5 Websites For All The Latest Happenings In Dota 2 [MUO Gaming]

Dota 2 is a huge game right now, and while it may not be as popular as League of Legends, it is hot on its heels with an ever rising player base. As a whole, the MOBA genre is growing by leaps and bounds every single day, with new players discovering it and deciding to take the time to learn what these games bring to the table.

With all of that being said, Dota 2 and League of Legends are hard games to learn. The skill required to master each of the heroes is great, and it’s not the kind of game you are just going to pick up and play without getting your butt handed to you on many occasions. As I mentioned previously, watching Dota 2 streamers is a great way to learn, but if you want to go even further, there are tons of websites designed to help new players progress in the game.

In addition to learning, there are many Dota 2 websites out there designed to help keep up with the competitive scene. The rise of the MOBA has had a direct impact on the popularity of so called esports, and Dota 2 has a lively competitive scene that can be hard to keep up with. Some of the sites on this list will let you know who are the teams to watch out for, and when the next great tournament is taking place.

PurgeGamers.com

I’ve talked about Purges stream before, but his Dota 2 website is also a fantastic resource for Dota 2 information. I am especially fond of his giant article called “Welcome to Dota, You Suck.” This epic article covers almost every aspect of the game and is something I suggest all new players take the time to read. It’s not a short article by any stretch, but the knowledge contained within makes it well worth the time to sit down and plow through.

In addition to his articles, Purge also pulls some select games from his streams and posts them to the site. He even does commentary over replays of games, which offers more detailed learning, because he is focused more on teaching and less on playing. The News section even covers the competitive scene, so this site really has it all.

Dota2.com

The official Dota 2 website is a shockingly good resource. It comes equipped with a “Heropedia” designed to introduce games to the massive list of heroes, and the Steam Guides, which are also available in the game itself. These guides, written by players, offer an incredible amount of depth and knowledge for specific heroes and general gameplay tactics.

The official site does not go too deep into the competitive scene, but it covers the big tournaments like The International. Any Dota 2 fan should spend a good deal of time on this site.

PlayDota.com

This is, without question, one of the most content-packed Dota 2 websites around. It is considered an official site, and as such, all the information contained within it is accurate. In terms of news, it’s not the most active website, but it does cover much of what is happening in the biggest professional tournaments.

The bread and butter of PlayDota is the forum. It is a massive community of players covering everything from the competitive scene to tips for new players. It even continues to deal with the original Warcraft 3 Dota mod, so old school players can still get their fix there. Besides the forums, there is tons of articles and other key information to help you expand your knowledge of everything Dota. For the hardcore player, it’s easy to lose many hours hanging out on PlayDota.

Reddit.com/r/Dota2

The Dota2 Reddit is always growing, and with it, the amount of content posted expands. As you would expect from Reddit, plenty of photos are posted, but there is also a great deal of strategy discussion and players talking about the competitive scene. If you want a place to come discuss Dota 2 with other serious players, this Reddit is a great option.

Dota Insight

Dota Insight has a website, but there is not much on there other than a few hero guides. The reason this makes the list is because of their fantastic Dota 2 podcast. It’s very active, with new episodes airing weekly. Each episode covers fun games the hosts played in the last week, tips for heros, the latest patches, and the biggest happenings from the professional Dota 2 scene. If you want to consume your Dota information in audio form, this is the Dota 2 website for you.

Your Turn

What Dota 2 websites do you visit? Hit the comments section below and let us know!

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Gaming Google Maps With Street View Games

Google Maps is an essential tool for anyone planning a day trip or holiday, providing a clear yet detailed overview of locations and how to reach them. More than that it provides a simple way for all of us to find our literal place in the world, though it cannot help with the more figurative notion of belonging.

Google Maps was already amazing, and then a few years after its launch Google Street View was added to the mix. At which point the opportunity to take a virtual trip around real towns and cities revealed itself. Google Street View coverage now includes more than 60 countries, with ground-level panoramic views (often containing strange sights) for huge swathes of those locales available to view online.

