Stepping outside the world of Call of Duty

Since the release of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, I have not played much of anything else. I have played a little bit of Assassin's Creed 2, but despite how great the game is, I always find myself going back to COD. I normally go through phases where I play one game, and one game only. Before the release of the new COD, Killzone 2 was my FPS fixation. Despite how great KZ2 was, I needed something new and moved onto COD. After months of COD, I find myself looking for something new once again.

I recently downloaded the demo to Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Although both games are essentially the same genre, it is a completely different game. Battlefield supports up to 24 players and features bigger maps. It is also very focused on air and ground vehicles. The graphics are not nearly as detailed as CODs, but its mainly due to the higher amount of players, bigger maps, and destructible environments.

The way the game controls is completely different, from the aiming to the way the character moves. One of the great things about the COD is its accessibility. COD allows players, or "noobs," to jump right in without being too intimidating.

Battlefield is a little more intimidating due to the size of the maps, the vehicles and the objectives. Vehicles take time to master. The game is also heavily team-based. One person cannot simply win a match for a team. A bad thing, which can also be seen as a good thing to others, is that COD does not encourage team work. One man can simply dominate a game and win a match for an entire team. Heck, my team can be losing an objective-based game type, and if I obtain a 25 kill-streak...its a victory of my team.

One thing I have noticed by playing other online FPSs, is how much I appreciate the smoothness and feel of COD. I may not be swept off my feet with Battlefield, but I definitely enjoy the change of pace.

Next up on my list is MAG, however, I have a strong feeling that I will continue to go back to COD time and time again.