Modern Warfare 2 Vs Battlefield Bad Company 2: Which Boasts The Better Online Experience?

Battlefield Bad Company 2 is Modern Warfare 2's biggest competition in terms of FPS online multiplayer gameplay. What are the differences between the two? And more importantly - which is better?

[Pandamobile]

BC2 is better in just about every way.

[captain-obvious]

BC2 is far better

[-Alpha]

I actually disagree and I think it depends on what you are looking for. I prefer MW2 to play with friends. It's just a better social game. In BC2 I can't even invite more than 3 friends. I play MW2 locally for Co-Op, and I am a BIG fan of Local Multiplayer. BC2 just doesn't have it.

Everything is better when you play with friends, even MW2, and I find the lack of party options a huge letdown in BC2.

Despite its many faults I enjoy MW2. I don't play it on the XBL and have only ran into glitches or hacks once or twice on the PSN. I find that the game has gotten a bad reputation for its multiplayer-- people make it sound like every game is unplayable, and that's just not true.

I've hated MW2 for many reasons, but I always go back to it, and a lot of my friends do too. The core gameplay is just fun, it's responsive, it's twitchy, it's fast-paced, and I like it.

BC2 is a great game, but very different. I don't think it's fair to compare. I enjoy BC2 a lot too.

People fault MW2 for being too fast or too small but that's the design choice. And I enjoy that style. Yeah, maps aren't as big but they are not supposed to. I enjoy both games.

I still think Infinity Ward dropped the ball. I still think they didn't live up to their legacy from CoD4. But I enjoy MW2, and believe me guys, I hated it and blasted it too, but I enjoy playing it, and I can't say I don't and I can't say I hate it if I find myself playing it so much. I always play with my hardcore, addicted friends and it's so fun with them.

I'd like to hear though, some of the problems you guys have with MW2. Personally I hate the commando pro and I hate Stopping Power because it's overpowered. But I'd like to know the main reasons people hate it so much. Not trashing your opinions, I likely share the same faults you do, but I'd like to know why people are so turned off by it.

[zireno]

Well it's not that I hate MW2 but I'll give you my reasons why I think BC2 is better.

1.little to no camping
2.destructible environments
3.huge maps
4.team work
5.no perks (actually I do hate this point in MW2, you could argue that BC2 has perks too by unlocking red dot sights and so on, but that doesn't give you an unfair advantage with other players, and the weapons are very well balanced)

That sums about all the things why I think BC2 is better :)

[-Alpha]

1. I agree, but camping is not THAT bad. Campers rarely win games, and it's easy with killcams to spot campers and flush them out if you want. Campers are usually out of the action, I also think camping is a good tactic to watch certain areas. It's a good way to stop those running classes too IMO. But I agree with general camping.

2.destructible environments

True, but again, I think this is more of a design choice. Most games DON'T have destructible environments and do just as fine. I wouldn't mind seeing a little destruction though.

3.huge maps

Again, design choice.

4.team work

Actually, I have found teamwork limited in BC2. You can only talk to your squad and that BLOWS. I have used GREAT teamwork in MW2 and I think this is completely false. Teamwork exists in MW2, it's just not forced like in BC2, and when it's forced, the fate of a game lies in the players. I hate relying on bad teammates. I use communication so much better in MW2. My mates and I lay down awesome tactics. MW2 is played as a lone wolf game because you don't HAVE to rely on teammates, but trust me, I do not exaggerate when I say that I win 99% of my games when I play with my buds. It's the most fun when we play with other clans, and it's so much simpler to play with this kind of competitive edge that you cannot get in games like BC2.

5.no perks

Perks exist in BC2, plain and simple. They even have the traditional extra damage and extra health. Perks exist, and many games use them. I don't understand why MW2 gets all the hate when games like UC2, BC2, etc. use them too. Halo is the only big game I know that doesn't use perks, but hell, even they started to do so with Reach.

Now, I'm not trying to shoot you down, but I think most of the complaints with MW2 are a bit over-exaggerated, misunderstood, or unfairly placed (and in your case, some of them are personal preferences). I just think that the internet community's major perspective on MW2 isn't reflected in how the game is actively played, and I want to defend MW2 because I think it gets way too much hate. It's PlayStation's, (and currently XBL's) biggest and most popular multiplayer, and I've seen many different kinds of gamers play it and I think there is a fair reason for that.

[zireno]

yeah it's true, like I said, I don't hate MW2 it's a fun game, but it all comes down to personal preferences and for me BC2 is the way to go, I can still have fun with MW2 because like you said I haven't experienced all those glitches people complain about (not that they don't exist) but I like the openness of the maps in BC2

[BattleAxe]

MW2 is my preference. Way more game modes, way more maps and way more weapons and customizations. Co-op was free and came with 23 mission. MW2 is nowhere near as laggy as BC2.

Most of the bugs and glitches were on PC and 360, so fortunately I play on PS3 and haven't had any problems.

[cyborg6971]

BC2 was so laggy the last two months, however something must have been done cause the las few nights have been lag free for me. That lagless gameplay will make BC2 better than mw2 any day. You have to use some skill like lead the target "yourself" not aim assist.

[fossilfern]

100% agree

[Downtown boogey]

BC2 better in every way... Except for EVERY WAY!
Owned!

EDIT: no wait...

EDIT 2: D'OH!

[zireno]

I don't know if it's just me, but after playing BC2 I just can't go back to MW2 :/ I mean after BC2 the maps on MW2 feel just too small... extremely small, and after watching an airstrike or a UAV missile and all the buildings or structures intact like nothing happened it's just meh ... MW2 is fun, but BC2 is way better IMO.

[hoops]

This should not even be an article. BC2 in everyway is superior.

[AAACE5]

I can't really give a good opinion because I only played the demo of BC 2!

To me, BC 2 is more realistic, yet on the same note, it is kinda boring to me because I have played Battlefield games for a while and the formula feels old and slow!

No need to hate me, I just like games to be a bit quicker and exciting!

[jjohan35]

Bad Company 2 gets old after you hit level 30. I also don't like how I have to kill an entire squad otherwise they keep spawning on top of each other. The game turns out to be me versus 8 guys because they each respawn on each other. For some reason I had more fun in Battlefield 1943 than Bad Company 2, and I think it had to do with map design choice and simplicity.

For some reason MW2 doesn't get old even after you prestige. I don't mind the killstreaks or perks in MW2 since there's a way to get around each one. However I do think the respawn system is broken when the guy I just killed respawns behind me.

[iamnsuperman]

BFBC 2 is better in every way except you can't go prone

[Downtown boogey]

And that one texture behind a certain tree... OUCH!
2-*everything* for MW2-BC2

[BakedGoods]

Prone leads to run-prone-shoot gaming (see Battlefield 2). CoD is too fast paced for prone to break the game, but in BC2 it would be murder.

Thank Jesus, our lord and saviour almighty, for no prone.

[mrv321]

I don't think prone is used as much as you'd believe in the military. I know there's some military guys but the idea of going from a run to prone so quick would hurt when carrying such heavy weight equipment it isn't strongly advised as knocks can I assume cause a misfire of a gun.

Prone is used in a defensive situation, will a crouch is more of a general thing so long as the protection is there. Well that's what I'm guessing... I could be wrong.

[Saryk]

I think that would be comparing Apples to Oranges.
I don’t like not having LAN ability or having dedicated servers.

BC2 is slower paced, bigger maps, but has vehicles.
MW2 has smaller maps, no vehicles, but fast paced.
Both have those special unlocks and different PvP match types.

Depending on my mood, I could go either way. If I needed a quick match and limited time, I would go MW2, but if I had time to waste and wanted to play awhile I would go BC2.

[ddurand1]

Yes.

Someone finally gets it.

[itchy18]

well explained sir.

[Brixxer600]

I'd definitely say that BFBC2 is better online than MW2 but that's just my personal preferance.

[madmonkey0]

BFBC2 is by far the better game, both offline and online, and one added bonus is that it doesnt have millions of screaming fangirls and therfore does not get over hyped by the media.

[AliTheBrit19]

I know I will get disagree'd to hell for this

But I've always found COD more fun, the same with MW2

You can just jump on and play and have fun, BF2 is more of a long dedication kind of thing.

[BubblesDAVERAGE]

is the better game

[sealion88]

only bad thing about BF2 is that only 3 other friends can join your squad. If i want to play in quicker games ill go with mw2

[pimpmaster]

i guess im alone here when i say i like mw2 better. i bought bc2 and played it for like a month but it gets repedative after a while. theres only 2 'real' modes with the other 2 being really dumb and not fun.

[ANeuteredDog]

I don't think you were playing MW2 because that was REALLY repetitive

[BattleAxe]

Yeah, I mean all 23 Co-op missions, 26 maps if you have both map packs and 12 game modes sure do get repetative compared to BC2's 8 maps and 5 game modes.

[JeffGUNZ]

I agree 100% with you. I did the same thing. I got battlefield and played it for about a month and just got sick of it. I always come back to playing MW2. It's addicting and just plain fun. I think BFBC2 is a great game, but I personally enjoy MW2 online experience more.

[HDgamer]

Rapes MW2

[SuperbVillain]

both got boring fast.MW 2-noob party BC2- No maps fucked it up for me.

[SuperbVillain]

to the disagrees,it's cool, everyone is entitled to their own opinion...I would still be playing BC2 everyday if they had more maps and not variations of the same maps in different game modes -.-....my favorite map was arica harbor

[Ares84PS3]

Every normal person knows that BF2 walks all over MW2.

[theonlylolking]

You mean BC2 or BFBC2 because BF2 is battlefield 2.

[Ares84PS3]

I meant Battlefield Bad Company 2

[Dannehkins]

I have to agree. Modern Warfare 2 is more preferably when I am looking for a quick match online, but if that is taken out of the equation, Bad Company 2 is undoubtedly, in my humble opinion, the best experience. Nothing compares to having dedicated servers and the peer to peer system that Call of Duty uses has really dampened my opinion of Modern Warfare 2.

[theonlylolking]

Battlefield Bad Company 2

[XsteveJ]

Well, between the two, I would have to say Bad Company 2...minus the server issues. It's just more appealing to me, I prefer the more realistic approach to the battlefield. I've enjoyed the COD series (up until MW2 that is) but I still think Bad Company 2 offers more fun, at least to me.

However, I really enjoy MAG. Although that obviously wasn't a choice.

[M-Easy]

MAG is the obvious winner

[StarScream4Ever]

BC2

Find it much more enjoyable seeing a noob attempting to fly a chopper, take a nose dive, took out 3 guys on ground and crash into a T-90 then explode.

^ Battlefield moment right there.

[Sandwich Bender]

BC2 definitely has those moments that make it amazing.

[RagTagBnd445]

They are two different games, however it is too easy too camp in MW2 and it is lagging too much.

[solar]

for me BC2. i dont like how unsatisfying it is killing someone only for them to drop a grenade or shoot me with a pistol on the ground. or the pro-camping perk of computer AI killing machines.

[cond3m3r]

hmm i like both really, but they both have their flaws (you can argue if these are really flaws). i like BC2 b/c of the destructible terrain and buildings that really offset campers, but i like MW2 b/c theres a bit more variety in missions and fast pace. vehicles in BC2 is fun and isnt too cheap...bc2 is slower pace but theres a lot of teamwork involved than just killing off the enemy a bunch of times. These two games really cant be compared cuz they both have some great qualities. ill just say i play bc2 more than mw2 cuz i get irritated by campers and noobtubers =\

[Solans Scott]

It depends on an individual's personal preferences. Both games could not be more different but enjoyable in their own way. That being said I tend to prefer Call of Duty games better because of the intensity and pacing of the single player campaign and Battlefield games because of "realism" of the multiplayer component.

[DoucheVader]

"Unlike Modern Warfare 2 online you cannot talk to whomever you wish – in Battlefield you can only converse with whomever is in your squad."

If you are not in a squad you can speak with everyone else on your team NOT in a squad. But you have no idea who is talking though.

[cpuchess]

For me the large maps and the vehicles give BFBC2 the advantage here. These two things make the game feel more like a real war environment.

Now when Battlefield 3 comes along then we will have something better than either one of them.

[Gago]

MetaCritic:

MW2- 94
BC2- 88

Sales:

MW2- 19 million (not counting PC)
BC2- 4.18 (including PC)

And heres the real kicker: MW2 is the most played multiplayer game on 360, ps3 and PC!

Cry more n00bs

[solar]

lemmings are lemmings. lemming.

[Eiffel]

People purchasing a gimped title from pure popularity without acknowledging quality nor issues. Never happened before..

/s

Battlefield > Call Of Duty

Quality, Quality, Quality.

[Gago]

do you even know what your yapping about?

COD games have been extremely popular since COD1
if it sucked why would it get AAA reviews and millions of sales

if they online is that bad as you make it out to be then the game would have little to no online base, yet it is the most played online shooter

[Eiffel]

Gago, I don't speak sheep. It's popular because it's an easy shooter, it's popular because it takes little to no skill, it's popular because people can cheat and suffer no fault due to over excessive amount of uncontrolled glitching, it's popular because people like you are sheep.

What you fail to understand is the same moral issue review sites and journalist fail to see. The game was given high scores by default, it's the hype method that most shitty popular games are given. Compared to other games that put forth more quality and extensive work into their games yet get shafting scores because it didn't meet the gullible mainstream.

To me Call Of Duty has always been the dry turd that gets too much credit than it deserves. Battlefield runs circles around it.

"Cry more noob"

[bjornbear]

and because it got a higher score?

you are officially a sheep. follow the followers following followers following you

[Chestercopperpot]

I think its safe to say Battlefield is a better game. The destructable environments make this a must have. It raises the bar and other games without it just seem CHEAP...cheaper than a cracked-out midget hooker with a cleft lip and a lisp. BUY THIS GAME

[EL Lanf]

Well, I certainly prefer the Battlefield series over CoD, though the bad company games are so much more like CoD compared to their predecessors. Where are the huge sprawling urban maps like Strike at Karkand? BC2 takes place in towns and villages, really, and the maps sometimes feel small in comparison to BC2. Granted the greater customisation borrowed from COD adds depth, but sometimes more simplified things are balanced and promote class team-based play more, than being a jack of all trades.

Personally, I've gone off the COD series, especially after repeated kicks in the groin to PC gamers. I do like playing games on the console though, even if purely because most of my friends do, but it'd be nice for Battlefield to stick truer to its roots and be on the console. 64 player maps on the consoles anyone? I know MAG did it, but its hard to deny that battlefield can do it better.

Its getting hard to bash on MW2 if BC2 is much more like it than its predecessors. I think both series should go back to the drawing board. The FPS genre needs to envolve and refine itself before it becomes too stagnant. If you think about it, what did either game do that was new? MW2 mainly tried expanding upon COD4, and BC2 refined the destruction engine that existed in BC1, and borrowed a little more from other games and basically made it better. Either they should both come up with new mechanics, or borrow from other great mechanics that some games have tooted. What about the amazing fire mechanic in Farcry 2? Would it not be great for a house to not only start being destroyed by explosions, but to catch fire too, causing it to collapse, then start to spread? Also, a kinda niche PC FPS title, Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising, despite its flaws, had a lot of good ideas. How about weight of your loadout to play a factor? Want to move faster? Try only packing 2 mags, not 10. This also allows another factor of guns to come into play. Want to be a fast moving sniper to change positions often? Don't pick the Barrett .50 cal. Why not let us move freely inside larger vehicles like blackhawks? Battlefield could benefit from vehicles like the blackhawk being used for more paratrooping operations, than a support platform.

FPS's have a lot of good ideas floating about in them, but theres few mainstay titles, and only the features in them seem to receive general adoption, its time the genre started taking greater influences from rivals, good and bad.

[xg-ei8ht]

A friend recently lent me mw2 and here's a couple of things i like, some i hate.

It's well set out, with many options for both weapons, stats, and just about every type of match.

Searching for games is quick and painless.

Now as i am a noob to this game i can't comment to much on aim etc.

But there is autoaim slightly, but while playing tonight i'm sure i noticed cheats.

I know it goes on in just about every online game ever made.

the 60fps is nice, but killz have no feel, it's just a quick fire, slight lockon and dead. In BFBC2 i feel like i've earned the kill, strange but true.

Alot of camping with ppl on very high ranks, It's too arcady for me.

I think BFBC2 is better game, but MW2 has some nice features.

[N4OGs]

This is basically what this gen is about. The best game doesn't win or matter. The game that has the most of your main stream, casual gaming noob friends on it does. I'm sick of that because gaming is taking steps back and crap developers are getting more sales then good developers. I don't like that because I am a gamer and it is my hobby. The hobby gets destroyed once you people start letting the people who don't know crap about games, make the decisions on what games you should buy rather then the other way around.

If I took all your friends and put them on BFBC2 that is the game you would be playing right now and praising is what it sounds like to me for some of you. If what games your friends are playing is how you choose games I dont think your opinions on anything gaming related are relevant at all as you are just an extension/ follower of your friends. Its cool to play with friends and such but if a game is better im going to say its better and im going to play it because i like the best games.

I enjoy BFBC2 more then MW2 because BFBC2 is the better game and they deserve the hype and praise. Thats what I give to the better games. You would never here me speak of MW2 ever. If all my friends were playing MW2 id play with them but I wouldn't dare give MW2 any more hype etc because it doesn't deserve it. You only making it so much easier for the crap company to rip more and more people off with rehashes. Stop promoting the worst games people.

If you not a gamer and don't care about gaming and like crap quality games then fine. Say that you like non game related features more then the game and that you just a mainstream gamer who likes to play with friends regardless of the games quality to other games.

How about we try to leave the quality of games high and intact guys. slobbering all over MW2 with your casual friends and letting the devs and company's rip more people of and cheat us is not a good start.

[bjornbear]

MW2 to me felt plastic-cheap, and very "slippery".

BFBC2 is very solid and has a good weight to it, not to mention bullet drop which adds a LOT to the experience.

and everything else too.

hands down, BF:BC2 =3

[gcolley]

no comparison old game versus new game. BC2 all the way. MW2 is the same COD for the last 10 years with very little evolution.