“Arriving Saturday”
I was able to buy a PlayStation 5 out of dumb luck.
The PS5’s launch coincided with a day off from work, so I decided to periodically check a few online storefronts every so often. I didn’t believe I was actually going to be able to buy one but luck was on my side and I checked Amazon during the perfect three minute window as they were put up for sale. After the purchase confirmation email, it was time to shop. Scooping up an extra controller and every launch game, the excitement of a new console took over. The purchases included a few titles that I would typically not play at game’s launch, or on console for that matter: Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. What better way to test a new system than than a couple of long running series?
It’s been seventeen years…
The original Modern Warfare was the first and last Call of Duty I played religiously. A core group of friends developed around the title and it was the new nightly tradition. The game felt fresh and frantic, and it was the game that more hours were sunk into since Halo 2 years prior. After MW, the series’ multiplayer didn’t hold much appeal. Sure, each installment offered a campaign ranging from outstanding to merely OK, but the multiplayer never inspired the fresh feeling of the original MW.
Enter Black Ops Cold War. Launching along with the next generation of consoles, in the middle of a pandemic– why not play some Call of Duty? The game hasn’t dramatically changed in years since the original MW, so I was able to jump right in.
Initial impressions are great. The new maps seems well thought out and are easy to learn. The main issue with the game is the feeling of not quite connecting with the shots. The aiming and gunplay feels slow, despite how good the new PlayStation 5 controller feels in hand. The cause of this is a combination of playing an FPS with a controller, and playing on the TV, which ultimately can’t compare to a gaming focused monitor.
G-sync, KB+M, and Low Latency = Easy Mode?
TL;DR: I forgot that playing FPS with a keyboard and mouse rocks. To be completely honest, the last shooter I played on PC was Overwatch years ago (and before that… Unreal Tournament!). I have always been big on Halo, leading to the purchase and sale of many an Xbox over the years.
The first noticeable change switching from console to PC? An immediate jump in K:D. I’m talking double and even tripling of Kills to death in the first few matches alone. If you are playing on PS4 Pro or PS5– get a keyboard and mouse plugged into them ASAP to see if it helps you.
The combination of point-and-click mouse fragging combined with G-sync, an ultrawide monitor, and Nvidia’s new low-latency magic recaptured the snappy feeling of the original, just like I remembered it. All of this new technology is lightyears ahead of that original MW, but the “flicky” feeling of nailing headshots is back.
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