FPS Friday! CoffeeWithGames Game Night - Black Ops II Wii U match footage

Coffee Beans
Well, it has been an interesting week. Sunday started off with the first official CoffeeWithGames Game Night playing some matches in Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U. Then Monday night I started working on putting together a video of one of the matches from the Game Night.

Before I digress into the video rendering issues I have experienced though, the video above is from the very first match of the CoffeeWithGames Game Night on Sunday. I believe it's also the very first video I have uploaded in 1080p, though I'm not very good at telling the difference between 1080p and 720p myself.

I have been using the Elgato Game Capture HD device since January of this year, and while I initially had some issues with rendering files out back in January in my video editing software, I quickly solved that problem. Then Monday happened. I tried rendering out one of the Black Ops II matches from the previous night, as I had done many times before with videos and trailer, but upon rendering the video out from the match, it became EXTREMELY blurry.

So, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and yesterday (Thursday), I randomly spent time trying to fix the rendering issues. Again, I now capture my gameplay videos using the Elgato Game Capture HD, but I edit them together using Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10.0 edition, which is the video editing software I have used for pretty much the last 3 years.

No matter what I tried, how many times I re-recorded the match, re-rendered the video, it was always turning out extremely blurry after rendering the video. So, while my solution for what I HOPE is a permanent fix using Elgato video files with Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD, I think that's for another post altogether.

If you watched the video above, you can see the match went pretty well for the team I was on. I was able to play for just over an hour, and got in several more matches in the game, all playing just regular Team Deathmatch battles. The first match was actually my best match in terms of my kill/death ratio for the night, but I enjoyed all of the matches.

So, while the first CoffeeWithGames Game Night was a success in terms of getting some matches in, being that a new Call of Duty will be releasing in just over a month now for the Wii U, I'm not sure how many more Black Ops II Game Nights there will be!

If you own a Wii U and are interested in Black Ops II, it is STILL currently on sale for just $19.99 on Amazon.com. You can click the image above to be taken directly to the game's Amazon.com page if you would like. If you own a Wii U and Black Ops II, my NNID is Coffees and feel free to send me an invite.

Questions
Have any of you been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U and enjoying it, but perhaps are now looking forward to when Call of Duty: Ghosts releases in November for the Wii U?

You can see new and used prices for Black Ops II on Amazon.com below, as well as the pre-order page for Call of Duty: Ghosts Wii U:


*Disclaimer: My copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops II Wii U was provided by Activision for coverage purposes.

CONNECT WITH COFFEE

FPS Friday! Conduit 2 has been played how much? Official U.S. Nintendo Channel data report.

Coffee Beans
I never did play Conduit 2. If you missed my wall-of-text April Brewed post earlier today, you can see what games I played during April, HERE. If you already read the list, you may have noticed that I didn't play a FPS during the month. It was the first month this year that I had not played a FPS, but I did get a good bit of gaming done.

Conduit 2 released as an exclusive Wii FPS just over 2 years ago now, on April 19, 2011. The game received an ESRB rating of "TEEN" with "Animated Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of. It was the sequel to the other exclusive Wii FPS The Conduit, which released in 2009.

While there really hasn't been a hint of the Wii U getting Conduit 3 yet, did U.S. Wii owners enjoy Conduit 2? How many hours have U.S. Wii owners reported playing Conduit 2, since it released just over 2 years ago, and how do its averaged hours "Per person" compare to some other Wii FPS games? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

FPS Friday! Black Ops II's multiplayer is addictive! One reason, close battles...

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Black Ops II's online multiplayer is addictive. I often find myself thinking that I'll hop on and play one or two matches, then play something else. It ends up though, that I find myself still playing Team Deathmatch battles in Black Ops II an hour (or two, or three) later.

What do I find so addicting about Call of Duty's online multiplayer? Well, there are a number of things, but one big reason I often find myself staying for "just one more battle", is how close some of the battles are.

Sure, there are occasional blowout battles, where one team is completely dominating the other, but it's the battles that are close and down to the last second, that I really enjoy.

Below, you will see a Black Ops II match where my team lost the lead with just over 2 minutes remaining, but we kept on fighting. I think the video shows how battles in Call of Duty: Black Ops II can be really close, with every second counting, and why the multiplayer is so addicting.

I played the match above on just the Wii U's GamePad, like the majority of my Black Ops II matches. As for my primary weapon in the video, it was the Mk 48 with the Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) and Target Finder attachments. My tactical weapon was the Shock Charge. It is what I was throwing at the very end of the match to help me stun the enemies in the building, which I was able to clear out with my teammate's help, giving us the win.

Like always, feel free to add my Nintendo Network ID, Coffees, to your Wii U friend list, and if you have Black Ops II, perhaps I'll see you online!

Questions
Have any of you been playing Black Ops II recently on the Wii U (or, other console)? Or, have you perhaps been playing other FPS games, such as the recently released Crysis 3?

You can purchase Black Ops II from Amazon.com directly below:
 

FPS Friday! Call of Duty: Black Ops II Team Deathmatch Battle

Fire. Burning. The sensation of my eyes from no sleep, but lots of coffee with games?!

Coffee Beans
I have been playing a lot of Black Ops II on the Wii U. A whole lot. Probably too much. Who needs sleep though, when you can play online multiplayer through the night? Not this guy, that's for sure. I just put on the coffee, and burn through the nights.

I just reached Level 55 (again) earlier this morning, and am debating on starting it all over, for what I believe would be my third time. I usually use Black Ops II's default Wii U GamePad controls, and play it on just the GamePad (Off-TV play), until the battery starts running low in the GamePad, then I'll switch over to Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls.

I have been testing my new Elgato Game Capture HD recording device recently, and you can see one of my Team Deathmatch battles from Black Ops II on the Wii U in the video below:

If any of you have a Wii U, as I have stated in a few posts before, feel free to add my Nintendo Network ID, Coffees, to your Wii U friend list.

Question
Have any of you been playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the Wii U, and really enjoy the game's Off-TV play with just the GamePad?

You can buy an Elgato Game Capture HD device and Black Ops II from the links on Amazon.com below:

FPS Friday! GoldenEye 007 and Conduit 2 Hours Report

Coffee Beans
Do you know that FPS games are horrible on the Wii?  Do you know that the Wii is for kids, and Nintendo fanboys stuck in the 80s and 90s?  Do you know that when it comes to FPS games on home consoles, graphics matter more than actual game-play?

Well, if you do not know these things, you should go read more sites like IGN, Destructoid (most of their Wii FPS reviewers seemed to enjoy them, they just have had low/no Nintendo coverage of the Wii, and seem to ignore tips about legitimate Nintendo things from developers), Joystiq, and basically every "modern" game site that exists that doesn't contain the word "Nintendo" in its title, and you will become well versed in "modern game language" and the understanding that graphics trump game-play, AND that Nintendo is for the kids!

While there are many video game "journalists" that seem to think the words "Wii FPS" do not belong together(and to some those words might not even exist), as evidenced by their written opinions in reviews and articles, I think they are 100% wrong. I digress!

GoldenEye 007 was released on November 2, 2010 and Conduit 2 was released on April 19, 2011.  Conduit 2 received an overall lower "professional" review score average, so does it appear from reported game-play data that Conduit 2 is not as enjoyable as GoldenEye 007, proving that the "professionals'" opinions were right?  Let's take a look!

FPS Friday! What Is the Wii's Most Played FPS?

The Roast
     I have enjoyed the FPS genre since GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64, and I have spent thousands of hours playing FPS games over the years.  When the Nintendo Wii was released back in 2006, I was excited about the console because of the new control methods made possible in FPS games.
     I have played many Wii FPS games starting with Red Steel, and I have enjoyed all of them to certain extents.  Now, nearly 5 years into the Wii's life-cycle the system has seen a decent number of FPS games released for it, some with local multi-player, some with online multi-player, and some just single-player.

     The Wii has more than twenty games I would classify in the FPS genre, but which FPS game is the Wii's most played per player?  Let's take a look!

FPS Friday - Greg Hastings Paintball 2 PS3 Footage

Coffee Beans:
     Many of you may have seen some of my coverage for Greg Hastings Paintball 2 (GHP2) on the Wii over the last several months.  Well last week on June 14, Greg Hastings Paintball 2 released on the PlayStation Network and is available for $19.99.
     The game was developed by Super X Studios, and published by Majesco Entertainment.  GHP2 received an "Everyone 10+" rating from the ESRB, with "Language, Violence" listed as content for gamers/parents to be aware of.

