What the Hell Was I Thinking? 60 Wasted Dollars on Black Ops II

I'm supposed to be smarter than this, that's the rub. I'm a gamer approaching 40, and I sure as hell know what I want to play and what I don't want to play. I had successfully avoided the "modern military shooter" through every iteration. No Battlefield, No COD, no Medal of Honor. I had plenty of friends that played those silly fragfests, and they urged me again and again to give them a try. "You'll like it," they'd say. "It's fun!"

Yeah, they feed me the same kind of lines about beer. I DON'T FRIGGING LIKE BEER. No, it's not that I've never tried that one magic beer that turned me into a believer - I just think beer tastes like piss, so sue me.

Military shooters are my video gaming equivalent of beer. I've never wanted to play them, and I never will. I have no interest in running around confusing maps hoping to find some idiot in a compromised position and gun him down. That's not fun for me. And what's even LESS fun is being gunned down in half a second from some dude I don't even see.

So yeah, I admit, I'm not good at this type of game either. I know it takes practice, but I just don't have the time or the inclination to get stomped for hours on end until I start to learn the intricacies of these dumb maps and unlock some better perks and crap. No thanks.

I know all of this. I've KNOWN all of this. Yet there I was, the proud owner of a shiny new Xbox for Christmas (for my kids - really, it's for my kids! And I'm not some gaming neophyte, I just went with the PS3 years ago for the BluRay. I've gots Odyssey^2 cred if you want to get into it.)

So THERE I was, looking to pick up a handful of games, and I think it's time I saw what the fanfare was about. Black Ops II, maybe it'll be fun.

Dumb man, just dumb. It started off promising, I swear. That intro? High production value, nice marriage of song and visuals. (Which is one of my favorite trends over the past few years, taking that mix much more seriously.) Yet it took all of about 2 1/2 hours of play, and level 6 or so to find out this kind of frigging game still infuriates me, and probably always will. I would have been better off buying as many Kinect games as I could for $60. Oh well, lesson learned.

The moral of the story? Most of us know what we like to play. Just keep playing that

I'm supposed to be smarter than this, that's the rub. I'm a gamer approaching 40, and I sure as hell know what I want to play and what I don't want to play. I had successfully avoided the "modern military shooter" through every iteration. No Battlefield, No COD, no Medal of Honor. I had plenty of friends that played those silly fragfests, and they urged me again and again to give them a try. "You'll like it," they'd say. "It's fun!"

Yeah, they feed me the same kind of lines about beer. I DON'T FRIGGING LIKE BEER. No, it's not that I've never tried that one magic beer that turned me into a believer - I just think beer tastes like piss, so sue me.

Military shooters are my video gaming equivalent of beer. I've never wanted to play them, and I never will. I have no interest in running around confusing maps hoping to find some idiot in a compromised position and gun him down. That's not fun for me. And what's even LESS fun is being gunned down in half a second from some dude I don't even see.

So yeah, I admit, I'm not good at this type of game either. I know it takes practice, but I just don't have the time or the inclination to get stomped for hours on end until I start to learn the intricacies of these dumb maps and unlock some better perks and crap. No thanks.

I know all of this. I've KNOWN all of this. Yet there I was, the proud owner of a shiny new Xbox for Christmas (for my kids - really, it's for my kids! And I'm not some gaming neophyte, I just went with the PS3 years ago for the BluRay. I've gots Odyssey^2 cred if you want to get into it.)

So THERE I was, looking to pick up a handful of games, and I think it's time I saw what the fanfare was about. Black Ops II, maybe it'll be fun.

Dumb man, just dumb. It started off promising, I swear. That intro? High production value, nice marriage of song and visuals. (Which is one of my favorite trends over the past few years, taking that mix much more seriously.) Yet it took all of about 2 1/2 hours of play, and level 6 or so to find out this kind of frigging game still infuriates me, and probably always will. I would have been better off buying as many Kinect games as I could for $60. Oh well, lesson learned.

The moral of the story? Most of us know what we like to play. Just keep playing that

I feel the same way about MMO games, few years back my friends at school would just not stop talking about World of Warcraft and I didn't believe paying for a subscription for the same game (only PS+ has convinced me otherwise). I find the genre incredibly boring and even watching a friend play though his WoW game I just wanted him to play something else. Also I too don't like beer, Coke Zero all the way.

