I've been dismissing this game as something that will probably have a very unbalanced multiplayer mode, and that I'd only buy it for the singleplayer campaign, however I've done a closer inspection recently and actually starting to look forward to this game quite a bit. Now that doesn't mean multiplayer seems balanced, but Treyarch's ideas for the latest instalment are actually quite good from what I've seen.
Take wager matches for example. Unlike in previous games in the franchise, you don't unlock new weapons and perks by levelling up. You gain credits in each match and you can spend these on customisation. Wager matches let you gamble your money, and if you end up in the top three of the scoreboard you will take everyone's money who isn't in the top three. Here's a video explaining it in more depth.
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They've also added something I completely love and hate, a replay mode of some sort. I'm not sure how good this is compared to Halo's theatre but you can watch your gameplay and pause, or move around in free cam like in Halo. I love this because I can study rush paths and many other details in-game, but I also hate it because it allows a lot of people to study my play style. I imagine me and Matthew will have a lot more fun against each other in 1v1 as we study each other's tricks and learn to constantly counter the other's tactics. Here's the multiplayer overview showing the replay mode among other features.
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Contracts are another new feature that I love the sound of, they are basically like challenges except they are on a time limit when you accept one. They will give various rewards such as EXP or currency, but the idea is that you can choose a contract you want to do and go for it. The video above uses an example where if you're an SMG player, you can just focus on doing SMG contracts and this, coupled with challenges, will help you level much faster if you can complete them consistently.
Character customisation also has unique perk-specific character models you can purchase. I assume if you use Dead Silence for example, you can buy a character model that makes you look like a stealthy special ops guy, and if you use stopping power, your character will look more like Rambo. That's just my assumption though, but I like the sound of this.
There's also an icon creation tool that you can use to put custom designs onto your guns or put your clan tag on them. Weapon camo is less about camouflage and more about making your gun feel unique, so you will see more whacky patterns and colours instead of the typical desert and snow camo for example. It fucks with realism a little but frankly I've been playing COD for so long it's not about feeling realistic anymore, I just like the game engine, so more customisation is something I've always wanted to see. You can even customise your bloody aiming reticule from a simple red dot to a small skull or star icon, love it.
So, pre-ordering this for both my PS3 and 360 now, I've mostly been playing on my PS3 recently.
