By Landon Stokes and Rio Duran
In the world of gaming there is a lot of pressure to be the “best” first-person shooter that satisfies the needs of the casual gamers and die hard gamers alike.
This gaming season, the two main contenders that are fighting for the title. Black Ops 3 and Star Wars: Battlefront is two of the most anticipated first-person shooters of the year. And when they both come out within two weeks of each other there is a lot of discussion on which one is the best.
On one hand you have every Star Wars fan’s dream with Battlefront, and on the other hand you have Black Ops, the latest installment on the Call of Duty franchise and the pinnacle of competitive first-person shooters. Both of these games are fun but only one can be considered the best
Black Ops 3 has fast-paced combat and is ready for you to jump into even if you aren’t a fan of the others. While it does follow the standard recipe for Call of Duty games it follows it because it works. You still have a wide variety of weapons, maps, and scorestreaks as well as new editions like specialists, the new special classes that provide powerful abilities. This Call of Duty has one of the most unique weapon selections that you can use in all of your favorite game modes that they carried over from the previous installments. No matter what your gaming preference is, there is a game mode that can satisfy your needs. Anyone can jump right in and get going with the game.
The only downside to the game is that it’s small in scale to Battlefront, meaning that the maps in Black Ops don’t even compare to the vast size of those in Battlefront. Some might find that the maps are repetitive and boring after a while. Because of the mass amount of people playing the game it is more likely that you will find people that you don’t want to play with, like tryhards or annoying 10-year-olds. With the small game size you will know who you are playing with, and it will be easier to get annoyed at them.
While the 2015 release of Star Wars: Battlefront isn’t the strongest entry into the Battlefront franchise, the game does bring a quality shooter experience to the first-person shooter (FPS) table. Plus, it’s a Star Wars themed shooter, and it doesn’t get much better than that.
When it comes to gameplay and controls, Battlefront 2015 is second to none. DICE, the developer, is well known for it’s Battlefield series of games and hectic, yet organized third and first person gameplay with tight controls; Battlefront 2015 is no different. Stable, 60 frames-per-second gameplay combined with tight controls, and a wide range of camera sensitivity options come together to provide a solid, enjoyable gameplay experience. Furthermore, Battlefront 2015 does an amazing job at recreating an authentic Star Wars experience, as I highlighted in my Battlefront 2015 review (see print issue). Finally, Battlefront 2015 is incredibly fun. Massive, 20v20 team battles over land objectives or air battles set over iconic Star Wars locations beat out regular shooter maps any day.
Battlefront 2015 doesn’t come shipped with much content for a $60 game, and the multiplayer experience is rather shallow when compared to similar priced first-person shooters released this year. Sure there are unlockable items, abilities, and costumes for your character, but none of these items offer a deep, customizable multiplayer experience. The unlockable guns do encompass an array of play styles as well as strengths and weaknesses, but the extra abilities boil down to little more than “use-to-kill-the-guy-faster,” and the perks available only tailor to a couple specific playstyles. Additionally, the customization options are a bit superfluous at best. Sure, they’re nice to if you’re an aesthetic-minded person like me, but the gunplay of Battlefront 2015 is much easier to do in first person. What’s the point of customizing your character if you’re never going to see it? Finally, there aren’t that many planets to play on in Battlefront 2015, and there is $50 worth of DLC planned for the game, bringing a full, complete Battlefront experience to a whopping $110.
Although arguments can be made as to what the best FPS released this season is, the debate really boils down to personal preference. Both Black Ops III and Battlefront 2015 have their strengths and weaknesses, but the reality of the situation is the games are tailored to slightly different audiences. Fans of fast, chaotic, and adrenaline-pumped combat will most likely favor the action of Black Ops III, while players who prefer large-scale battles with large objectives and slightly more methodical gameplay might gravitate towards Battlefront. The pros and cons of each game have been presented to you, and now it’s your job to think on which shooter best appeals to you as a player when making your buying decision.
