Halo vs. COD

Alright, a whole lot of people seem to be going on about the topic of "Which is better, Halo or COD?" Frankly, this debate is highly unsubstantial, seeing as how fanboys(and girls, but mostly guys) seem to be deathly loyal to their selected game. As a result of this loyalty I imagine that these people would play the other game with little interest and an atmosphere of total rejection. However, I believe that there is a lot more towards this squabble than the contemporary "X game sucks, Y is so much better", where X is the opposing game and Y is the subject of fan-dom.

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First let's take a look at the mechanics. The Halo games puts the players in the shoes of a Spartan(or Elite or ODST, depending on the game), a larger-than-life supersoldier capable of meting out pain to all who stand in his way. Call of Duty, however, leaves the players in the middle of a more realistic war as a soldier. Immediately, there is a difference in how the game mechanics work. Halo's players have shields that must be depleted before damage to the body can be made. Especially in multiplayer, this aspect makes it necessary for opponents to chuck a few extra shots in order to bring down the shields. COD, on the other hand, has more true-to-life gameplay where even two or three shots can kill a player.

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Now let's move on to customization ability. Both games offer some form of player customization. In Halo, this comes in two flavors. First, players can unlock different armor permutations through the campaign and use them in multiplayer. In addition they can set identification codes to their gamertag, simplifying communications during play. Second, different custom game modes and maps can be created. This provides virtually unlimited possibilities in regard to custom games that players can have.

COD provides its players with less custom game oriented features, but more standard gameplay customizations. Similar to Halo's ID code, clan tags can be attached to a player's name and can ease identification of groups of players in-game. COD also allows players to customize which weapon and equipment sets(dubbed classes) that they can take into battle. This ultimately gives the players unlimited choices on how they play the game.

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These are all the aspects I want to emphasize as of this moment. The sheer length of this post shows the different similarities and differences that the two games have. However, it is totally up to the players themselves which game they can place their favor upon. I myself have been a fan of Halo games from Halo 3 onwards. That, however, does not mean that I hate Call of Duty. In fact, I enjoy playing it with my friends here and there. I just feel that Halo 3's custom game capabilities(forge to be more specific) are aspects that degrade CoD's overall appeal.