However, Google Maps, and in particular Google Street View, isn’t only good for planning routes. There have been some fantastic Google Street View mashups created over the years, and there are also websites which use Google Street View to help you do some virtual globetrotting.

And then there are games built on top of Google Maps and Google Street View, five of which are listed here for you to enjoy when you’re bored at work.

Real World Racer

Real World Racer is a simple Google street view game that offers exactly what the title implies it should. While most racing games rely on either completely imaginary routes or rough approximations of real-world locations, Real World Racer lets you race on real roads around the world.

OK, so the visuals aren’t going to win any awards, and the controls are rather limited, but for those people who miss the days when top-down racers were as good as it got, Real World Racer should hit the (nostalgic) spot.

You choose a route — either a pre-existing one from the eight on offer or one chosen by yourself by simply inputting a start and finish point — and then race your car against the computer-controlled opponents. The first to cross the finishing line wins, obviously, though you win nothing more than the satisfaction wrangled from besting poor AI.

Street View Quiz

Street View Quiz is another Google street view game whose title says it all. This is a website full of quiz questions based on Google Maps and Google Street View. Some of the questions make more sense than others, though they can all conceivably be solved by using nothing other than the image presented to you.

Rather than answering any from the homepage you’re better served clicking on individual entries and tackling them one at a time. If you get stuck trying to use the image alone then a simple Google search should suffice in helping you to answer any question posed.

GeoGuessr

GeoGuessr presents you with an image from Google Street View and asks you to locate it on a map of the world. It sounds easy, but it’s actually maddenly difficult. Thankfully it’s also very entertaining and more addictive than it has any right to be.

Each round consists of five destinations. At the end you’re presented with a chart showing how far out your guesses were each time, and the total score acquired. You can then start the process all over again to see if you can improve.

It’s a lot harder than you may imagine to guess which country you’re in just from a single image. Road signs, the terrain, and the weather can all give clues, but you’ll be amazed how far away some of your guesses will be. Or perhaps I’m just geographically dumb.

Pursued

Pursued is very similar to GeoGuessr, with the same basic principles applying. However, rather than dropping you somewhere completely at random and asking you to vaguely point to it on a map, Pursued features pre-approved levels and asks you to name the city or landmark you’re seeing.

This is also more of a complete game, with a plot of sorts — you have been abducted and need to tell your friend where to find you — and level packs, achievements etc. Which all helps add to the intrigue and innate playability of Pursued.

The whole thing comes across as very professional, with the only annoying aspect being the need to jump through social networking hoops in order to play more levels. Still, there are user-submitted levels aplenty for those who aren’t willing to participate.

Streetview Zombie Apocalypse

Streetview Zombie Apocalypse is a clever little Google street view game that works despite its obvious flaws. Especially as the street cred of zombies has never been so clear thanks to The Walking Dead and other zombie-focused fayre.

The premise is simple… you choose a location where you want to get dropped, and as soon as you pitch up in said location the undead hordes start to chase you in order to eat your brains. Which would be a whole lot scarier if the zombies in question weren’t tiny little sprites you could flick away with one finger.

The aim of Streetview Zombie Apocalypse is to stay alive for as long as possible. To do so you need to run from your starting point, avoiding the undead as you go. Choose your location with care, as some will lead you to a premature death thanks to featuring a rat run of narrow alleyways and dead-ends.

Conclusions

These games are not only entertaining they’re also educational, revealing parts of the world perhaps previously unknown to you. Google Maps is a powerful tool in this regard, in the same way Wikipedia is a powerful tool for learning about new people or uncovering previously unsolved mysteries that can actually be easily explained.

What do you think of the Google Street View games on this list? Do you have a favorite? Perhaps you know of another game which utilizes Google Maps; if so, we’d love you to share it with us in the comments section below along with your thoughts on the subject at hand. All comments are read, and most are afforded a reply.

