Video game grudge matches rarely come this perfectly designed.
This fall, Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 come out within weeks of each other, trying to capture the free time of millions of gamers worldwide. But, it’s not just the fact that both titles are realistically styled war games set in what’s pretty much the present-day.
There’s an intense rivalry between publishers EA and Activision, one that’s seen creative leaders go from one company to the other and back again, with courtroom salvos fired along the way. Call of Duty‘s been the leading shooter franchise for the last few years running, with last year’s Black Ops breaking sales records as Modern Warfare 2 did before that.
EA’s not been shy about saying that they want to knock COD off of the top of the mountain, with both execs and developers taking shots at Activision’s big money-maker. This is going to be a heavyweight bout. So, seeing both Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 at this year’s E3 amounted to a pre-fight weigh-in. Though reps for EA and Activision didn’t mention their counterpart’s big war game, the presence of the impeding competition hung in the air.
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I saw enough of each game to come away with opinions on both, and even predictions on where each game will win out this fall.
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Graphics
Battlefield 3 looks amazing. Development studio DICE argues that its brand-spanking new “Frostbite 2” engine leads the way forward to the next generation of gameplay experiences and it’s hard not to agree after seeing the game in person. Everything in BF3‘s visuals–character animations, crumbling destruction, lighting filters and effects–make the experience look hyper-real and hypnotizing.
But Battlefield 3 has been shown almost exclusively on a PC every time I’ve seen it. While the PC version of BF3 runs at a speedy 60 frames/second at 1080p, DICE’s Johan Anderson tweeted that the console versions will run at 30 fps at 720p to keep things stable and detailed.
Modern Warfare 3 consistently runs at 60 fps on consoles and PCs, and it looks much, much better than a majority of other games. Still, there’s a sameness that can’t be denied in the graphical style.
The textures look improved but character movements still have that slightly exaggerated, jittery look to them. The lighting looks a little better, too, but MW3 didn’t have the visual wow factor that EA’s game does.
Advantage: Battlefield 3
Gameplay
For sheer adrenaline-fueled craziness, Modern Warfare 3 appears to be pulling out all the stops. The single player levels I’ve seen so far–the “Hunter-Killer” level shown at Microsoft’s E3 press conference and “Mind the Gap,” shown behind closed doors– channel the high-octane, summer blockbuster-style action.
Hunter-Killer’s underwater detonation opening created tension that mounted into a cat-and-mouse submarine gunfight. The action eventually climaxed in a gunboat chase threaded through battleships in New York City’s Hudson River. At the end of the level, the camera lingers on the skyline of downtown Manhattan being bombarded by enemy fighter jets. It’s a fearsome scene.
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Mind The Gap shifted the scene to London, where an SAS team was acting on reports of illicit contraband being moved through loading docks. (You can see parts of it here.) Under cover of night, the black-clad squad moved through an abandoned warehouse, stealthily taking out enemies on the way towards the mission objective.
That objective, a truck supposedly bearing explosives, stands in a parking lot swarming with enemy troops, and another battle followed where soldiers on the ground had support from a hovering helicopter above. The contraband gets loaded onto a commandeered train and you’ll have to give chase through into the underground rail system, driving a truck over train tracks.
Gunfire crosses the subterranean tunnels and the shooting continues even as you pop out into stations crowded with civilians, Finally, the enemy train derails and crashes spectacularly, taking out several support columns and exploding violently miles beneath the surface. In both levels, the action rivaled anything a big-budget Hollywood production could deliver.
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Activision also used E3 to unveil Modern Warfare 3‘s “Spec Ops” mode, but that portion of the game is co-operative, not competitive. MW3‘s Spec Ops will feature an all-new Survival mode, where two players will make a stand against increasingly difficult, advancing waves of enemies like Gears of War‘s Horde Mode. As anticipated as this new Spec Ops mode is, most players still show up for the competitive multiplayer modes. Activision wasn’t talking about those at E3, so there may yet be more changes on that front in MW3.
Meanwhile, EA showed a new Battlefield 3 multiplayer level called “Operation Metro,” which started in an open-air outdoor battle in Paris, before moving underground into a train station. Despite the difference in level design and architecture, the play transitioned smoothly to tighter quarters.
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This was a hands-on demo, unlike the MW3 one, and I got to see for myself how smooth and fast the gameplay was. Changes in BF multiplayer design were evident, too. You’ll be able to earn teamwork points by supporting your buddies in skirmishes. So, if you’re playing as a heavy gunner and suppressing enemy assailants moving on your comrades’ positions, you’ll get points when they kill the bad guy.
“Thunder Run”–a BF3 tank-driving mission–also rolled out during E3 and attendees could see both depth-of-field and massive destructibility the Frostbite 2 engine enabled. Thunder Run gave a different vantage point on what present-day conflict looks like, with fearsome tank platoons facing off against each other, firing artillery shells and missiles in either direction.
Along with the “My Life” section shown in March, the levels spotlighted at E3 proved that EA and DICE are aiming for variations of scale in the BF3 final product.
It’s already apparent how different both games will be in trying to deliver playable takes on contemporary armed conflict. If you want a thrill ride, then Modern Warfare 3‘s your game. It’s trying to create a military action drama that unfolds all over the globe.
Players wanting a bit more tactical strategy should look into Battlefield 3. The previous games in the series always tended to be a bit more simulation-based in their approaches and BF3 continues that trend. It’s not just run-and-gun. Also, Battlefield 3 draws on the biggest differentiators for DICE’s war games: multi-modal gameplay. A typical Battlefield game lets you seamlessly go from an on-foot, soldier’s-eye view to larger-than-life vehicular combat.
Activision surely has more to reveal for on both campaign and multiplayer, but based what we’ve seen so far, Battlefield 3 has the edge.
Advantage: Battlefield 3
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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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