I almost lost my lunch.

I am not a prude or old woman, but this is too much for me.  I won’t play COD4 in front of my daughter, and it has a tame gore rating compared to most other games.

Now, I watch Tom and Jerry and the Looney Toons gang with her.  The act of a cat getting his head slammed in a door is violent, but it is not graphic, and that is the big difference.

My generation was raised on cartoon violence and most of us are fine; we are not crazy psycho killers.  I am not say in that graphic violence will make you a psycho, but I do believe that it does desensitizes people.

Like all of us, my daughter will eventually have to find the acceptable level of violence that society will tolerate.  I found that fighting is acceptable.  Fighting and using a weapon is not.  It is called assault with a deadly weapon and is punishable by law.  The inevitability of children throwing blows at school is alright with me.  It is the desensitization to that type of violence that frightens me.

Here is an example.  In 1968 the band MC5 sang the song, “Kick out the jams.”  The opening line in the song was, “Kick out the jams mother@#&%*s!”

In 1968, this caused a huge up roar.  Can you imagine if this album had been released today.  That was the only swear word in the entire album, but is was THE one to many.  Today people are desensitized to this kind of language.  I would be willing to bet that you have at least 5 CDs that used that word repeatedly.

Not only has the language usage changed but it seems that the fighting that I talked about earlier has given way to gun battles on the playground.

So, the point is when we are no longer phased by the elevation of violence then it starts to become accepted and easier to do. That kind of cozy relationship with blood and guts is never good.

If you have not seen any Gears here you go, but be warned.

Image Source:Poldavo (Alex)

Post from: EveryJoe

Get Off My Lawn!

I can be found on-line Mon-Sun.  from 1200-1400 and 1900-2200.  I don’t get to play everyday, but I do play a lot during those times.  If you do happen to kill me I want proof.  Either a video, screen shot, or a detailed account.  Just post it in the comment section for all the world to see.

When I came up with this idea my friends and family asked if I was ready to be humiliated.  My response was, “bring the pain.”

Image Source: Stryker W@SP and Amy Tucker © 2008

Post from: EveryJoe

Get Steve!

Remember the first video tutorial for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare that I showed? Well, we have the second part right here. This time, the maps tackled are Bog and Bloc. I don’t think this batch is as good as the first one, but it still provides good insight on the levels nonetheless.

Post from: EveryJoe

Call of Duty 4 multiplayer tips for surviving Bog and Bloc

Speaking of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, I’ve again finished its single player campaign and remembered that its’ ending is similar to Resistance: Fall of Man–it’s as abrupt and unsatisfying.

Perhaps it should be made clear to developers that credits aren’t part of a game’s ending.

The short ending is a shame, considering that the single player story is excellent. What I don’t get is why Infinity Ward didn’t put in just a little more effort to flesh out the campaign’s closing moments.

How about a little background on Soap MacTavish? Better yet, some more details on the aftermath of the events would give us a better sense of closure. This might actually be necessary considering that everything ended abruptly.

I don’t even get what that mid-air VIP rescue meant. One of the teammates sound suspiciously like Captain Price, which begs the question: who are the characters that survived?

Any theories?

Image for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is courtesy of Activision.

Post from: EveryJoe

Call of Duty 4 ending is short and vague

Yes, it’s a long tutorial video for Call of Duty 4, I know. But you know what? The tips enumerated here are very useful and easy to understand. Instead of merely reading walkthroughs and being in the mercy of a tipster’s writing capabilities, a video like the one embedded above gives you a good picture on what to do in certain situations that no Pulitzer-Prize-winning author can improve on.

Post from: EveryJoe

Watch multiplayer tips for Call of Duty 4

Why does PC gaming rock? Because you get your downloadable content for free. According to Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling at IAMfourzerotwo, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s Variety map pack is being sponsored by graphics card maker Nvidia. The free DLC will be available for keyboard/mouse jockeys on June 5th.

Variety will include the following maps: Broadcast, Chinatown, Killhouse, and Creek. Bowling added that the 1.6 patch for the PC version of CoD4 would also be coming out the same day. Among other things, the patch will:

• Add support for the new Variety maps; and
• Fix a server crash exploit recently reported by the CoD4 community;

I find it funny that the cheaper version of Call of Duty 4 is getting its DLC for free, while the more expensive console counterparts have to cough up some cash just to get the new maps.

Image for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is courtesy of Activision.

Post from: EveryJoe

Call of Duty 4 DLC to hit PCs for free

This map just might seal the deal for me since it’s not available in the single-player campaign. The Creek map looks huge and may encourage snipers to camp, but like Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling explained, certain shortcuts would keep snipers in check.

Broadcast may look familiar if you’ve bothered to play the single player game (it’s the TV station). The map comes with a twist though—there are seven or eight entrances to the station. What’s more, everything other than the TV room is “redone.” What does that mean? I have no idea. Best way to find out is to get the DLC–if you’re willing to spend for it.

Like the Legendary maps, you have to shell out 800 MS points (same price at PSN) for the new DLC. Unlike Legendary, Variety comes with four maps.

Post from: EveryJoe

Watch interviews on CoD4 Variety DLC

Since I’ve first heard of the FragFX, I’ve been frequenting Play-Asia to see if the FPS controller is available. Not that I’m willing to part with that much money before June 12–I was also hoping against hope that there would be a price drop for the FragFX.

No such luck. The controller is still unavailable and it’s still expensive as hell, thanks to the courier fee.

At least until I joined PinoyPSX, an online forum for Filipino PlayStation owners. One of the regulars there heard about my plight in Call of Duty 4’s multiplayer, and it just so happened that he needed some quick cash. The result was a deal made in fragging heaven.

Does this guarantee that I will be ruling in CoD4? Not at all. I’m sure that there are l33t fratboys out there that would make short work of me when we do meet online for some deathmatch. What this deal guarantees is that I won’t get knifed by better opponents on a daily basis. It would be weekly instead.

Image for the FragFX is courtesy of SplitFish.

Post from: EveryJoe

Personal FragFX deal is in the works

Who made the music video? Some fellow who calls himself Serpento. Strangely, he doesn’t even play video games. Don’t believe me? Read his YouTube page.

Post from: EveryJoe

Oddities: Music video consists entirely of CoD4 gunshots

I finally had the nerve to play Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare online today (not before upgrading my PS3’s firmware to 2.20). Sadly, my first foray wasn’t very encouraging. To make the long story short, I never managed to take anyone down. I don’t even know if I was able to land a single bullet at an opponent.

It was good to see that I hardly encountered any lag while playing, so I guess I have no excuse for sucking completely.

“It can’t be that bad,” you say. But it is. It was so bad that I was knifed several times by opponents. Yes, I was using a high-powered rifle when I was sliced into two in several occasions.

I don’t know if it was just me, but my opponents seemed to have taken a liking in giving the level 1 n00b a particularly tough time. If my suspicions are wrong, is knifing really necessary? Based on my experience on PC multiplayer games, those kinds of takedowns are usually reserved for humiliation—something that I think is unnecessary since my no-kill tally is disgraceful enough.

Image for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare courtesy of Activision.

Post from: EveryJoe

CoD4 adventures: Knifing n00bs is fun (for non-n00bs)