Ben-DutkaSo much freakin' shoveling this week. I'm kinda sick of it.
No multiplayer for The Order? GOOD
When I heard that Ready at Dawn wasn't prepping any multiplayer modes for the upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive, The Order: 1886 , I knew I wanted it even more.
I'm not somebody who believes that all campaigns would be better if developers didn't work on multiplayer, but I do know that realistically, every team has a budget. Every studio has a set amount of resources and there are usually plenty of deadlines involved. The addition of multiplayer simply adds to the overall cost, both in terms of dollars and manpower. If all those resources are being utilized for the single-player element, and that's really all I care about, can that be a bad thing?
As for the part about only running at 30 frames per second, that doesn't bother me. Weerasuriya is right when he says 60FPS is most critical for shooters and fighters; for third-person action, we really just need a smooth, steady 30. Besides, I'm not one of those people who freak out over some barely visible framerate slowdown. Unless it's severe, it never bothers me.
Hmm…Activision appears to be doing the right thing with Call of Duty
I'm not buying that Sledgehammer Games will produce perhaps the "greatest Call of Duty game ever," but I like the approach. Look, we've been complaining about a lack of freshness and innovation in this franchise for years. Each title has a two-year development window (Infinity Ward and Treyarch trading off) but obviously, that isn't enough for such a massive production. We saw more examples of the downward turn with last year's Ghosts , for example. However, with Sledgehammer tossed into the mix, this means there's now a three-year development window for each new CoD title, and that could make a huge difference. Also, let's not forget that Sledgehammer really might try a lot of new things.
Call of Duty hasn't exactly tanked; Ghosts made Activision another billion dollars. But I think they noticed the slide, as did most everyone else, and they're doing something about it. Drives me nuts that Activision makes such a stride when other companies – 'cough' Square Enix 'cough' – keep going in the wrong direction with their flagship franchise. Activision didn't need to be beat over the head.
Personal gaming update
I haven't had much time recently due to a number of different reasons, but I've been playing a few games here and there. I'm really looking forward to Thief and although I'm forced to review Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII , I'm fairly certain I won't be completing it. I'll tell you what I can't wait to try: Child of Light . It's a tad cutesy for me, but if it has a true turn-based mechanic and deep role-playing elements, I'm on board. I just worry a little about the length; for only $14.99, I'm afraid this won't be a very long adventure.
And yes, I'm aware that Valentine's Day is this week. My girlfriend isn't a huge gamer but as she really loves Portal 2 , I decided to get these . It's more of a gag gift (I doubt she'd actually wear them), but she'll think they're funny. 😉
