Games

The Most Surprising Part of 'Call of Duty: Warzone' is How Fun Dying Is

Probably the only time we've ever said "hell yes" about something called "the gulag."
Screenshot from Call of Duty: Warzone. Two player characters, wearing military gear and brandishing rifles, standoff in the broken down showers of this games "gulag"
Image courtesy of Activision

About a year ago, we saw shooter juggernaut Call of Duty take a crack at a battle royale-style game with Blackout. But unlike most other battle royale experiences, Blackout already has a sequel, a standalone game called Warzone. Boasting a 150-player count, Warzone is a different from the genre's mainstays, with some interesting new mechanics. We discuss Warzone's fun take on respawning, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and how much it builds on the first game, and our new work from home situation on today's Waypoint Radio. You can read an excerpt or listen to the full episode below.

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Austin: You can buy regular Call of Duty loadouts, which is what I think the people who play a lot of Call of Duty who are streaming this game are doing? Where you just buy a, remember the drop the crates from PUBG that would drop? You can buy those, you throw a smoke call in one of those and when it lands inside is your regular Call of Duty multiplayer loadouts, including your perks and guns and shit.

Patrick: Oh that's pretty cool!

Austin: It's very cool, it's just also fucked for me who hasn't played any Modern Warfare so that doesn't do shit. I mean you're still getting all right weapons and you're getting perks and stuff which is cool, it is a neat thing. The other most gimmicky, cool, new thing is what happens when you die. In this game, when you die you go to the "gulag."

Cado: Uh???

Austin: Where you 1v1 someone for the right to reenter the game.

Patrick: [laughter]

Austin: They put you into a 1v1 Gunfight mode, while the other prisoners in the Gulag look down into the fight and can throw rocks at you as you're fighting.

Rob: Oh, god, yes.

Cado: WHAT!?!

Austin: It's the best part of this game. I think I said this back on the podcast when I first played this game and was allowed to finally talk about the multiplayer. Gunfight is, in the main game, I think a 2v2 mode that is incredible. I think it's the most fun I've had in Call of Duty ever. first Modern Warfare I played a lot, and that first Black Ops I played a lot of.

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But Gunfight is really good, and this 1v1 mode is just so tense and so good. "Alright, we both have the same gun. We both have the same tactical grenade thing. Alright, who wins? Let's see what happens!" It's got very sudden death vibes. And if you win, you redeploy, you just skydive in above your team again.


Discussed: Politics and Current Events (including COVID-19 talk) 00:00, Ori and the Will of the Wisps 43:49, Call of Duty: Warzone 1:08:05, Frostpunk: The Last Autumn 1:18:08, Destiny 2: Season of the Worthy 1:31:21, Roundguard 1:39:41, World Flipper 1:45:40

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