Brain Hood

Skeptical though you may be as to whether a mere gaming news blog is qualified to comment in this regard, but we’re certain the marketing and PR machinery for Medal of Honor: Warfighter’ seems to have actually hit pay dirt. The latest iteration in the award-winning series of warfare based first person shooters is easily the most eagerly anticipated game of the second half of 2012. It is official now that the release date for Warfighter is October 23, 2012. Let us take a look at the existing information we have regarding how Danger Close is working to build on the surprising success of 2010’s Medal of Honor.

Introducing Medal of Honor: Warfighter

A screenshot from the single player demo for Medal of Honor: Warfighter gives fans a taste of things to come

After the series reboot in 2010 with Medal of Honor, the series continues to honor the Tier 1 Operator by delivering an aggressive, personal and authentic look into the Special Operations community. Once again, the gamers will find themselves in the boots of the deadliest warriors of the modern world. That’s right, MoH is going global with Warfighter, including the deadliest special forces from all over the world including the British SAS, the French GIGN and many others.

In 2010 the series reboot focused on the AFO Teams and the initial push into Afghanistan. The game narrated how America’s most capable warriors conducted target-specific preparations of the battlespace prior to H-Hour and how the Special Mission Units of JSOC quickly adapted during the follow-on military operations to get the job done. In 2010, the story focused on what those men fought for on that mountain in Afghanistan. Medal of Honor Warfighter focuses on what those same men fight for at home.

Warfighter to push the boundaries of in-game realism

The enemy is still global terror, so you’ll be fighting against Taliban militia in one mission and raiding Somalian pirate strongholds in the next. EA claims that the story was developed with major inputs from Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas.

What’s more, EA claims to have tied up with all the major brands that actually supply equipment to the various Special Forces from all over the world in order to provide extremely authentic weapon models, right down to the minutest details. That also means that the weapons would not be deliberately misnamed due to license problems. Evidently, a lot of effort has been put into showing weapons that look and work like their real life counterparts. If great graphics get you going, then you would be happy to know that Warfighter uses the revolutionary Frostbite 2 engine for the most immersive and engaging first person shooter experience of the series.

A Glimpse into the Storyline

As stated on the official blog, the game begins with a very personal story one of the protagonists of 2010’s Medal of Honor. “Preacher”, a Tier 1 Operator from the U.S. Navy returns home only to find his family torn apart from years of combat deployment. Trying to pick up the pieces to salvage what remains of his marriage, Preacher is reminded of what he’s fighting for: family.

But when a deadly explosive known as PETN penetrates civilian borders and his two worlds collide, Preacher and his fellow teammates from “Task Force Mako” are sent in to do what they do best – solve the problem.

At this video gaming blog, we love this franchise and all that it stands for. We would continue to eagerly track their development notes and the EA blog till we can actually get our greasy paws on the game in October.

Stay tuned for more to come.

Perhaps the single most successful user-created mod in video game history, as any video game blog will tell you, Counter-Strike (CS) has a cult following; in fact, even that word doesn’t do it justice.

Those of you who remember your college dorm video game days would recall how pwning everybody else at Counter-Strike on the LAN was one way to get some serious respect among your peers. Of course, so was being on the football team or being able to chug more beer than everybody else — depending on which crowd you ran with — but let’s not digress.

Anyway, in case you’re still living those days instead of reminiscing about them, or are considering graduating from LAN gaming with familiar players to proper tournament play, here are a few tips that should improve your game; some of these are of course universally applicable to the FPS video game category.

Follow Video Game Basics: Crouch & Walk

A crouching stance steadies your aim and makes for a smaller profile to offer to your enemies; this applies to other tactical shooters as well. Also, walking is silent in CS. Crouching and moving at the same time may seem slower, but increases your surprise factor as you can approach the enemy position stealthily.

Plan Your Reloads & Take Cover

These seemingly unrelated factors go hand in hand. You carry a finite amount of total ammo in this video game but more importantly, like real-life weapons, you have a weapon clip that must be reloaded (as long as you have spare ammo); as an aside, you’d do well to keep an eye on clip ammo levels as well as total ammo being carried. Remember that Counter-Strike is a video game that is unforgiving on those who play carelessly. So while you must reload regularly instead of risking the chance of getting into a firefight with half-a-clip, you can’t afford reloading in the open either: for that 3-second interval, you’re totally vulnerable.

Also, in a tactics-heavy video game such as CS, making a mad dash down a corridor is… well, plain mad. Just so we’re clear, so is camping in one obscure corner. Of course, it is fun taking some of your opponents by surprise but guess what your biggest disadvantage is once enemies wise up and gang-up on you? Surprise… you’re cornered! And then there are online video game servers, especially the ones for organized tournaments that routinely kick campers. So you must keep moving, but be aware of your terrain (and surroundings) and plan your cover stops in advance. When in cover, you may reload to make up for any ammo you may have expended.

Do the Zig-Zag Video Game Swagger

There would be many a time you’ll find yourself in a man-a-mano close-quarters shootout; the trick to surviving is being quick on that trigger finger and making yourself a hard target to hit at the same time. A good way to do that without throwing off your own aim (that’s why jumping is a bad idea) is by alternately hitting the left and right strafing keys, shooting at the same time. It might look funny to observers, but your enemy won’t be laughing when you kill him and come out tops.

Here ends our first post on basic Counter-Strike tips and tricks. We’ll be back again pretty soon with more advanced tips, pertaining to better fire control and efficient weapon usage. Until then, keep following this video game blog and keep practicing!