FINALLY GOT MY KEY.

Oh, I'm unbanning all of you now, feel free to post again.

I still don't have my key :(

Man, tonight was such a great night of playing the COD4 beta, I just don't know. I think I'll become an MP only gamer this fall, between COD4 and Halo 3. Not sure which I'll play more really. COD4 is that good.

COD4:

+ Very realistic graphics
+ Intense
+ Fast Paced
+ Lots of weapon variety
+ Class diversity
+ Yay, I can call an air strike
+ W00t, grenade launcher to the enemies helicopter = WIN!

- Oh no, the enemy called an air strike!
- Dammit, enemy helicopter killed me

? Why does the enemy keep thinking I'm on their team

Someone hijacked Pant's account!

Pants, how does it play with a gamepad?

And classes... what are your feeling now on classes? I know you don't like them in general. Do you find them balanced? Unique? Add to the gameplay instead of break it? Your Thoughts?

Plays fine with a "gamepad." I have no intention of ever playing COD4 with a keyboard and mouse so I can't comment. First thing I noted is that it doesn't really feel like COD2 MP to me. Felt like something new, and similar to a fast paced, non tactical R6V. I remember jumping a lot in COD2, to get through train carts, over crates etc. I don't think I pressed the jump button once outside of checking to see if it worked.

Classes are handled pretty well I guess. It's really just a choice of perks and weapons. Nothing beyond that. Perhaps appearance too, there's no screen to see what your guy looks like (if there is I haven't found it). The only noticeable perk is Last Stand, which I haven't gotten a chance to use (haven't unlocked it).

Which brings me to what I hate in MP games, unlockable weapons. It's a very unfair advantage here. The scope on your average M16 is subpar, and many times in Killcam's I've seen the higher ranked guy unload with a much nicer weapon, with a red dot scope, making it simple to pin point and decimate me with my little weapon. M16 and AK47 aren't very accurate at longer ranges, especially with their glorified Iron Sights. I generally just alternate between Sniper and Assault class.

So that is my biggest gripe with it, and I expected as much. Keeps you playing though. But it makes life a lot more difficult for new people.

Pretty much the encounters boil down to who sees who first, and within 3 secs its over. Unless you have a low level gun, then its instantly over. I pretty much stick with the grenade launcher, and when my two rounds are gone, I find a corner and await an enemy air strike to send me to the big HQ in the sky.

Speaking of which, shooting down enemy helicopters: first time I did it, I didn't think it'd work. I shot the back rotor with a grenade, and it spun out of control. The whole team cheered, and I felt proud.

The graphics are top notch by the way. First game I played, I was in Crash - a war torn middle eastern area. And my first impression was I was playing the first MGS4 trailer, but with less pukey green and more things exploding around me. Don't take cover in the downed helicopter btw.

Hmm I thought I had read in a couple of previews that there was no visual difference between SP and MP....

That is what they have said.

My take: Some of the MP maps are overcast in murky, muddy looking areas with little contrast. The sun drenched areas and the night stuff looks a LOT better. Poor lighting conditions (or poor art assets) can make even the best engine look bad.

And we have to keep in mind that this game runs an astonishing 60 fps in both MP and SP so that's quite an accomplishment compared to the other games that have come out lately....

Just got back from visiting a friend for the long weekend--I'm not sure if I got my key yet. Downloading my missing email right now. Best be there! But the good news is, I got a chance to sink a good deal of time into the beta this weekend, so I'll be back to post my impressions in a little bit. Preview: It's damn good!Okay, taken into consideration.. and you know what? It still looks awesome. So what if it's not streaming levels (that are actually ya know, LOADING during the streaming process) in a fashion that makes it seem like one giant experience? It's damn good. That's got to count for something.Could be, hard to tell when we just have one portion of an unfinished product to base this on though. I'll say that it's not quite as mind-blowingly awesome looking as some of the single player footage, but that could very well be the result of seeing it on a real display for the first time too, and not just off-screen clips.

Regardless, it looks quite solid, and it runs damn damn smooth. Be back in a bit with some actual gameplay impressions. It's good though!

Must go enter my token and download this bad boy so I can start leveling up my beta account and not a friends. Need that M4.

