Overwritten.net
Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: MysterD on Thursday, January 07, 2010, 02:45:47 PM
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NEW -> 3-3-2013:
CVG -> Jason West has left Respawn - supposedly left after Activision/Old Infinity Ward/EA lawsuit was settled in May 2012. (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/394095/call-of-duty-co-creator-reportedly-departs-respawn/)
OLD:
Kotaku -> Latest on West and Zampella vs. Activision. (http://kotaku.com/#!5788162/modern-warfare-makers-complain-of-secret-call-of-duty-games-double+standards)
GameSpot -> Activision is going after EA in West-Zampella suit for $400 mill. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6285761.html)
More crazy details from the IW vs. Activision ordeal... (http://kotaku.com/5583710/lawsuit-activision-created-modern-warfare-police-state)
Rumor floating around: Infinity Ward will not be doing Modern Warfare 3. (http://www.vg247.com/2010/01/07/source-infinity-ward-not-developing-modern-warfare-3/)
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I think it would be a mistake. Infinity Ward has always done a good job making their game stand out in a crowd. Remember the original Call of Duty? It kind of came out of nowhere and was awesome and really stood out in a market flooded with WWII titles. Then they have gone on to do more in the COD franchise and their games stood out in stark contrast to Treyarch's efforts. And that's not to say Treyarch's games were bad, they just weren't as good as IW's masterpieces.
Then again, maybe they can cook up something else really awesome other than a military shooter. It's just that I'll miss them if they don't do COD:MW3.
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Yeah, the difference between the Original Call of Duty and the 2nd and 3rd was night and day. The latter two were average at best, while the original was awesome.
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Holy crap...
Just read. (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27462/Report_Infinity_Ward_Studio_Heads_Ousted_For_Insubordination.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+%28Gamasutra+News%29)
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In a way this is good. I am sure Activision will find someone to replace those two and manage to release quality CoD products, while those two can start their own studio and make gold.
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More info...
Rumor: IW has NOT been paid any royalties for MW2 by Activision. (http://www.vg247.com/2010/03/02/rumour-infinity-ward-not-payed-royalties-for-modern-warfare-2/)
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Call of Duty planned for 2011 will move from The Infinity Ward over to now SledgeHammer Studios, which is a recently formed studio Activision will publish games for.
SledgeHammer Studios consists of some Ex-Dead Space makers that worked for EA. (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98803-Activision-Confirms-Call-of-Dutys-Move-to-Dead-Space-Devs)
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Holy crap...
Just read. (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27462/Report_Infinity_Ward_Studio_Heads_Ousted_For_Insubordination.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+%28Gamasutra+News%29)
From Randy Pitchford's Twitter account (http://twitter.com/DuvalMagic):
(http://www.bryaneward.com/tdar/kotick.jpg)
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LMFAO @ above!
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Hahaha, thats awesome.
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In a way this is good. I am sure Activision will find someone to replace those two and manage to release quality CoD products, while those two can start their own studio and make gold.
You are mistaken. Have you ever worked for a company before? With a change in leadership comes a change in staff loyalties, leadership agenda (usually they want to make their mark with sweeping changes), and lower morale.
But yes, maybe these guys will go make another awesome studio and their awesome designers and programmers will come over and they will make other sweet games. But they cycle repeats.
It's a shame most developers need the financial help of large publishers. Shit like this tends to happen.
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From Randy Pitchford's Twitter account (http://twitter.com/DuvalMagic):
Haha, completely awesome. That guy just keeps winning points.
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The only reason I am not too broken up is because of IW's attitude problems.
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Haha, completely awesome. That guy just keeps winning points.
I agree completely. I had no idea who he was 6 months ago, but now I think he's like a rockstar.
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The only reason I am not too broken up is because of IW's attitude problems.
Yea I agree. I mean nobody likes Activision at this point, but IW could have handled themselves better if they wanted to get away from Activision.
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Yea, I have just been noticing this strange sort of arrogance from them during the past few years. Yes they make great games, but some of it was too much. I always liked id's attitude even if was a bit assholish... it sorta suited them, and they always were careful not to take it too far. Plus, when they took a more consolecentric direction, they obviously tried their best not to sound like they were urinating on their fanbase. They gave their reasons, but in a matter-of-fact way, rather than anything else.