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5 Classic Video Games In Need Of Sequels [MUO Gaming]

It’s an unfortunate truth that the best video games aren’t always the ones which make money. Essentially there is little correlation between critical reception and commercial success. The same goes for movies and music as well, though sites such asMetacritic have helped mainstream consumers make informed decisions in the entertainment field.

This means some of the best classic video games ever released haven’t generated sequels, or, if they have, not for a long time. Meanwhile, there’s a newCall Of Duty game (aren’t you sick of this seriesyet?) released every 12 months, and at least six franchises were awarded sequels when they should have been left well alone. So, which games need to be brought back to life?

Viewtiful Joe

Viewtiful Joe was a classic video game developed by Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom. It was originally created for the Nintendo GameCube before being ported to the (gone but never forgotten) PlayStation 2. The game is ostensibly a side-scrolling beat ‘em up, but it intermixes 3D cel-shaded graphics and employs a number of other clever effects to lift it above others in its genre.

The gorgeous visuals, unique concept, and challenging gameplay combined to make Viewtiful Joe a fantastic experience. Thanks to its small budget it was considered a commercial success, but not enough of one to warrant any sequels beyond 2006. A new Viewtiful Joe title would make for one hell of a strong digital game for both the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Store.

Missing Since: 2006

Bully

Bully (or Canis Canem Edit) is a Rockstar game that, for whatever reason, didn’t quite get the attention the company’s other titles have done. It follows the Rockstar standard of being an open-world sandbox game, with the setting being a boarding school, and the objective being to sail through the lessons while causing mayhem during your downtime.

It was a brave move by Rockstar to portray bullying as a lifestyle choice, but there are consequences to every bad action you undertake in the game. Bully looked great, was highly entertaining to play, and thoroughly deserves a sequel. Sadly, a new school year has never arrived. Rockstar has indicated it would like to revisit the series in the future, but Grand Theft Auto V is, for the time being at least, all it cares about.

Missing Since: 2006

Ecco The Dolphin

Ecco The Dolphin has to be one of the strangest games ever released. Not only was the main character a bottlenose dolphin, his arch-enemies were a group of hostile aliens. And yet it somehow worked. It’s amazing how much a video game dolphin is capable of, with swimming skills the tip of the iceberg. The series ended in 2000 with a Dreamcast reboot; when the Sega console died, so did our friend Ecco.

The Mega Drive originals have, in recent years, been re-released on digital platforms. Which means a whole new generation of fans will have taken these demanding games to heart. A brand new title is surely overdue, especially with ecological issues meaning a classic video game starring a dolphin trying to protect its watery homeland would make more sense now than it ever did previously.

Missing Since: 2000

Psychonauts

Psychonauts was created by Tim Schafer and his company Double Fine Productions. It was originally released on PS2 and Xbox, with subsequent releases on a variety of platforms meaning the title gained a considerable number of fans. The game was fantastically unique and original, telling the story of a boy with psychic abilities who, along with other kids with extraordinary powers, exposes a sinister plot.

This is a fun and humorous game that is still infinitely playable. Unfortunately, though Schafer has expressed interest in making a sequel, one has never materialized. While the original game was something of a cult hit, a sequel would, with the right marketing, have the potential to make it big with a more mainstream crowd.

Missing Since: 2005

Shenmue

Shenmue is the final game on this list because, quite frankly, it’s the one title that had to be included, no questions asked. Shenmue was originally conceived as being (at least) a trilogy of games, with a storyline that continued seamlessly throughout the chapters. When the Dreamcast failed, so did Sega’s reasons for pouring money into development, hence Shenmue II ends in an unresolved cliffhanger.

At the time of its original release Shenmue was a revelation in terms of size, scale, and gameplay, with QTEs (Quick Time Events) having since become pretty much standard. There have been various petitions and appeals designed to politely persuade Sega to finish the series off with a third game, but all to no avail. There’s still hope, but it’s dwindling over time.

Missing Since: 2001

Conclusions

It’s likely that not all of the above games will appeal to you equally. I suspect, instead, that one or two will have given you a pang of nostalgia and longing for the past… when video games were made for purposes other than to make money, or at least in addition to that ambition.

