Call of Duty Experience

It took me a while before I finally decided to get my PS3.  I believe I purchased it 2 years ago, the Call of Duty Black Ops Edition w/ First Strike 160 GB console that came with a $100 BestBuy Gift Card so I figured that package was worth it.  That's when my Call of Duty adventures began.

I had never played first person shooters competitively on a console before since I had a PS2 before without any networking, so all my games were played on the same screen or on split-screen with friends.  Before that, it was Counterstrike on a PC with the mouse for aim.  It wasn't until Multiplayer online play that I realized I had to up my game and improve my aiming skills in a shooter.  It took a while at first... starting out on low sensitivity, getting used to the recoil of each weapon, and that "noob" period is the reason for my horrible W/L and KD ratio that I started out with.

No matter, time went on, I got more practice & experience, and I have improved much now to be able to get above a 1.0 KD.  The best basic strategy that I can give you: slow down and let the game come to you.  I still have the goal to reach Prestige level 15 to get the gold camo for my weapons.  On a side note, the First Strike Package that was included came with 3 new Multiplayer maps: Berlin Wall, Discovery, Kowloon.  I love these maps as they were built better for snipers and I love to snipe.  Kowloon is probably my favorite map in all of Black Ops so far.

The Campaign for Black Ops was absolutely spectacular!  The story was just amazing and low and behold, one of my favorite actors, the great Gary Oldman, did voice-over work as Victor Reznov!!!  I had a funny feeling that it sounded a lot like him, rather his Russian character from Air Force One, but I didn't confirm it until I saw him do it on an episode of Conan (see below).  I replayed the game in Veteran mode and it indeed was him... very cool!  He is my favorite character in the game and there is a great twist revealed near the end.



 
Zombies is just so fun... a little bit hard when you first start out but once you figure out a pattern in the map, dynamite!  My friend and I worked together on the Kino Der Toten map for quite a long time and finally figured out a strategy and loop to work with and after a year, perhaps, we finally were able to get up to Round 37 together.  I got to 45 on Solo using the same strategy and it just took so long that I started getting sloppy in the end but it is definitely more fun to play with others.  Dead Ops Arcade was an old-school arcade game, sorta like Contra with a birds-eye view.  I didn't play it much so I won't go into it.  The other map, Five, I still can't figure out a strategy for so I'm stuck at Level 9 or 13 being the highest.  I just started playing the First Strike map, Ascension, so I will definitely go into Zombies a little more in the future as my friend and I figure out a strategy for Ascension.

I ended up borrowing Modern Warfare 2 from my brother-in-law but I only played the Campaign, as I was told there were hackers in Multiplayer and warned that it could compromise my PS3.  I recognized Keith David's voice-over work, and apparently there were some other famous names attached to the game as well!  All the Modern Warfare Campaigns are supposedly tied together so I don't know the story of the first one, but this one was engaging and fun, and the ending definitely leads to a third game in the series...

Two months ago, I finally got Modern Warfare 3, and boy it was different when I first began.  I was so used to Black Ops that I felt like playing a different game.  The "feel" of the movement & environment was awkward, almost surreal or smooth, which I think was just better graphics looking at it now.  The sound is different.  Black Ops weapon fire sounds more realistic to me but I got used to Modern Warfare 3 that it doesn't bother me so much anymore.

The class building & weapons upgrade is different.  In both games, new weapons unlock as you level up.  In Black Ops, money earned in gameplay is used to purchase weapons, including attachments & upgrades.  In Modern Warfare 3, no purchasing necessary, but weapon proficiencies (upgrades) & attachments require usage of the weapon to unlock.  In other words, you can't use another weapon that you may be well-suited with to purchase upgrades & build up a new weapon as you could in Black Ops.  Individual weapons must be used to be improved, different but makes sense.

Additionally, the whole killstreaks/strike packages is somewhat new.  Modern Warfare 3 breaks down Black Ops killstreaks into offense (assault), defense (support), and specialist categories.  Assault packages is the same as a Black Ops killstreak, you must pile up kills without getting killed.  Support packages add up even after you are killed.  Specialist gives you additional perks as you get kills to build you into a super soldier.  And now, you received bonuses for assists and other objectives acquired as well so it is a bit easier to get strike packages.  Finally, there are deathstreaks that lend a helping hand in different ways if you are getting pummeled constantly in the field of battle.


I have not yet played the Campaign yet, but I have played the Survival Special Missions, which seem to be Modern Warfare's version of Zombies, and the Missions are fun too, although the last few are pretty difficult.  My goal is to get the trophies needed for the Platinum as that has been my ultimate goal for these Call of Duty games as well.  In Multiplayer, I'm currently at Level 80 and ready to Prestige in Modern Warfare 3.  I'm just trying to get in some more practice with the MSR sniper before I ultimately lose everything to start at Level 1 again.

All these differences are due to Treyarch being the makers of the Black Ops series and Infinity Ward doing the Modern Warfare series.  It is the same game in actuality, but with different styles, so to speak, which change the gameplay ever so slightly.  Nevertheless, I feel that I've gotten somewhat comfortable with both series.

This was a quick summary of my experience with all the games, and hopefully later down the road I will get into more detail about certain aspects and details, maybe a better review or some strategy to help out people just starting out.  I would love people to join me in this adventure, in working together as a team to level up or just to have fun, so my PSN is dwkungfustar, same as my blogging name.  Hope to see some of you on the battlefield!

And finally, a third game joins my collection... and it's full unveiling will be next...