Infinity Ward's attitude towards PC gaming has been... well... rude. To me, Infinity Ward are like id Software, minus the class.
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IW sues Activision for compensation, royalties, and rights to the Modern Warfare brand. (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/62640)
Perhaps most interesting is that West and Zampella refer to "Call of Duty" and "Modern Warfare 2" as two distinct franchises throughout the lawsuit. Furthermore, in an agreement made between the plaintiffs and Activision on March 31, 2008, creative authority and approval for any "Modern Warfare" titles set in the post-Vietnam era, near future, or distant future was given to West and Zampella.
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West and Zampella are not only suing for compensation and royalties, but control of the "Modern Warfare" brand. They claim the royalties they seek were agreed to in that March 2008 agreement, and cover money owed based upon the record sales of Modern Warfare 2 as well as future royalties for any titles published by Activision under the "Call of Duty" name or titles that utilize a significant portion of Infinity Ward's proprietary technology.
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Additionally, this March 31, 2008 agreement gave Infinity Ward to option to choose to develop a new intellectual property following the release of Modern Warfare 2.
EDIT:
16 page document of IW vs. Activision lawsuit. (http://kotaku.com/5485703/ousted-infinity-ward-founders-lawsuit-against-activision-the-court-documents/gallery/1)
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I was reading that and was like "This is the most poorly written and ridiculous complaint filing I have ever seen in my fucking life. Couldn't they even hire a lawyer?" Then I saw they had O'Melveny & Myers on this. That is a huge international law firm. Are US civil cases just really low class? I mean, they practically wrote the Nature of Dispute in slang.
It will be interesting to see what has been going on here, but something tells me that Activision wasn't entirely in the wrong here. You don't shake up a huge money making team for no reason. And the royalty thing? I don't know...seems weird.
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These guys allegedly got fired just before they were supposed to get some big royalty payment. I'd be pissed off too if someone dicked me out of a big payday (not that I know for sure that this actually happened).
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So I decided to give it a read to see what GPW was talking about, and the very first paragraph on that first page made me chuckle:
http://cache-08.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2010/03/500x_west_and_zampella_v_activision_complaint-2-2.jpg
I almost wonder if they wrote it like that to get the fans on their side. They realized they had to add some fanboyz lingo to resonate with the Kotaku reading crowd.
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You know, aside from the non-word "pretextual", that complaint is not too bad. This is an adversarial process where lawyers are supposed to paint the most favorable picture possible. The colorful language is effective in portraying the opposition as gold members of the Gordon Gekko club.
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These guys allegedly got fired just before they were supposed to get some big royalty payment. I'd be pissed off too if someone dicked me out of a big payday (not that I know for sure that this actually happened).
Bingo - and I'm sure the six-hour detaining was also another big factor, too.
But, if I read the document correctly - Infinity Ward had the rights to go do whatever they wanted after MW2. Not sure if that means w/ Activision publishing their next game or not, but still - I'd guess Activision probably was pissed-off if it is true that Infinity Ward was in talks w/ another company to make a game - possibly EA.
Wouldn't it be really funny if Infinity Ward was in talks w/ EA on making Modern Warfare 3, since IW is claiming MW franchise is theirs and separate from the Activision-owned Call of Duty license (that must be Vietnam and before).
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And this gets more interesting.
Modern Warfare 3 was already in pre-production phase. (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178753)
The fact that Modern Warfare 2 raked in obscene amounts of money basically made a third entry in the franchise a forgone conclusion, but it turns out Activision Blizzard's counter-lawsuit against fired Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella also made it official: Modern Warfare 3 is already in development. The bad news for gamers is the legal dispute, according to Activision, is delaying the project's pre-production.
Really....It's bad news that MW3 is delayed in its pre-production phase??!?!
Maybe for Activision, who's trying to cash in here and put out maybe a rehash oh-so-too-quick. :o
(See Tony Hawk, COD, GH, and some of their other franchises).