Personally I would love to see sequels to all of these classic video games. If David Braben can fund a new Elite game through Kickstarter then why can’t the developers who worked on these games do the same?

Would you like to see sequels or reboots to any of these games? If so which one(s)? Is there another classic, long-forgotten title that you feel we all gave up on too easily? As always let us know in the comments section below.

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5 Awesome Games That Make PlayStation Plus Worth The Price [MUO Gaming]

I recently wrote an article about the biggest rip offs in the history of video games. In it, I was quick to point out that Microsoft charges $60 a year for a service that simply grants players the ability to play games online and a few other little perks. Sony, on the other hand, has an incredible service called PlayStation Plus that costs $50 a year, and gives users some cool extras, while playing games online remains free.

PlayStation Plus offers incredible features such as exclusive demos, deals on PlayStation Store items, 1GB of cloud saves, trials of full games, and early access to stuff on PSN. It’s a nice little service, and all the features are optional, so a gamer can enjoy PSN without needing to buy the service. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, PlayStation Plus subscribers also get a pile of free games, with more added every month.

For $50 a year, it’s hard to go wrong, and the following Playstation Plus games make it an incredible value, with the extra features serving as a juicy bonus.

Infamous 2

Infamous 2 does not do too much to change the formula that made the first one so good. You still play as Cole as he goes through missions using his insane super powers. You can still choose to be good or bad as you run your way through the game, and you can still have a blast running around the city blowing up everything that crosses your path.

I’ve always thought the best way to describe Infamous is that it is Grand Theft Auto with super human powers. The same holds true for Infamous 2. Not only is a ton of fun, but the game is moderately long, and Amazon still sells it for around $20, so it makes a good portion of the value PlayStation Plus subscribers get for their $50.

Little Big Planet 2

I love Little Big Planet, which I have made no secret of before. It features some of the best user-generated content ever in a video game. The sequel ramps up the creativity by adding a lot of tools that allow creators to expand the gameplay well beyond the simple platforming of the first release.

The tone and feel of Little Big Planet remain unchanged in the sequel, and that’s a good thing. It’s a game that makes you feel good, and sometimes that’s a great way to break out of the “kill everyone” mentality that so prevalent in gaming. Amazon still lists Little Big Planet 2 for a little over $20, so again, getting it as part of a $50 a year subscription is a great value.

Darksiders

Here is another game that retails for about $20, and PlayStation Plus subscribers get to download it free. This game is often compared to Legend of Zelda, and as any hardcore gamer knows, that is some seriously high praise. It features a similar gameplay formula to that of Zelda, and it one of the better sleeper games available.

Darksiders recently had a sequel, so if you’ve been waiting to jump headlong into the series, grabbing the first games as part of a service you should have anyway is a great way to get in. It really is a great game, and is clearly a great deal as part of the Sony’s service.

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition

This is one of those games that is great to have sitting on your PS3 HDD for when friends come over. Almost every gamer has a least a rudimentary idea of how to play Street Fighter, and it makes for a great same-console multiplayer game.

Not only does this game feature awesome gameplay for having fun with friends, but if you want to get hardcore with it, there is a robust online mode that will keep you entertained for hours on end. You can get really hooked on Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, but don’t get too addicted, as there are a lot of other free games to be had on PlayStation Plus. All that, and the game retails for around $18, so it’s a steal.

Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One

If you want to talk about gameplay for your buck; this is a fantastic deal. You get some incredibly fun cooperative gameplay that will keep you coming back for hours. Ratchet and Clank is a staple of the PlayStation brand, and with good reason, as the gameplay is just downright fun. The game retails for $17, so getting it as part of PlayStation Plus is awesome.

Vita

Sony recently rolled out PlayStation Plus to Vita owners, so you can also grab gems like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Gravity Rush on your portable system to go along with all the awesome games on the PS3.

Conclusion

To put in simply, PlayStation Plus is one of the best values in the video game industry. I might sound like I am coming down on Microsoft pretty hard, but honestly, before PlayStation Plus, I almost never touched my PS3. Now, getting all these game for $50 has made me use my PS3 more than my Xbox 360, and that is something I never thought I would do.