You lost me at I DON'T FRIGGING LIKE BEER. What kind of Irishman are you?

I love to hate Black Ops 2. I get so freaking angry while playing sometimes, but it's really just a quick fix for me. I find shooting games like Uncharted, Far Cry(s), and the like to be much more enjoyable, but for a quick game, Call of Duty games just do it for me. Plus, beer is cheap and I usually get full of it before I get to the puke all over myself drunk phase unlike with my favorite liquors. I guess I see the parallel. Call me easy, but cheap stuff like beer and CoD suit me just fine from time to time.

I still play split screen with my friends, so making up fun game types and playing with a group of 4 people that I actually know and can scream in their face when I tomahawk them from halfway across the map is pretty fun.

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

I've really got into the campaign, playing on veteran and it isnt insanely hard like the other ones. That mission where you go onto the man made island for the 1% was fucking brilliant. The graphics and voice work in the story have actually suprised me, the one thing I HATE about it is the non stop FOLLOW and 12 METER etc markers. Theres a part where you visiting one of his buddys in his back yard and there is only 1 way to the back yard which should be flipping obvious to any on this whole entire planet. But no it had to have a big fat FOLLOW and 12 METERS target. Can we at least have the option of turning that shit off or just keep it to the lower difficulties.

Really can't get into multiplayer, I really hate how everyone uses the auto-aim sniper rifles now and shoot you in the foot for a one hit death, but the good thing about COD games is they have the lowest trade in rate so you can sell them online and really not take much of a loss from it or if you have had it less than a week you can get another game as most game stores where I'm from have the 7 day exchange period.

Also I can't recommend Red Dead Redemption enough if you haven't played that.

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

Good stuff, man. I'm glad some people can admit that Beer does NOT "taste good."

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

I've really got into the campaign, playing on veteran and it isnt insanely hard like the other ones. That mission where you go onto the man made island for the 1% was fucking brilliant. The graphics and voice work in the story have actually suprised me, the one thing I HATE about it is the non stop FOLLOW and 12 METER etc markers. Theres a part where you visiting one of his buddys in his back yard and there is only 1 way to the back yard which should be flipping obvious to any on this whole entire planet. But no it had to have a big fat FOLLOW and 12 METERS target. Can we at least have the option of turning that shit off or just keep it to the lower difficulties.

Really can't get into multiplayer, I really hate how everyone uses the auto-aim sniper rifles now and shoot you in the foot for a one hit death, but the good thing about COD games is they have the lowest trade in rate so you can sell them online and really not take much of a loss from it.

Since I already blew the money, I guess I should at least play through the single player.

And so THAT'S why everyone has sniper rifles. I wondered what the hell I was missing, trying to actually AIM and all.

I always end up getting COD at launch and playing the shit out of it at first, then forgetting about it most of the rest of the year. COD is like masturbation. You pretend you don't do it. You don't want to do it. You don't want people to know you do it or catch you doing it and every time you're done doing it, you feel exhausted and kind of dirty about yourself. But . . . eventually, you just have to do it and get it over with.

I'm actually pleased with it, compared to MW3, which I felt was so bland and oppressively dull. At this point, I'm mostly just looking forward to what it does on the next generation of hardware. Hoping I get to see it before I'm too old to play an FPS (which isn't far off).

@Irishdoom said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

I've really got into the campaign, playing on veteran and it isnt insanely hard like the other ones. That mission where you go onto the man made island for the 1% was fucking brilliant. The graphics and voice work in the story have actually suprised me, the one thing I HATE about it is the non stop FOLLOW and 12 METER etc markers. Theres a part where you visiting one of his buddys in his back yard and there is only 1 way to the back yard which should be flipping obvious to any on this whole entire planet. But no it had to have a big fat FOLLOW and 12 METERS target. Can we at least have the option of turning that shit off or just keep it to the lower difficulties.

Really can't get into multiplayer, I really hate how everyone uses the auto-aim sniper rifles now and shoot you in the foot for a one hit death, but the good thing about COD games is they have the lowest trade in rate so you can sell them online and really not take much of a loss from it.