     For those of you that haven't seen any footage of Greg Hastings Paintball 2, the video below contains one round of a "RaceTo" match that a friend and I played together cooperatively through the PlayStation Network.  While we played some matches against each other, the video below is of us being on the same team battling against a team of AI opponents.

FPS Friday Interview - Part II Q&A with Greg Hastings

Coffee Beans:
     You can read Part I of the interview I posted last week with Greg Hastings HERE.

     *Editor's note:  The very first question below was in regards to Greg Hastings Paintball 2's release date on the PS3, I have contacted Greg and Super X Studios on the issue of the release date, since the PSN crash has caused its release to be delayed.

Interview Questions & Answers with Greg Hastings - Part II
*CoffeeWithGames:  The PS3 version of the game saw some delays, but is expected to be releasing on the PS3 through the PlayStation Network.  Does the PS3 version have a solid release date, or release week window; and what price will PS3 owners be looking at to purchase the game?

*Greg Hastings:  May 10th is the date that I'm told!  Sony makes ya jump through hoops, but in the end it assures quality, which I appreciate.  I'm not sure on the price, but this version has some extras that are not found in the 360 or Wii versions.

FPS Friday Video - GoldenEye 007 Multiplayer Match on Jungle

Coffee Beans:
     A few weeks back I saw GoldenEye 007's list price drop to $39.99 on Amazon.com, and I put up a post about it.
     One of the regular readers here, Robert, saw the price drop on the game and after debating a little while on it, decided to purchase it.  After he received the game, we hopped online one night and played a few matches of the game's "Team Conflict" mode.  Here's a video of one of our matches from GoldenEye's Team Conflict mode, on the game's Jungle map.

FPS Friday: Greg Hastings Paintball 2 - Super X Studios Interview Part II

Coffee Beans:
     If you missed Part I of the interview with Super X Studios' President, James Thrush, you can read that HERE.
     Part II of the interview is below, and it is the remaining portion of the interview with James Thrush.

Interview Q&A Part II:
CoffeeWithGames:  The players/teams in Greg Hastings Paintball 2 are all real-world paintball players, correct?  What was the process of deciding which real-world players/teams made it into the game?

James Thrush:  Absolutely, every one of them (except for one cat!).  We set up a photo booth at several large paintball events for a year or so during development, and opened it up to any teams and players who wanted to be in the game.  They just had to sign a release and stats form, and get their picture taken.  We wound up with 1,262 people in the game!  We did it partially to add authenticity, but also as a giant thank-you to the paintball community.  I mean, who doesn't want to be in a video game?!?

FPS Friday - Killzone 3 Multi-player Beta Thoughts & Video

Coffee Beans:
     Killzone 3 will be releasing later this month, February 22 to be exact, and Sony currently has the "Killzone 3 Open Beta" for the game's online multi-player and Botzone modes available for download on PlayStation 3.
     I downloaded the Beta last Thursday, and have played a few matches since then.  Here's a video of me playing just one match from of the online multi-player from the Killzone 3 Open Beta:


     While I only played as the Field Medic class in the video, the Killzone 3 Open Beta has five classes you can choose to play as, and they are:

• Engineer
• Marksman
• Tactician
• Infiltrator
• Field Medic

     The game describes the Field Medic class by saying, "The Field Medic gives what the battlefield takes away.  Life is his to give and take but the truly skilled Field Medic can bring soldiers back from the brink of death to be more effective than they ever were before."

     The Killzone 3 Open Beta has three multi-player modes, and each is listed below with the description for each mode:

• Guerrilla Warfare - "The winning faction is the team that reaches the pre-set body count first, or accumulates the highest number of kills before time runs out."
• Warzone - "Warzone features multiple randomized mission types for each faction to accomplish, creating dynamically changing gameplay from one game to the next."
• Operations - "The ISA and Helghast battle for control of specific objectives - the ISA on the offensive and the Helghast defending.  The best players are featured throughout the match in cutscenes depicting their successes."

