BF3 vs MW3

The stage is set this fall for a battle of epic proportions. However it wont be taking place in a Modern War or on the Battlefield. I know what you’re thinking “How can there be a battle without a battlefield?”. It was a failed pun and you have my sincerest apologies.  This battle will be taking place in retail stores across the world.

EA has had it with the billion dollar Call of Duty juggernaut. So they have called out MW3, and are seeking to dethrone it. Which is fine, maybe some competition will make both games better for the players. At the heart of it EA is basically saying they want Modern Warfare type money. The question is does that type of motivation produce a final product that’s enjoyable?

If EA really wants MW type numbers it would make more sense to focus on their game. The best games come from a place of creativity. When Battlefield 1942 was released it wasn’t an attempt to dethrone Counter-Strike or Quake 3. They had an idea and put it out there. As luck would have it 8 years later Battlefield has grown more then they could have anticipated back in 2003.

The Old Guard

Its not only EA that’s forgotten where good games come from. Activision is just as lost. They hit a home run with CoD4. It was such a great game that brought so many game-play mechanics into one tight package that no CoD title has changed since. They are now slaves to their own success. Activision now expects atleast $500 million for any CoD game released. The developers have no choice but to go with the sure thing. Innovation is impossible when the developers are under the financial gun to produce a hit. Theres a small chance that changing the tried and true CoD mechanics could effect sales.

At the same time how much fun is left in the fast paced FPS perk progression model. It would seem that Call of Duty is trapped in a death spiral. They’re on top of the world now, how many times can you really repackage CoD4? Stranger still we have EA hungrily attempting to steal that fate. Battlefield is copying CoD’s game type and damage stats, which is fine really considering CoD stole Battlefield’s unlock system. There’s plenty of stealing going on but not a whole lot of innovating.

What About the Players

These two are so busy fighting for market share it seems they have all but forgotten the people who actually play these damn games. PC gamers in particular have been shafted in this struggle. The PC crowd proudly carried both series from adolescence to superstardom. Thanks for the support in return ya bastards! I’m not bitter though… Pinkey swear…

Its likely both titles will be worth playing. Anyone who plays BF3 on PC may very well see me driving a tank along side them. It would be nice however to see the big publishers making games that push the envelope. The only thing I’ve really seen improved on both series over the years have been graphics. At least they have been working on some thing. I for one hope BF3 and MW3 offer more than just polish over their predecessors.

We’re all waiting for the next great multi-player FPS title. The type of game that makes you question how important is first period English really? The reality is we may never see a title like that under the Battlfield or Modern Warfare banner. They are locked in a battle of mediocrity. FPS as a genre of video games is far from being tapped idea wise.

It will be up to a new breed of developer to take multi-player FPS into the future. BF and MW have done good for FPS as a whole. It’s just in recent years both have been falling short. I can’t wait to see what the next big FPS title will be, and what banner it will fall under.