Since I already blew the money, I guess I should at least play through the single player.

And so THAT'S why everyone has sniper rifles. I wondered what the hell I was missing, trying to actually AIM and all.

Yeah it put me off the multiplayer, I'm sure it was never that severe in Black Ops 1. I really got into Battlefield 3 on PC after Black Ops so I really can't get into multiplayer on call of duty anymore. But yeah the campaign is fantastic, the best COD has ever been. Worth playing though, but that's about it.

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

I strongly disagree. You really have no idea what you are talking about.

I really wish I could play Battlefield 3 on the PC. I admit that I don't have the coordination or reflexes for K&M; on PC. Gamepad works for me, but I get lit up playing against K&M; users online. I do pretty ok on consoles for BF3, but I know I'm missing out on the crazy server sizes.

@Marcsman said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

I strongly disagree. You really have no idea what you are talking about.

This. I like the taste of certain beers.

Jeff convinced me to get both Black Ops II and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. I should have known better. $100 down the drain.

@Kaiserreich said:

Jeff convinced me to get both Black Ops II and Need For Speed: Most Wanted. I should have known better. $100 down the drain.

Frigging Jeff.

Battlefield 3 is a whole lot different (and far better than) Black Ops 2.

As for me? I liked these games at one time. I liked Modern Warfare 1 and WaW and 2 and even some Black Ops. Modern Warfare 3 was pretty boring to me across the board - boring maps, boring guns, boring campaign, boring, boring, boring. When my brother got Black Ops 2, it looked pretty fun and I considered buying it myself after playing a few matches online. Luckily I resisted that urge and saved myself some money, and after a few more matches I'd had my fill and moved on to (much) greener pastures. I just didn't like the extremely noisy, completely self-serious, utterly nonsensical campaign nor the multiplayer that didn't do anything for me nor Zombies, which I got my fill of in World at War.

And really, that's my feelings on CoD now. It's fun for a few matches, but all in all I've "had my fill" of it over the years. There are much better games out there to play.

Been fighting the urge to buy the PC version for about a week now. I loved CoD4, hated the spammy, glitchy, exploitive nature of MW2. Black Ops brought it back for me, but had pretty boring weapon selection (only the maps made it up for me).

Playing MW3 on a free weekend on steam showed me that the game was basically MW2.5, but also just boring.

Guess I just have the itch for another CoD game after Black ops 1, but Can't think of a solid reason to buy it beyond "Hey, might be fun."

@Irishdoom: What game originally made you never to want to play military shooters? I'm wondering because there'd have to have been one right? You said you skipped all the Battlefields and Call of Duties. Also, what about general shooters like Quake and Unreal Tournament?

Also, I've never liked the taste of beer. But there was 1 single time where a perfect storm of events caused me to taste a beer and feel like I was drinking magic rejuvenation-al juice. I hadn't eaten all day, just got done playing a gig and was tired. I got offered a light beer and I swear that beer tasted so good. Never happened again after that though.

@Jams said:

@Irishdoom: What game originally made you never to want to play military shooters? I'm wondering because there'd have to have been one right? You said you skipped all the Battlefields and Call of Duties. Also, what about general shooters like Quake and Unreal Tournament?

Also, I've never liked the taste of beer. But there was 1 single time where a perfect storm of events caused me to taste a beer and feel like I was drinking magic rejuvenation-al juice. I hadn't eaten all day, just got done playing a gig and was tired. I got offered a light beer and I swear that beer tasted so good. Never happened again after that though.

I just saw friends play the first Modern Warfare, and was turned off right away. I do like shooters, but only if they have a good story and a Sci Fi lean. :

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

Dude, are you eight years old? Do they only serve Budweiser where you´re from?! What the hell?

I just had some amazing Bavarian beer. Goddamn it was good. I get that there are different tastes and all that.. but people hating all types of beer? No freaking way. Try Guinness or some German brews, they´re amazing and totally different.

@Irishdoom said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

Good stuff, man. I'm glad some people can admit that Beer does NOT "taste good."

well.. i agree if we're talking about american and canadian big brand domestics.. but there are really some great-tasting beers out there around the world (not saying you guys would like it.. just that it's, y'know, crafted with care and all that, instead of just shoving hops and yeast in a barrel and calling it the king of beers).

