TheCall of Dutyfranchise has seen many iterations over the last two decades since its initial debut. While the general formula for each game has largely stayed the same, with similar shooting mechanics, campaign pacing, and multiplayer modes being present throughout the franchise, eachCall of Dutyentry brings its own unique flair. For the most part, each sub-series inCall of Duty, such astheModern WarfareorBlack Opsseries, remains largely the same from installment to installment. Every now and then, though, aCall of Dutyentry comes along and shakes things up, which is exactly whatCall of Duty: Modern Warfaredid.
By 2019, theCall of Dutyfranchise had lost its luster, with the last handful of entries all blending into one. Theintroduction of exosuits inCall of Duty: Advanced Warfarechanged the series for the worse, resulting in the subsequent titles missing that distinctCall of Dutyfeeling. Returning as the savior of the franchise, Infinity Ward releasedCall of Duty: Modern Warfarein 2019, stripping the series' gameplay back to its core elements and breathing life back into the franchise as a result. It may not be entirely perfect, butModern Warfare’s gameplay is some of the best in the series thus far, and the upcoming sequel,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, should certainly stick close to it.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) Has The Best Gameplay in The Franchise
When fans think of their favoriteCall of Dutyexperiences, they tend to think back to the originalModern Warfareseries, or the first fewBlack Opsgames, or even all the way back toCall of Duty 2. It’d be difficult to find aCall of Dutyfan whose favorite game isAdvancedorInfinite Warfare, orCall of Duty: Ghosts. While these titles did introduce some interesting gameplay mechanics, they weren’t the right for theCall of Dutybrand, and fans' instinctual dislike of them was only natural.
Infinity Ward understood this perfectly, and made the genius decision to strip backCall of Dutyto rework and redefine what made the series so iconic and beloved in the first place. Exosuits were removed entirely, as were any Specialists and character abilities. Instead,Infinity Wardlet the gunplay speak for itself, and the moment fans got their hands on the game, it just felt right. That unmistakableCall of Dutyfeeling was back and better than ever.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfarestruck the perfect balance between old and new. While the gameplay was pared back in most aspects, returning the franchise to form, Infinity Ward added just enough to keep the series moving forward and to keep it in line with modern first-person shooters. Along with unparalleled visuals and audio design,Modern Warfarealso added a lean mechanic, which only subtly changes the dynamic of firefights. This one mechanic is the perfect representation of the entire game’s philosophy; itadds something brand new to theCall of Dutyfranchise, but it isn’t so overt that it changes the core experience or makes fans feel uncomfortable.
When it came to the series' main draw, its multiplayer,Call of Duty: Modern Warfarehad the perfect blend of standard, hardcore, and party modes, and its new maps suited the snappy modernizedCall of Dutygunplay perfectly. The time-to-kill felt just right, and movement speed was increased just enough to make the game feel more fluid than ever while also still feeling just as weighty as aModern Warfaregame should. The create-a-class system was also better than ever, with streamlined UI making weapon customization incredibly simple, and constantly unlocking attachments resulted in one of the most rewarding progression systems in the entire franchise - once again hearkening back tothe golden era ofCall of Duty.
On the campaign front,Call of Duty: Modern Warfarehad a fairly solid one. With state-of-the-art cutscenes and stellar voice work,Modern Warfare’s story is one of the more compelling narratives in the franchise, and with a handful of returning fan-favorite characters,Modern Warfareacts as the perfect reboot. The pacing of the campaign was also pretty good, with a decent blend of slow-paced missions complimented perfectly with a fair amount of bombastic action sequences.
Since its release in 2019, two moreCall of Dutytitles have released, but neither one has managed to capture the same feelModern Warfare.Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold Warattempted to add its own mechanics to the franchise, but this only bogged down the experience. The gunplay inCold Waralso felt oddly weightless when compared toModern Warfare, making it feel a little outdated. As the most recent release,Call of Duty: Vanguarddidn’t fare much better with critics or fans, with generally better received gameplay that was still not quite as hard-hitting or tight asModern Warfare’s offering a few years ago.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Should Stick Close to its Predecessor
In most video game franchises, innovation is a key part of success. It’s usually the case that fans of a series will want a sequel to switch up the formula for the next entry in one way or another, whether that’s through the gameplay or through story context. Follow-ups likeZelda: Breath of the WildandMario Odysseywere received so well because of their decision to switch up the franchise formula and produce a new but comfortably familiar experience. WithCall of Duty, this isn’t the case.
It’s been proven time and time again withCall of Dutythat once it has a good thing going, and fans are happy with the current formula, then it should just stick to it. Generally speaking,Call of Dutyfans don’t actually want all that much innovation between entries. WithCall of Duty: Modern Warfarebeing such a success, it seems like a smart move forModern Warfare 2to just stay close to its predecessor, at least in terms of gameplay. WhileCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2will likely add a few new mechanicshere and there, these probably won’t affect the core gameplay all that much, and that’s a good thing.Modern Warfarehad some of the most fluid and responsive gameplay in the entire franchise, and it’s better to just stick with a formula that’s tried and tested than attempt something new in this case.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s campaign should also follow a similar formula to its predecessor, with enough slower-paced missions to give the player a break between adrenaline-pumping action sequences. From the look oftheModern Warfare 2trailers released so far, it seems as though Infinity Ward is doing just that, with the oil rig mission having a slow-burn start before erupting into a large-scale firefight atop a cargo ship as containers slide across the deck wildly.
Similarly,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s progression system should closely follow its predecessor, as the rate at which players would unlock new attachments and camos for their weapons felt just right. Of course,Modern Warfare 2will probably add in a slew of new modes, some of which have been leaked already, but as long as the game has the same amount of content as its 2019 predecessor, fans should be pretty happy from the get-go.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2launches on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
