Call of Duty: Black Ops

[Lu]

Is there a Video game version of jumping the shark yet?

[Orv]

Is there a Video game version of jumping the shark yet?

So on checking to make sure I haven't been taking my knowledge of "jumping the shark" for granted (I have not, I still know what it means, hurrah me) I have discovered "nuking the fridge."

I'm pretty sure this f-ing qualifies.

[Brannigan]

Is there a Video game version of jumping the shark yet?

That will be in the next call of duty, a minigame where the fonze has to jump a kiddie pool filled with zombies while on skis.

[Forbin]

wife-arm is not directly equivalent to shark jumping, but it may be worse.

[Lu]

Hahahaha, wife-arm. I love Bionic Commando. Aaah, Video game writing.

Swingin' the blue death cloud.

[Thrik]

Haha. I wouldn't say it's jumping the shark. I think this kind of madness is quite typical of Treyarch after they stuck the zombies in their last Call of Duty game.

I'm guessing the characters feature in the single-player game in a more serious way. That'd be quite cool and potentially controversial — a nice middle-ground of the total historical accuracy of the WW2 games and the total fiction of the modern warfare games.

[twmac]

So, saw some footage of a boat called RUSALKA get shot... Is this what Yufster has been up to in her spare time?

In some ways I pine after the days when she used to post random stuff, it gave me something to read whether I agreed with it or not. A bit like Ellie Gibson, but more idly.

[Orv]

Remember how I said I couldn't run this, Thompson?

Turns out, according to CYRI, I can't run MW2 either. And yet. . .

Pre-loading. FML.

[Thrik]

So, saw some footage of a boat called RUSALKA get shot... Is this what Yufster has been up to in her spare time?

In some ways I pine after the days when she used to post random stuff, it gave me something to read whether I agreed with it or not. A bit like Ellie Gibson, but more idly.

Was there some kind of story with Yufster not posting here anymore? I'd forgotten all about that mental case.

[twmac]

I think she just got busy doing real life stuff, which is a shame as I do genuinely miss the way she would sometimes use the forums as a personal message board.

Anyone know what the story with the Rusalka is(in COD)?

[Thyroid]

Fuck everything about this.

I was hoping people would back off CoD after the IW fiasco, but no. I ought to have known, but I still find this annoying.

Bobby wins, I guess.

I still refuse to quit my boycott.

[Kolzig]

Totally derailing CoD: BLOPS, but I was googling something yesterday randomly and suddenly came up with some old post of Ron Gilbert's at Grumpygamer from 2004/2005, in there 90% of the comments were of Yufster and Kingz using the comments area as their personal message board.

I'm personally quite tired with games like MoH and CoD. I was also hoping these wouldn't sell.

[Thyroid]

I love this. Two quotes stick-out:

I try hard to avoid hyperbole, but it’s difficult not to call Black Ops the 'best Call of Duty ever' simply because it’s the ultimate refinement of the franchise formula. With an interesting single-player narrative and a multiplayer component brimming over with content, it’s an easy recommendation for a fanbase looking for the next big thing.

Big statement. (Hightlights mine, by the way.) The reviewer makes his case, then, with the opening paragraph:

The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa sits in the tiny town of Ojai about two hours north of downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1923, it features a full 18-hole golf course, a luxury spa, and 308 deluxe suites situated on a 200 acre plot with picaresque views of the surrounding forest and mountains. It’s hard to top in terms of amenities and creature comforts, and it seemingly offers everything you could ever want in a vacation spot. It’s utterly fitting, then, that this is where Activision chose to hold its review event for Call of Duty: Black Ops [see sidebar Flight Plan on page 2--Ed.]; the lavish surroundings were no doubt meant to lend a measure of sex appeal and ‘wow factor’ to the proceedings, but it was also a good metaphor for Black Ops: The game is a veritable playground that, like the plush resort where I and a handful of game journos from various outlets were sequestered for three days, seems to offer everything you could ever want in a console first-person shooter.

I like how casual he is about it. He lists it off like it was the muffin he scarfed down while he ran to the bus stop that morning. I like it almost as much as I like how no other reviewers mentioned this casual trip which in no way, shape or form is a means to make reviewers like Black Ops better.

ArsTechnica goes off on a rant about it.

[Forbin]

Built in 1923, it features a full 18-hole golf course, a luxury spa, and 308 deluxe suites situated on a 200 acre plot with picaresque views of the surrounding forest and mountains. It’s hard to top in terms of amenities and creature comforts, and it seemingly offers everything you could ever want in a vacation spot

10/10

[jennoa]

This game, I should not have bought it..... I don't like it. It's not very good.

[a purple future]

so uh, this game is kind of shockingly good. i mean "i haven't touched the single player at all and have 14 hours of multiplayer already" good.

if you asked me to write a checklist of things to change to fix what was bad about MW2, treyarch ticked pretty much all of the boxes. totally surprised and pleased.

[Redbliss]

so uh, this game is kind of shockingly good. i mean "i haven't touched the single player at all and have 14 hours of multiplayer already" good.

if you asked me to write a checklist of things to change to fix what was bad about MW2, treyarch ticked pretty much all of the boxes. totally surprised and pleased.

I feel the same way. The one big thing I was hoping they would fix was the whole killstreak problem, and they found a way to have the full killstreak customization without all the killstreaks going off all the time. Because of this the pace feels more like a COD4 match did than a MW2 match, and the game is better for it. A lot of the maps are well designed and the COD points work really well, especially when you get into buying whatever perks you want in any order.

I still wish they would allow for that sort of customization in the single player, similar to how Rainbow Six works, but I understand that they are going for a more cinematic experience and that is fine. I have yet to play the single player so I dont know how good the story is, but it sounds like the story is very good.

[Garple]

Is there a Video game version of jumping the shark yet?

I think someone on the Select Button podcast mentioned that in regard to the last quarter of Indigo Prophecy, which seems reasonable.

[Forbin]

I had forgotten, there's not only a gaming equivalent of jumping the shark, there's a call of duty equivalent to jumping the shark.

IrHedeZ-90k

[Squid Division]

The Ojai Valley Inn and Spa sits in the tiny town of Ojai about two hours north of downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1923, it features a full 18-hole golf course, a luxury spa, and 308 deluxe suites situated on a 200 acre plot with picaresque views of the surrounding forest and mountains. It’s hard to top in terms of amenities and creature comforts, and it seemingly offers everything you could ever want in a vacation spot.

Is it just me, or is that some of the worst writing ever put to page? It was even more hilarious when I thought it was about the game and I was waiting for the 'and then it melts your face!' moment.

[Thyroid]

Is it just me, or is that some of the worst writing ever put to page? It was even more hilarious when I thought it was about the game and I was waiting for the 'and then it melts your face!' moment.

It reads like a brochure, but there's nothing bad about it.

[dygiT_]

I usually cringe whenever I hear Idle Thumbs memes being (over)used but this was just too good to pass up.

[Orv]

I usually cringe whenever I hear Idle Thumbs memes being (over)used but this was just too good to pass up.

Amazing.

However, I will point out it isn't a meme if it isn't used to death.

[Michael34Adney]

I really just know about this game... from my friend ..its really awesome game...

but i cant download this game to my PC....please help me out!!!!

[Orv]

How do they keep getting in?!

And why do they keep getting better at Engrish?