     Each mode can be played with 8 players on each team, for a total of 16 players online.

     The map that you see in my video above is called Frozen Dam, and it's the only map in the Open Beta.  Other areas of the map open up that you didn't see in my video, in the other multi-player modes.

Filtered Thoughts:

     I've enjoyed my brief time with the Killzone 3 Open Beta, I'm about to go hop back into some matches right now, and while I only showed/talked specifically about the Field Medic class, I'm hoping to try a few of the other classes in the next week.

     The graphics look extremely nice, even on my standard definition television...though reading text is extremely annoying, like most PS3 games on my standard definition television.

     I think the game controls pretty well, but adjusting back to dual-analog controls(from Wii Remote and Nunchuk FPS controls) takes a little while for me to get used to, as I don't have the Sony Move to play the game with.
     I do like how the Botzone mode allows you to play each class, with all the "perks" of each class already unlocked.  It allows you to test each class' strengths, before spending your points that are earned through leveling up in the online multi-player.

     I can't say I'll be purchasing Killzone 3 because of the Open Beta, but I have been enjoying my time with it so far.

     If any of you are playing the Killzone 3 Open Beta and want to find me online to try and play together, my PSN name is Hoj_Latte.

Questions:

     If any of you have been playing the Killzone 3 Open Beta, what do you think about it?  Has it helped you to determine whether you are buying the game or not?

If you are interested in Killzone 3, you can pre-order/reserve the game on Amazon.com linked below:

    

FPS Friday - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex Report

Coffee Beans:
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex(CoD:MWR) was released on the Nintendo Wii on November 10, 2009 with a MSRP of $49.99.  The game was developed by Treyarch, and published by Activision; it was a port of the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 that released in 2007 and was originally developed by Infinity Ward.
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB for content such as, "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language".

     A brief description for the game reads, "The best selling shooter of all time, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, winner of 50 combined Editor's Choice and Game of the Year awards, if finally available for Wii players eager to join the fight.  Ported to the Wii by game developer Treyarch, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex brings to Nintendo fans the renowned intense and cinematic experience of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, complete with unparalleled multiplayer options, including 10-player online coop and coop play through Squadmate Mode.  The game also features more than 70 weapons and gear items, as well as Wii Zapper support.

     How many hours have Wii owners reported playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex with 448 days of reported game-play?  Let's take a look!

Hours shown are for the United States of America only, not world-wide.

Approx. Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex has 126,863 Wii owners reporting their game-play hours through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Player Increase Since Last Reported:
     I last showed the play-time data for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex back in September 2010.  Since that report, Modern Warfare Reflex has seen an increase of about 35,412 more Wii owners reporting data through the Nintendo Channel.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex has 7,860,108 Total Hours of game-play reported, with an average play-time of 61 Hours 58 Minutes "Per person" reporting data.
     CoD:MWR has seen an increase of 2,614,333 Total Hours reported since September, and an increased its average play-time "Per person" by 4 Hours 36 Minutes.
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex's average play-time per session is just over 2 Hours 17 Minutes.

Sales Rank & Advertised Price:
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex's Amazon.com sale rank is #1,467, and its current advertised price is $43.99.
     (Sale rank and advertised price recorded around 12:45AM on 2-5-11)

Review Scores:
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex's "professional" review score average is 78.50%, based on 34 reviews on GameRankings.com.

     CoD:MWR has a 4 out of 5 Stars rating on Amazon.com, based on 80 customer reviews.
     Modern Warfare Reflex's customer review score average is 82.25%, when converted to a 100% review scale.  You can see the customer review scores breakdown in the image below:

Both review score averages were recorded around 12:45AM, on 2-5-11

Filtered Thoughts:
     First, sorry this was posted up about an hour past my normal "FPS Friday" time, I had issues with the Nintendo Channel not wanting to stream the trailer for the game correctly, so it took me longer than I thought it was to get it downloaded...then uploaded to YouTube.

