “I just shot you fuckin’ faggot ha hah 360 no scope.”

    Granted, not every sport game purchaser is an idiot. No, a fair amount of 8-14 year olds attribute to the overall abhorrence I feel when playing these games. When you just got home from work and a squeaky voiced pre-teen calls you a “fucking bitch,” you just- you just fucking lose it, alright?

(edit: 2017: Okay, maybe this was a little melodramatic, but there was a ring of truth somewhere in that garbage. I will say that, for all of the recent entries faults, Call of Duty has been making clear attempts to change it up.)

What's Wrong With Video Games: Pre-Ordering

If you pre-order the special edition of this article, you’ll get the text in English!

The above statement is a fucking problem, isn't it? Why should you pay extra for something that should be included from the start? That is the problem facing the game industry today. Game developers are creating content and then deliberately withholding content from the consumer unless they order the game early, sometimes for extra cost.

Arguably, this is a smart move for the gaming industry. With used game sales hurting overall profits, it is natural for these businesses to try to maximize profits. Gimmicks like online passes that mean you have to buy the game brand new or purchase the pass online are one of the ways EA, I mean, the game industry, has tried to cut into used game sales.

Another appears to be the pre-order bonus. Shadow of Mordor: pre-order and get a unique Ranger Skin. The Order: 1886, pre-order and receive extra missions, skins. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, pre-order bonus: unique weapons and exo-skeleton skins.

At first, pre-order bonuses did not seem like an issue to me. So what if dEwGAmerXheadSH0t has a different color gun than I do, but he also sounds like he inhaled helium so whatever. But then I realized that gamers are being played. 

It used to be that special skins and unique items were a reward for beating the game. In The Force Unleashed, when you beat the game you unlocked cool robes for Starkiller, based on which ending you chose. In Halo 3 you had to accomplish multiplayer challenges to get unique armor.

Now, all you have to do is buy the game early.

Still, not really a problem, except that developers are creating content and then withholding it. And pre-order bonuses are limited to cosmetic items either. Entire maps, entire MODES are being limited to those who throw money at the game first. Developer Techland’s upcoming game “Dying Light,” a first person zombie survival game, is locking its “Be a Zombie” mode as pre-order bonus. The mode was created, for a game people will be paying $60 for, but if you don’t pre-order, you don’t get a part of the game. Even my beloved Mortal Kombat has Goro, the fucking big, bad, multi-armed monstrosity as a pre-order bonus. Why? Why not include that in the game, and entice people to buy it? Instead it is a bonus if you lay your money down RIGHT NOW.

I don’t have a problem with bonuses that are figurines or booklets or cool cases. If it isn't a part of the game, if it is just some cool aesthetic that goes on your shelf, that’s fine. That’s neat! But if it is a part of a game deliberately withheld, it is bullshit.

Beating a game used to mean something. You’d unlock cool stages, costumes, the ability to be the bad guy. Now, give up your money or you get a game that is pretty much complete. As games become shorter and their replay value is limited to how good the multiplayer is, I think it is a growing problem that needs attention. Gamers shouldn’t have to guarantee their money for a product just because they want a part of the game. It’s like game companies don’t want you to play the game before buying it; they want to suck you in with cool trailers (that show no gameplay) and neat little pre-order bonuses. Never mind renting, never mind reviews, never mind having an opinion, just be a sheep and PRE-ORDER NOW.

Thank you, and if you pre-order my next article, you’ll get the exclusive “Reading” ability.