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MW2 Glitches Even Affect Other Games

MW2 Stimulus Package Will Be 1200 MS Points

Reactions from my friend Zach have me confused. Is 120o Points, or $15 in non-funny-money, not a ridiculous price?

How about some perspective? I think understanding everything should always be a prerequisite to complete and total internet-brand rage. We all know how people like to react to things when there's no anonymity. Of course, PLAY READ WRITE, I'm not anonymous. If you'd like to express your opinion on the price, please e-mail me or leave a comment on this post. My e-mail address is danielrbischoff@gmail.com

Here are all the details:

//The Stimulus Package map pack consists of 3 new maps and 2 maps from CoD4: MW.

//1200 MS Points equates to $15.

//The Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was 800 MS Points and featured 4 new maps.

//The Map Pack for Call of Duty: World at War was 800 MS Points and featured 4 new maps.

//The Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack released for 600 MS Points and featured 3 new maps.

//Perfect Dark (the XBLA remake) will be releasing this week for 800 MS Points.

So while both previous Call of Duty map packs released with four new maps at a $10 price point, Modern Warfare 2 will be getting 5 maps, two of which aren't new at a $15 price point. Something doesn't seem to add up. Needless to say, I'm not so sure I'll be buying the map pack in order to continue playing seamlessly.

Modern Warfare 2 Manipulates Gamers

DAMNLAG has an interesting post by Zach Rovinsky on the ways Modern Warfare 2 gets players to... play more Modern Warfare 2. Rovinsky goes into some of the psychological factors that go into creating the massive multiplayer success Modern Warfare 2 enjoys.

"To be frank, the competitive online environment judges you; relentlessly. Your every death is a mark of failure for all to see and an unkind statement on your personal ability. Such a situation pushes buttons in people’s heads, especially men’s heads. It taps into core competitive instincts that also drive sport, politics, and the manufacture and sale of expensive cars. What Modern Warfare does is speed up that cycle of play-death-judgment. The sheer speed with which deaths happen makes a more powerful statement on your effectiveness as a man than any other game. Every death is a reminder of every time your father didn’t believe in you or sold you short, so to speak. I hypothesize, with nothing but the Psychology 101 class I got a B in behind me, that the appeal of Modern Warfare 2 is something primal and even a bit oedipal. Men feel the need to be judged better than another man, whether it be by a woman or a scoreboard. Part of Modern Warfare's success is in prodding those competitive instincts to get people to keep playing. The competitiveness is really three quarters the appeal for what can be considered the gaming demographic, but it’s what matters most to the core male 18-35 bunch this series is aimed at."

Obviously, a lot of this mentality/gaming stuff is well documented, and if it's not well-documented, then it's just common knowledge. Leveling is the basest form of drip feeding gamers like hamsters hungry for accomplishment. And having a high score is about as associated with being a macho man as you can get. Don't worry though, many readers have already called out Rovinsky on his terrible writing and how bad of a person he is.

Look everyone, do you really expect any Modern Warfare 2 related article to be Tolstoy? What did you think "MW2 Manipulates Gamers" to be?

Also, as someone firmly under the influence of MW2's multiplayer manipulation, I have to say, prestige-leveling is a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. When the whole prestige system first debuted I thought only a complete moron would want to work their butt off all over again for the weapons they had previously unlocked. Of course, the extra titles and emblems help to maintain a fine level of motivation that has me hopping back online every other day in between a second play through of Mass Effect and whatever game I'm reviewing at the time.

Modern Warfare 2 "Daily Glitch Report"

While I don't actually plan on doing a daily glitch report for anyone playing Modern Warfare 2, but it almost seems appropriate at this point. Everyday some new exploit, glitch, or maligned game mode pops up. Of course, no amount of pre-release play time would uncover the multitude of exploits the gaming community could dig up.

Now that the Javelin glitch has been fixed, a new method of cheating every game of MW2 you wander into has found its way to every match I seem to join. This new glitch involves unlimited care packages, or emergency air drops, whichever you manage to get ahold of. I haven't bothered to look up exactly how to use the glitch to your team's delight, but I've seen it performed more times than can be accounted for.

one match, a team mate wracked up enough kills to obtain an emergency airdrop, and immediately laid down in spawn, tossing the red smoke-spewing canisters that signal the drop point for as many crates as can be dropped within the match time-limit. At first, some of the team mates rejoiced and picked up as many crates they could get, but hardly any of them actually managed to play to the objectives the game specified. This made for a lowly match.

Personally, the entire process was extremely distracting and disturbing from the actual gameplay it requires to win a match under any circumstances. The airstrikes were endless, the choppers buzzing overshadowed every gun shot, and the mindless team mates waited around like sitting ducks for crates that merely replenished their ammo. What the fuck is wrong with people?

Honestly, these kinds of exploits ruin the game on so many levels. I'll return to Modern Warfare 2 after I hear these glitches have been fixed... thought I wonder how much time I'll actually be able to play before something else makes me want to run away in fear and loathing.