But for gamers, I don't think it's bad news - it's probably a relief.
Anyone looking for Modern Warfare 3 in say 2010? Maybe 2011? 2012?
I don't know, but any of those thoughts sound WAY too soon...
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I've been listening to a lot of details on the relationship between these two ex IW heads and Activision, and it seems like they (West and Zampella) were complete dicks with totally overinflated senses of self worth. Let's not forget, they already pulled this crap once with EA.
Just one example is how they were trying their best to sabotage EA's attempt at creating brand recognition for Call of Duty in Modern Warfare.
While CoD4 was called Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, these two wanted Modern Warfare 2 to be simply called MW2 without the Call of Duty 6 heading.
I understand the need to maintain some artistic vision, but they went overboard. Not only did they put up a huge hissy fit when Activision wanted to name MW2, COD6: MW, they weren't even willing to meet them halfway.
It makes perfectly logical sense for a publisher like Activision to want to create some brand recognition. In fact, the majority of people who bought CoD4: MW, and were interested in the sequel, were looking for the CoD brand, and not the MW brand.
Again, I understand the need to have some artistic integrity, but let the goddamn publishers (i.e. the people funding your multimillion dollar product) their fucking jobs.
In the end they weren't even willing compromise.
Initially, the game was only going to be named MW2 because of their attitude, and it was only a late push from Activision that eventually saw the Call of Duty added to the title.
Add to that, their attitude towards PC gaming, where they clearly expressed that they weren't concerned by the concerns of PC gamers, because the market wasn't big enough to bother them (and thus showing their whorish attitudes outright), and you've got guys I have zero sympathy with.
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We know both Activision and IW are greedy. :P
You said IW tried to pull this on EA...Did you mean Activision, Pug?
Or do you mean they pulled some similar stunts back on EA as well, back when they were at 2015?
(Wait - were both of them w/ 2015?)
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It makes perfectly logical sense for a publisher like Activision to want to create some brand recognition. In fact, the majority of people who bought CoD4: MW, and were interested in the sequel, were looking for the CoD brand, and not the MW brand.
Maybe I'm in the minority then. Call of Duty to me means the tired and overdone WW2 shooters. I didn't pay any attention to the series until Modern Warfare.
Infinity Ward created Call of Duty, Activision decided to milk it by putting multuples teams on it to make them faster, and IW pushed against them. Do you blame them? I bet MW1 was only a CoD title because Activision wouldn't gamble on a new IP. (I believe I heard on the Giant Bombcast that Activision was actually doing market research to prove that a modern military shooter wouldn't sell, DURING the development of MW1) Also, Modern Warfare had "IW3" on the title screen, which tells me even at that point, IW was trying to distance themselves from what Treyarch was doing.
What if Konami had some other dev make Metal Gear Solid 5, let Kojima make 6, and had a third dev do a spinoff at the same time? Would Kojima have a problem with his creation being whored out and him having no control over it? Hell yes he would, that's HIS series.
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Granted it depends on the studio doing the work that really tells us what sort of quality to expect. In the case of Splinter Cell, Ubi has been leapfrogging between its Ubisoft Montréal (developer of the original Splinter Cell, Chaos Theory, and Conviction) and Ubisoft Shanghai (Pandora Tomorrow and Double Agent). It's pretty clear where all the quality went. The Shanghai studio did a pretty shoddy job of both SC titles they got.
The pattern so far seems to be that leapfrogging a franchise will inevitably result in some inconsistent products. However, a full handover can go either way, it can flop or it can get better i.e. Tomb Raider's development getting handed over to Crystal Dynamics essentially saved the franchise.
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Maybe I'm in the minority then. Call of Duty to me means the tired and overdone WW2 shooters. I didn't pay any attention to the series until Modern Warfare.
Infinity Ward created Call of Duty, Activision decided to milk it by putting multuples teams on it to make them faster, and IW pushed against them. Do you blame them? I bet MW1 was only a CoD title because Activision wouldn't gamble on a new IP. (I believe I heard on the Giant Bombcast that Activision was actually doing market research to prove that a modern military shooter wouldn't sell, DURING the development of MW1) Also, Modern Warfare had "IW3" on the title screen, which tells me even at that point, IW was trying to distance themselves from what Treyarch was doing.