I had some good games in with Phaethon and a buddy of mine tonight.. and I've come to some conclusions. General blanket statements could easily be made about this game, but those impressions are already here (and elsewhere) in spades so I thought I'd take a moment to comment on some of the games other systems.

The gameplay itself is a tremendous improvement over Call of Duty 2. And I don't think I'm saying this from the perspective of a 360 user either. Call of Duty 2 got panned by some gamers on the 360 simply because of the poor implementation of Xbox Live, while on the PC the multiplayer is still extremely popular despite having some issues of its own. This game is a big improvement to Call of Duty's multiplayer gameplay in general and as it stands, it makes every version of the franchise seem out dated.

There are several aspects of the games design that manage to out do previous Call of Duty games, and movement is far from the least important. While it feels like Call of Duty, it's been tweaked to something resembling perfection. All of the stances are the same, but changing stance feels a bit more fluid, and the additional ability to sprint is welcome. It's hard to judge what's different here, outside of the obvious, but sprinting really does change everything.. and in the end it just feels right.

Another stunning change is the selection of weapons and tools available to the user. This includes modern guns, advanced explosive devices such at C4, and multiple types of non-lethal grenades. The assault rifles are a dominant force, but nothing is so overpowered that it locks you into a decision. There are plenty of people who just feel more comfortable using the M4 full time, where personally I'll take the M16 into battle in nearly every situation. The difference is so much more than cosmetic.. bringing a new age of firearms into the mix is largely what has made this such a successful transition.

There are other new gameplay systems. Some subtle, some not so subtle. You can pick up enemy frags and toss them back--a subtle upgrade over COD2.. but on the other hand there are rewards given to you for achieving certain kill streaks. As I'm sure most people are already aware, you can call on a UAV to track your opponents, as well as an air strike or a support helo. These systems all feel pretty natural, despite changing the way the game is played dramatically. I'm not sure that I'd want any of these features present in a clan match or not, but regardless they do manage to make team deathmatch seem like a fresh game.. that's no small achievement.

Now finally we've come to perhaps the most controversial aspect of the game: The RPG elements and the "perks" it brings to the table. If you've ever see me rant about BF2142, you'd know that I'm against such systems invading this genre. The concept exists to increase the potential replay value of a genre with endless replayability, and it stands to trivialize balance. It's my opinion, from what we've seen so far, that the upgrade system in Call of Duty 4 is relatively fair. New players will never be put at a massive disadvantage, since all of the default kits come with their own perks, as well as a fair weapon. The level of customization is nice though, and it helps tremendously to create a loadout that fits your personal preference and style of play.

Hopefully, some of the more dramatic systems here can be put in check within the compeditive community. The truth is that some of these concepts aren't really ready for that environment, and one thing that IW has done extremely well is to make sure that they've created something that's ultimately fun to the core. If you play in "hardcore" mode, which hopefully removes many of these mechanics (as well as most of the HUD), you'd still have something that's fundamentally fun on your hands.. and also something that may rest well within the realm of balance.

To conclude, the game rocks.. Give me a stripped down hardcore mode, sans customization, and I'm so very sold. Hell--I'm already so very sold without it--I've gone from certain that I'd buy the PC version to considering both the PC and 360 versions of the game.. just so I can play with some XBL buddies as well.

Okay.. I'm extremely tired and that's probably a pretty incoherent stream of consciousness. My brain isn't being very helpful in this state. I should have just restated the obvious. Call of Duty 4 is awesome :)

EDIT: WAIT!Here's another system that's definitely been tweaked. Jumping in COD4 is WAY better, so you should try doing it more often Phaethon. No, not to dolphin dive or bunny hop--but because you can now climb up much larger objects.. or at least it certainly seems so. You can also pull yourself up an object mid jump--hitting it below the edge and pressing jump will force a climb straight from that position.

Good stuff! Okay must sleep. Brain now mush.

I WANT MY FUCKING KEY! :D

man we euro's get fucked over again.....

Find someone willing to let you recover their live account and download the beta--you can then play it on your account. Lots of people seem to be doing this. Against the rules? Sure, but there are already a ton of Europeans in the beta anyway.