Infinity Ward: Modern Warfare 2's co-op 'broke the cinematic experience'
by David Hinkle 
{ Oct 15th 2009 at 7:30PM } 
Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling told VG247 that co-op in the main campaign "really broke the cinematic experience, took the immersion out of it, out of the story and the pacing and everything we'd spent so long crafting." Bowling also said it "ruined the experience" that Infinity Ward was aiming for, forcing the developer to redirect those efforts into polishing the campaign as an exclusively single-player experience. We'll all find out if the game is better off for it -- some in night-vision goggles -- come November 10.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
incubeezer @ Oct 15th 2009 7:33PM
They said the same thing about the first Modern Warfare, what's new here?
Sly @ Oct 15th 2009 7:35PM
what's new is that COD5 came out and had co-op that felt just as cinematic as the single player. that's what's new.
Bubbameister33 (Confused by Fanboyism) @ Oct 15th 2009 7:53PM
Wouldn't that be old though?
Sly @ Oct 15th 2009 7:59PM
it's new in relation to COD4 which is what he's talking about.
Anthony M. @ Oct 15th 2009 7:35PM
Suuuuuper Stoked.
Almost as much as going to see DJ Tiesto.
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Oct 15th 2009 7:39PM
Warn me next time you're about to say his name.
Just about ruined a perfectly good meal all over my keyboard.
PopKornPlaya @ Oct 15th 2009 7:59PM
hell yea! Tiesto in houston soon too, thought it would never happen
1251 @ Oct 15th 2009 7:36PM
Makes absolutely no sense.
If anything, it'd help immerse it.
What a cop out, only to deny the fact they can't craft a decent multiplayer experience.
FNG @ Oct 15th 2009 7:52PM
what you just said makes absolutely no sense at all. everyone here is now dumber for having read it.
Bubbameister33 (Confused by Fanboyism) @ Oct 15th 2009 7:54PM
He means multiplayer as in co-op.
1251 @ Oct 15th 2009 7:55PM
how doesn't it make any sense jackass?
Shok401740 @ Oct 15th 2009 8:23PM
Hey I agree with you and was thinking the same thing when I read it. Gear of War while a different style of game didn't suffer from the co-op mode. I know, I know people will just say that's because they created the Dom charater but I also didn't feel like Halo (The first game) suffered from it either with just a ghost version of the Chief running around.
Honestly I don't think they could figure out how to bring the two together, so I agree... they couldn't do it but at least they brought some form of a co-op mode to the table.
d889 @ Oct 15th 2009 8:31PM
i can see how coop can ruin the immersion... if you have someone talking over the mic or sitting next to you it will take the focus away from the game. i would rather focus on the enviornment than worry about where my teammate is.
1251 @ Oct 15th 2009 8:49PM
That's why you buy Sony, d88!
Fuck chat party.
West @ Oct 15th 2009 9:23PM
Is that just because you don't have any friends to join you in said chat party?
Whocares @ Oct 16th 2009 11:13AM
who cares....we're all going to buy it anyway :)
B3astofthe3ast @ Oct 15th 2009 7:37PM
I agree with them, It's the kind of game that doesn't need the distraction of another person.
bagbozo @ Oct 15th 2009 7:38PM
Sounds like a group of developers were lazy and didn't want to implement Co-Op into MW2. Well guess I'm going to have to do this one solo.
coyurtney @ Oct 15th 2009 8:08PM
if you played Resident Evil 5 you'd know what they mean. Co-OP was fun but it really took you out of the story.
Anthology @ Oct 15th 2009 8:29PM
Who gives a shit?
If I'm playing with friends I'm probably fucking around and laughing anyway.
It's a cop-out for sure.
DBuck_Eye @ Oct 15th 2009 8:36PM
"Well guess I'm going to have to do this one solo."
"If I'm playing with friends I'm probably fucking around and laughing..."
Those are what she said.
