If I didn’t make it clear in my first post, I’m a big Call of Duty fan (PS4). Thanks to the fact my wife and I work different hours and the fact my son goes to bed between 8:30-9pm, I tend to play each night from 10pm-12:30am. I have a few games that I play and never finish, Batman: Arkham Knight, Metal Gear, etc… it’s all because of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.

When I picked up COD:BO3 back in January, man, for the first time, I felt like an “old man” playing video games. This game moves fast, not Unreal Tournament fast, but fast. Unlike the older Call of Duty titles like 2-3, World at War or Ghosts, Black Ops 3 developer Treyarch, took a page from Sledgehammer Games (makers of Call of Duty Advanced Warfare) and added jump boosters and the ability to jump and run on walls. This means you no longer have just enemies on the ground to look out for, suddenly the guy sniping from a bush across the map became the least of your problems. Now you run around and hear a “pshsst, pshsst,” the sound of a jet booster in the area, which forces you to look around like cat who is bewildered by a laser pointer. By the time you find the target, you’re dead. It was very, very annoying, in fact, it still is, every single match. The only difference now is that I’ve played so much, that I’ve gotten good. I’m not bragging here, but my games 8-10 out of ten are really good. (I’ll post a few pictures of my end of game kill/death ratios.)

I got so frustrated, at first, each game,  before I could aim down my scope or barrel of the gun, I was shot and killed and forced to watch, what I assumed was a 15 year old kid’s kill cam. I just could not understand it, there was no way anyone could be so fast in this game. Then I realized, I don’t have the reaction speeds of a 15 year who is being fueled by rice crispy treats and Monster Energy drinks, with no work schedule. I found myself  staring at my screen, not wanting to blink, I didn’t want to miss anything. But this only made matters worse, my contacts would dry up, causing me to blink more, then rubbing my eyes and then BAM, dead again.

Thankfully, I made some changes, played a lot more and practice makes perfect. Most games now I even impress myself. If anyone is interested in tips or gameplay stuff, leave a comment down below and I’ll be happy to answer them or make follow up blog posts.

Back to the new Call of Duty. Apparently I was not alone in hating these new “advanced movement” systems. Infinity Ward, the original creators of the COD franchise is back at the helm and is bring back the so called “chain-movement” system aka traditional “boots on the ground” gameplay. Finally, after 3 years, and 2 Call of Duty games later, we are going back to the traditional gameplay. This means I only need to worry about enemies on the same surface, no longer do I need to run around a map like a paranoid hypochondriac, who thinks he’s being followed from the air.

Here’s the official reveal video:

The game looks to take place in the future, obviously far enough to have space ships and pilots battling in space, but I’m not quite sure what the year is supposed to be, the video lacks those fine details. What is present is the brighter, more vibrant colors and landscapes. If you compare this game’s aesthetics to Infinite Ward’s last COD game, Ghosts, which was dull, dark, and grey, it’s clear to see that Infinity Ward took the fans criticisms to heart and listened.

Best of all, if you pony up an additional $20 (on top of the $59 game price) you can get the “Legacy” edition, which includes a complete, next-gen remastering of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. That’s a remastering of the whole campaign and 10 of the best multiplayer games, which are going to be played on dedicated servers! This is great news for fans of the original, as it’s considered by many to be the best in the series.

So are any of you excited for the new COD or are you waiting to see what EA/Dice reveal for the next Battlefield on Friday? Either way, it’s great for us gamers! Again, if anyone wants to hook up and play on the PS4, my name is “Johnny-Drama” and “Codename Valor” on Xbox One.

Till next time, keep on gaming dads!

(After game results, as promised.)

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