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CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042: Which 2021 shooter reigns supreme?

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It’s shooter season, and this year sees CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 in a battle for your trigger finger’s attention. Which one comes out on top? Another year means another Call of Duty, and while Vanguard takes the franchise back to World War II, it’s got a new challenger that’s going the other way. Battlefield 2042 has jumped to the near future following Battlefield V, but with both launching in the same month it can be tough to tell which one you’ll prefer. While Xbox and PC fans can also check out Halo Infinite, a game that dropped its multiplayer portion out of nowhere a few weeks before launch, many FPS fans will want to stick to more realistic combat. With that in mind, we’ve put Vanguard and Battlefield 2042 in a head-to-head battle. Which shooter should you buy? This is a bit of a mismatch in truth, but if you’re a solo player looking to blow through a campaign then Call of Duty Vanguard is the only option here. That’s because Battlefield 2042 is multiplayer only, and will let you fight against offline bots in multiplayer matches, but has no bespoke campaign. On the other hand, Vanguard has a solid, Tarantino-esque effort that tells the tale of the world’s first special forces unit in WWII. As you’d expect with a CoD campaign, there are plenty of set pieces, and while it’s a little formulaic, there are some fun stealth and sniping sections. Vanguard also offers Zombies, if you’re into that, although we’d much prefer to play that in multiplayer. The winner this round: Call of Duty: Vanguard. CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 multiplayer Inarguably the most contentious of these categories, multiplayer is where virtual warriors will be spending the majority of their time (or all of it, if you’re playing Battlefield 2042). The good news here is that both games have a solid base to build out from, with both Vanguard and Battlefield 2042 getting post-launch content for free, including maps, characters, and weapons. That’s a good thing, because at launch things could do with a little improvement. Vanguard’s spawn points are all over the place, while Battlefield 2042’s 128-player matches can be a little too busy. Vanguard’s Zombies mode, sadly, feels half-finished. All the usual Call of Duty modes are here, but Battlefield is a little more experimental. Hazard Zone is a squad-based mode where 32-players hunt for resources while fighting each other and AI squads, feeling like a big-budget Escape from Tarkov. The best addition, though, is Battlefield Portal. This lets you take tools from the likes of Battlefield 3, 1942, Bad Company 2, and of course, 2042, and make custom match types with all kinds of parameters – like sending WWII infantry up against an army of robot dogs. The winner this round: Battlefield 2042 CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 gameplay Despite stepping back into the 1940s, Call of Duty has lost none of its snappiness. Weapons feel great, and while the time-to-kill is a little on the short side, it makes for great running and gunning – even if not every one of the launch maps is a winner. When it comes to Battlefield 2042, there are few games that offer the feeling of charging into a warzone. Bullets bounce off of walls, explosions shake the screen, and tanks rumble by while aircraft dogfight above. It’s a lot to take in, which can make it extra frustrating when you’re sniped from the next postcode. When you’re the one pulling the trigger, though? Exquisite. While Sledgehammer Games could have stuck to the usual format of mostly static maps, the team has implemented some destructibility in the environments. Some walls can be torn through, and grenades can blow doors off hinges. Battlefield 2042 still takes the cake for explosive redecorating, though, because while its destructible environments are great, its new weather systems are next level. Sandstorms roll through and obscure vision for all players, or a hurricane can hurl a soldier into the air. Still, it’s tough to call – if you’re looking for more running and gunning, then Vanguard provides that in spades. For slightly slower, more methodical combat, it has to be Battlefield 2042. It comes down to preference though, so we’ll call this a draw. The winner this round: Tie CoD Vanguard vs Battlefield 2042 verdict So here we are, at the verdict, with each game sitting on 1.5 rounds won. It may sound a cop-out, but it’s justified – both games, despite their inherent similarities as FPS titles, offer something a little different. Battlefield 2042 is the perfect title to practice your sniping, although that may mean things don’t get as hectic as they do in Call of Duty Vanguard. On the other hand, Vanguard’s action can feel like it needs the Benny Hill music at times, as players dart around its maps dodging bullets and killstreaks. The good thing is that each game is worthy of your time, and for more on each, we’d recommend going to read our full reviews of Call of Duty Vanguard and Battlefield 2042.
ben-simmons

If Ben Simmons is mentally ready, he should play for the Sixers in December

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By Dave Early 

The Ben Simmons stalemate continues, having morphed from what was once referred to as a holdout to the former first overall pick not being mentally ready to play.