I should mention that you only own these games as long your PlayStation Plus subscription is active. With the influx of new Playstation Plus games coming to the service all the time, keeping the subscription active is a no brainer.

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Game On: Useful Tips And Apps To Optimize Windows For Gaming

Gaming is among the most demanding tasks a consumer PC will ever be asked to handle. Even today’s quickest systems are sometimes tasked by spectacular games running at high resolutions. Slower systems may even struggle with titles that are a few years old.

Updating hardware is expensive, so many users look for optimizations that can improve performance for free. The truth is that many of these tweaks are barely more than snake oil. They rarely (if ever) work and provide little benefit when they do. There are just a handful of tactics that make a real difference.

Update ALL The Drivers!

Drivers allow hardware to talk to software. Companies often push out revisions to drivers that make this conversation more efficient. As a gamer, you may already know to update your video card drivers by visiting AMD’s or NVIDIA’s website. But have you updated your other drivers as well?

Many components including your motherboard, hard drive and network card may benefit from a driver update. Check the manufacturer website for each to find out if a new driver has been released. This information is usually found on the company’s support page. You can also try a driver finding app like Device Doctor, SlimDrivers or DriverMax.

Kill Background Processes

Windows is much better at managing background processes than it was back in the XP days, but problems may still occur. To see what is running on your PC, open Task Manager via the Ctrl-Alt-Delete keyboard shortcut or through a Windows search.

One Task Manager is open go to the Processes tab and sort by Memory. This will tell you what programs are eating up RAM. Common memory hogs include backup software, some antivirus programs and cloud-connected services. Shutting down these programs with End Task may help games run smoother, though do use discretion. Shutting down the antivirus, for example, will make your PC much less secure.

Many processes start automatically when a computer boots. If you’d like to stop them permanently you can open and modify msconfig. Uninstalling the program responsible for the pesky process works, too.

Install Games On Your Quickest Hard Drive

Gamers often obsess over framerates to a fault. Though this is important, smooth gameplay also relies on a player’s hard drive. New levels, textures and other data must be loaded from it – so the quicker, the better!
You’ll reduce load times and improve gameplay by installing games on your quickest hard drive. If you’re not sure which drive is the quickest you can determine that by using free benchmark software like SiSoft Sandra, ATTO or HD Tune.

If you own not only a mechanical hard drive, but also a large USB 3.0 flash drive and USB 3.0 compatible PC, you might be able to reduce game load times by installing the game on the flash drive.

Overclock Your Video Card

Your system’s video card is responsible for rendering a game’s graphics. Overclocking it can provide a slight improvement in a game’s frame rate – perhaps enough to make a game playable.

AMD’s overclock utility is known as Overdrive and is bundled with AMD drivers. NVIDIA calls its solution nTune and provides it as a separate download.  Both of these officially supported applications are free and can be used to overclock a card in just a few steps. We even have aguide to Overdrive that will help you with an AMD card.

Remember, overclocking is not without risk. Going too far can cause system instability or damage hardware. When adjusting your card’s speed you should do so in small steps and test each step with FurMark. If a card can run FurMark for ten minutes it should be stable in games – if it can’t, you’ll need to step the card’s speed back down until stability is achieved.

Adjust Windows Settings

Many of the snake oil solutions involve deleting this or that registry file, adding more virtual RAM and other miscellaneous tweaks. A decade ago such advice might be valid, but Windows has been much better at managing its own resources since the release of Vista. Still, there are a few actions that might help.

First check your computer for any maintenance that might need to be performed. Do a Windows search for “troubleshooting,” click on Troubleshooting result and then open the System And Security sub-section. Now open and run the System Maintenance troubleshooter. It will automatically run through any necessary tasks that have been ignored.

Next do a Windows search for “power” and open Power Options. Change your power management plan to High Performance, if it’s not already selected, and then close the window.

