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OPINION BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2 Bar Fight KEN LEE on why multiplayer levelling unlevels the playing field. There’s a trend in online multiplayer games that I’m gradually getting tired of. I’m not sure how much longer I can deal with games that have persistent character progression and levelling. I’m not talking about MMOs, but rather games in the same vein as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. When Modern Warfare was released in 2007, it felt like a breath of fresh air. It depicted war in a modern era. There were locales that mirrored current real-world places, and you could use current weapons. But the persistent character levelling in multiplayer was one of the most innovative things that Modern Warfare accomplished. It was one of the first games that combined an online shooter with character progression in an accessible manner. You could jump in any selection of game modes, and earn experience towards unlocking better weapons, gear and perks. There was nothing like this before. I was excited about this brand new way to play. Suddenly, all those deathmatch sessions meant something. There was something to achieve, something to strive for. It wasn’t just about your score or kill/ death ratio in inconsequential games that were forgotten once the timer ran out. You worked and earned your way upwards, and you had the trophies to prove your veteran status. But every innovative idea eventually gets co-opted by everyone else, regurgitating it over and over until it dies a million deaths. Or so it felt to me, when other games started to incorporate persistent character progression into their online multiplayer components. Games such as Medal of Honor, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Transformers: War For Cybertron and Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood all copied the Modern Warfare model. This trend of character progression normally wouldn’t be a problem. I’ve taken my fair share of enjoyment out of these games. I’ve spoken at length previously about the number of hours I’ve sunk into Battlefield: Bad Company 2. I can also understand why game companies implement such features. The second-hand game market is one that publishers and developers never directly benefit from. Encouraging gamers to not only buy first-hand, and hold onto those games is in the best interests of the developers. But it does mean that each game demands a huge time investment 30 www.pixelhunt.com.au JANUARY 2011
ASSASSIN’S CREED BROTHERHOOD MEDAL OF HONOR from gamers. It requires a loyalty that I believe many gamers won’t be able to commit to a single game. Sure, there are people who only play one game religiously. But for someone who loves all manner of games, there’s just no way that I’d be able to put that amount of time into a single game. I’ve spent close to 40 hours in Bad Company 2, and I’m only at Level 22 (it goes up to 50). I’m an average gamer with average skills, and it’s likely to take me at least another 40 hours before I get to the end. I’m at level 17 in Modern Warfare, and level 7 in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. How many more hours do I need But what I find most frustrating is how these games commonly lock better weapons and gear until you hit the higher levels. I k<strong>now</strong> these weapons are an incentive to stick with the game. It can be very rewarding to finally get that high-powered rifle after hours of sweat and toil. But the fact that the weapon was locked away means that people who are either jumping in brand new, or don’t have the time to commit those hours are penalised. I only just unlocked the smoke bombs on AC:Brotherhood, which substantially changes the game. It’ll be a long while before I can gain access to the second ability slot (level 10), the throwing knives (level 19) and the poison blade (level 29). While most games try to maintain a balance between the higher and lower level unlocks, some games are woefully unbalanced. In Front Mission: Evolved, the higher level weapons grossly overpower the weapons you start with; some guns deal more damage in a single shot than I could with a full clip of ammunition. Needless to say, I didn’t stick with that game for long. I don’t have anything against persistent character levelling and progression. I understand the appeal, and I enjoy it myself most of the time. There have been a number of games that I’m willing to throw away hours I’ve spent close to 40 hours in Bad Company 2, and I’m only at Level 22... for. But with so many games <strong>now</strong> incorporating this same mechanic into their multiplayer, I’ll never be able to get round to ‘completing’ those games. I just don’t have the time or dedication. But most frustrating is that some of that content will be locked away from me forever. Ultimately, these games require a lot of loyalty and commitment, but when you’re somewhat of a gaming slut, it doesn’t feel good to miss out. KEN LEE Australia’s best gaming -zine www.PIXELHUNT.com.AU 31
Page 1 and 2: PS3 360 Wii PC MOBILE OPINIONS FEAT
Page 3 and 4: contents ISSUE 13 JANUARY 2011 Publ
Page 5 and 6: Garbage Tips Around the World Appea
Page 7 and 8: NIER Developer Cavia Publisher Squa
Page 9 and 10: YORDA If the player is to care abou
Page 11 and 12: like Cortana in Halo, the dependabl
Page 13 and 14: TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON STE
Page 15 and 16: STEAM Report Card Paradox Interacti
Page 17 and 18: Always call ‘shotgun’ in MAFIA
Page 19 and 20: Only Nintendo got it right, offerin
Page 21 and 22: For our money, this console generat
Page 23 and 24: ASSASSIN’S CREED BROTHERHOOD Deve
Page 25 and 26: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS PROFESSOR PIXEL
Page 27 and 28: ON THE HUNT PATRICK LANG Deadly Pre
Page 29: it was enough to make me fling a hi
Page 33 and 34: When I say that games are getting l

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