Battle of the Modes, Horde vs Zombie vs Firefight
It’s the battle of the modes ladies and gentlemen. We’ve all played each of the so-called “survival” modes of these three games. They each present a different level of enjoyment an danger. I decided to look at each mode and pick the one that I think is the best. Who wins in this battle of modes?
Gears of War 2 Horde Mode
It’s easily one of the best experiences about the game. I still play Horde Mode quite frequently with friends. It’s just an all around blast to try and survive wave after wave of Locust enemies. Those damn Bloodmounts are a thorn in my side.
I love Horde Mode because every map forces you to pick a spot to defend or else it’s good night for you and your COG squad. It’s all about getting those Mauler shields up and defending! I just can’t get enough of Horde Mode.
Call of Duty: World at War Zombie Mode
Call of Duty: World at War has its own form of survival in Zombie Mode. You’re up against an onslaught of dead zombie soliders and you don’t have much room to fight. That’s what makes it so much fun to play. The zombies will tear down the window boards and doors. If you’re fast enough, you can rebuild the doors and make it tougher for them to get through. You have to be sure you have the best weapons and even make sure you score enough to be able to afford new weapons.
The money system in the game is clever and it adds another element to the game. Not only do you have to worry about killing these damn zombies, but you also have to make sure you’re cashing in so you can buy weapons, build barricades etc. Is it scary going up against undead Nazi zombies? Hell yeah it is. But with 3 friends tagging along at least you won’t have to fight alone.
Halo 3: ODST Firefight Mode
Halo 3: ODST enters the “survival mode” arena with Firefight. It’s pretty basic. You fight against wave after wave of Covenant fiends who are hell bent on killing you and your team. At your disposal are weapons and vehicles for a little reckless driving (or vehicular Covenant slaughter). The maps are a good size which makes the feeling of “survival” less but the action is hectic.
You can also play Firefight with up to 3 other friends. As you progress through the multiple waves of Covenant, they get stronger and much harder to kill. You have to pay attention to how the odds are changing because sometimes they get grenade happy or their armor increases. This could change the fight. Too bad about the matchmaking though. Unless you have friends on call 24/7 you’ll likely be forced to play Firefight locally offline.
Mode Winner – Gears of War 2 Horde Mode
I can play this thing over and over and over again. I can actually play Zombie Mode too so it comes in a very close second. Although I do enjoy Firefight, I can’t say that it gives me enough incentive to continue playing over and over.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I would say Firefight in a heart beat but that mode is completely neutered without the ability to use matchmaking to find games.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
My take…
WAW – Just sucks, it’s like MW but back in time with added fail. Don’t particularly care for the Zombie mode in it.
Horde, it’s really great, especially when you play with a good team. However, sometimes the physics are off and it doesn’t work predictably.
Firefight – GOW2′s Horde mode + Halo 3 physics engine = Pure WIN.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Oh yea, and you forgot to mention Left 4 Dead’s Survival mode… Which is INSANE.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
i didn’t even know Left 4 Dead had a mode like this.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
@Deac L4D has survival mode which is time based. I have only played GOW2 and L4D and I prefer L4D. After Playing GOW1 for a year, GOW2 controls seemed slower and stiffer. For that reason I never got much play time out of GOW2. On the flip side, Firefight looks awesome but It’ll be a while before I pick up ODST.
September 28th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
I agree, Gears Of War’s Horde mode, takes the cake.
September 28th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
oh a timed survival mode with an onslaught of crazed zombies? win! lol but i’ll have to play it to really judge.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I havn’t played Gears of War or Call of Duty lol, so I have to say Firefight wins for me
September 28th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
I would also say that Firefight wins out of these 3 games.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I like Horde Mode myself. If you have the right team and no one is stealing your kills or trying to take all the ammo (ugh…Deac)it can be really fun
! I’ve only played Zombie mode a few times by myself and I thought it was a good add-on to COD World at War.
Not a Halo fan so I don’t know anything about Firefight.
September 29th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
deac i have l4d and i’m in if you want to play, i think it is the most fun of the 4, horde is a close second and is more tactical. L4D is all out onslaught…
October 1st, 2009 at 7:24 am
Gotta go with Firefight myself. GOW is too slow paced for me and I dint find it that fun, and Nazi Zombies is great and all except WAW kinda just sucked as a whole. Firefight has a great balance and I just prefer ODST over the other 2.
L4D’s Survival mode is great fun as well I have to say. Not exactly the same but still a blast.
Deac you should make this a poll.
October 11th, 2009 at 6:11 am
IMO:
Zombie > Firefight > Horde.
October 24th, 2009 at 12:27 am
gamertag: fluffyg3 well i havent played an of them but the physics on halo can be beat and GOW doesnt give that rush of doging a gernade or blowing someone up by throwing something at it and cod just gets boring after a while also GOW gets annoying when your charachter doesnt respond in the wau you want to such as turning on the chainsaw bayonet and aiming is almost unheard of in multiplayer which makes it hard for new people so 1st/firefight 2nd/HORDE 3rd/NZ
November 20th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Firefight is fun, But no matchmaking and the large maps can make it not much of a challenge, I haven’t played CoDWaW so i wouldn’t know about that, But I love horde mode. Even after I stopped playing Gears 2 matchmaking, I played horde mode with my friends and sometimes by myself. The strategy that goes into that game gets ridiculous, and the panic of only having one person left alive is priceless.
Of course the other games have those feelings too but for me it’s especially brutal in GoW.
Horde/FF/NZ for me.