[Intrepid Homoludens]

A new demo for the upcoming Call of Duty (the Danville mission) has just been, um.....made available (actually leaked but was supposed to be in the December issue of a U.S. gaming magazine). I just installed and played it for a few minutes. WOW! Talk about being dumped in the middle of it all with a 'you-are-there!' proclamation. This game seems a lot more immediate and visceral than Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. I felt the elements to be finely balanced overall. The rush I get comes more from the fact that I am not necessarily in charge of the mission, but taking orders and fighting alongside my [A.I. controlled] teammates. But it's ultimately the insane chaos happening all around me that gives the game its immersiveness. I love it, and I'm usually never the type to enjoy military theme games or WWII shooters.

If you want you should also play the first official demo, which takes place in a French village and involves placing explosives to destroy some tanks. This is what action games are all about, baby!

[Erkki]

Damn.... I read Call of Cthulhu. Oh bother.

[Fum]

You get us all excited then don't provide a link to it? Oh well, I suppose I could look for it myself...

[Intrepid Homoludens]

I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link to leaked demo.

[Fum]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

I don't know if I'm allowed to post a link to leaked demo.

I figured that was why you didn't. No problem though, I already found it.

[Garyos]

The first demo was EXTREMELY good. The most "organic" shooter I've ever played.... Thanks for the heads-up, 'trep!

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Technically, Garyos, 'organic' would be a grossly inaccurate attribute, considering how insanely scripted this game is. But, I completely understand what you mean. Completely.

[DustCropper]

I played the first demo. Many, many, many times. I liked it that much. What a cool game.

I'm really considering buying it when it's released. I bet the Stalingrad campaign is amazing. I've been waiting for Enemy at the Gates: The Game for a long time and I bet this is it.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

wooHOO! Finally beat the demo! Lip smacking good. Fast switching between suppressing fire and sniping is excellent, you never know when you have to do it. Magnificent game this should turn out to be. Oh, and more dead cows to look at. This demo is actually the level immediately following the previous demo's level, and takes place in the exact same French village but the morning after. Panzerfausting the tanks is your main mission goal.

Please sir, may I have some more?

[remixor]

Stupid friggin Gamer's Hell. I always end up clicking about 2390523 times before reaching a page saying something like "all download slots full!11 hah". Methinks they chose their name for good reason.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Check your PM.

[remixor]

Thanks, Trep


Holy crap! Besides my obvious initial amazement that the demo actually RAN with my video card, one word popped into my mind and ingrained itself into my consciousness until the end of the level: IMMERSIVENESS. I practically felt like I was in the middle of the war, as much as that's possible in a game. The sounds went a LONG way in achieving this end, also. I really like that most of the guns fire one shot at a time rather than always firing on full automatic. It seems more realistic that way, and it's more rewarding when you down a guy. I admit, I even wished it was harder just to make the experience even more realistic.

Bottom line: I'm impressed.

[Erkki]

Did anyone manage to get the official demo from gamer's hell working?
The zip extracted fine, but the exe file inside it was corrupted.

BTW. which demo are you talking about here, the official or the leaked one?

[remixor]

I eventually got both. I prefer the first one because it felt much more desparate and immediate. I believe it's the official one, because it seems to be "part 1"--the other demo continues from the end of the first.

Once I actually got the files, I didn't have any problems with corrupted zips or anything. Everything worked fine. I'd try downloading again.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by remixor

Thanks, Trep

Holy crap! Besides my obvious initial amazement that the demo actually RAN with my video card, one word popped into my mind and ingrained itself into my consciousness until the end of the level: IMMERSIVENESS. I practically felt like I was in the middle of the war, as much as that's possible in a game. The sounds went a LONG way in achieving this end, also. I really like that most of the guns fire one shot at a time rather than always firing on full automatic. It seems more realistic that way, and it's more rewarding when you down a guy. I admit, I even wished it was harder just to make the experience even more realistic.

Bottom line: I'm impressed.

You're welcome, you big strapping stud geek ! See, I told you so, I told you so!! This is definitely Game of The Year material. Honestly, the last time I felt this kind of adrenaline rush was when I played Half-Life for the first time. That is saying a lot. Everything, all the elements, converge seemlessly and elegantly and balance each other perfectly like a Calder mobile. Not surprising, considering that some of the guys involved in this game were part of the Medal of Honor: AA production.

Originally Posted by Erkki

Did anyone manage to get the official demo from gamer's hell working?
The zip extracted fine, but the exe file inside it was corrupted.

BTW. which demo are you talking about here, the official or the leaked one?

Erkksie, try downloading the first demo from another mirror (like 3DGamers). The second one you can simply scout around for in other gaming forums, someone will have posted a link.

[Erkki]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Erkksie, try downloading the first demo from another mirror (like 3DGamers). The second one you can simply scout around for in other gaming forums, someone will have posted a link.

I already got the second demo. It seems pretty good, but there's a bit too much action for me at times. I never really liked soldier sims enough to play more than demos, except Delta Force 1.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Hookay! In light of the Games and Gender: a National Public Radio audio forum thread I have just started, I am now going back to play this highly fecking macho, macho man demo!! WooHOO! [grabs crotch and gives the finger] Mmmph!

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Oh man!! I just......just played through the demo again. I cannot say enough how deeply this game sucks you in. I actually saw something I didn't get the pleasure of during the previous play. Just before backtracking and making our way towards the cow field (and the end of the level), I turned the corner and stumbled onto two of my compadres climbing the last tank, opening the hatch, and one guy layed down suppressing fire while the other guy tossed a grenade in, and both of them jumped off and ran. ***BOOM***

My first run-through I was actually the one who blew that last tank up, with my Panzerfaust and from a distance. It's great to see a scripted scene like that, sort of saying that you finish the job or your teammates will do it.

[remixor]

I never blew it up myself, so I saw the same scene with the teammates laying the explosive. It was really cool, and it really added to the realism that the player isn't always the one doing all the important actions. Excellent touch, for sure.

Originally Posted by Trep

WooHOO! [grabs crotch and gives the finger] Mmmph!

[DustCropper]

Those guys are teammates? Whoops...

What I found to be really cool is how everything goes in slow motion after the second tank's shell explodes right next to you as it chases you to the church.