At 2015, Medal of Honor: AA was originally planned to have blood - and there were even screenies of the game w/ blood, in previews and all. EA forced it out of the game, so they could try to make Teen rating. This is one of the things that led to 2015 leaving EA; some of them creating and joining Infinity Ward; and then IW jumping ship to Activision.
Infinity Ward didn't want to do another WW2 shooter, which is what Activision wanted from them - IW wanted to do a modern FPS. I think this is what started the war b/t the two companies. And well...we've seem the war b/t the two companies play out like a nasty drama here...and of late, it's been pretty brutal b/t the two companies.
IW claims they still own Modern Warfare IP (after Vietnam), while Activision owns Call of Duty IP (Vietnam and before) - which is VERY interesting. I think that's where the whole branding of MW2 was all over the place - w/ COD tag; w/out COD tag; back to having COD tag, was the two companies were fighting over what to call the game. If what IW says is true - then, they probably don't want COD stamped on the game b/c they feel it is its own game.
But - really, though? If Activision did try to force COD tag on the original Modern Warfare (COD4), why did West and Zampella even allow it back then? Why wasn't COD4 just called instead Modern Warfare: Call of Duty? You mean to tell me IW and Activision couldn't agree to use COD for a freaking subtitle? Even having Call of Duty as a subtitle - damn, that's a lot of power; everybody knows the COD series. Sometimes, y'all just gotta' freakin' compromise.
Of course now, sure - Modern Warfare is probably bigger than the COD franchise, given MW2's sales.
What if Konami had some other dev make Metal Gear Solid 5, let Kojima make 6, and had a third dev do a spinoff at the same time? Would Kojima have a problem with his creation being whored out and him having no control over it? Hell yes he would, that's HIS series.
It depends on if Konami or Kojima owns the MGS IP, of course. :P
But, if I was Kojima - yeah, I'd be pissed, too.
EDIT:
Granted it depends on the studio doing the work that really tells us what sort of quality to expect. In the case of Splinter Cell, Ubi has been leapfrogging between its Ubisoft Montréal (developer of the original Splinter Cell, Chaos Theory, and Conviction) and Ubisoft Shanghai (Pandora Tomorrow and Double Agent). It's pretty clear where all the quality went. The Shanghai studio did a pretty shoddy job of both SC titles they got.
The pattern so far seems to be that leapfrogging a franchise will inevitably result in some inconsistent products. However, a full handover can go either way, it can flop or it can get better i.e. Tomb Raider's development getting handed over to Crystal Dynamics essentially saved the franchise.
I actually liked Pandora Tomorrow and Double Agent, despite their technical issues. DA's biggest program was the technical issues and some of the "in-between missions" at the terrorist HQ (i.e. the long-winded bomb-making mission). But, yes - I think the Original SC and Chaos Theory are the best ones in the franchise...so far.
Another instance of leap-frogging a game series messing things up - just look what Sierra did to FEAR franchise w/ all TimeGate-developed expansions (Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate). That almost destroyed the damn franchise - especially Perseus. Hell, Monolith's FEAR 2 basically disregarded ALL of the events of the two Timegate-developed expansions...hehe.
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The average gamer isn't as informed as us. We are part of the core market, that will buy most games based on what we like, opinions of fellow gamers, reviews and podcasts.
But the buyers who take MW2 sales that extra mile are the sort of crowd who go WOWWWW when they see the adverts during superbowl.
In my mind, it is the same reason why a hardcore RPG like Dragon Age sold 3.5 million copies. We all might have hated the advertising, but it certainly worked on a lot of people.
And I don't see the CoD series are whored out. Guitar Hero is whored out, The Sims is whored out, but every CoD game has shown some innovation and always been of quality and worth the money. They've also been decently spaced, so no, I wouldn't call it whoring out.
As for Kojima... the fact that he calls every Metal Gear game his last, and then keeps coming back with newer iterations, shows me he has no problems with milking a franchise. :P
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Honestly, the best thing that could probably happen for the Metal Gear Series would be to pull that motherfucker off of it.