     I remember thinking it was crazy that Activision was getting Treyarch to port a 2 year old game to the Wii, and I really thought it wasn't going to be received well.  I still haven't played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex, or any of the "Modern Warfare" games that were originally developed by Infinity Ward for that matter; but I was surprised to see how quickly the game-play data for Modern Warfare Reflex debuted, and then how it steadily increased on a weekly basis after its debut.
     If you haven't seen anything on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex for the Wii, here's a trailer that has nothing but Wii footage to show you what the game looks like as a port:


     I think the game-play data reported clearly shows Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex has a very good fan-base on the Wii, and it's still being played regularly.  The increase of more than 2.5 million game-play hours since just September of last year, is more than most third party FPS games will ever see on the Wii.
     I also found it interesting that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex has a list price on Amazon.com of $49.99, but is selling for $43.99; while Call of Duty: Black Ops which was just released in November 2010 also has a list price of $49.99, but is currently selling for $39.99.

Questions:
     If any of you own Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex, do you find yourself still playing it on a regular basis?  Or, did you move on and purchase Black Ops when it was released in November?

If anybody is interested in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex you can see prices for it on Amazon.com linked below:
   

FPS Friday - Brothers in Arms: Double Time

Coffee Beans:
     Brothers in Arms: Double Time(BiA:DT) was released on September 23, 2008 for the Wii, with a MSRP of $49.99.
     BiA:DT was co-developed by Gearbox Software and Demiurge Studios, and published by Ubisoft.  Brothers in Arms: Double Time received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB for content such as, "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language".

     A brief description for the game says, "The award winning WWII franchise comes to WIi with all of the action, story and authenticity that has critics and fans eager for more.  Play as Sergeant Matt Baker or Joe Hartsock, leading your squad behind enemy lines through the Normandy invasion in 31 playable levels."

     How many hours have Wii owners reported playing Brothers in Arms: Double Time in the 854 days from September 23, 2008 to January 24, 2011?  Let's take a look!

Hours shown are for the United States of America, not world-wide.

Number of Players Reporting Data:
     Brothers in Arms: Double Time has approximately 10,488 Wii owners reporting their game-play data through the Wii's Nintendo Channel.

Average & Total Game-Play Hours Reported:
     Brothers in Arms: Double Time has 88,394 Total Hours of game-play reported, with an average play-time of 8 Hours 26 Minutes "Per person" reporting data.
     BiA:DT's average play-time per session is just over 1 Hour 37 Minutes.

Sale Rank and Advertised Price:
     Brothers in Arms: Double Time's Amazon.com sale rank is #7,537, and its current advertised price is $9.15 + 7.99 shipping, from a third party vendor.
     (Sale rank and advertised price recorded around 11:50PM, on 1-28-11)

Review Scores:
     Brothers in Arms: Double Time's "professional" review score average is 46.47%, based on 15 reviews on GameRankings.com.

     BiA:DT has a 3.5 out of 5 Stars rating on Amazon.com, based on 10 customer reviews.
     Double Time's customer review score average is 74%, when converted to a 100% review scale.  You can see the customer review scores breakdown in the image below:

     (Review score averages recorded around 11:50PM, on 1-28-11)

Filtered Thoughts:
     I haven't played Brothers in Arms: Double Time, and actually I haven't played any of the games from the Brothers in Arms franchise.  It's probably one of the few war games franchises I haven't played.
     When I read the game had 31 levels in it, I was very surprised by the number of levels...that's because before doing this report, I didn't know Brothers in Arms: Double Time was a compilation of two games from the Brothers in Arms series.
     Brothers in Arms: Double Time is a compilation of the Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood games from the Brothers in Arms series.
  
     As for the reported game-play data, I'm surprised to see the average play-time "Per person" is only 8 Hours 26 Minutes.  If the reported hours "Per person" is reflective of the game's completion time, that means the 31 levels average just more than 16 minutes each, which I would think makes the game have a more arcade feel for the mission structure.

     Knowing that Brothers in Arms: Double Time is really two games in one, actually made me interested in it. Also, considering the game has seen a MSRP drop since it released, and can be purchased for $29.99 or less, is a plus I think.

Questions:
     Have any of you played Brothers in Arms: Double Time on the Wii?  If so, did the game's levels/missions have a more arcade feel to them, compared to other FPS games where the missions are perhaps longer?


If anybody is interested in Brothers in Arms: Double Time for the Nintendo Wii, you can see prices for the game on Amazon.com linked below: