Random explosions kill you because some crap player died again and spammed his or her nades/tubes after spawning for potential lucky kills.

Shooters should be about GUNS, CoD isn't anymore. If they allowed dedis (in MW), the community would fix it for them on PC. But having dedis would mean they couldn't charge for that stats tracking junk that everyone else provides totally for free. It costs them literally nothing to be able to provide dedis, the engine they are recycling is entirely capable of spewing out a dedicated server application. Infact they probably had to invest time and money in porting their XBL backend systems over to PC and renaming it iwnet.

Also, Call of Duty can't be classed as the most popular game in the world. I bet that The Sims, Pokemon, CS and World of Warcraft - or at least one title amongst them - have had more playtime invested in them than CoD. At the moment, BO will have the most concurrent players for a title aimed at gamers - that is true, but it isn't the definition of "most popular game in the world" .

Call of Duty is a Casual Shooter, its SHOOTERS FOR DUMMIES, Its stable and selling point are the PERKS, lol, without those DAMN PERKS, which makes it EASY, it would not have gotten so popular, but since most gamers are playing for SELF ESTEEM issues, Call of Duty suits there TASTE, lol. As far as Mr. Howard goes: I will PASS on your STREAMLINED Casual-ist version of Elder Scrolls also....maybe in a year, I'll see you in the USED bargin bin. You wouldn't know a good shooter from your BUTT, while the Industry continues to put out STREAMLINED BS, I'll just continue to sit back, SAVE Tons of $$$, while i refuse to compromise principal. gee whiz, you think were stupid?...like we dont have EYES and SENSE to COMPREHEND the evolution that takes place from 1 game to the Next in a series? SKYRIM is shit compared to Elder Scrolls 3.

Skyrim people have no idea what they talking bout so I... don't buy their game nor the Infinity Ward one :D I win !

Battlefield 3 is hardcore.

Now that was 30 seconds of reading I'll never get back.

What the hell can I use that for? Rubbish article.

COD is more casual than popcap games

Just hype and marketing speak, nothing to see here. Hes just playing to the CoD crowd to get more sales thats all.

riding activations nuts I see.

I don't understand what you people mean by casual. That it appeals to a wide audience? Or that it attracts a lot of people that wouldn't normally game? I think a lot of the conflict here is coming from the undefined terms "hardcore" and "casual." I could put my definition here, but I don't see much point since everyone has a different one.

As to Bethesda's RPG statement, I think they've got a point. You level up stats for XP, unlock perks and weapons, and win games for CoD Cash to buy equipment. RPG's are some of the most addictive gameplay experiences (ask any WOW player), and part of Call of Duty's success I think can be attributed to that addictive RPG element.

Shooter RPG is the emerging genre the past 3yrs. Shooter mechanics and hit detection (no dice rolling) but RPG elements that augment damage dealt, abilities, choice of weapons and-add on's. Really the only element missing right now to really blend is loot drops that allow you to find/keep something found in a PVP match.

I just cancelled my Skyrim pre-order.

Bethesda, please...just...stay away from CoD. Don't even...don't even LOOK AT IT.

Back to work on Skyrim, Todd! *whip cracks*

STFU and worry about your own effin games.

I knew this would happen, I just wondered who would be the first to say it. As an RPG fan it amazes me what passes as an "RPG" these days. I remember a time when RPGs weren't popular at all with a majority of gamers, now for whatever reason everyone wants their game to be categorized as an "RPG" even if it's not.

Oblivion is barely an RPG, I wouldn't even consider it to be one although it does have certain elements, Fallout and Mass Effect 2 (I never played the first so I can't judge it) are also games masquerading as RPGs. Dragon Age: Origins was an RPG, but Dragon Age 2 is moving away from the genre which is why a lot of people were upset with it.

If too many games that aren't really RPGs keep getting the RPG label real RPG games won't exist anymore.