@Superfriend said:

Dude, are you eight years old? Do they only serve Budweiser where you´re from?! What the hell?

I just had some amazing Bavarian beer. Goddamn it was good. I get that there are different tastes and all that.. but people hating all types of beer? No freaking way. Try Guinness or some German brews, they´re amazing and totally different.

yeah. yeah!

@Irishdoom said:

[...] I would have been better off buying as many Kinect games as I could for $60 [...]

I was with you until I read this.

Just play the single player campaign for the story/crazy and trade it in. It may help sweeten the blow.

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

Considering that there are plenty types of beer, including ones with honey, cherry or banana (and not as juice added but as an actual ingredient), of which many do not taste like your typical lager, I'd say you are extremely full of shit. 

Well you already knew. But if you didn't like games like Unreal Tournament in the 90's, all about dying and respawning quickly, then you wouldn't like this. But a quick solution is to take it to Best Buy to trade it in. It is fairly new and at 60 bucks, you should get a little more than half your money back, they always have some good promotion going where you get an extra 50% on your trade in value. Much better than Gamestop in my experience.

Can't you, I dunno, sell it back? This seems like a lot of effort for what basically amounts to, "I fucked up, and I'm having a tough time dealing with the consequences." This is usually relegated to 10-year-olds making a mistake at the store when their parents get them a gift. This doesn't seem like an appropriate response from a 40 year-old man. GTFU.

@CH3BURASHKA said:

Can't you, I dunno, sell it back? This seems like a lot of effort for what basically amounts to, "I fucked up, and I'm having a tough time dealing with the consequences." This is usually relegated to 10-year-olds making a mistake at the store when their parents get them a gift. This doesn't seem like an appropriate response from a 40 year-old man. GTFU.

My only hope is that other people learn from my horrible mistake.

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

lolwut. Keep your dumb opinions to yourself.

@Superfriend said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

Dude, are you eight years old? Do they only serve Budweiser where you´re from?! What the hell?

I just had some amazing Bavarian beer. Goddamn it was good. I get that there are different tastes and all that.. but people hating all types of beer? No freaking way. Try Guinness or some German brews, they´re amazing and totally different.

A wheat beer, like a hefeweizen, seems like a good introductory choice. They're flavorful (clove, banana, spice, and/or citrus flavors usually) and light. Very easy to drink. Blue Moon is a mass produced, easily available wheat beer. It's not exactly the pinnacle of the style, but it might give one an idea.

By the way, that terrible argument applies to wine, liquor, many non-alcoholic foods, and other things. There are many things that are not immediately or even easily understood and enjoyed (for some people, not necessarily everyone), but that doesn't mean there's nothing there to understand or enjoy. You're free to not enjoy those things, but that doesn't make another person's enjoyment invalid. This is usually a concept one learns as a child.

I played about 500 hours plus of Modern Warfare 2. That is all the COD i ever need i my life. I've seen all this game series has to offer

@Irishdoom: I'm sorry to hear you bought a game you knew you shouldn't. :P I also usually stick to the idea of buying games that I feel that I have a strong chance of liking. If it's a genre or style I'm not partial to, then I attempt to go into it with an open mind, try to understand it, and get what I can out of it.

Well, I tried and failed, I didn't try and DIE. (Who can get the movie reference?)

@Sisyphean said:

@Superfriend said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

Dude, are you eight years old? Do they only serve Budweiser where you´re from?! What the hell?

I just had some amazing Bavarian beer. Goddamn it was good. I get that there are different tastes and all that.. but people hating all types of beer? No freaking way. Try Guinness or some German brews, they´re amazing and totally different.

A wheat beer, like a hefeweizen, seems like a good introductory choice. They're flavorful (clove, banana, spice, and/or citrus flavors usually) and light. Very easy to drink. Blue Moon is a mass produced, easily available wheat beer. It's not exactly the pinnacle of the style, but it might give one an idea.

