Ben-DutkaIn all honesty, I'll just be happy when this week is over.
But in the meantime, the headlines continue to be inundated with the name "Call of Duty: Black Ops." And as Activision has released the Day 1 sales numbers, it's probably worth examining, especially if one is interested to see if the latest effort topped last year's Modern Warfare 2 . Well, it did: in North America and the UK alone, Black Ops sold 5.6 million copies and raked in $360 million, which tops MW2's first-day performance of 4.7 million copies and $310 million. Activision CEO Bobby Kotick gets to gloat:
"There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year’s five-day global sales record of $550 million."
Well, because MW2 was the biggest entertainment launch of all time in 2009, Black Ops now holds the title 'cuz it beat MW2, and may continue to beat it. Recently, analysts have anticipated that the game might sell between 16 and 18 million copies in the fourth fiscal quarter, although some remain skeptical that it has the same staying power as Infinity Ward's title. Either way, Kotick is plenty satisfied with Treyarch's product:
"The game’s success underscores the pop culture appeal of the brand. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the finest game that Treyarch has ever made and raises the bar for online gameplay by delivering the deepest and most intense Call of Duty experience yet.
The Call of Duty franchise has over 25 million players around the world that are engaged in billions of hours of online gameplay, and we are committed to supporting them with new content and features on a more frequent and regular basis."
Yes, it's a Call of Duty world. Maybe it'll make you want to cry but at the same time, the game is pretty damn good . We still say it isn't what it could've been but then again, the masses don't seem to care about trifles…even if we don't consider them "trifles." Anyway, we're glad the fans are happy.
Related Game(s): Call of Duty: Black Ops
Such a disgrace =S, casual gamers still dominate.
Doesnt matter who dominates. Its still gaming. Black Ops is a game everyone will have sooner or later. Or atleast everyone will play. Were all gamers here, you me him her casual or hardcore we play Ps3s.
I wouldn't have it.
Killa, seriously dude, stop assuming "everyone will own this game". You sound like a childish fanboy. Some prefer not to support mediocrity.
Killa: Not "everyone" will own the game. I promise you that.
I know but you guys know what I mean. Were not innocent.
I'll never own or play a copy of any Call of Duty game.
That's actually one thing I loathe about this game and the advertising for it. The implication that everyone own or play it because – "There's a soldier in all of us". No there isn't, not at all. I actually find that message offensive.
For a start soldiers are professionals with a great deal of training and plenty of candidates wash out even during basic training. But Black Ops isn't about the regular troops, it's about special forces units. Special forces training is only for the best of the regular forces, and even so that training still weeds lots of unsuitable candidates quickly. Considering the skill, dedication, training and professionalism that goes into being a member of a special forces unit, or a member of the Army, Marines, Air-Force or Navy, I think it's almost insulting to those people to say that there is a soldier in us all.
That's not even considering the number of Christians (and members of other faiths) who take their beliefs seriously enough that they won't join the armed forces or fight in a war.
Being a 'soldier' is far, far more than firing a gun and blowing crap up. There isn't a soldier in us all, not at all.
</rant>
Yea I'm not too fond of the ad campaign either Highlander. It's cheeping the service of the troops.
I thought the commercial was IDK neat I guess, but there is no question it's kind of disheartening. I dont care for the ad campaign either.
i wont own it nor will i play it.
I am proudly not one of the people that contributed to this games sales.
MW2 was the last Call of Duty I bought and it's going to stay that way.
Medal of Honor takes extra precautions to deliver a true to life experience that praises and respects our troops…but somehow can't deliver the pop culture appeal.
Call of Duty Black Ops throws precautions at the wind and create a glorified arcade shooter that have upset soldiers and countries…but somehow this appeals to the mass?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/nov/11/call-of-duty-black-ops-cuba-castro
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/herald/Vietnam-vet-questions–timing-of-game-release-106987683.html
This is not saying that Medal of Honor hasn't had issues, which have been "addressed". I'm just merely pointing out the state of the human mind in our world today.
I agree with those assessments, Nynja. It's why we scored Medal of Honor significantly higher than many other sources.
Battlefield Bad Company 2 is still dominant if you ask me. Maybe not in sales, but in quality. It is much more realistic and the physics of the game are much better, not to mention the sounds. I was a huge Duty fan every since they were only on PC, but I'm getting burnt out on the games now. I haven't even bought this new Black Ops yet. I think even if I did, I would still be playing Bad Company 2.
