There’s  arguably only two game developer juggernauts currently on the Xbox 360: Bungie and Infinity Ward. Each developer’s top games have been topping each other ever since Call of Duty 4 hit shelves, and with the new games comes new communities. New gamers. And there’s a big difference between the two. I’ve played both COD4, Halo 4, and Modern Warfare 2 online and off. Single player wise, Infinity Ward wipes the floor with Halo. But we’re talking about the online community here. And, in my opinion, this is where Halo outshines its mortal enemy.

Let’s start with Modern Warfare. When playing online, it’s all about the kills. Even on game sets like Domination and Search and Destroy. Supposed teammates are only focused on racking up those kills. It seems that everyone’s intent on being a lone wolf. Remember that multiplayer video IF came out with before Modern Warfare 2 released? That’s the best you’ll ever see online. And then there’s the language. You couldn’t hear more racial, sexist, and orientation slurs if you tried. This goes for all online games, of course, but it seems that Modern Warfare is a larger offender than most.

So then I went back to Halo 3, and I was surprised. The multiplayer on Halo has a completely different mood, gamers, and feeling. Halo isn’t grounded in reality, obviously, so it isn’t twoshotsboomurdead. You can get killed by a freakin’ traffic cone. So it’s really fun when crazy stuff happens, like taking down a Banshee with your battle rifle, or landing a sticky on someone’s head from across the map. And when you end up talking to one of your teammates (at least for me) it can start as a regular conversation, and encouraging words (We’re gonna own these noobs, you and me).  I’ve met lots of strangers that I’ve had a blast playing with simply because we acted like a real team, calling out enemy locations, vehicles, etc. 

Every game is going to have a different audience with different tastes and play styles. Nothing will be the same. But there are some that are better than others. And, in my opinion, Halo wins this round.