By Matt Shatos

This fall marks the release of the successors to two of the biggest and most highly acclaimed first-person shooter video game franchises of all time.  Long standing rivals “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield” are both releasing their third modern titles and will be fighting head to head to win gamers’ time and money.

Currently, the “Call of Duty” franchise boasts the greatest number of sales in video game history and is the self-proclaimed “king” of online shooters.  “Because of this situation, Electronic Arts is aggressively showing off ‘Battlefield 3’ . . . [which] is part of an unbridled attempt to take on Activision’s ‘Call of Duty,’” says William O’Neil of @Gamer magazine.

 In an attempt to get a leg up on “Call of Duty,” “Battlefield” will be using a new engine specifically designed for the newest edition of the  game: Frostbite 2. “We wanted to create the most immersive and emotionally powerful battlefield game ever and we needed new technology to deliver on our vision,” says Patrick Bach, executive producer of “Battlefield 3.” This engine allows a 98% destructible battlefield, which may be just the weapon that is needed to take down “Call of Duty.”

Taking down this franchise will be no easy task, however, due to “Call of Duty’s” massive fan base and impressive new visuals. “You might start as a very traditional boots-on-the-ground guy, but then the next moment you’re piloting a sub; then maybe you’re controlling different types of air support. We always want the player to be doing something new and something they’ve never seen before,” says Robert Bowling of Infinity Ward, the company that developed “Call of Duty.”
While a good number of gamers are satisfied with the same tried-and-true “Call of Duty” gameplay, many others are suggesting it may be time to make the switch to something newer and more innovative.

“I’m sure we’ll still have some Hollywood-style set pieces in MW3, but the engine itself is getting old. Nothing that new has been done to make it seem like the series is keeping up (technically) with so many other games (i.e. Crysis 2). There’s a much more concentrated effort from Battlefield 3 to try something new, and ultimately that makes it the game I’m looking forward to over MW3,” says Mike Nelson, senior editor of mycheats.com, a video game cheats and strategy website.

Until these games are released, fans can only speculate on which game will win the battle.

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” –Available for Xbox 360; release Nov. 8; $59.99 “Battlefield 3” – Available for Windows, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, release Oct. 25, $59.95]