By the way, that terrible argument applies to wine, liquor, many non-alcoholic foods, and other things. There are many things that are not immediately or even easily understood and enjoyed (for some people, not necessarily everyone), but that doesn't mean there's nothing there to understand or enjoy. You're free to not enjoy those things, but that doesn't make another person's enjoyment invalid. This is usually a concept one learns as a child.

Seriously. I don't like dubstep music, but I'm not going to say that everyone who listens to dubstep is only doing it to uphold some "cool" image or something.

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

This is such an amazing degree of stupid that it has to be a troll and I've fallen for it.

There sure are strong feelings about Beer out there! :)

Hey man, you ever tried pale ales? They're the shit.

Try drinking some Corona with a slice of lime inside it, it's lovely.

What if your kids sneak into your closet and steal your copy of the M-rated game!?? Think of the children!!!

Joking aside, I'd still want to know if you'd keep it away from your kids or something. One day when I have kids I may have to face the same problems :/

If you don't like a sub-genre within a bigger genere (militray themed first-person shooters) what makes you think the epitome of said sub-genre will appeal?

On a side note, play Battlefield 3 on conquest. I like CoD a lot, but I love Battlefield. Forget close combat, play a big map like Armored Kill, get in a jet and slam it into a tank then plant mines on the road, watch a quad bike blow up then roll up on some sniper prick with some other dudes, waste him with your sidearm, steal his equipment, spot enemies for your friends with the remote control drone then get a knife in the back before respawning in a tank. CoD is great, Battlefield is amazing.

If you don't like that, you don't like military shooters. End of.

@kmdrkul said:

@Sisyphean said:

@Superfriend said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

Dude, are you eight years old? Do they only serve Budweiser where you´re from?! What the hell?

I just had some amazing Bavarian beer. Goddamn it was good. I get that there are different tastes and all that.. but people hating all types of beer? No freaking way. Try Guinness or some German brews, they´re amazing and totally different.

A wheat beer, like a hefeweizen, seems like a good introductory choice. They're flavorful (clove, banana, spice, and/or citrus flavors usually) and light. Very easy to drink. Blue Moon is a mass produced, easily available wheat beer. It's not exactly the pinnacle of the style, but it might give one an idea.

By the way, that terrible argument applies to wine, liquor, many non-alcoholic foods, and other things. There are many things that are not immediately or even easily understood and enjoyed (for some people, not necessarily everyone), but that doesn't mean there's nothing there to understand or enjoy. You're free to not enjoy those things, but that doesn't make another person's enjoyment invalid. This is usually a concept one learns as a child.

Seriously. I don't like dubstep music, but I'm not going to say that everyone who listens to dubstep is only doing it to uphold some "cool" image or something.

I never said that, but it must not be a coincidence that you jumped to that conclusion.

Anyway, in reply to Sisyphean, this logic can be applied to anything the human body is not reliant on that also creates strong chemical reactions in the brain. The same can be said for things like coffee, sodas, and cigarettes. Yes, I say I like Coke. In fact, I almost always drink it when I eat Pizza. It's something I've grown accustomed to, but thats the point. The enjoyment of these things comes from becoming accustomed to them over time with the helpful influence of an addictive chemical.

I often use that paragraph I wrote earlier as a kind of silly, half kidding comparison to make idiots freak out. Yes, everyone has different tastes, but the point is that I would wager 99% of the people who claim to enjoy such things would find them extremely gross after taking a pledge not to consume it for a year. Of course, this can never be tested because honesty with oneself is key. The point of the comparison to shit is that anything eaten will have different ranges of enjoyability under a certain classification of what is being eaten. Therefore, if someone did indeed consume shit on a regular basis, they would grow to have an opinion about their enjoyment of eating differing kinds of shit. Also, humans seem to love to consume just about anything that will give them a "high".

Lastly, (playing devils advocate for a minute) what if I say someone else's enjoyment is invalid for no other reason than I said so. If you simply say I'm wrong then it's just a he said she said game. I always find the paradoxical argument of opinions very interesting. You think people on a video game forum would have a clear grasp of it by now.

@Irishdoom: I luv beer but otherwise I kind of agree with you. COD 1 and 2 (and all the packs) led me down a road I had sworn not to go. I did play Vietcong but there is a validity there. But lately COD/MW games have been a ridiculous buy for me, so I didn't do it this time around. I just play SP anyways, so maybe that over-explains. I just did not accept the notion this was going to be 'different' enough in the campaign

I never said that, but it must not be a coincidence that you jumped to that conclusion.