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And I don't see the CoD series are whored out. Guitar Hero is whored out, The Sims is whored out, but every CoD game has shown some innovation and always been of quality and worth the money. They've also been decently spaced, so no, I wouldn't call it whoring out.
Well, I guess I mean more that you can see Activision wants to whore it out. Two dev teams allowing for one game per year instead of one game every other year is just a small start. I'm more talking about the fact that a third studio (Sledgehammer) is now working on CoD games, and Activision has even mentioned the idea of a subscription model for CoD in the future. One high-selling game per year isn't enough apparently, they need more. Plus rumors that IW wanted to move on to a new IP but Activision wants more CoD.
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West and Zempella create Respawn Entertainment and sign with EA to give them exclusive publishing rights through the EA Partners program. (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Jason-West-and-Vince-Zampella-bw-1906793642.html?x=0&.v=)
It also says, "Founded in 2010, Respawn Entertainment is an independent videogame development studio based in Encino, California." So they're not owned by EA, they just have an exclusive publishing deal with them.
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Yeah, I don't really expect great things here.
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we'll see i guess. activision's management are a barrel of cocks and every game that IW has put out has been pretty great. to me it seems fitting that they part ways.
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IndustryGamers.com - Interview w/ Vince Zampella and Jason West of Respawn; and also EA Partners' boss David DeMartini. (http://www.industrygamers.com/news/modern-warfare-devs-the-skys-the-limit/)
Eurogamer - Another interview w/ Zampella, West, and DeMartini. (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/respawns-jason-west-and-vince-zampella-interview)
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Holy crap...
Infinity Ward Employee Group (IWEG) is suing Activision for anywhere from $75-125 million.
There's 38 employees of IWEG so far in this lawsuit. (http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/704273/Infinity-Ward-Employee-Group-Files-Lawsuit-Against-Activision-Over-Unpaid-Royalties-Alleges-Devs-Held-Hostage.html)
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$75-$125 million in royalties and bonuses between 38 people? I would love to see that number broken down in a quantifiable way.
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Yeah, I don't really expect great things here.
While they haven't impressed me as people, I don't doubt they know their craft. I was actually a little excited when I heard this, because I do expect to see something special.
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I do expect to see something special.
See, that's the thing; the last thing I expect is really something special. I totally could be wrong on that, but for me Inifity Ward is basically the Michael Bay of the video game industry. They do know their craft well and they make some entertaining games....but they don't push anything. There's nothing wrong with that, but it gets stale...at least for me.
I really liked CoD. Got so bored with CoD2 that I had to stop forcing myself to play it. Really liked CoD4...stopped halfway through CoD6. It just got old fast and apart from wicked set pieces, dramatic music, and fairly decent scenarios, there wasn't much there for me. The gunplay in their games always feels very generic to me, there is no AI to speak of, and well, I don't know...it's just starting to really feel like there's something missing. I would love it if they branched out and we got a game with all the positives of the CoD games and improvements in the other areas....I just don't know if it'll happen.
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I don't agree at all. I think the IW-developed COD games are gold standards. Aside from maybe COD:MW2, they all really moved the FPS genre forward, almost embarrassing other developers when their work is compared. COD:MW2 only faltered here because it was very similar to COD4:MW and had a weaker story.
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Haven't played MW2, but perhaps it was a result of being forced into a sequel.
Then again, as a studio, they should be expected to do at least one sequel -- without throwing a hissy fit -- for such a popular game. I mean, this wasn't Bioshock... this was a fast paced military action game.
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I don't agree at all. I think the IW-developed COD games are gold standards. Aside from maybe COD:MW2, they all really moved the FPS genre forward, almost embarrassing other developers when their work is compared. COD:MW2 only faltered here because it was very similar to COD4:MW and had a weaker story.
Yeah, my recent experience could have kind of jaded my view of the series as a whole, I don't know. The thing is that when I think about the games overall, they are very well done - highly polished, full of excitement, great scenarios. It's just when I'm playing them or break them down, something seems lack luster. Like it's just a big shooting gallery or something rather than an adaptive game play experience.
