How does the new mobile Call of Duty stack up against the competition? let’s take a look…
vs Black Ops 4
Ok, clearly this is an unfair match up, but in all honesty Black Ops 4 is the closest console comparison for COD Mobile, which speaks to how ambitious COD Mobile is.
Despite not having a campaign, Black Ops 4 had one of the best multiplayer experiences, stripping out some of the complexities, slowing down the action, and taking the series multiplayer back to basics. On top of bringing multiplayer back to its roots, Black Ops 4 also debuted the first COD battle royale mode: Blackout. What was especially cool about Blackout is that it wove many classic COD multiplayer maps into one cohesive map.
While it doesn’t have the same visual and audio quality as Black Ops 4, COD Mobile has much of the same gameplay. It’s multiplayer mode is pure COD, and it’s battle royale mode is essentially Blackout. Being mobile puts it one step ahead of Black Ops 4 though, since now you can get your COD fix anytime anywhere.
It’s hard to directly compare Black Ops 4 to COD Mobile, but since Black Ops 4’s servers are mainly populated with hardcore gamers at this point, COD Mobile is actually more fun to play.
vs PUBG Mobile
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a great experience on mobile. Frankly I was shocked at just how good it was when I first played it. I love how fully detailed FPS games are finally coming to mobile. That being said, PUBG is mostly just a battle royale game (albeit a very good one). COD Mobile, on the other hand, has a great fully detailed battle royale mode PLUS a full COD style multiplayer mode.
As PUBG doesn’t have a proper multiplayer mode, there is no sense spending time comparing the games based on that. Instead let’s focus on the battle royale mode of COD Mobile and how it compares to PUBG.
The two games are similar in a few general but key ways. First of all, the graphics in both games are great, and focus more on gritty realism than a game like Fortnite which looks great but is more cartoony in presentation. Second, like almost all battle royale games, players are dropped onto the map and parachute down to their chosen section from which to start. Third, you have to scavenge for weapons and equipment, and the first few minutes of each match are generally a mad dash to grab the nearest gun you can so you can effectively defend yourself. Finally both have vehicles and a decreasing play area.
But more importantly are the ways they are different. COD Mobile offers character classes, much like the specialists in it’s console counterparts (however not specific characters like Ruin or Firebreak). This means you can choose the Ninja class and it grants you the use of a grappling hook to move quickly around the environment and scale buildings with ease. It’s very fun.
vs Modern Combat 5
Ah Modern Combat, the original mobile FPS. While it’s origins may have been rather low quality, it’s recent entries have been quite good, and certainly were one of the only ways to scratch the FPS itch on mobile until COD Mobile came along.
Unlike the other entries in this list though, Modern Combat 5 has something that none of the others do: a story mode; however the story itself is rather shallow and largely forgettable.
Although it was first released back in 2014, Modern Combat 5 has received quite a few updates since then, and is even developing a battle royale mode that is currently in its Beta release (spoiler: it’s pretty awful).
Modern Combat 5’s multiplayer mode is pretty good but not nearly as smooth or fun as COD Mobile. However it does have controller support which still doesn’t seem to be the case yet for COD Mobile, however in trying it with a PS4 controller I actually prefer the touch screen controls.
Overall, unless you just can’t get past the lack of a campaign mode, COD Mobile is superior to Modern Combat 5 in practically every way. However, since they are both Free-2-Play just try them both. They are both fun in their own right.
Gamatroid 