REP96st @ Oct 15th 2009 10:20PM
That's Okay.. I don't like sharing "Bragging Rights" when I beat it on Veteran. Having Co-oP may be fun, But it's also like having a crutch throughout the whole game. I like my single player experience the way it's always been.. Single. Player.
CaramelZappa @ Oct 16th 2009 1:20AM
Why would you defend a lack of co-op? If they included it you could still play through on "veteran" without sharing, but it also means later you could have a lot of fun messing around in the campaign with friends. Who cares if it "ruins the cinematic experience" if you still have single player?
aristokrat @ Oct 16th 2009 3:48AM
How did co-op in RE5 take you out of the story? Maybe you played through on easy, but playing solo on Professional was so maddening because of the terrible Sheva AI. I played through with my buddy, we were both into the story, and no cinematicness was lost since I was constantly swearing at what an idiot Sheva was for running off to her death constantly.
Meh @ Oct 16th 2009 9:19AM
It's a co-op-out! OHOHOHOHOHO
Gopheur @ Oct 16th 2009 4:53PM
RE5 has a story?
Riley Freeman @ Oct 15th 2009 7:39PM
this some dumb shit. nobody cares about the stupid cinematic vids in the game. PLAYING WITH A FRIEND IS MORE IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE. co-op just have been at the top of the priority list.
im still buying the game lol
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Oct 15th 2009 7:40PM
Kill yourself.
Sly @ Oct 15th 2009 7:44PM
kill yourself taco. a lot of people would like to sacrifice a bit of story to be able to play with their friends.
1251 @ Oct 15th 2009 7:47PM
WOW, SpyderTaco has got to be the dumbest shit on any blog.
Heaven forbid someone have a different opinion than you, you fucking idiot.
Get a life, and stop posting on blogs every fucking day, in every fucking update.
You're the most annoying comment to see.
tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 15th 2009 7:50PM
@Riley
You are the problem, and I'm glad IW didn't cave for nongamers such as yourself. You have multiplayer and spec ops, stop bitching and let the us enjoy what little remains of single player gaming.
SpyderTaco (PSN: Ar4chNova89) @ Oct 15th 2009 7:52PM
@1251
I love you.
You are the reason I come to Joystiq.
Have my babies?
1251 @ Oct 15th 2009 7:53PM
Are you fuckin retarded tmac? Scrtach that, by reading most of your posts, I know for a fact you really are.
The point is, the co-op and SP, don't have to be identical. THAT's the problem with IW. They're shitty developers, and don't give anyone enough band for their buck.
I wasn't gonna buy this pile of shit in the first place. Rental, all the way.
Sly @ Oct 15th 2009 7:56PM
1251, they give a ton of bang for the buck. i've been playing COD4 for a year. the multiplayer is amazing and really gives the game value. if it was just single player, i doubt i would have paid more than $10 for it. but the full package was definitely worth $60 for all the fun times i've had with the game.
DangerMouse @ Oct 15th 2009 8:01PM
"Are you fuckin retarded tmac?"
Heaven forbid someone has a different opinion than you blah blah blah...
1251 @ Oct 15th 2009 8:02PM
I bought 4 a couple months after it released. Great game, great fun- for a little while.
Leveling up, and unlocking everything goes by in a flash, and no offense to these people, but those who continue to play it and nothing else- I just don't understand, lol It's like crack to those people.
Instead of telling Activision to go fuck themselves, people are actually purchasing the insanely priced SE in the UK. That isn't bang for your buck, it's worthless crap that you'll never have any use for besides saying "look how stupid I am! I could have paid the light bill!"
4 and 5 had decent stories at best. I'm not expecting a whole hell of a lot from MW2, but a measly little side-track for co-op wouldn't have hurt at all. I enjoy what immersion 4 gave, but MW2 could benefit from at least a micro-wave story for you and a couple buddies to play through on the hardest difficulty a couple times.
Sly @ Oct 15th 2009 8:03PM
the prestige edition seems a bit worthless in my eyes, but i'm not gonna call anyone out on buying it. i'm getting the hardened edition. seems like a good deal to me.
maveric101 @ Oct 15th 2009 8:10PM
tmac: can you tell me how the availability of coop would hurt your precious single player experience? all they did was remove a choice from people. different people may want to experience a game different ways. i don't see why IW feels they need total control over the experience. if everyone was supposed to have the exact same experience in a game, they might as well make a movie.
Mr.ESC @ Oct 15th 2009 8:11PM
No one is right,everyone is wrong.
:D
RageOverdose @ Oct 15th 2009 8:36PM
You know, if you're going for a goal with the story in your book, you don't write distracting side stories or overly irrelevant information. You put in what you feel brings the experience to life.
I don't see why Infinity Ward shouldn't do what they wish. They're controlling the experience, maybe, but it is their game to release. It's your choice to buy it. If they were so worried about losing sales over something so menial, then they probably would include it.
One of the reasons people can't appreciate games as art is because we don't let the developers that want to be "artistic" actually make artistic choices that may expand beyond aesthetics, instead they have to conform to what everyone wants, not what they want to create. Besides, there is the multiplayer mode that people will obviously shit over, and then the Spec Ops mode which offers difficult missions that can be co-op. I'm all for a good co-op game, but the experience had is more with the friend than with the story, and it's hard to immerse yourself with a buddy yelling every five seconds about his kill or just bitching for random reasons, especially in a shooter where you're the main killer. Instead, I want to play through the story (which I've always enjoyed IW's campaigns) and enjoy every second of it.
And you still get the choice of co-op: Why does it matter if it's in the main story or the Spec Op missions? It's still co-op, it's still MW2, and it's still your friend.
Toop @ Oct 15th 2009 8:43PM
Great comment by RageOverdose. Too bad it had to come on the tail of all that other crap.
clanboru15 @ Oct 15th 2009 10:37PM
@1251
I enjoy playing the game. That's why I continue to play it. Games do get old for me, but all you have to do is switch to a different one for a while. Instant fix.
Solace @ Oct 15th 2009 11:00PM
granny panties on a little too tight guys?
Wolvy [PSN: atayde325] @ Oct 16th 2009 12:11AM
I cant wait to play the Co-Op in MW2. Personally.
I rather be whispering commands for no apparent reason to my buddy thats right beside me than cussing him out for blowing the bejeez out of both of us!
Spec-Ops seems better for Co-Op in my mind.
valdemiro @ Oct 15th 2009 7:41PM
I am going to say that some games do suffer from co-op. I played Halo Odst with my friend and I was not immersed at all. We just runner and gunned through the whole thing on legendary. The whole time we just cracked jokes. I'm glad that they split co-op from the single player story.
Hadouken @ Oct 15th 2009 8:09PM
Just jump in the pool if you want to fell immersed... Its a freaking game...
maveric101 @ Oct 15th 2009 8:19PM
well then why did you play it on coop? idiot. you had a choice.
umm....hello??? @ Oct 15th 2009 8:29PM
yeah, I was sad that the difficulty on legendary was so easy, especially with just 2 people....I only found it to be less immersive with the storyline because I had already beaten it solo before I did co-op.
JACK @ Oct 16th 2009 2:04AM
did you say HALO!?!?
http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/9755/halo.jpg
chris.rackley @ Oct 15th 2009 7:42PM
I think, after the great campaign of Modern Warfare, that they've more than earned the right to keep the campaign a truly single player one.
Anybody who's played through Halo 3 and ODST on co-op knows that the story takes a back seat when going through it with friends. MW2 clearly wants the campaign to be their bread and butter.
Again, if this was some unknown, I'd be "Whatever!" But Infinity Ward has shown what they can do when they're given total control over their product, so I won't doubt them here.