The shift provides us the chance to talk more about mental health struggles and embrace how common it is even in our sports heroes and villains. It also gives us fodder for discussions about employer-employee rights; what type of information about someone’s treatment plan can an organization reasonably expect? When is it appropriate to withhold salary or fine? Then there’s the lines where bigger questions impact basketball questions. For example would Ben Simmons be mentally ready to play if he were traded or is his current team unrelated to his mental health?

 

I won’t bother to read Simmons’ mind. But I’ll put this out there. Hypothetically, if Simmons were at some point during the next couple of weeks mentally ready to hoop, if he did still really want to be traded, if he would like to maximize his career-earnings, if he does value not losing a full season of his prime (yes this is very possible) then he might consider suiting up for the Sixers in December.

Let’s say Simmons did not want to return for his first game at home and deal with the likely chorus of boos. He could play in one of the upcoming road games at Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte (twice), Utah, or Memphis between December 1st and December 13th.

What’s the incentive for that? Because on December 15th, a handful of players who are not currently eligible for trade will become eligible. Marc Stein via Substack suggested that key date was the earliest possible point the team might engage serious talks.

Simmons might want to put at least something on film (locking up LaMelo Ball in Charlotte after the team struggled mightily to defend D’Angelo Russell, or perhaps blowing by Rudy Gobert in Utah on the second night of a back-to-back when Joel Embiid might be resting) to remind other teams what he’s capable of, and suggest there is indeed a path for his return to play on the horizon.

Some of those teams once rumored to be interested in the LSU product may have real and fair concerns about trading for Simmons, given his current unreadiness to play.

The Minnesota Timberwolves for example, were consistently regarded as the team most interested in landing the Aussie star. But now at 10-10, winners of 7 games in 10 outings, has their calculus changed at all? On the one hand, the Wolves, who just defeated the Simmons-less Sixers 121-120 in double OT, might like what they have going and have cooled on the idea. Do we risk disrupting Anthony Edwards’ growth by introducing a non-shooter to the lineup? On the other, perhaps acquiring Simmons (without parting with Edwards or Karl-Anthony Towns, dudes who were never on the table anyway) is even more appealing now that they can see a true path towards contention. What types of assurances would Minnesota need to risk disrupting some of the best basketball they’ve played since Jimmy Butler was around? Could they be convinced Simmons would play for them before the New Year? Before the trade deadline?

 

No end in sight to the stalemate

 

At this point, both Simmons and the Sixers should probably understand neither side is bluffing here.

The Sixers have more than enough reason to believe Simmons is dug in on wanting out and is willing to lose money. Simmons’ camp has more than enough reason to trust Daryl Morey when he says he’s willing to drag this out through the trade deadline and beyond to ensure he isn’t selling too low.

Philadelphia would likely enjoy the support of the league office and some vocal small-market franchises who understand the sticky precedent it would set if players could sign four-year max extensions then quickly force their way out.

Simmons would be risking injury if he played. Imagine if he suited up, hoping to showcase his talents for an acquiring team, but rolled an ankle or worse. But he could at least demonstrate that if a team takes the risk to onboard him, they’d be getting someone who will play for them this season. That may not be enough to get the trade he’s looking for. It will all come down to the offer. If the Sixers can’t get an All-Star on a on a long-term deal this season (Damian Lillard and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may not be available right now) as crazy as it sounds, they might be better off waiting for more possibilities next summer.

Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and others are set for a league-altering free agency next summer. Few would be shocked if Dame (on a long-term deal) asked for a trade after yet another disappointing Blazers playoff exit that seems inevitable. If Simmons’ camp is hoping Morey and company decide to panic and sell-low in February knowing that the Sixers might be taking themselves out of the running for several whopping superstar fish in July, they should probably reassess.

I don’t know if Simmons will be mentally ready to play over the next few weeks. That’s a decision he will have to make for himself with input from his health-care practitioners, friends and family. But if he did really want a trade before the deadline, if he did want to throw his hat into the ring for another All-Star bid or Defensive Player of the Year bid this season, and maximize his earning potential along the way, there’s incentive for him to casually suit up for one or two of these games around that key December 15th date. There may be a few teams who simply want any signal at all that he’d be ready to play before the start of the 2022-2023 season and don’t want to simply rely on his agent Rich Paul’s assurances when it comes to something as unpredictable as a mental health issue.