Why I don’t play Modern Warfare 2 (but do play Gears of War 2 & Halo 3)
These days whenever I sign onto XBOX Live, I am greeted by a friends list of people who are almost all playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Over and over I receive online invites to play along, and a few friends who are stumped that I don’t play the game. That being said, I figured it might help to get a few thoughts about this subject out.
First and foremost, this is a finely crafted game (save the numerous glitches being uncovered weekly, which isn’t rare for a title like this). Its snappy at connecting to multiplayer matches, has a diverse offering of weapons and maps, and a great system for ranking up and achievements. Its a great game and should be the top selling title of the year. To those that like MW2, I’m not hatin’ on you here.
That being said, I’ve sampled every Call of Duty game going back to Call of Duty 2. None of them have tickled my fancy. Call me insane, not a true gamer, etc, but games like this, Army of Two, Brothers in Arms, and the like are all well-made games for their genre, but that genre is lacking in innovation.
Pick up a in this genre from 5 years ago and the ONLY real innovation you will find is online play and ranking improving (something virtually every video game has). They have similar map structures, team-based objectives, etc. It looks similar visually, has the same game types, and very little innovation in the campaigns.
Anyone who does know my game playing habits knows Gears of War 2 is my go-to game (and has been since December ‘08). Gears 2 has game-types not found on other games or variations of concepts on other games. For example:
- Submission is a one-flag game with the flag being a neutral enemy teams must carry to their side
- Annex puts a new spin on Halo’s territories gametype with an easier concept to examine
- After a terrible start to matchmaking and a bad ranking system, four title updates have led to a quick matchmaking system & the easiest ranking system to understand of any major title
- Great occasional events
- While they weren’t the first to do something similar, Gears2 was the first game to make team-based survival modes (they call Horde), a major innovation in the industry which other games are copying over and over
- Most awesome is the 3rd-person cover system, a snappy, more tactical approach than running and blasting away
Overall, Gears has done way more to push the industry. At the same time, I am caught up in pursuit of its 100 rank (currently at a 53) and 100,000 kills (currently over 23,000). The achievement system is very friendly at updating you, and any game you play contributes to an achievement.
Gears poses itself in a post-apocolyptic universe, as does my other go-to franchise, the Halo Universe.
Yes, its overplayed and reaching nauseating levels of burnout (Halo Legends, anyone?) But for Christmas, I was stoked to get a copy of Halo 3: ODST for the Firefight mode (another variation of Gears2’s Horde mode), a short campaign, and an expanded Halo 3 multiplayer experience. Halo offers superhuman abilities, universal appeal, an unparalleled video game universe, and other unique elements (dare I mention post-carnage celebrations?)
When it comes to LAN parties, Halo offers a 4-player experience nearly all gamers have experienced, and can pick up to play. Unlike Modern Warfare 2 which offers NO ability to play on XBOX Live with more than one player on a TV (an earthshattering revelation to me), or Gears2 which only lets two be on a screen at once, Halo 3 allows 4 players on a TV for a great night.
To those of you who are sold out to Modern Warfare, don’t worry. I see how it is. Its new, its fresh, its well-made, and everyone else is playing. But come 4th quarter, you can join me in playing the new Game of the Year, Halo: Reach.