Finally, do a search for “uninstall” and open the Uninstall A Program result. Go through the list and get rid of any software that you no longer use. This can free up hard drive space and get rid of programs that may be running in the background.

You Can Only Do So Much

In theory, overclocking a video card can increase its speed by 15% to 25% and moving files to a quicker hard drive can make games load several times more quickly. In truth, the results vary and some users may see no noticeable improvement at all.

Even though you optimize windows for gaming, it may not be enough. Software tweaks won’t magically make your processor quicker or fabricate additional video RAM out of thin air. In fact, the nature of PC performance makes the gamers most in need of help the least likely to receive it. A 15% boost to game already running at 40 frames per second may be noticeable. The same boost to a game running at 14 frames per second may not make a difference at all.

Still, these tweaks can and hopefully will help your PC. If nothing else they should reduce load times and make your games less likely to momentarily hang or freeze.

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The 4 Most Important Websites For Classic Video Game Collectors [MUO Gaming]

Collecting video games is hard work. Sure, you can go on eBay and just buy up everything you want, but if you do, you will be paying full market value or more for every game and console you purchase. This is not the smartest way to collect, as you will be spending much more money than you need to. Instead, the best way to collect is to use your local resources such as pawn shops, flea markets,Craigslist, and if you’re really lucky, Freecycle.

When using these places, you need to be armed with the knowledge to get the right deals on games. No matter how sharp your negotiation skills are, you will need to know what price to shoot for and what games are worth snagging. You need to know which games are the most valuable, and which ones you should pass on. If you want to build a respectable classic game collection without breaking the bank, these tools will get you there.

Pricecharting.com

This is the number one site for finding out the value of video games. It pulls information from eBay, Amazon, and Half.com, so it gets a diverse set of data. Any classic gamer you talk to uses this site as their main resource for finding out the important price data on games. I never start a negotiation on a game without first hitting up this website to make sure I have the most current value in mind.

Pricecharting allows you to see graphs of historical prices for games and consoles, so you can see if the value is on an upward or downward trend. This comes in handy because if you see a game is dropping, you might be able to use that in your negotiation tactics. You can also use the website to see current listings and sold auctions of an item.

Retroware TV

This is a great site for seeing reviews of classic games from a variety of interesting personalities. If you are looking to expand your knowledge and see what games are actually good, this is the site to go to. Not only that, but there is plenty of entertainment to be had watching the videos and reviews.

Retroware is constantly growing, so new content from new producers comes out on a daily basis. You will see even some guest appearances from the most well-known classic game reviewer, a man known as the The Angry Video Game Nerd. In addition to videos, there are plenty of articles to read, which will keep you entertained for hours on end.

Racketboy

From a pure knowledge standpoint, this is the best classic gaming site on the Internet. It has an incredible section called Retro Gaming 101 which will help a budding collector get started. It also has articles about the most valuable games, so when you are out chasing, you will be able to spot any of these gems in an instant.

Racketboy also has a fantastic audio podcast filled with interviews and other interesting tidbits from the world of retro video gaming. You can lose many hours exploring the content of Racketboy, and I recommend you do so, as the knowledge contained within will make you a smarter collector, and that is always a good thing.

Reddit.com – Gamecollecting

You just had a fantastic weekend of chasing down classic games in your area, and now you want to show the world the awesome stuff you just found. Reddit’s game collecting community is the perfect place to make this a reality The community there is awesome, and they love seeing great finds from fellow classic video game collectors.

Not only is this a great place to share your classic gaming finds, but it’s also filled with knowledgeable classic video game collectors who can help you if have any questions. The community has around 10,000 members, so there is plenty of activity to keep you busy. It is, without question, one of my favorite Reddit communities.

Conclusion

With the knowledge you gain from these video game collecting websites, you will be ready to hit the streets and do some game chasing. No longer will you be stuck paying the high prices on eBay. Remember, the most part important of game collecting is having fun, and these websites will help you make the whole process as fun as possible. With that, it’s time for me to get out of here to go find some hidden classics!

