When I was still in grade school I developed this weird fascination with the world of Greek mythology. This likely as a result of watching Clash of the Titans when I was still a wee lad but it left such an impression on me I felt compelled to read these stories of bickering gods and the quests that they would charge mere mortals to endure. Some of the most memorable stories that I can recall have dealt with the everlasting punishment exacted upon the unfortunate few from the gods. Prometheus was chained to a mountain where he was doomed to have his liver pecked out daily as it would forever regenerate so his pain would only be perpetuated as the sun set and then rose again. Atlas was forever destined to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. Pandora and her wretched box (no pun intended) was sent to punish mankind for being in league with the bringer of light. Yet it is Sisyphus that reminds me most of the frustration that World at War players are experiencing. Now I don’t have an exact number of individuals that have been stricken with this most annoying bug but it would be Sisyphus who can empathize with these unfortunate players. You see, he was supposed to roll a boulder to the top of a mountain, and after the arduous deed was done, he would watch in tired horror as it rolled back down to the bottom as if he did nothing all day. He also suffered from the compulsion to try, try again…. see where I’m going with this?
Activision released Call of Duty: World at War to great enough fan fair as it was the successor to the most amazing Modern Warfare yet it could not eclipse its former’s greatness. Yeah, it had the slick graphics engine that debuted with Modern Warfare and it even went a step further with the entertaining zombie mode but still… something was just missing. This is neither here nor there as rabid fans now had new maps in which to battle for world supremacy. The genius of the multiplayer that was Modern Warfare was that the more you played, you would level up as each kill brought you experience. This in turn would unlock a whole new dimension to the arcadey experience which is multiplayer gaming. They would even have double experience days where you would reap twice the fruit for your labors. Your character would evolve with perks as well as new uniforms, guns, etc. You knew that as a noob if you stepped in the arena with a prestige you were as good as fucked… proper fucked Tommy. Now Call of Duty: World at War hits the scene and many just couldn’t get enough of this system. Many players invested the time to climb these ranks, that they now so know and love, so they can brag to the next man about their superiority with any weapon they touch. Why not? We all paid sixty dollars and not many games deliver on that expense now do they?
There is trouble in paradise apparently, Treyarch is making no friends with this one I assure you. On the World at War board there are many players that are suffering from a glitch in the Matrix that causes all of their hard work to be all for naught. Imagine for a moment all the time it takes to prestige and compile all the perks that you love and most certainly rely on to be gone in the blink of an eye? Or the seconds it takes to log off. Imagine being a black belt only to find yourself barely wearing a white belt on your way to the Octagon? Perhaps this is an isolated incident? Now I personally don’t have World at War to share the torture that my fellow players have gone through but surely I would know someone close to me in the community that can cosign this trauma right? My fellow host Mr. Mortal has felt the effects of this half assed programming error.
It’s ok though, surely Activision in their quest to turn a profit would not let something so glaringly annoying to go unchecked. I mean after all, why would anyone continue to invest in a franchise that makes it extraordinarily unrewarding to keep playing? As we know, the map packs that they have released and subsequently charged extra for have sold extremely well. So with the millions that they have reaped off of the gaming community they must have invested but a fraction to correct this terrible calamity from ever occurring to another person… or so you would think. These complaints have fallen on deaf ears and responses have come through arrogant lips. Please refer to the Episode 8 podcast to see how the developer responded to Mortal’s query into the matter via Twitter. Refer to the board to the players that were pretty much told “Damn dude… that blows huh?” by Activision. Customers are fickle, as many in the industry know, Titans become memories at the faux pas committed by the board members at any given moment. Just as Sisyphus (Activision) had the arrogance to ignore the consequences of crossing Zeus (gamers) maybe we’ll see this gaming giant relegated to the second string as a more receptive publisher fills that void…
July 15, 2009 at 9:40 pm
skriclee says:
i’m lovin this! Rock gettin his Hunter S. Thompson on