Editor's note: People haven't been this fanatical since hip-hop fans feuded over the superiority of East Coast and West Coast rap music. Chas introduces some logic in an attempt to defuse the rivalry between these two outstanding FPS franchises. For the record though, Bad Company 2 is way better! – Omar
Perhaps you’ve noticed the tension between fans of Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2 . This is partially due to the latter's various cracks at the former's expense. It’s mostly because video game enthusiasts absolutely must have something to loathe. In this case, many people can’t see past the similar interface and are unable to discern that these two games are very different beasts.
Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2 are much alike on the surface, but aside from the fact that they are both first-person shooters, the two don’t share nearly enough similarities to warrant a feud. As far as I’m concerned, two distinct elements define each experience.
Modern Warfare 2 offers a variety of game modes while its competitor only has a handful. But even with different win conditions, the majority of MW2's multiplayer modes involve repeatedly gunning down opponents in an arena. On the other hand, Bad Company 2 focuses on building momentum in order to destroy enemy bases in an expanding map. When I play Modern Warfare 2, I like getting more kills and less deaths than everyone else — including my teammates. I don’t care whether my team wins or loses: I’m competing for a personal victory. On the other hand, I’d be crazy not to care about my team’s success in Bad Company 2 — though the occasionally ridiculous number of snipers during offensive games indicates that I may be alone.
Neither objective is intrinsically better than the other, so which game I play comes down to the mood I’m in at the time. Do I feel like working together with my team to wipe out or protect bases, or do I feel like sharing competing against my teammates for kills?
The second important concern is the pace at which I want to play. Infinity Ward's best-selling shooter runs at a much faster tempo than Bad Company 2, which can feel slow and clunky in comparison. Modern Warfare 2 is fast and twitchy. Each pace matches its game’s objective fairly well. Matches in Bad Company are longer and focus on building momentum in larger maps while Modern Warfare 2’s matches are quick affairs in smaller arenas.
In essence, these two first-person shooters are polar opposites, which happen to share a similar interface, arsenal, and setting. None of those similarities have any relevance to the actual multiplayer experience of either game, so they shouldn’t be used to praise one or deride the other. Both are good games with their own flaws and their own appeal. I see no reason your average FPS fan couldn’t own and enjoy both. If anything, Electronic Arts did fans a favor by releasing Bad Company 2 four months after Modern Warfare 2's street date. It avoided any uneccessary bloodshed over the holidays.
[Check out my blog BOLDSTATE for more of my views on everything video games.]