I can't play FPS games with a controller. I tried MW2 on 360 for a couple of hours versus a friend who just bought the console. I felt so disabled, it didn't give me any fun at all.
I play on 360 with keyboard & mouse via a xim3. An expensive luxury which still doesn't feel anywhere near as good as PC's native support, but I still like it.
To be honest though, it doesn't make me any better than with a controller - They're just another input device once you're used to them. Obviously not PC-twitch-shooter-precise, but not really a hindrance.
Bf3 looks like something a whole generation ahead compared to that clown-toy cod, I hope it will be even more fun as BC2 was;)
I'm glad I already preordered bf3 a long time ago, I have absolutely no money for games now tbh:( Anyway, my gamer rig just died this Monday, so it's no use even if I will have it:)
I never really liked Battlefield, so I won't be jumping onto the "alternative" bandwagon, truth is those 2 games are nothing alike - I don't even see the comparison.
CoD (right until MW2) was a nice fast paced arcade type shooter, that I loved playing with limited perks/no kill streaks (although CoD4 publics were JUST bearable) it is a shame they have forgotten what actually made the game successful and now are aiming at 12 year olds and pensioners.
BF3 definitely isn't. Starting from the gameplay to the graphics and game mechanics it has everything it needs to. MW3 on the other hand is indeed a bad console FPS port, and I partly blame the whole COD series for dumbing down FPS games in general.
I played bf3 alpha on a friend's account. Wasnt impressed with gameplay or the graphics or a lot of other stuff at first. The graphics were fixed up a lot since then but the gameplay is still generic as fuck. The game just feels floaty and not fun to play, pretty much how BC2 felt. I could see myself getting very bored of it after a day or two.
Also played RO2 beta yesterday, and while the performance and the graphics are lacking (the gfx can be excused as TW doesnt have a billion dollar budget like BF/COD) the gameplay felt really good. The hitboxes/hit detection are solid and it feels satisfying to get kills. There were a number of bugs and some of the maps are trash, but it was still a very enjoyable and refreshing experience.
You can't make proper FPS games nowadays, because the kids wont ask dady to buy it for them. BC2 was fun, and repi and his mates are not good because they feed on money, but because they are talented and love what they are doing:)
Alpha only showed around 60% of what BF3 is capable of, a lot of stuff was not enabled (such as full frostbite enabled destruction, etc). I say give the beta a try in about 2 weeks or so.
If you want uber hardcore stuff, try Project Reality for BF2.