EA's Frank Gibeau would like to remind you that Medal of Honor: Warfighter is not a Battlefield clone, should you have any doubts as to the clear and unambiguous gulf between one's brand of gritty death and the other's brand of deathly grit. "We are very careful that Battlefield and Medal of Honor stay differentiated," he told Game Informer this week (via AOTF). "There is an inefficiency to having two different brands coming out alternating like that, [but] there is some upside. You don't have the annualized sequel fatigue. With Medal of Honor we tried to embrace that the game is real. The multiplayer is different than Battlefield. We're trying to use a sequencing strategy to keep it as fresh and different as possible."
If you're anything like me, you're struggling to decipher the above morass of corporate speak, like a dog at the beach trying to make sense of some passing fish. What the hell is a "sequencing strategy", Frank? And what do you mean, "embrace that the game is real"? Are you trying to suggest that Medal of Honor is more realistic than Battlefield, Frank? Because from where I'm sitting, they both seem to adhere to the same strand of so-called "realism" - thunderously brown, heavy-footed affairs in which enormous, beautiful guns make the scenery cough particle effects.
Yes, Medal of Honor's got a different kind of story behind it, charting a soldier's efforts to keep his relationship alive, but the visceral results are hard to distinguish, and Gibeau's greasy wording belies his awareness of this. To be frank, Frank, I think you were better off with the Bad Company games. They're recognisably of the same stock as the numbered Battlefields, but that strain of trashy humour remains unique. No other real-world military shooter has quite the same capacity for tomfoolery. There's even a two minute monologue on the nature of Heaven and Hell, buried in incidental chatter.
Last time OXM broached the subject of Bad Company with DICE, they seemed depressingly dismissive. "The Bad Company games were our first stabs at making story and character-driven single player games, while of course bringing the franchise over to next generation consoles," studio boss Karl Magnus Troedsson explained in October, shortly before Battlefield 3's release. "I think the changes we've made now when it comes to style and tone are more because this is the kind of game we want to build." Humour, apparently, is no longer to DICE's taste, and while nobody's ruling out a third game, Gibeau's comments suggest that Medal of Honor has quietly taken Bad Company's place as the EA answer to Black Ops.
14 comments so far...
Bezza89 on 17 Jul '12 said:
I agree - I remember when everything was WWII and then Vietnam for a bit and then CoD2 released and everything was seemingly diverse- then MW hit and everything mostly became modern settings in the middle east, it's been that way for 5 years, maybe more now.
It's time to spread out - however I don't think everyone jumping on is a good idea, get your own freaking era. Do 1930s so we can have fast-talking-business-guy mafia style tommygun madness. Go so far into the future your penis can wield weaponry too. Don't just go where Ghost Recon and Blops are going with the 'future but not because it's the same as now but with some robot mechs and some stupid tech'.
And last but not least - fupp earth - it's a fuppin baxter of a grasshole. Make it so that it's bladerunner/deus ex originality and show us something new. That would be brill. No penis guns though.
Actually - I've an idea - Battlefield Futurama. Bender classes.
SidTheSloth on 17 Jul '12 said:
Why aren't there more games about Futurama? One of the most underrated shows on TV...
Plamsa wing on 17 Jul '12 said:
It could be worse, they could all be about how Russia, backed by a terrorist group, backed by Russia, backed by a terrorist group backed by Russia plans to use a WMD (EMP) to take over the world. Ending with America saving the day by using our natural abilites of slowing down time... to kill one guy who is somehow responsible for all evil in the world...
Hopefully if the Southpark RPG goes well, we might see one someday.
Bezza89 on 17 Jul '12 said:
I think that's better not worse, at least we'd have a slow time ability free to use rather than scripted.
Futurama the game was awesome on xbox. Really captured the show I thought, the new series (7) is on in america, finishes in 2013 so there's still chance if as you say SP does well.
SidTheSloth on 17 Jul '12 said:
How in the world did i miss this amazing piece of awesomeness? I bet it's quite cack now if a magical pigeon fairy appeared somehow with a copy in its little claws...
Gutted...
senote on 17 Jul '12 said:
why do they not just come out and call it 'Call of Battlefield' and 'Medal of Duty' seriously how stupid do they think people are? It wouldn't be so bad if a) they actually admitted they are trying to clone/beat Call of Duty and b) actually bloody well did it.
Both games have their strengths for multiplayer sure, but purely for single player and co-op experience BF3 was a total turd, they took vehicle based combat, which should be fun, and made it scripted and tedious, that's almost impossible to do and they did it.
Remind me, which game is currently top of the XBL chart? has been more or less continuously since release and shows no sign of leaving? Anyone who thinks the modern warfare setting isn't where they'll make the no1 shooter is an idiot.
OXM ETboy on 17 Jul '12 said:
is the new
Sitting still is a fine way to have the carpet pulled from under you
Plamsa wing on 17 Jul '12 said:
Or a flat arse, which funny enough most modern shooter's are starting to look like.
senote on 17 Jul '12 said:
To clarify my comment, yes the modern warfare setting isnt what anyone needs if they want the no1, it's just going to be a very big help for them, what they need is an engine and gameplay experience that beats COD, and that is what they can't do. Maybe you like COD maybe you don't but you can't deny the majority does, and that's why it's been no1 spot on XBL for probably 80-90% of the time since release, It's also why I mostly play RPG's these days.
Decent_Jam on 18 Jul '12 said:
Agreed about it being underrated, love that it's actually not cancelled for the first time in ages.
I think the lack of game is most likely that ones based on TV shows tend to be rubbish (fingers crossed Trey and Matt deliver), it wouldn't have mainstream appeal and it is time consuming and expensive and it takes enough time and money to keep the show running let alone something else on top.
As for going back to the future, sure, might be interesting with a Mech Warrior vibe to it, so long as they don't try to copy Black Ops 2 and do a shoddy job of it then it'll be fine.
mariachi2000 on 18 Jul '12 said:
This talk of going 'Back to the Future' has got me picturing an adventure game with an original story based on the Back to the Future universe... Marty McFly could be the next Guybrush Threepwood!
Also the talk of the futurama video game reminded me of a greater groening game (alliteration gone mad!)... Simpsons Road Rage!
I have no problems with modern warfare but would like a change of setting, as has already been said. I propose a true urban setting, a whole cityscape with fully accessible buildings... imagine going down a street where people could be in any building, shooting out of any window. I guess the main difference is the sense of scale... I always tend to be left wanting more.
STE MO on 18 Jul '12 said:
I don't think it's time to go back to the future I think it's time the publishers took a break of producing the same crap year in year out. Give us Half-Life 3, Metro Last light, Singularity 2 or a new Bulletstorm but not the same generic boring shooter, yes given these games predecessor's had their flaws, apart from Half-Life, but they took on a new setting. Hell bring back Unreal and Doom, but this annual release has got to stop or it will stagnate the FPS market. But as long as people are buying the x generic shooter that is the same as last years shovelled rubbish it won't happen.
InitialD on 18 Jul '12 said:
Titan tutorial look's awesome.
I would buy this just because I love battlefield.
All you hater's hate.
Juliandix on 18 Jul '12 said:
Noooo as much as i like to see a change in direction, i still do like WW2 - Vietnam - MW3 time scale and id id still like to see games with that theme, im not 1 for mechs and advanced wepons. id have BFBC2 Vietnam anyday, Battlefield 4 (BFBC3) should be Vietnam that would be awesome!!