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5 Reasons Call Of Duty Players Should Give Halo 4 A Shot [MUO Gaming]

I will readily admit that I am a Halo hater. I’ve played almost every entry in the franchise (except Reach, I heard mostly negative things from my hardcore Halo playing friends). I reached a point where I decided that the Halo franchise just was not for me. Part of the reason could have been because I was bad at the game, but to be honest, I was bad at the game because I was not willing to put forth the effort to learn it. With Call of Duty, I put in the hours needed to become a good player, and with Halo, I just never did.

Now, Halo 4 comes along, and I completely ignored it at launch and remained gleefully enamored with Black Ops 2. After some persuasion, a friend convinced me to pick up Halo 4, and I just assumed that I would hate it. I must say, I was incredibly wrong. Since I picked up Halo 4 a couple of weeks ago, I have not placed Black Ops 2 in my Xbox 360 again. The team at 343 made some key changes to the multiplayer in Halo 4 that go a long way towards making it appeal to COD players while still maintaining what makes it Halo. If, like me, you’ve given up on the Halo franchise, Halo 4 is the game you should give another chance, and here are the reasons.

Loadouts

Halo 4 has implemented a loadout option that allows you to build a basic kit to bring into battle. While not as crazy as the pick 10 system in Black Ops 2, it still gives options, which is something that most people who play COD are accustomed to.

With loadouts, you can choose a gun, armor ability, grenades, and more. This allows you to customize the game to work with your play style, and that makes it a game that fans of COD can get behind.

Leveling/XP

Halo 4 has implemented a ranking system that is akin to that of Call of Duty. I am the type of gamer that needs to see some form of progression to stay interested in a game for a long time, and Halo 4′s new system delivers on that. Halo 4 has worked in a leveling system that is quite similar to that of Call of Duty.

Just like Call of Duty, you unlock new items and skills as you level up in rank, so the ranks are more than just a number. They actually alter the way you play the game, which makes you feel more powerful with each new level. It makes it incredibly easy to invest hours and hours in the game when you know that with each battle, you are getting closer to something that will make you better, or at the very least, something that will alter the game a bit.

Specializations

In Call of Duty, when you reach the highest level, you enter Prestige mode. This strips away everything and starts you from the beginning with a new icon. In Halo 4, the team at 343 added a feature called Specializations. When you reach level 50, you can move to a new specialization and level that one up, just like you would in Call of Duty.

The difference between Specializations and Prestige mode is that Specializations actually change the way you play the game. It changes the look of your Spartan and brings you some new skills and a new way to play. Not only does it extend the life of the game, but it changes the game in some noticeable ways. That’s about as good as it can get in terms of extending the game’s life.

Ordnance

Ordnance in Halo 4 is similar to kill/point streaks in the Call of Duty series. Instead of helicopters and nukes, you get things like damage boost, weapons, and shields.

You don’t get to choose them, as you do in COD, but it still gives you a sense of accomplishment when you get to roll out to the battlefield with something a little more powerful for a while. It should help Call of Duty players, like myself, feel a little more at home in Halo 4.

SWAT Mode

The cool features of Halo 4 have won you over; awesome! However, sometimes, the need to play something that feels a little more like Call of Duty might overtake you, and you might want to go back to your evil ways. SWAT mode is just what you are looking for. It takes Halo, and makes it feel a little more like Call of Duty.

In SWAT mode, the radar is gone, as are shields and ordnances. This means enemies die much more quickly, which should feel right at home to a dedicated COD player coming over to Halo. When the urge to drop enemies in just a few shots overtakes you, jump into SWAT mode and feel right at home.

Conclusion

If, like me, you’ve written Halo off, Halo 4 might just be the game to get you back on the horse. I still love COD, and I always will, but it’s nice to make a change every now and then. Halo 4 has just the right amount of differences to feel new, but it borrows enough from Call of Duty to make feel it comfortable.

One last tip, if you make the switch, change your controller layout to Fishstick, as it features the exact same button layout as Call of Duty. This will make the transition a much smoother process for you.

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