You read that right: Roblox has a mode that understands what made Call of Duty so popular in the first place, and it does it better than games like Modern Warfare 2. Of course, it doesn’t have nearly as many features, but the core of the game is more fun, and it’s easy to tell why.
This isn’t the only game like this either. Recently, BattleBit Remastered was released on Steam, and the game puts together a more true version of Battlefield that FPS fans have quickly fallen in love with. Much like the Frontlines game for Roblox, BattleBit had a small team of developers. With other games like XDefiant on the horizon as well, it’s time to start talking about why games like Roblox have a better understanding of these legendary FPS titles and what that means.
Roblox Frontlines Stays True to the COD Formula
So, what makes Frontlines in Roblox a better version of Call of Duty than the recent Modern Warfare 2? It’s simply all in the smallest features. Frontlines has red dots when players shoot, maps that are fun to play with three lane designs, and gunplay that doesn’t penalize movement.
The latest Call of Duty removes much of what made the most popular COD games so legendary. They were all about an arcade-like speed inside maps built with predictability in mind. Red dots ensured that players couldn’t just camp and perks like Ninja allowed people like me to move around the map without having to worry about someone using CIA-level headphones to hear me.
Modern Warfare 2 also severely limits movement speed. I don’t just mean the removal of slide canceling. I don’t care much for that mechanic either way. But adding movement penalties to sliding and jumping? Now the game is slower than the games were in 2009. MW2 is still fun to play, but it lacks a ton of the characteristics most fans want.
Related: Can You Play BattleBit Remastered On Steam Deck? – Answered
Games like Frontlines on Roblox acknowledge that Call of Duty players want to run around as fast as possible and string together some crazy killstreaks. Maps need to play well with a three-lane mindset. Most of the modern Call of Duty maps will never be requested to return by fans. They are much larger with tons of unpredictable vantage points. It only adds to the need for camping.
For some reason, Call of Duty is distancing itself from what made it so popular. Sure, the gunplay is still fantastic and the camo grinds are fun. None of that matters though when the game itself is lacking. Roblox has worse gunplay, and yet it mimics COD in a better way. Unfortunately, it’s not just COD facing this problem.
BattleBit Remastered Understands the Battlefield Formula
While Frontlines is proof that tiny games can pull off what Call of Duty refuses to implement anymore, there is another game making Battlefield look weak. BattleBit Remastered, a $15 game with Roblox-like graphics, is reproducing that chaotic fun from games like Battlefield 4 and Battlefield 1 that have been lost in the last couple of BF titles.
There are plenty of weapons to pick from, the standard classes that you expect to see in a BF title, tons of environmental destruction, and maps that can genuinely hold 100 players on each side. Players are jumping into these games, using the voice comms in the funniest ways possible, and just having fun in a sandbox.
That’s what Battlefield used to be, and like COD, the legendary franchise distanced itself from the values the community loved. As time has gone on, Battlefield 2042 has become much better, and the game is more fun than ever. But it still has much longer to go before reaching the height that a game like Battlefield 1 did. Players didn’t want empty maps, less destruction, and Specialists with abilities. They wanted more classic Battlefield in new settings. Battlefield 1 was proof of that concept.
XDefiant Has a Unique Opportunity Against Call of Duty
One more title that has truly challenged COD is XDefiant. Unlike Frontlines or Roblox though, XDefiant is gunning for many of the standard Call of Duty fans. I have been skeptical of the staying power that the Ubisoft shooter has, but the gameplay is great, and it also pulls off the classic arcade FPS fun we all want.
XDefiant is backed by Ubisoft, has developers that worked on past Call of Duty titles, and is working with fan feedback on a regular basis. They aren’t holding anything back so far. Prestige System ranks seem like they are on the way, maps feel more like classic COD than other current shooters, and the weapon feature is great. Plus there is a camo grind, which is a key staple for COD.
With so many games proving that Call of Duty has lost the plot, XDefiant now has a unique opportunity. The game is slated to launch in the Summer of 2023. If the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 title fails to deliver for all the same reasons I listed, we could see the first mass exodus to a COD rival. I’m still not entirely sold on that happening, but it certainly makes MW3 more interesting now.
There used to be three undeniable pillars of the arcade-like FPS genre: Halo, Battlefield, and Call of Duty. Each one of them has attempted to reach larger audiences than ever and missed the mark on the way there. As much as I critique these titles sometimes, I genuinely hope these smaller games are a wake-up call. Maybe in the next iterations of these titles, they can return to form.
If you decide to try out BattleBit Remastered yourself after reading this, then I highly recommend reading through our guide on who developed the game as well.
