Episode 589: Modern Warfare 4 Looks Good — We Still Want It to Fail

Modern Warfare 4 got revealed, 007 First Light is finally out, and the Hell Let Loose: Vietnam beta dropped — so naturally we spent an episode on the franchise we swore off, a Bond game that isn't quite Hitman, and a beta that can't hold a frame rate. We get into the HLL: Vietnam open beta (the rubber-banding, the keybinds that won't stick, the studio's track record) and whether it's worth grabbing at the June 18 launch. Then 007 First Light: it's sitting at 88 on Metacritic and "best Bond since GoldenEye," but is it actually a let-down if you came in expecting Hitman? We break down why the reviews and the disappointment can both be right. Then the big one — Modern Warfare 4. Korea-but-modern is a genuinely cool setting, Ballistic Authority gunplay, DMZ is back, it skips last-gen. We also get into the death of the Warzone era, where extraction shooters go next (Tarkov, Arc Raiders), and a detour into Elden Ring. And we close on Aliens.gov: the site the UFO community thought was disclosure, that turned out to be something very different. Two friends, zero corporate takes. Jake's still open to it, Raz wants the whole thing to burn. 0:00 - Intro & what's on the docket 1:40 - Hell Let Loose: Vietnam beta — first impressions 8:54 - Will it survive a rough launch? (studio track record) 14:43 - Squad leader pains & why HLL needs friends 19:48 - 007 First Light — Hitman with a Bond skin? 25:08 - 7 hours in: the linearity let-down 31:44 - Why the reviews & the disappointment can both be right 34:20 - "Best Bond since GoldenEye?" 35:32 - Modern Warfare 4 reveal — the COD episode we said we'd never do 39:44 - Korea-but-modern: cool setting, Captain Price shoehorn 42:13 - Ballistic Authority, hipfire bloom & movement changes 49:00 - "We love feedback" — the minimap betrayal 53:50 - The death of the Warzone era & DMZ's return 59:24 - Where extraction shooters go next (Tarkov, Arc Raiders) 1:15:40 - Tarkov's update & the state of the genre 1:22:57 - Detour: getting pulled back into Elden Ring 1:33:37 - Closer — Aliens.gov: the UFO disclosure site that wasn't 1:40:07 - Discord, Patreon & sign-off _Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._ The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out! 🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time): 🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week 🔹The Dropshot: 🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod 🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast 🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot 🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/ 🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast 🔹Razinon: 🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon 🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon 🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv 🔹Jakedown: 🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_ 🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown #TheDropshot #GamingPodcast #PodcastClips #ModernWarfare4 #MW4 #CallOfDuty #COD #007FirstLight #JamesBond #HellLetLoose #Tarkov #ArcRaiders #EldenRing #UFO #UAP #Disclosure #InternetCulture #HotTake #GamingNews #Shorts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices