Call of Duty: Vanguard has finally been revealed after months of leaks and rumors circulating about the game. Some of the rumors have already been proven accurate, like its return to a World War 2 setting, while the accuracy of others has yet to be seen. With the reveal of Call of Duty: Vanguard, fans have started comparing it to Battlefield 2042 to see how the two competing series will square up to one another this Fall. There is still a lot that isn't known about the two games, but there are some interesting comparisons to be made between the first trailers for the two games.
The first trailer for Battlefield 2042 was revealed early on in this year's E3 before a multiplayer reveal during Xbox's showcase. Call of Duty: Vanguard opted to skip the event and was instead revealed through a special game mode in Call of Duty: Warzone and the release of the game's first trailer. Both games have gotten more details released about them since their first trailers but comparing the two games' first trailers provides a solid look at how the approaches of the two titles differ from one another.
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Battlefield 2042's First Trailer
Battlefield 2042's first trailer focused on large-scale chaotic set-pieces as well as showing off the game's grand scale and futuristic setting. It did this by jumping between a variety of battles in Battlefield 2042's maps to show small scenes playing out with groups of nameless soldiers. Throughout the trailer, it also emphasized some of the new equipment that players will have in the game including a wingsuit and a robot dog. The trailer was also very clearly modeled after the series' iconic multiplayer mode as it included scenes of a soldier driving a four-wheeler into an enemy helicopter and a man jumping out of a jet to destroy one following him with a rocket launched only to land safely back in his own jet.
The trailer ended by highlighting Battlefield 2042's flashy new weather disasters mechanic. In a breathtaking moment, the trailer shows a massive tornado touching down in the middle of a battle on a cluttered city street. It shows soldiers attempting to flee from it, only to get sucked into its vortex amidst the chaos. Overall, the trailer tries to give players a sense of the scale of its multiplayer action. There are loads of shots of futuristic vehicles, energetic encounters, and plenty of nods to Battlefield fans to show them that the developers are listening to them and making a Battlefield game with them in mind first.
Call of Duty: Vanguard's First Trailer
The Call of Duty: Vanguard reveal trailer has much more of a dramatic flair to its presentation. The trailer opens with narration from a soldier and has small moments of dialogue spread throughout. However, it also places a heavier emphasis on the game's campaign mode. The majority of the footage in the trailer looks like cutscenes from the campaign, including dramatic landscape shots, a cinematic takedown, and Nazis killing hostages. From there, the trailer details the four different theaters of war that the campaign will take players to as well as the protagonists that players will be following in them, including Call of Duty: Vanguard's Polina Petrova, who is voiced by Laura Bailey.
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The trailer also has brief moments from a first-person perspective that look more like what gameplay will resemble, although they don't include the game's HUD. These shots help make it clear that the footage in the trailer is in-game and not just a pre-rendered cinematic trailer that won't match up with the final product. The trailer then ends with a tease towards a big moment in the campaign that sees the player jumping from a burning plane during a massive battle, only to have their parachute burned by a corpse falling nearby, assumedly sending them into a free fall. The trailer also puts an emphasis on showing off Call of Duty: Vanguard's beautiful visuals, with scenes like a windmill burning in the night and a slow-motion shot of a man shooting a gun illustrating just how great the game looks.
Comparing the Battlefield 2042 and Call of Duty: Vanguard Trailers
The reveal trailers for both games utilize some very similar techniques to get players introduced to their setting and gameplay. Both trailers quickly snap back and forth between smaller scenes set in a variety of locations to help communicate the setting and locations of the respective game. They also both feature large-scale battles that are highlighted by exciting moments and explosive action. Both trailers particularly use these big moments to show off their graphics and help sell them as shooters built for next-gen consoles and modern PC hardware. What really sets the two trailers apart, however, is how they each are aiming to highlight the very different strategies that Call of Duty: Vanguard and Battlefield 2042 are employing.
Battlefield 2042's reveal trailer is deeply enrooted in the game's core multiplayer offering, while Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer waited to reveal any details about itself. This is a reflection of how Battlefield 2042 is doubling down on its multiplayer and doesn't even feature a campaign at all, while Vanguard is trying to offer fans a little bit of everything. The game includes a campaign, multiplayer, Warzone integration, and a Zombies mode, but it decided to reveal itself with its campaign rather than trying to split up the trailer's attention on everything. Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer modes have since been revealed, and many have started comparing them to Battlefield 2042's, but Vanguard's reveal trailer was very set on letting players know that it has the explosive campaign players expect.
Of course, neither reveal trailer or title is better than the other. Instead, the two titles both offer their own experiences for players to choose from and decide which suits them and the experiences they are looking for better. It will be very interesting to see how both games shape up when they release, and it is great that fans of both massive series will get a new entry to enjoy. They both are contributing to a few months that are stacked for FPS games and should make for some great new action for fans of the genre.
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