User Base
This key category will be the one that makes or breaks the fortunes of either game. As part of the Call Of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare 3 will have the benefit of one of the most rabid fan communities out there.
Activision claims that up to seven million people play a COD game every day, so even if a portion of them buy MW3 on day one, then it’s well on its way to a chart-busting debut.
EA won’t have a directly analogous constituency to draw from for Battlefield 3. The last Battlefield game, Bad Company 2, came out a year ago and EA hasn’t had a FPS game that secured as significant a population since then.
The company’s put out multiple shooters–Crysis 2 and Medal of Honor among them–that have drawn players’ time and attention. But all of those players haven’t been in the same place, in terms of a franchise.
With a beta seated in Black Ops right around the corner, Activision’s Call of Duty Elite platform will further consolidate their loyalists and get them excited for Modern Warfare 3 in November.
Advantage: Modern Warfare 3
Feel
If Modern Warfare 3‘s being built on top of previously existing engine technology, then the one plus that the threequel will have is that it’ll feel familiar to all those pre-existing COD players out there.
When all you want to do is jump into some deathmatches during your limited gaming time, you may not want to be bothered with learning new systems and strategies. As shiny as Frostbite 2 looks, there’s a good chance it’ll change things up a bit from previous iterations of Battlefield.
In the hyper-competitive communities that flock to these kinds of games, even minute changes can take time to integrate into an individual or clan playstyle. There’s a certain amount of risk involved if players find a learning curve frustrating. Players who think they want something different may get turned off when they actually see what it is.
For those who say that MW3 just looks like more of the same, that may be exactly what a large chunk of its players want.
Advantage: Modern Warfare 3
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Wrap-Up
It’s too soon to say which will actually be the better game, as parts of both Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are still being built as we speak. The marketing hasn’t begun in earnest and Activision in particular has much more of its game to be revealed. But given the quality and ambition already on display, it’s safe to say this is a year when the FPS championship belt could be up for grabs. May the best shooter win, because it’s going to be fans who ultimately reap the spoils of this conflict about conflict.
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