Holiday Post 1/3 – Battlefield 3

I’m pleased that my holidays seem to coincide with big gaming shows. Back in June E3 came to the rescue when I went gallivanting off to Rome and this time it’s Gamescom coming to my aid as I clear off for the week. It’s three updates on trailers I’m afraid, but they are quite pretty. Honestly.

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  I’ve written previously on the hilarious slagging match between Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3, making it perfectly clear that I have no allegiance to either side. I think that supposed impartiality is now gone. The sheer scale of BF3 in this 64-player mission is immense, from infantry battles to tank rushes to helicopter strafing runs and dogfights in jets. That clip at 0:38 is brilliantly terrifying: a vehicle rush of that sort could only be coordinated by an experienced team, but can you imagine seeing that lot rushing at you across the map?

EA and DICE have done it – they’ve lured me in. For the first time I’m considering buying one of the big military FPSs and it’s pretty much because of this trailer. So much for me being fair and balanced…

Things I have Got Out of Gamescom

Only a quick update today, it’s late and I need to pack a bag for going holiday tomorrow. Gamescom, the big expo in Cologne that’s still ongoing, seems a fair enough thing to talk about, although it’s been a tad underwhelming for me so far. Still, there were a few interesting things that came up, so here they are…

The Big Fight, Round 2

Wheee! They’re at it again! This post should really be named ‘Round n‘, given the amount of fighting that’s gone on between the Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3, but I’ve only recently become interested in the whole thing, especially now this comedy slagging match has moved up to the next level. My other post on it was all about frame rates, graphics versus gameplay, technical prowess, snore, zzzz…but this one is just golden.

"Right lads, we circle around the Activision HQ and catch those Modern Warfare types with their trousers down." "OORAH!"

Fight! Fight! Fight!

How much fun is the hoo-ha between Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3? The disguised mud-slinging! The faux-manly posturing! Bobby Kotick trying to play BF3 at E3! I’ve been in fanboy arguments before and they aren’t particularly pleasant, but in this case I don’t give a monkeys about either title, so the whole shebang is just ludicrous fun. The FPS champ takes on the past master; it’s like watching José Mourinho against Brian Clough in a match laid on especially for my benefit.

Oh fine, I’ll lay off the footballing analogies.

Thought for the Day #2 – Modern Warfare 3

I wish I could have been at Infinity Ward for that meeting. “So, Battlefield 3 has better graphics, a top-notch pedigree and an enormous earthquake in one of its levels. How do we respond?” Silence – then a lone voice pipes up: “Err…World War 3?”