E3 Goal: Give Treyarch a Chance

I played Call of Duty 3 for all of an hour before tossing the disc back in the case and throwing it the river.

I only played Call of Duty: World at War for Capture the Flag & Nazi Zombies (two things my beloved IW had not provided in COD4)

Do those two statements apply to you?

I sneer when I hear Treyarch's name, and I DON'T KNOW WHY.

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Over the past few weeks I've asked myself WHY do I detest Treyarch? Between the demise of (what we know to be) Infiinty Ward, and the recent release of Call of Duty: The War Collection , I'm looking toward the fall and release of COD Black Ops.

Aside from quick brushes with COD3 & WaW, I've never really played their games. I didn't get into Spiderman beyond the demo, and never even considered Quantuum of Solace.

My first thoughts when I recall Treyarch games are maps: maps of clutter, maps of gray/brown/green, maps that are unecessarily complex. I distinctly remember the straw that broke the camel's back for COD3: playing multiplayer on "that fish map in France" I got hung up on a piece of wood laying on the ground right from spawn about 6 times in a row.

I don't think of Nazi Zombies.  It's like a totally seperate game for me. With hindsight, I LOVE Nazi Zombies. Even with all the terror of those last few rounds, and the cost of the new maps, I love the concept, the teamwork it required, and the screams of laughter it evoked from me.

So why do I dislike Treyarch?

A few good buddies of mine from XBL went to the Black Ops preview event in May.  Their Twitters were bubbling with excitement for this new game. Telling me how awesome and laid back the Treyarch guys are, how much they care about their community, how much *I* will love this game.

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During a tour of the Infinity Ward Studios last year, there was a moment where a key IW person let loose a little rant about Treyarch. It was rough. It was dirty. He sneered throughout the diatribe, and I recognize the reflection of that sneer on my face. *DINGDINGDING*

I don't think I despise Treyarch at all.  I think that other games have overshadowed theirs for me. I think they haven't produced one that strikes my heart and makes my thumbs ache to play it.... yet.

So Treyarch here's your chance. Woo away. Delight my eyes with maps I can navigate without stumbling. Assault my ears with ping ping ping.

I'll see you at E3.