Anyway, in reply to Sisyphean, this logic can be applied to anything the human body is not reliant on that also creates strong chemical reactions in the brain. The same can be said for things like coffee, sodas, and cigarettes. Yes, I say I like Coke. In fact, I almost always drink it when I eat Pizza. It's something I've grown accustomed to, but thats the point. The enjoyment of these things comes from becoming accustomed to them over time with the helpful influence of an addictive chemical.

I often use that paragraph I wrote earlier as a kind of silly, half kidding comparison to make idiots freak out. Yes, everyone has different tastes, but the point is that I would wager 99% of the people who claim to enjoy such things would find them extremely gross after taking a pledge not to consume it for a year. Of course, this can never be tested because honesty with oneself is key. The point of the comparison to shit is that anything eaten will have different ranges of enjoyability under a certain classification of what is being eaten. Therefore, if someone did indeed consume shit on a regular basis, they would grow to have an opinion about their enjoyment of eating differing kinds of shit. Also, humans seem to love to consume just about anything that will give them a "high".

Lastly, (playing devils advocate for a minute) what if I say someone else's enjoyment is invalid for no other reason than I said so. If you simply say I'm wrong then it's just a he said she said game. I always find the paradoxical argument of opinions very interesting. You think people on a video game forum would have a clear grasp of it by now.

@stalefishies: My argument is an immeasurable one that only comes down to people yelling yes and no back and forth, that's why it's dumb to say I'm wrong or right. Which is why I say the words no one to make it an absolute argument rather than a more reasonable opinionated guess. Then people start getting all pissed and say I'm wrong when I can just as easily say they are wrong.

I hope I don't blow your mind here, but the stuff I said in my first post wasn't actually what I think 100%. Yeah, I know, someone being sarcastic and intentionally lying on the internet is rare. Like I said, I purposefully say that to make people flip out. So, when I say I'm playing devils advocate it's because I am by supporting my original argument.

That other stuff you quoted is just me generalizing what I think may be possible and why, but obviously isn't the absolute truth because, again, we are talking about something immeasurable.

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

My friends are all beer drinkers and can't fathom why I don't touch the stuff. I don't drink very often, but when I do, I want something that tastes good. That usually means flavored vodka combined with mixers until I feel like I'm drinking candy. Sometimes I get flack for it from my friends and that's something I've never really understood. Why ridicule me for drinking something that tastes good? I always wondered if they actually enjoyed the taste of beer or if it's just something they've learned to deal with...kinda sounds like the latter now.

For some reason I do this with Madden every few years. Think I played one or 2 games of it. But I enjoy the shooters so I've got like 140 hrs into the multiplayer of Blops 2. You could always trade it into Amazon, or sell it on Ebay and recoup some money, though.

@Lavapotamus said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

My friends are all beer drinkers and can't fathom why I don't touch the stuff. I don't drink very often, but when I do, I want something that tastes good. That usually means flavored vodka combined with mixers until I feel like I'm drinking candy. Sometimes I get flack for it from my friends and that's something I've never really understood. Why ridicule me for drinking something that tastes good? I always wondered if they actually enjoyed the taste of beer or if it's just something they've learned to deal with...kinda sounds like the latter now.

That's the crux of my problem with beer. I have a sweet tooth when it comes to beverages. I USED to drink boatloads of Pepsi, now I drink boatloads of Diet Dew Code Red. (Or Diet Dew Supernova, but I can never find that.) I don't like Coffee either, and get the same hassle. "What do you mean you don't like coffee?"

The best thing about all of this is that drinking Beer (or other alcohol, I don't drink at all) and drinking coffee are both expensive habits. So I can afford to buy four games at a time occasionally. Did I tell you guys I bought Black Ops II recently? That game sucks!

@DoctorWelch said:

@kmdrkul said:

@Sisyphean said:

@Superfriend said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@Irishdoom: No one likes beer. It's not something you like, it simply something you put up with. No one would drink it if it wasn't alcoholic, and those who say they would only say that because they've acquired a taste for it after drinking for so long. I drink a decent amount of beer, and I would say there are kinds I "like" and kinds I "dislike", but I still realize it tastes like carbonated sour bread mixed with urine.