Killa,
I will never play Black Ops. That I can assure you. I may however pick up next years iteration, until I start to get burnt out on FPSes again with KZ3, Resistance 3 and the anticipation for BS:Infinite. Please stop making blanket statements about people you do not know.
Peace.
EDIT: The thought of Activision using the tagline 'There is a soldier in all of us' is absolutely sickening. Do they honestly think that a person sitting back in their loungeroom playing Black Ops is even comparable to one of the men or women out their on the frontlines fighting against insurgents? Wait… that didn't come out right. What I'm trying to say is that the game is a glorified on-rails shooter in which you basically have to mow down thousands of faceless enemies, while in reality, these others have friends and families, and the soldiers oft feel guilt over the kills they have made. We are trained to feel elation. It's wrong.
Last edited by Lawless SXE on 11/11/2010 3:51:04 PM
@TheHighlander, yah too much M$ advertsing, I hate that.
I'm not having it
After the IW-Activision fiasco, I had initially having decided not to purchase COD this time around.
So I'm ashamed to say that I finally took the plunge and purchased COD:BO – the lure of 3D (I recently purchased a Sony 3DTV) and Online Split-screen proved too much to resist.
That said, I have also purchased Toy Story 3 PS3, Enslaved PS3, Castlevania LOS PS3, Vanquish PS3, Tumble, Sports Champions and Heavy Rain – so I can safely say I did my bit for encouraging new IP and new games 🙂
Wow,saying this game is unpopular here is an understatement. You know what, since when was I supposed to care if someone says 'everyone will have this game sooner or later', thats not so bad compaired to hearing M$ commercials that say 'the best way to play COD is on M$ consoles'. I can see how some people might feel disgust and seperate themselves from it, like a hanna montana (or however its spelled)gamer that sees something along the lines of Splatterhouse or a Postal game. Its not like that though,it feels like its comming from just how popular the game is and mediocrity infinity ward put out on MW2. If you don't give what I believe is the better developer a chance to prove you wrong then your just on the hate train to be on it and your views are outdated. To me it seems like most people complain about Black Ops because a) they are infinity ward fanboys and wish this was MW3 or b) got jaded from the MW crap. I perfered treyarch from the get go, they really shine this time in my eyes, does the game have hiccups here and there? Minimal, atleast it is no fallout, I had to restart a level only one time, and guess what, had to much fun to give a damn about it. All you other people with sticks up your butt saying that the commercial is sickening by saying that there is a soldier in all of us, get over it. You are blowing this up more than cuba blew up the fact about the Castro mission. I liked it, mostly because to me it was speaking about the rush I get when I am doing good on the game, I know I am no damn Solid Snake, it was speaking of the thrill of being on the battlefield, while never having to put up with having a friend actually die, or a bullet in your chest. Would it really be much of a difference if they used the words 'theres a warrior in all of us'? I know soldiers, I know some that play COD, it is called entertainment guys, your all free to have you opinion,as am I. While I would not force this game on anyone but I would say I enjoyed it from begining to end and also tell them the last game treyarch made left me playing zombie mode till this game came out 2 years later,yes, I did get that game when it came out.
@Nynja – you had a link saying a vietnam vet was pissed cause the game was comming out two days before Rememberance Day, somebody needs to tell that old man that Modern Warfare 2 came out in 11-10-09, only one day before rememberance day so he can go shake his cane at that too.
@everyone else – Activision always churns out a new COD in november, this year though it put forth the crown jewel of my gaming library, oh yeah, I think its that good, its the 5th FPS shooter i've bought among the other genres I play (action,RPGs, racing, fighting). This game is great, not perfect but not short of great, pass judgement before playing if you wish,just keep telling yourself theres nothing in this game you'll enjoy, if you hate it before you even put the disk in the machine you'll just be complaining about it being too long or something along those lines,for the rest that haven't tried it, DON'T LISTEN TO THE HYPE OR THE HATE, decide for yourself, I am sure you know someone thats got a copy you can play a level or two with.
Why is everyone hating COD this year- ITS TOO DAMN LATE TO DO ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT BY COMPLAING, You all had your chance when activision started to charge $15 for DLC on MW2. That should have been a full blown outrage from any gamer, COD or non-COD gamer!! yeah thats righ, you read right, its only a matter of time before everything you hold dear gets gready,-ier in some cases. Gamers everywhere should have been up in arms to make a clear message to all developers that everything that is more than a $10 DLC package should be well worth the price of admition. Only a matter of time before it happens all across the board. Massive fail all around.
Last edited by evilmunkie on 11/16/2010 7:13:05 PM
Love the title of this article.
