I know I'm not the first one to rant about this subject. It's been a problem for awhile, but I'm just so fed up by it that I need to vent.
Modern multiplayer games still have a huge, glaring issue, and that's the fact that in an alarmingly large amount of them, people can still quit when they are losing, and not get punished for it whatsoever. They don't take a loss, I don't get a win. Nothing happens. Often it just says "disconnected from match" or something to that effect. It's 2011 ya'll... Online gaming has been around for awhile, and yet we still haven't gotten this issue resolved? Developers really need to pull the gloves off and get harsh about this. If a few people with shitty internet connection end up being collateral damage, so be it. Something has to be done. It's ruining multiplayer games for me. I even feel like Sony/Microsoft/whoever shouldn't even allow games to get put onto their systems without this problem being squashed on said game.
I've been really getting into these Magic: The Gathering games on PSN. The older one was recently free for Plus users, so I played it a bunch, and it caused me to buy the new one. I decided to go in and try and mop up some online trophies where you win 5-10 matches in a row, and came to the realization that I'll absolutely never get them. Not because the game doesn't have enough people playing it. It actually has a pretty healthy population. But because literally EVERYONE quits as soon as they start losing. I've played about 20 matches, and was about to win most of those when my opponent quit out. Straight up pulled the plug on their machine. It's friggan maddening, especially after the match goes on for over a half hour, I finally get the upper-hand through skilled gameplay, and then they quit...
So I came across a pretty amazing creation that I feel I must share with as many people as possible. It's called " playon," and for all intents and purposes it's Netflix streaming for any and all console (which I know the 360 already has). What makes this even better, is that it also allows you to stream directly from Hulu, CBS, Youtube, and a few other things, exactly like how you would stream from Netflix.
On their website, they have a video set up for each console (PS3, Wii, 360) which gives you a good idea of how it works. From what I understand, the application costs a one-time fee of $39.99. However, there is a 14-day trial that seems to work exactly like the full product, which is what I'm currently using. After only messing with it for about a day, I think I'm already sold on it. It's basically any and every kind of streaming you could possibly want on your console, and the quality is pretty high. It's no where near Blu-ray quality, but I'd say it's just as good as a DVD. At least, the stuff I've watched so far has been DVD quality.
The setup was about as easy as installing a game. It damn near only took me about 5 clicks of my mouse, punched in my Netflix/Hulu/Youtube info, then I powered up my PS3 and there it was. Working perfectly. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I currently am.
Maybe this is old news, I don't know, but after watching Brad's latest interview with fourzerotwo, I'm thinking Martyrdom isn't going to be in Modern Warfare 2. He seemed to imply that they took it out, and replaced it with their "Death Streak" system. Which really has me bummed. Some of my most enjoyable kill streaks in Call of Duty 4 were because of Martyrdom. I'd rush in, kill 3-4 guys with my gun, kill a couple more with a thrown grenade, then die in the middle of 2-3 more guys, drop a Martyrdom grenade, and promptly kill them also. This happened all the time for me, and led to a pretty decent Kill/Death ratio.
Now, I am perfectly aware of what most people think of Martyrdom. They call it a "noob" perk, or something to that effect. They label it as something only worthless players use. Imply that it's a handicap for a bad player. Etc... That just makes me want to use it even more. I know this is going to make me sound like an ass, but nothing brought me greater enjoyment, or made me laugh harder, then when I'd kill someone with Martyrdom, and they'd get foaming at the mouth angry about it. Then send me a hate filled message. Cracked me straight up. That's also the reason I used the grenade launcher all the time, or "noobtube" as most call it. Because it just infuriated some people. NEWSFLASH! I'm always going to make a point of finding out what weapon/tactic people hate the most, and then do nothing but use that. Simply because you whine about it all the time, and that just makes me want to use it even more. You can label it as whatever you want, but I actually think of it like psychological warfare to a degree. Odds are, if I get you extremely pissed off, and blind with rage, you aren't going to play so well, and I'm going to win. Mission accomplished.
So anywho. Long story short. I like Martyrdom. It resulted in some hilarious, really priceless moments in CoD4 for me, and I'll be sad if it doesn't show up in MW2.
I’ve always been amazed, and intrigued by how video games have effected other forms of media. Be it movies, music, television, etc. What I like even more are the small side projects that occasionally pop up over the internet. Machinima like Red vs. Blue, to things like Pure Pwnage which follows the life of a fictional character obsessed with competitive gaming. I think these fan created shows really capture how deeply video games are ingrained in our culture. You see games in everything nowadays. Just the other day i was marveling over the fact that the entire country of Japan practically shuts down when a new Dragon Quest game is being released. Even in the States, people will line up outside of game stores, even at midnight, just for the chance to play a game a bit early. You also have shows like Big Bang Theory, where they regularly talk about one game or another. Or you’ll be watching a movie, and see some kid playing a PSP or DS in the background. These types of things leave me continuously anxious to see what it will be like in another 10 years.
One of the more recent pieces of nonsense I’ve been into is a internet show called “There Will be Brawl,” and it uses a “What If” storyline. It’s a pretty recent creation. They are only up to their 6th episode, which was just released not long ago. I encourage you to check it out. Also, feel free to let me know about any other similar internet creations you guys might know about.
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