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MW2 is definitely one of the best "feeling" FPS on a console. It's fast and smooth, it all works great. My only real major gripe with the multiplayer is the what killstreaks do to the game. The single player was short, but still really enjoyable despite some monster closets and ridiculous story. It had a lot of great moments, just like MW1.
I'll no doubt be curious to see how MW3 turns out, but what I'm really interested in is whatever Respawn does first.
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I really don't know what it is with these games for me. Like I said, loved the first game but bored to shit of the second. Loved MW, but couldn't even play through MW2. It just seemed too heavily scripted or something. There were still definitely great moments, but it just kind of felt like FPS-lite to me. Maybe because I've been playing so much Battlefield: BC2 online or something.
I AM certainly excited to see what they do though.
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There were still definitely great moments, but it just kind of felt like FPS-lite to me. Maybe because I've been playing so much Battlefield: BC2 online or something.
I played MW2 first, and when I got BC2 I almost completely lost interest in MW2. BC2 just offers a much more epic feeling experience, with a sandbox type feel that leads to lots of cool moments that you remember.
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Okay...that's probably nails it then.
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GameSpot -> Activision is going after EA in West-Zampella suit $400 mill. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6285761.html)
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That link is broken for me. It seems to forward me to some iPhone version of the site and I don't have an iPhone.
Edit: Huh. Must be an issue with how Gamespot handles the browser user agent. It's working fine on my PC, just didn't work from my Android phone.
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That link is broken for me. It seems to fwmedia me to some iPhone version of the site and I don't have an iPhone.
As 2010 draws to a close, the story is receiving one more plot twist. Activision today told GameSpot it asked a federal judge for permission to file an amended cross-complaint in its legal spat with West and Zampella. In addition to expanding on its claims against the pair, Activision wants to make Electronic Arts a defendant in the case. According to a copy of the filing provided by the Call of Duty publisher, Electronic Arts tampered with West and Zampella, inducing the pair to break their existing contracts with Activision, freeing them to establish Respawn and sign with the EA Partners program.
According to the filing, "Starting as early as July 30, 2009, Electronic Arts and [West and Zampella]--with full knowledge that the executives were under contract and legally committed to Activision for more than two additional years--conspired to set up an independent company."
It continued, "The unlawful conduct came from the highest levels at Electronic Arts, including EA Chief Executive Officer, John Riccitiello, and Chief Operating Officer, John Schappert, with direct support from the high profile talent agency, Creative Artists Agency, and even a former member of Activision's Board of Directors and former Activision lawyer."
EDIT:
G4TV -> They have more details on this, too. (http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/709353/Activision-Lawsuit-Adds-Electronic-Arts-To-Infinity-Ward-Case.html)
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Why "Activision wants to make Electronic Arts a defendant in the case." ?
Because they have money, that's why.
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Why "Activision wants to make Electronic Arts a defendant in the case." ?
Because they have money, that's why.
Well, that and tortious interference. This shit is about to get pretty entertaining.....I think.
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This shit is about to get pretty entertaining.....I think.
Yea that's what I was thinking.
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Kotaku -> Latest on West and Zampella vs. Activision. (http://kotaku.com/#!5788162/modern-warfare-makers-complain-of-secret-call-of-duty-games-double+standards)
Those new claims add a new layer of damages exposure, according to West and Zampella's lawyer, Robert Schwartz, which could result in Activision paying compensatory damages (aka writing out a big check) or rescission of their contract—which could also mean that West and Zampella might find themselves co-owners of the Modern Warfare and Call of Duty brands with Activision.
Oh, that would be funny if it wound up where West, Zampella, and Activision ALL co-own COD and MW franchises....
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CVG -> Jason West has left Respawn - supposedly he left after Activision/Old Infinity Ward/EA lawsuit was settled last May 2012. (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/394095/call-of-duty-co-creator-reportedly-departs-respawn/)
Call of Duty Co-Creator reportedly departs Respawn
Jason West's departure 'amicable'
By Shaun Prescott for CVG Australia
Call of Duty co-creator Jason West has reportedly left Respawn, the studio he co-founded following his sacking from Infinity Ward in 2010.
