To quit, or not to quit? Black Ops II online match - played via Wii U GamePad Off-TV Play

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Black Ops II is currently my most played Wii U game, and has been for much of the past year. It will probably be my most played Wii U game for much of the entire time the console is out.

The majority of my time in Black Ops II has been playing online multiplayer, mainly Team Deathmatch battles. I never quit matches in Black Ops II (or other online games that I play) just because I'm losing. While I may occasionally have to ditch a game I'm in the middle of because I lose track of the time, it's never because I'm losing (or my team may be losing).

So, in a recent online match when my Kill/Death ratio was 1/11 at one point. Did I choose to quit, or not to quit? The video below is of that recent Black Ops II match I played on the Wii U, and despite getting off to a HORRIBLE start for my team (as you will see), I stuck with it and turned things around a bit:

If you're wondering about the title of the video, and this post, I played the match using the Wii U's GamePad Off-TV Play. And it's how I have spent the majority of my time playing Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Questions
If you play online multiplayer games, like Black Ops II, do you find yourself sticking matches out (like Nick said he does as well earlier this year)? Or do you quit matches if it seems there is no hope?

Also as a side question, if you have picked up Call of Duty: Ghosts on the Wii U and were playing Black Ops II first, what do you think of Ghosts? Good? Bad? Better?

I get emails and questions about what I use to record and upload my videos, and you can see both the capture device and software I used for this video below:

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

Drones! What are they good for? Fox News' Charles Krauthammer & Black Ops II?

One UAV down. One to go. 

Coffee Beans
Drones! What are they good for?

According to Charles Krauthammer, a Fox News contributor, drones are good for hunting bad guys overseas, but should not be flying overhead in U.S. skies. At least, that's what he thought last year in a segment he participated in on Fox News.

If you play Call of Duty: Black Ops II, you might find other reasons drones are good.

What do I find drones, or UAVs as they are called in Black Ops II, good for and do I agree with Mr. Krauthammer's initial statement last year on the issue of drones flying in the U.S.? Brew yourself some coffee, take a look, and watch a video I edited together on the topic!

Black Ops 2 Wii U patch available.

Black Ops 2's main multiplayer screen.

Coffee Beans
Treyarch had a history of supporting their Call of Duty titles on the Nintendo Wii post launch with patches aimed at fixing certain issues, or just making general improvements. Treyarch's newest Call of Duty title, Black Ops 2, did not release for the Wii, but it did release for the Wii U.

Do you own a Wii U and a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2? If so, there is now a new patch for the game that is available. The video below provides a few details:

Call of Duty? Conduit? GoldenEye? Metroid? What is the most played FPS Wii game in the U.S.?

The Roast
The Wii has had a variety of first-person shooter (FPS) games released during the last 6 years, some of the more popular Wii FPS titles you can see in the image above. With more than 20 FPS games released for the Wii, at least 10 have had online multiplayer, while some have been more single player focused like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Red Steel 2.

What is the most played FPS game on the Wii in the United States, according to the overall total hours reported and the average hours reported "Per person" on the Nintendo Channel? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

"Black Ops II will just be on the Wii U", Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 not releasing for the 3DS, DS, or Wii.

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will be releasing on November 13th, and until now Activision has been quiet about the game releasing for the Nintendo Wii, DS, or 3DS.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has already been confirmed as a Wii U launch title, even pre-launch of sorts, and it will be available to purchase on November 13th. Will Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 release for the Wii, DS, or 3DS this year? Brew yourself some coffee, and hit the jump for a quick Call of Duty games history on the Nintendo DS and Wii, as well as the answers!

"Zombies. Groovy." Black Ops 2 Live Action Trailer

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Black Ops II will soon land at retailers nation-wide and be available to purchase on November 13th. Treyarch and Activision are busy getting Black Ops II ready for launch, and like last year's release of a live-action trailer for Modern Warfare 3, that has now been followed up with today's release of a live-action trailer for Black Ops II. Brew yourself some coffee, and enjoy the trailer (a few times)!

*NOTE! Apparently the beans spilled out of the bag too soon, and someone released the trailer earlier than it was supposed to be release! Coming from a follow up email, "The explosive :60 second high-octane piece, titled 'Surprise,' will be unveiled on network television in the U.S. tonight on Monday Night Football and will rollout worldwide across high-profile telecasts including elite European football matches."

Zombies Dominating the Wii? Call of Duty: Black Ops Dominating U.S. Wii FPS Hours

How most coffee drinkers look without coffee, or caffeinated energy snacks.

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Black Ops was released on November 9, 2010 for the Wii. The game was developed by Treyarch and published by Activision, and received an ESRB rating of "Mature" with "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language" listed as content for parents and games to be aware of.

This past November, we took a look at Call of Duty: Black Ops' reported play-time over its first year on the Wii. It had already racked up over 10 million hours, and had become the most played FPS Wii game in the United States, per Wii owner, according to the reported data.

