Activision’s Call of Duty franchise has been a hit ever since Infinity Ward came out with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Perhaps the series did well beyond Activision’s expectations on the consoles where the series’ dominates the online multiplayer. Call of Duty has always been sold like hot cakes not just for its single-player campaign but for its fun and immersive multiplayer component as well. Xbox platform has enjoyed timed-exclusive DLCs of Call of Duty as Xbox Live has been the preferred platform of the gamers to play the games online and seeing how smooth the online experience is of Xbox Live, it is no surprise that Activision would, of course, give Xbox platform the priority with its Call Of Duty franchise. Call of Duty games have always enjoyed 60 frames per second across their games to ensure fast and smooth online experience.

Titanfall is a brand new IP developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by EA, which is going to be console-exclusive to Xbox platform; Xbox One and Xbox 360, and will also see the release on the PC. Titanfall is a multiplayer-only title with single-player elements. First shown at Microsoft’s E3 2013 press-conference, Titanfall has received critical acclaim for its step forward in multiplayer gaming and has been called Microsoft’s “killer app” for the Xbox One. Titanfall fall is scheduled to be released next year in March 2014. Players fight each other on a derelict and war-torn planet, as a member of one of the factions; the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC) or the Militia, to complete team-based objectives. They can battle each other on foot as “free-running” pilots or inside agile mecha-style walkers known as the “Titans”.

Respawn Entertainment is founded by ex-employees of Infinity Ward, Jason West and Vince Zampella, who were fired by Activision for “breach of contract and insubordination”. Following the departure of West and Zampella, many of the Infinity Ward’s staff who worked on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, resigned and abruptly left Infinity Ward. Many of the ex-employees of the Infinity Ward later revealed that they have signed on to work with Respawn Entertainment.

With the new Call of Duty game set to be released at launch with the next-generation consoles and Titanfall expected to be released in March 2014, it is a battle of titans indeed with former and new crew of Infinity Ward. Call of Duty franchise has been compared with Battlefield franchise at every turn, whether it was in terms of single-player campaign or multiplayer. EA’s Battlefield series has always been a choice for the hardcore gamers whereas gamers who fall between casual and hardcore didn’t enjoy Battlefield much, possibly because Call of Duty already established its position and was dominant on the consoles whereas Battlefield series has been a favourite of gamers on the PC for its high-visuals and eye candy and huge multiplayer maps. EA finally found a footing to rival Activision’s Call of Duty franchise on the consoles, with Titanfall. We’ll discuss the multiplayer of both the games and which game looks like it will take the crown; the champion, Call of Duty, or the challenger and newcomer, Titanfall.

Call of Duty: Ghosts – Multiplayer

We see a new Call of Duty game every year. There are two studios at the moment who have been working on the Call of Duty franchise. First one is the Infinity Ward, who are widely known for their work on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the second studio is Treyarch who worked on Call of Duty: Black Ops series in the recent times. Even with two different studios working on the Call of Duty franchise, the core of the multiplayer component has remained the same.

Character Customization

This time around, Call of Duty: Ghosts will offer a new experience to hardcore players of the series. Right of the bat, players will be able to create a soldier with over 20,000 different customization options offered to customize your soldier’s appearance. In addition to the customization features offered, players can also play as a female character, a first time for the series. Players can create up to 10 different soldiers, each of which will earn XP toward Prestige. Deathstreaks from the previous Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 have been eliminated.

Perks

There are now more Perks than the previous installments, which can be attached to your soldier. Players will earn token as they gain XP which can be spent on numerous things such as weapons, tactical equipment and Perks. Attachments and Killstreaks will cost nothing to choose.

A total of 35 Perks have been divided across seven categories:

• Speed
• Handling
• Stealth
• Awareness
• Resistance
• Equipment
• Elite

Players are free to mix and match Perks across different categories for their soldier but with a limit of eight Perks per soldier. Perks can cost between one to five points. If a player chooses not to have a secondary weapon, this choice will grant the player additional three points to spend on Perks.

Strike Packages

Assault Strike Packages have also been outlined by Activision. These packages are based on consecutive kills and are reset by death:

• Sat Com – Utilize satellite communications to relay enemy movements. Drop multiple Sat Coms on the map for enhanced reads on enemy locations.
• Guard Dog – Your Combat dog will warn you when there are nearby enemies and take out ones that got the jump on you.
• Maniac – Call in advanced juggernaut armor via Care Package; this knife expert forgoes guns in favor of a high-speed melee attack.

The following are the Support Strike Packages which are also based on consecutive kills but these do not reset upon a player’s death:

• Night Owl – An advanced companion drone that detects enemies based on proximity and protects you from explosives.
• MAAWS – Lase targets to guide missiles from the free-fire shoulder mounted rocket launcher.
• Helo Scout – Provide sniper support for your team aboard a controllable helicopter.

In addition to these two Strike Packages is a third one called Specialist Strike Package which was featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and is now also featured in Call of Duty: Ghosts. This package will earn you more Perks with the more consecutive kills you get.

Dynamic Map Events & Seven New Game Modes

Lastly Call of Duty: Ghosts offers seven new game modes for the players, bringing the total of game modes offered to eleven:

• Search and Rescue: Similar to Search and Destroy, however this time teammates can revive each other.
• Cranked: Kills provide new abilities, but starts a countdown clock. Kill again before the timer runs out, or risk exploding.
• Blitz: Breach the enemy goal line, while defending your own. A similar mode to Capture the Flag.

Activision has stated again that Call of Duty: Ghosts will feature Dynamic Map Events. These events can change the shape of the battlefield and range from player-triggered traps to map-changing events.

Activision believes that Dynamic Map Events will “allow gamers to strategically redirect the action and transform the map to deliver new levels of strategy and gameplay.”

Titanfall – Multiplayer

Titanfall will mark Respawn Entertainment’s debut in the gaming industry with the title being developed by Respawn Entertainment for PC and Xbox One platforms. Xbox 360 version of the game is not being developed by Respawn Entertainment but rather a separate, unannounced team.

Titanfall will feature traditional multiplayer matches between two opposing teams. Players, know in-game as “Pilots”, choose their pilot type and are dropped on the map at the beginning of the game. A timer is then displayed on the screen which indicates the time remaining until a Titan can be deployed. This timer can be reduced by completing objectives or by earning kills or a combination of both. Pilots are agile on foot, armed with jetpacks, pilots can run on walls and make double jumps to make it across a place. When a Titan is deployed, a forcefield surrounds and protects the Titan as well as the pilot for about 30 seconds. Titans cannot jump, crouch or take cover. The controls for the Titan are identical to a pilot’s except that a pilot’s double jump becomes a Titan’s dash. There are multiple types of Titans, each with their own unique abilities and animations. Certain Titan game-balancing abilities include Vortex Blocker, which stops enemy fire in mid-air and returns it, and electrified smoke, which hurts and rebels pilots trying to climb a Titan’s back. Pilots can eject from Titans as well when it has taken too much damage and the timer for Titan’s deployment is reset upon the Titan’s death. Not only that but pilots can eject at any time from the Titan. The Titan will then follow the player around supporting in killing enemies and can be piloted back again.

Game Modes

So far only one game mode has been confirmed for Titanfall, titled “Hardpoint”. Hardpoint is a territorial control mode with three control points. You gain points for controlling the objective, in the end the team with the most points win the match.

Weapons & Equipment

Pilots on foot are not completely vulnerable to Titans as they can be armed with heavy weapons such as Rocket Launchers. Below you will find a list of weapons and equipment confirmed for Titanfall:

• R-101
• Sidewinder AT-SMR
• Titan XO-16
• Titan Arc Cannon
• Titan Rocket Launcher
• Smart Pistol
• Satchel
• Titan Vortex Blocker
• Titan 40mm

The R-101 is a standard issued rifle for the pilots and it packs 30 rounds per magazine. The Sidewinder is an anti-Titan rapid-fire rocket launcher with a 10-round magazine. The XO-16 is a Titan heavy-bullet rifle with an 80-round magazine. Titan Vortex Blocker can grab enemy projectiles in mid-air and return them to the enemy.

Factions

The Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC)

A mega-corporation built on Titan manufacturing materials, planetary survey technology and map database rights. Seeing the Frontier as a ripe for exploitation, the IMC is dedicated to maximizing their profits and shareholder wealth and will not shy away from the legal application of force when necessary.

The Militia

A citizens army representing the military arm of the Frontier systems’ territorial defense pact. The Militia is comprised of a loosely governed mishmash of homesteaders, bandits, mercenaries and pirates. They are opposed to the IMC who they believe does not act in the best interest of the Frontier locals.

Titanfall will feature better player survivability than similar games like Call of Duty so that new players who are getting the hang of the game aren’t frustrated by constant dying. Also to counter this, multiplayer modes will be filled with AI opponents called “Marvins”. These AI opponents are easy to kill so that players can achieve and maintain a steady rate of kills. Titanfall injects single-player elements into its multiplayer aspects such as character chatter, entry/exit gameplay sequences and non-playable characters (NPCs) just to name a few. Titanfall has been described as bringing “scale, verticality and story” to FPS multiplayer gaming by Respawn Entertainment’s co-founder Vince Zampella.

On one hand we have a veteran series by the name of Call of Duty which improves upon the formula used yearly by the franchise for multiplayer gaming. On the other hand we have a fresh new experience packaged together in Titanfall, by veteran staff responsible for earlier Call of Duty games. With the already amazing online experience provided by Call of Duty to which fans and hardcore gamers have grown accustomed to, Call of Duty: Ghosts will feel right at home for them. With unique fresh experience developed far better on top of Call of Duty, Titanfall is the critically acclaimed next-generation multiplayer title and the winner of over 60 awards at E3 2013. Only time will tell if Titanfall has what it takes to really live up to its name and make the Titans of the online multiplayer gaming on consoles, fall.

Recently both the games were subject to rumors that the resolution for both these games is 720p on the Xbox One. This enraged the gaming community again as to why the resolution is pretty low on a next-generation console which promises 1080p games. Ryse: Son of Rome was subject to the same criticism to which Cevat Yerli, Crytek’s CEO and President responded that the game is indeed 900p natively but the Xbox One’s upscaler is pretty advanced and it upscales the game to 1080p without any difference when compared to native 1080p. This rumor, if pans out, may cause many to ‘bail’ out on the next-gen version of the game on the consoles and might wait for a better port on other platforms or simply go for the PC version.

Call of Duty: Ghosts will be released on November 5 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. The next-gen versions of the game will be available at launch for PlayStation 4 on November 15 and the Xbox One on November 22. Titanfall on the other hand releases on March 11, 2014 for PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. Respawn Entertainment hasn’t denied the possibility of the game appearing on other platforms.

Which game are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments below.