cuál es más homefront? MW3 or BF3

In the race to the bottom of the well of dimishing returns, two competitors run neck and neck this fall: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. While the MW franchise stems from a decade long tradition of Call of Duty games that initially featured robust and thrilling single player campaigns, BF has arguable never had a compelling single player experience outside of the Bad Company spin-offs. With the annualization of the COD series, MW3 follows the formula laid out by its's predecessor's and dials everything to 11. Set-pieces, sound design, and narrative are more incomprehensible and bombastic than ever and all within a bite-sized shell. BF3 clamps onto that formula like a lamprey, without ever understanding what originally made it interesting but again serves it up in a bite-sized format.

This creates a quandry-how does one measure these two blockbuster franchises in an era where the singleplayer experience has become the value add-on to the internet multiplayer experience? Also at time where game reviews generally offer neither critique nor consumer advocacy with any kind of reliability? Neither MW3 or BF3 earn $60 with the thin gruel of single-player they serve, leaving non-networked players out in the cold.

The only true measuring stick is a game from last year that copies many traits from the MW formula while sharing many of the technical issues that plague BF3.

Homefront

Telling a microscopic tale of North Korean invasion across of fractured United States, Homefront was rightly eviscerated in reviews. Its greatest sin, though, appears to be not having been developed by Infinity Ward/Sledgehammer/Raven etc for Publisher Activision (MW3) or DICE for Publisher EA (BF3). It's seems only fair to define a rating system by how much Homefront these two AAA blockbuster's bring.

The Ratings:

One Homefront point is alloted for each of the following, regardless of number of occurances

- the word "follow" appears over NPC teammates
- NPC teammates are required to trigger scripted events to allow the player to advance
- Quick time events
- Slow-motion moments where the player clears a room, saves a hostage, or kills a boss
- "cinematic" scripted events trot out cliches while the player non-interactively observes
- 4-6 hour completion time
- (Bonus) Press X to jump in mass grave

Let's see how our competitor's stack up:

Round 1-Opening sequences

The Underdog- Battlefield 3 (360)

Opening the one-two punch of a tutorial level on a subway train filled with terroists, BF3 earns two (2) !! HF points in the first ten minutes by devolving into both QTE's and slow-motion. Not  a good start.

The Baseline- Homefront (360)

Home front had non-interactive cinema AND "Follow" in it's opening few minutes as well as NPC triggered "gating" for a running total of three (3) HF in it's first 10 minutes.

 The King- Modern Warfare 3 (360)

MW3 picks up directly at the end of MW2, and opens quickly with a "Follow" for a HF as well as NPC triggered scripted events. In the openings of MW3 and BF3, both games tie but follow Homefront in Homefront points.

Round 1 Scores:

MW3        BF3         HF
    2             2              3


Round 2:

Both MW3 and Homefront have multiple mid-game slow-motion breach sequences, earning them an HF point. MW3 and Homefront break out the QTE's mid game, tying it with BF3 and earning another HF.  BF3 strikes back and earns HF by trotting out the "follow"s and gated scripted sequences requiring NPC's to advance.

BF3 dives deep into the non-interactive scriped events for the player to observe in awe and wonder, earning them one more HF but MW3 matches them blow for blow.

Round 2 Scores:

MW3        BF3         HF
    3             3              2


Round 3: The end

All three games wind down in less than 4-6 hours depending on difficulty, earning each title an HF.

Thankfully, only Homefront allows the player the press X to jump into a mass grave.

Round 3 Scores:

MW3        BF3         HF
    1             1              1+1

The Winner:

HOMEFRONT. Clearly only Homefront could be the ruler of Homefront's. Perhaps more startling, both MW3 and BF3 TIE at 6 HF each, which renders them nearly the full Homefront experience.

The Loser:  Gamers and their lost $60.