How many hours have Wii owners reported playing Black Ops in the last 7 months, perhaps spending many of those hours battling zombies? Brew some coffee on this fine day, and let's take a look!

Black Ops 2 Wii U is Happening.

Coffee Beans
*UPDATE #2: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has been confirmed to be releasing only for the Nintendo Wii U, and not any other Nintendo system. You can read the post and what an Activision representative said about the issue HERE.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II for the Xbox 360 was shown at E3 this year during Microsoft's press conference, and a portable version was talked about for the PS Vita during Sony's press conference.

What did Nintendo have to say/show about Black Ops 2 on the Wii, Wii U, or even the 3DS during their 2012 E3 press conference, and during E3 in general? Nothing.

Does this mean that Call of Duty: Black Ops II won't be releasing for the Wii U? No, and I believe there is more than enough evidence that shows Black Ops 2 will release on the Wii U in the launch window, and it will also offer some great use of the Wii U's GamePad for controls.

So, with the current official release date for Black Ops 2 being 11-13-12, November 13th, what is this "evidence" for Black Ops 2 releasing on the Wii U, probably as a launch title, later this year? Brew yourself some coffee, and let's take a look!

FPS Friday! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Hours Report

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released on November 8, 2011 for all the current generation home consoles. The Wii version released at a MSRP of $49.99, and it was developed by Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer Games and ported to the Wii by Treyarch, and it was published by Activision.

The Wii version received an ESRB rating of "Mature" with "Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

How many hours have Wii owners put into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and does it appear they are playing the game online any? Let's take a look!

Black Friday Black Ops! Becoming the Wii's most played FPS in only a year

Coffee Beans
     Earlier this week we looked at the Wii's most played FPS game according to the "Total Hours" played, as reported through the Nintendo Channel; you can read that report HERE.
     This FPS Black Friday report though, takes a look at the reported game-play data for Call of Duty: Black Ops over the last year.

     Call of Duty: Black Ops was released on November 9, 2010. It was developed by Treyarch, as was World at War, and published by Activision.
     The game received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB with "Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language" listed as content for parents and gamers to be aware of.

     While Black Ops does not have the most "Total Hours" reported, it has become the Wii's most played FPS game "Per person" according to reported data.
     How many hours have Wii owners spent playing Call of Duty: Black Ops over the last year, with 377 days possibly reported? Let's take a look!

The Wii's Most Played FPS by "Total Hours" Is?

The Roast
     According to one "professional" reviewer for Modern Warfare 3 on the Wii, "The words 'Wii' and 'online multiplayer' aren't used in the same sentence very often...".
     Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 released 2 weeks ago, and I have been playing it a good bit since I received it.
     The Wii has single-player focused FPS games like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption which lack multiplayer of any sort, and the more online multiplayer focused FPS games like the Call of Duty games. While the Wii may not have as many FPS games as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it has had at least one FPS released every year with online multiplayer since 2007.

     What is the most played Wii FPS according to "Total Hours" played, as reported through the Nintendo Channel, and does it have online multiplayer? Can you guess it before seeing the answer? Let's take a look!

FPS Monday? "I feel like Jack Bauer!", Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Wii Impressions

Coffee Beans
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released this past Tuesday, November 8, for all the current generation home consoles.

The game was developed by Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games, and published by Activision.  The Wii version of MW3 was ported to the Wii console by Treyarch, and it is the first Modern Warfare title to be released day one on the Wii along with the other console versions.

The game received a "Mature" rating from the ESRB with "Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language" listed as content for gamers and parents to be aware of.

I played some of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the Wii a few days last week, so what are my initial impressions of it?  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!

Call of Duty: Black Ops - Headshots Don't Matter?

Coffee Beans:
     Call of Duty: Black Ops arrived at my house last Tuesday, and since then I have been able to play some online multi-player matches and Zombie mode.
     This past Sunday night, I was playing online with some friends, and we were talking about the different issues popping up in Black Ops' multi-player and the different glitches being reported online.  I was talking about the bullet lag issue with one friend, and in talking about the issue, we somehow decided to see how many shots it takes to kill an opponent in online multi-player.
     We tried out different weapons on each other, and we would be basically standing point-blank when firing at each other.

     The video below is a brief example that point-blank headshots in Call of Duty: Black Ops may not have the results you would expect(certainly not the results we expected):


Quick Thoughts:
     I would think from the examples shown in the video above, my player should have been dead.  I can understand perhaps surviving a single gunshot to the head, but considering how close I was being shot, I don't think there is really an excuse.
     If headshots work well on zombies, I think they should work the same in multi-player.  Perhaps Treyarch could add a perk such as, "Hammer Head", that would be like wearing a helmet to actually give reasons for surviving headshots(maybe this perk exists, but I haven't seen it)?

Questions:
     Do you think Treyarch should work on fixing the hit detection in Black Ops, so the closer you are to a person, the more damage you will do if you shoot them?  
     Also, do you think headshots should be instant death in multi-player, no matter what weapon you are using?


If anybody is interested in Call of Duty: Black Ops, you can see prices listed on Amazon.com below: