With each E3, plenty of games are shown and plenty of opinions are given. In the past few years, games have become more and more shooter-related, to the delight of some and to hatred of others. This year’s E3 was no different, with a number of AAA shooters from huge developers were unveiled. It’s weird to say that this game won the conference or that game won the conference, so instead, let’s see what sets Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Destiny, and Titanfall apart from one another and how each is a great game in itself.
Call of Duty: Ghosts was unveiled at the Xbox One conference and showed off a bunch of innovations that Infinity Ward is making to take the next step forward in the mega-franchise. Though it might be the huge leap forward that people were expecting, especially people who are tiring of the same shooter over and over again, Infinity Ward has built a new engine for the game, written an entirely new story apart from their Modern Warfare series and brought a dog into the fray. Though that might seem like a joke to some, Infinity Ward promises that the dog will be useful and have an emotional impact on the story itself. Call of Duty is an established brand, rakes in millions of dollars with every release and is one of the most popular multiplayer games of all time. Call of Duty Ghosts looks to build on that brand and bring it into the next generation.
Battlefield 4 is the next step in the ever-popular Battlefield franchise. What most people were disappointed with most about Battlefield 3 was the single player campaign, which was something I was so disinterested in, I didn't even finish. DICE is looking revamp their single player game but multiplayer is definitely the focus. They’re bringing back Commander mode, something missing from Battlefield 3, which allows players to assist teammates by issuing instructions through a topdown interface. The commander can see where their team is, including vehicles and devices and will have abilities like calling in airstrikes, triggering EMPS or enabling UAVs. This is a big step by DICE in its attempt to regain the multiplayer throne from Call of Duty.
Destiny is the next big thing from Bungie, the creators of Halo. Long shrouded in mystery, Destiny was unveiled at E3 to be a multiplayer only shooter. In a long gameplay demo, a beautiful world was shown off, along with combat reminiscent to Halo’s. It will be very interesting to see what Bungie can bring to their always on world. They've stated that Destiny isn't an MMO but has an online world where multiple players can play in, RPG elements that allow for player customization, and even interplanetary travel. It is a long ways off but hopefully Bungie can live up to the hype that has been building around Destiny for a very long time.
Titanfall was a game that I wasn't initially sold on when it was first leaked. I even tweeted that it looked like more of the same space marine/robot combat that has become a tired retread for the past couple of years. Fortunately, I’m usually bad at first impressions, as Titanfall definitely impressed me when I saw it being played. It is much like Destiny with its multiplayer focus, but that’s where the similarities end. A third person shooter, Titanfall allows players to shoot each other as humans and also take control of towering mechs to do battle with. The mechs are more speedy and agile than mechs you’re probably thinking of, which varies the combat greatly. Their mechs are the biggest innovation from Respawn Entertainment, formed under Vince Zampella, former Call of Duty developer, and are what most excites me about the game itself.
All four of these games were the biggest shooters announced at E3. Each of them is different and is looking to push the shooter genre into great places as the next generation is ushered in. Even if you’re tired of shooters, these games look very exciting and I can’t wait to get my hands on them.