I think its a shame, at my school every one i know has this game except me and they all talk about how amazing it is.
And im like, there are other games you know?
Since i dont know one person who owns uncharted 2, and only like one person who will be getting gt5.
I just dont see why everyone goes out and buys it when other games really deserve the attention not just COD, EVERY single year.
Its a preference or a niche…
IMO, COD has the most appeal because it is what I would classify as a mindless game. What I mean by that is that you really don't have to devote much cognitive resources to play and understand the game. It more allows just pick up and play action so it has a widespread appeal. Furthermore, many people are also influenced by their friends as well as conform to what others around them are doing for fear of being left out.
All in all its simple and many people have it, and those that don't have it want it so they can relate to those that do.
In otherwords Laxpro, Twitch Gamers.
Ah so thats what a Twitch Gamer is…. thanks Jawk
I have the same type of friends. When ever I talk start about MGS4, Heavy Rain, etc. they tell me to stop talking about those "weird" games and then they proceed to talk about about CoD some more.
It's rather depressing.
The majority of people in the world are mindless tossers.
WOW thats outta control… I mean contributed but I never thought Black ops would top MW2, but it did. Hmm congrats to the publisher and dev.
One day… people will wake up and realize there are other games out there. Better games out there that deserve their attention more than this game does. I wait patiently for that day.
Sadly, I don't think that day will ever come. Gaming is going down the road of music and movies were garbage dominates the charts and box office and greatness is glossed over by the ill-informed casuals.
Yea I'm a little too optimistic in my thinking sometimes so I still hope for it, but I have no doubt that you are right. I think I actually remember an article a long while back about that same topic.
I have a pretty diverse line up of games. And I also buy COD yearly for the experience because I know they will be good. And although I expect them to get better yearly, and sometimes they dont, they are still good. Which is why I buy them. but with that in mind it doesnt mean im going to miss AC: Brotherhood next week, or say LBP2 when it hits stores.
I just try and support the industry as a whole. I try and partake in most major launches while still taking risks on other games.
I think this has been the case for many many years. Before this generation.
It is more publicized now with the Internet and everyone so widely connected, along with the magnitude in numbers.
@laxpro,
Continue being an optimist. The world would be a dark, sad, unhappy place without optimists.
Thanks for that Highlander 🙂
People sure love COD.
to each his own. i honestly think it's more than just the name. i think it's the online gameplay that really attracts people to play this game, because you get to play it with many people. sometimes people that you actually know, instead of just yourself and maybe a friend or two if you were to play another game.
True true. In fact, I only play CoD online if people I know in RL are playing.
Of course it's the online game. This is an online game. And of course I play it, it's the best online shooter right now, and most of my friends play it too so it's always a buddy or three to join up with. That's an important part of a great online game: That you're not alone.
And the age of mediocrity and dumbing down of gaming shall continue! Activision really is like the sleazy record producers who ruined modern music.
Listen to yourself
Lol, go away.
hahaha, I know I got on your bad side last night… But hes like a lost puppy clinging to you hahaha. That's funny!
Jawknee is like the anti-killataquila. Without you, he might be happy, yet without you, he cannot exist.
Bigrailer, i like you. i really do but last night it was like someone hijacked your login and started posting hostile comments. Friends again? 😉
Friends…
jawkee im learning more towards your views on cod now tbh i just dont think they have imporved enough this time which is stupid for a game that has a massive budget tbh the next cod had better be much improved…i think they should keep the ace gameplay of the mw series( i love the fast style) but give the game a complete overhaul
I will give credit where credit is due. Call of Duty has had some fun titles and had fun multiplayer. I loved Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. World at War was fun but no MW. The first MW was a step forward. Progress. But after that the franchise is starting to regress. MW2 had so many problems that werent present in the first game and now Treyarchs latest installment is only a continuation of that trend.
Their games were good to a point but its obvious they arent able to keep up with other titles. KZ2 has better multiplayer than MW2 in my opinion and 3 is looking to be loads better than 2. Bad Company 2 has great multiplayer as well. Have you played that one?
I would like to see an overhaul too. the graphics are just aren't any good anymore. I think that with Activision at the helm though, we won't see an overhaul until the franchise starts to slump in sales. They will milk this mediocrity until that teet is chafed.
Last edited by Jawknee on 11/11/2010 2:24:34 PM
yeh sucks dont it….see cod4 was brilliant….w@w i didnt enjoy….mw2 i liked because its pretty fun but does have alot of problems……i dont think k2 is better but trust me man k3 is awesome luved the beta more than black ops!