The studio, which was founded in 2010, is currently working on an unannounced EA title, though West has not been involved in its development.
According to Kotaku's (http://kotaku.com/5988233/call-of-duty-co+creator-jason-west-has-left-his-new-studio) anonymous sources, the departure was amicable and is due to family issues. West has been absent from the studio since May 2012.
Co-founded by West and Vince Zampella, Respawn was born after the duo were engaged in an unfair dismissal lawsuit (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/318516/legal-battle-over-modern-warfare-set-for-may/) against Activision. The publisher counter-sued with claims that the pair had secretly negotiated a deal with EA during their time at Infinity Ward.
According to the report, West has been absent from the studio since the lawsuit was settled confidentially last May.
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Well, I guess I mean more that you can see Activision wants to whore it out. Two dev teams allowing for one game per year instead of one game every other year is just a small start. I'm more talking about the fact that a third studio (Sledgehammer) is now working on CoD games, and Activision has even mentioned the idea of a subscription model for CoD in the future. One high-selling game per year isn't enough apparently, they need more. Plus rumors that IW wanted to move on to a new IP but Activision wants more CoD.
It's weird to come back and read this now. Sledgehammer had to cancel whatever they were working on to help finish MW3 after all those people left Infinity Ward. Call of Duty elite didn't get the subs it needed, and is now free starting with the release of Black Ops 2. Instead of being tied to Elite, map packs are using a season pass.
I was sort of hoping a 3rd person Call of Duty spinoff (the rumored Sledgehammer game before IW had it's issues) would at least be interesting, seeing as it was headed up by one of the key guys that brought us Dead Space 1 (Glen Schofield).
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Yeah, I'm still curious what Sledgehammer was working on, as well.
Was it cancelled flat-out? Or just put on hold?
Crazy to read West supposedly left Respawn already. Respawn hasn't even announced their first game, nevermind release it.
Of course, after everything w/ the Old Infinity Ward vs. Activision drama and then the lawsuits, who knows if he wanted to do this anymore.
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The rumor was that Sledgehammer was working on a 3rd person CoD spinoff. Then I started noticing them being included as the developer of Modern Warfare 3 (a couple times the way they were mentioned, I thought for a second that they had finished it for IW, not along with IW). Glen Schofield gave a TED talk not that long ago and was talking about his work on MW3 like he had done a lot of the primary work on the game. He talked about framing a sub passing by from underneath as an homage to the opening of Star Wars: A New Hope. He talked about sandstorm headlines from The Gulf War inspiring him to add a sandstorm level to MW3. These sound like the decisions of a primary developer of a game, not a studio that's doing side work for the game.
It was never said exactly what happened to the rumored spinoff. Maybe they took some of the levels and put them in MW3 instead.
Also, I saw tweets from Patrick Klepek earlier that West left right after the lawsuit ended, he left amicably, and it was for family reasons. It sounded almost like it was due to a family illness or something, not any professional reasons.
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Third person CoD spinoff? It sounds weird because, like why? Don't get me wrong, it's a well known brand and I don't have a problem with the games, but it's just a weird IP (and really, it's a trademark at that) to have a spinoff for.
And I don't really have high hopes for Respawn. CoD was a game I had a ton of fun with at the time, CoD2 actually felt really really dated, but I was pleasantly surprised with CoD:MW. The thing is that a lot of the appeal of it was just the extremely high production value, great set pieces, and the modern environment. The following MW games followed it up very well, but again, it feels like the gameplay itself hasn't evolved and it's floating on the merits of the money thrown into it. I think the fact that the Black Ops games are equally well received kinda goes to show that Infinity Ward might get a little more credit than it's due.
Again, not that they don't do a good job, but as far as I know, the people behind Respawn have developed two games: World War 2 shooter and Modern Era shooter. They're good at that, but the actual gameplay mechanics are STILL dated (MW almost feels like an on-rails shooter) and I think they may have a problem transitioning into a new IP. Well, that, or it will end up being yet another modern FPS in an already saturated market. And we all know the MP won't touch BF3 anyways.