DespiteCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ssteadily growing player base,Modern Warfareis still going strong, showing how well-loved the game is by fans of the series.Black Ops Cold Warwas a return to theCall of Dutynorm, but feels like a step in the wrong direction following the innovations ofModern Warfare.
With everyCold Warseason update, it is looking more and more like the game fans were hoping for when a return to theBlack Opsseries was announced. The game now looks on par with its predecessor in terms of content, with more set to come later this year. However,Modern Warfareis whatCall of Dutyshould model itself on going forward.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Pros And Cons
Modern Warfarefelt like a fresh new direction for the series, and there is a good reason for this.Modern Warfaremakes use of an entirely new engine, giving the game that fresh, all-new feel that fans of the game feel setsModern Warfareapart from other entries. The engine has a bit more of a grounded, realistic gameplay feel, which was high onCall of Dutyfans' list of priorities following the futuristic and fanciful entries that came betweenAdvanced WarfareandBlack Ops 4. Some felt this engine was a departure from the traditionalCall of Dutyexperience, but for a series often criticized for remaining stagnant, a change may be worth the split opinions.
AModern Warfarefeature that caused controversy post-launch is the relatively quick time-to-kill. A low TTK has become somewhat of a staple of theCall of Dutyfranchise, it sets the game apart from other shooters as players of any skill level can learn to improve and finish at the top of the scoreboard with ease. By learning the layout of the maps back to front,Call of Dutyplayers can effectively dominate games.
In most cases, the player who shoots first wins, removing mitigating factors like reaction time and hand-eye coordination.Modern Warfare’smapsare large-scale and non-linear, which plays into this aspect as they can be overwhelming for the newer players, resulting in a reward for those who make an effort to learn the maps.
Much of the multiplayer’s design massively divided opinions. With very few objectively good or bad changes, whether the multiplayer was fun or not depended on the player’s personal preferences. However, the singleplayer was widely praised for its gritty, realistic take on aCall of Dutycampaign. Despite a lack of player choice in the outcome of the campaign, fans loved the story and the missions.
The campaigns ofCall of Dutyhave not always been the biggest draw of the games. In fact, Treyarch completely removed thecampaign fromBlack Ops 4, soModern Warfare’scampaign success is fairly noteworthy. TheModern Warfarecampaign could provide a framework forCall of Dutycampaigns going forward, with the more realistic story seeming to go over well with fans.
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Modern Warfare Vs. Cold War
Black Ops Cold Warlaunched late last year in a state that left many fans wondering ifCold Warwas worth buying. The game was quite different fromModern Warfare,with one of the big changes being a return toBlack Ops 3’s engine. This brought a bit more of an arcade-like feel that appeals to the right type of gamer, but to most, it felt like a step down following the ultra-realistic and polished game thatModern Warfareturned out to be.Modern Warfarefelt like an evolution of the series, whereasCold Warfelt like a return to its old ways. Perhaps there is a space for each to exist alongside one another, but for future titles, a reversion to the old schoolCall of Dutystyle would feel like a missed opportunity.
Cold Warnot only utilized a different engine, but also increased TTK and added more linear three-lane maps. Once again, these elements come down to personal preference, and many fans love this aboutCold War. However, this doesn’t mean it’s the right direction for the series to head in.Modern Warfare’snew engine, unforgiving gunfights, and realistic maps all work together to achieve the same thing, and it felt like a big step forward for the series at the time.Cold Warshould have built upon the success of its predecessor, but it did the opposite. If there’s hope foraCold Warsequel, it would do well to take a leaf out ofModern Warfare’sbook.
It isn’t all bad news, however, as features such asCold War’sParty Games playlistbring a great deal of diversity to the table. PlayingCall of Duty’smore competitive game modes day after day can be grating, leaving the player looking for a change. This change arrives inCold War’smore novel game modes such as Sticks and Stones and Prop Hunt, which offer a light-hearted reprieve when things go stale. These game modes are an example of the type of thing that should be carried forward into future titles.Cold Warmay not be the future ofCall of Duty, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t do anything right.
The Future of Call of Duty
While bothCold WarandModern Warfarehave their pros and cons,Modern Warfareseems to be the obvious choice for the future of the franchise. The potential of aModern Warfaresequelis already a hot topic of discussion among fans, despite looking as though it’s a couple of years off, and Modern Warfare itself has managed to retain a solid player base. Fans ofCall of Dutyhave responded well to the new directionModern Warfareset out in, which would make it strange if Infinity Ward didn’t continue on from its success in its next entry.
As forCall of Duty2021, it is currently in development by Sledgehammer Games, and as usual will likely release in early-mid November.Call of Duty2021 is reportedly set during World War 2, going by the development name of Vanguard. But there’s good news forModern Warfarefans, as there are rumors thatCall of Duty2021 will useModern Warfare’sengine, a move that is likely to excite fans due to the apparent superiority of this engine.Modern Warfare,rather thanCold Warlooks like the game that was released on next-gen consoles, so it’s exciting to see what can be achieved using this engine as technology continues to advance.