I usual like to compare beer to shit. If someone ate shit, eventually they would have a preference of certain kinds of shit over others. They may even say they like eating it after a while. Even so, that doesn't make the shit not taste like complete shit.

Dude, are you eight years old? Do they only serve Budweiser where you´re from?! What the hell?

I just had some amazing Bavarian beer. Goddamn it was good. I get that there are different tastes and all that.. but people hating all types of beer? No freaking way. Try Guinness or some German brews, they´re amazing and totally different.

A wheat beer, like a hefeweizen, seems like a good introductory choice. They're flavorful (clove, banana, spice, and/or citrus flavors usually) and light. Very easy to drink. Blue Moon is a mass produced, easily available wheat beer. It's not exactly the pinnacle of the style, but it might give one an idea.

By the way, that terrible argument applies to wine, liquor, many non-alcoholic foods, and other things. There are many things that are not immediately or even easily understood and enjoyed (for some people, not necessarily everyone), but that doesn't mean there's nothing there to understand or enjoy. You're free to not enjoy those things, but that doesn't make another person's enjoyment invalid. This is usually a concept one learns as a child.

Seriously. I don't like dubstep music, but I'm not going to say that everyone who listens to dubstep is only doing it to uphold some "cool" image or something.

I never said that, but it must not be a coincidence that you jumped to that conclusion.

Anyway, in reply to Sisyphean, this logic can be applied to anything the human body is not reliant on that also creates strong chemical reactions in the brain. The same can be said for things like coffee, sodas, and cigarettes. Yes, I say I like Coke. In fact, I almost always drink it when I eat Pizza. It's something I've grown accustomed to, but thats the point. The enjoyment of these things comes from becoming accustomed to them over time with the helpful influence of an addictive chemical.

I often use that paragraph I wrote earlier as a kind of silly, half kidding comparison to make idiots freak out. Yes, everyone has different tastes, but the point is that I would wager 99% of the people who claim to enjoy such things would find them extremely gross after taking a pledge not to consume it for a year. Of course, this can never be tested because honesty with oneself is key. The point of the comparison to shit is that anything eaten will have different ranges of enjoyability under a certain classification of what is being eaten. Therefore, if someone did indeed consume shit on a regular basis, they would grow to have an opinion about their enjoyment of eating differing kinds of shit. Also, humans seem to love to consume just about anything that will give them a "high".

Lastly, (playing devils advocate for a minute) what if I say someone else's enjoyment is invalid for no other reason than I said so. If you simply say I'm wrong then it's just a he said she said game. I always find the paradoxical argument of opinions very interesting. You think people on a video game forum would have a clear grasp of it by now.

It doesn't just apply to addictive substances. That was my point. There are non-addictive foods that a person might balk at on first taste, but if they don't just toss it on the floor and give up, they might (or might not) come to appreciate it with a bit more study.

I would take your wager. I have actually gone longer than a year not drinking beer or any other alcohol. I've also done the same thing with a few other things I like. I can tell you that my enjoyment was not diminished. It's a bit like learning to ride a bike, in my opinion. You don't really forget. Maybe I'm the 1%? Maybe I'm just not "honest" with myself?

Yes, this is mostly just opinions. I thought that was obvious. This whole thread is a thread about personal experiences. You can say whatever you want. That doesn't mean it isn't idiotic.

But you were just being kind of silly, I guess? So your post was just kind of flame bait? Well, shit, I took the bait. No big deal, I guess. No more off-topic posts from me!

Beer is really good if you know what you're buying. There's so many options to choose from. Some of it does taste like piss though.

Are there only Red Box's near me in Maryland? redbox is the best! 2 bucks a night for a game rental showed me which games I wanted and which I didn't. It helped me see how great Sleeping Dogs was.

@believer258 said:

Battlefield 3 is a whole lot different (and far better than) Black Ops 2.

I would definitely agree with that. I've gotten long bored of the Call of Duty games, but I still love the Battlefield series, because of the objective, and team focus.