COD

I've got to admit it. I'm addicted to the Call of Duty games. Most specifically Modern Warfare 3. There! I've said it. I feel much better now.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved all the "new" COD games since they changed things up with Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. I like the characters, the story, and the game play. I just never bothered to play the multi-player part until recently.

What?? I hear you gasp. You never played the multi-player??  Are you crazy or what? Well, in my defence, I didn't have the time before and on-line gaming was just something I couldn't get my head around. Until Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Assassin's Creed's multi-player sounded very different from all the "Shoot and Kill" games out there. I thought I might as well "break-my-cherry" on something that wasn't just S & K. Okay admittedly AC's multi-player is still based on the S & K philosophy (albeit with a few modifications - stabbing with an assassins blade being just one), but it looked fun.  So I gave it a go. I had so much fun that I then decided to try playing COD on-line.

That first "battle"  and the total feeling of  "wow, I can't believe I haven't done this before," made me start looking at the COD multi-player with fresh eyes.  Of course, my first time playing on-line was abysmal to say the least. I died...a lot. I killed very few other players. I didn't know what the best weapons were or what perks gave me the edge I needed to do well. I found that talking with guys at work helped sort those problems out and my game began to improve. I was in a kind of heaven.

My daughter thinks I am slightly nuts about the game. She also thinks I'm addicted to this franchise that banks on  it's audience becoming so addicted to the game that they will continually pay out money for new DLC content. New DLC that is just new maps...of the same game! Guilty as charged.

I love mastering the weapons and getting better perks as my kill count goes up. I love listening to people from literally all over the world playing together. These COD players: talk, join up with mates - I play with a chum from work, gossip, argue, rant, scream, cry-out-in-anguish, and have temper tantrums. I mean really, who wouldn't find that entertaining? But apart from all that entertainment, it is the game play itself that keeps luring me back.

I keep playing for the challenge. And for the chance to improve my game scores and performance. These can vary wildly. Today, for example, I played a Death Match with my mate from work. Not only did I have the game high-score, but, I also got the winning kill. Over the moon. Then right after that brilliant match, I joined another group and spent most of my time being killed. Instead of feeling over the moon, I felt ready to shoot anything that moved, this included fellow team members.

*On a side note, I just re-read the above paragraph and realised that it makes me sound very cold blooded and violent. I am, but only in the game verse of COD.

This game has frustrated me, enraged me, and exhilarated me. Sometimes all in the same match. When I do well, I get a sense of accomplishment that puts me on a high for hours. I also finish each session (these can go on for hours) with eyes that feel like they are bleeding and ears that ache and throb from the headphones. Despite these quite negative results from playing, I play as often as I can.

So, like I said, I'm addicted to COD and especially Modern Warfare 3. I would like to actually write some more about the game, but I really must go and play it again.