This particular debate has been discussed and raged about in forums across the interwebs. Obviously, everyone is going to have their own opinion about which game is better and why. And after alot of thought, I've come to some conclusions about why I choose to play one over the other. For those wondering, this is not a discussion about the finer points of the graphics, storyline or any other feature of the campaign. I'm talking solely about the multiplayer gameplay on Xbox Live.
The first point to make is the most obvious: I am much better at playing one game than I am the other. And while I'd like to hope this doesn't have any bearing on my general opinion, that wouldn't be true. Fact is, you have more fun when you're kicking a**. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's move on.
Spare a thought for the n00b...
Modern Warfare 2 is a cruel and harsh game for new players. The gap between lower and higher ranked players is pretty steep in MW2 compared to BFBC2. I've played many shooters and I've never experienced this sort of obvious gap before, even when playing other Call of Duty games. Basically, having a high rank in MW2 will pretty much guarantee you'll end up on top or somewhere near the top of the scoreboard in your game. With a higher rank comes better perks and enhancements which makes it alot easier to kill your opponents and to literally walk all over new players. It becomes frustratingly difficult to improve in a game where you're consistently dying to someone's Harrier Strike or even more annoying, random Predator Missiles that have the capability to wipe out entire squads at once.
Put yourself in a similar position in BFBC2 and you'll find it alot less harrowing at lower levels and alot easier to kill people, irrespective of their rank. I've been killed by many players who were ranked lower than me. Having better weapons, ammunition and gear helps but it doesn't make it impossible to kill someone of higher rank. This is not so obvious in MW2. Sure, you could argue that you need to be able to complete a kill streak of a particular number first to gain access to things like Harrier Strikes in MW2. So perhaps it's more about the different game mechanics rather than the player skill level. Regardless of this, the 'kill streak' rewards of MW2 definitely makes the game more challenging to play at lower levels. BFBC2 doesn't have a 'kill streak' mechanic at all.
It's all in the team work...
Tactics and strategy are obviously a keypoint in any team or squad-based multiplayer shooter. I know a few gamers who play MW2 for clans and have competed in international tournaments so they'd probably wholeheartedly disagree with me when I say that BFBC2 is a much more rewarding game from a squad perspective. But again it comes down to the difference in game mechanics. Battlefield Bad Company 2 places alot of emphasis on the different classes each player can choose to play. Each class has a definitive purpose during the game - medics heal their team and squad as well as revive fallen team mates, Recon snipe and mortar strike from a distance adding ranged firearm support, Engineers keep tanks and vehicles operational and Assault do what they do best and kill everything that moves. This is not the case in MW2. Most of the games I've played require you to run and gun and hope for the best. If you're a good shot and have relatively good reflexes, you'll excel. Your primary objective is to kill as many people as possible and then some. While there's nothing wrong with this in itself (it's called a 'shooter' for a reason), BFBC2 offers various alternatives to just plain running around and gunning someone down on a map.
Modern Warfare 2's Perks and Callsigns - bad a$$:
I have to admit, I am a sucker for nice little animated gif's and having cool perks. While BFBC2 has some nice unlocks and rewards, Modern Warfare 2 excels in this area. Heck, I'd play more MW2 just to unlock them all if I didn't keep dying to harrier strikes and predator missiles. I actually died a few times because I was trying to look at some opponent's pretty callsign animated gif, LOL! Sad... I know but hey, it's sometimes the little things that keep us coming back. Yep, trivial but pretty darn cool all the same.
In closing...
What I'd like to point out more than anything else is not how one game is simply 'better' than the other but the fact that while both games are multiplayer shooters based on war, they are very different games to play. It is these differences that make Modern Warfare 2 and BFBC2 two of the best console multiplayer war-related shooters to date. Each game will appeal to different players for many reasons (some of which I hope I've helped to define from my own experiences). And although it's nice to talk pros and cons, let's not forget that the most important reason to play any game is to enjoy yourself. No matter how good a game may be or how popular it may seem, if you don't have fun playing it, it's not the game for you.
The ECA
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