The last time I purchased a Call of Duty game, it was the year 2012, and the game was Black Ops 2. Back then, I was still in high school, and it was customary for my friends and I to go to the midnight release at GameStop, play the game all night, and skip school the next day. Unfortunately, this time around, it wasn't even worth the truancy. After playing Black Ops 2 until about 4:00 am, only one thought crossed my mind: This is the exact same game that I've been playing for years. Aside from different maps, nothing felt new, and nothing felt exciting. I was so unimpressed that I sold the game to a friend of mine the very next day. I haven't spent a penny on a Call of Duty game since, and I never felt like I was missing out on anything. Now, seven years later, after watching the trailer for the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, I'm finally ready to dive back into that world, and I'm confident that it will be totally worth it.
Back To Its Roots
If you couldn't tell by its title, Call of Duty is returning to what it does best: Modern Warfare. After years of repetitive, gimmicky annual releases that exhausted both the wallets and excitement of gamers, the franchise is ready to put out a title reminiscent of what caused so many people to fall in love with it in the first place. Not only are they bringing back their best series, but developer Infinity Ward, the team behind the original Modern Warfare trilogy, are back to helm this project as well. It feels as if a legendary band is finally getting back together after years of subpar stand-in musicians, and they're ready to release their best album yet. And believe me, 2019's Modern Warfare has a great chance to be the best Call of Duty game yet.
Modern Warfare will be a reimagining of the original trilogy of the same name. Infinity Ward is taking a more realistic, grounded approach to their best story, and yes, Captain Price will be at the center of it all. Instead of an over-the-top nuclear world war, the narrative will be presented as if it is taking place in the real world, even pulling from present-day headlines and conflicts.
The Reality Of War
Not only will the story content be more realistic, but players will also be presented with the complexities that come with an actual war, as storylines will display the humanity on both sides of the conflict. For example, a large portion of the campaign will have you playing as an Arab soldier, and one mission even places you into the shoes of children trying to avoid Russian ground forces as they execute the civilians of an Afghani town. The game's released trailers thus far exclude some of the more horrific realities of war, and it will certainly be refreshing to delve into the complex nature of warfare rather than simply playing a game that lets you shoot guns and blow things up while screaming "America!" at the top of your lungs.
Not only is Modern Warfare bringing the big guns when it comes to the realism of its narrative, but it's also giving us a gameplay experience that is more grounded and technically impressive than any COD we've seen to date. The game will utilize a brand new graphics engine, and the sound will have three-dimensional Dolby Atmos support. Real-life locations, weapons, and vehicles were digitally scanned to create the most realistic and visually impressive experience possible.
On top of that, there will reportedly be Rainbow Six-esque breach sequences and missions that utilize night vision more realistically than any game to date. Infinity Ward painstakingly designed the game to feel like a genuine military combat experience, even going as far as to include hundreds of recordings of bullet shells dropping to match every possible type of ground or wall that they might hit. They spared no expense in the game's production, and it's exciting to imagine what the final product might look like.
What The Series Does (And Could) Excel At
Call of Duty has always been best known for its multiplayer, and 2019's Modern Warfare is improving on that feature as well. The game will be cross-platform on its release date, allowing Xbox, PS4, and PC gamers all to play with one another. On top of that, there won't be any season pass or micro-transactions, and the DLC will supposedly be free to play. This is certainly refreshing news in a day and age where publishers aim to nickel and dime gamers at every corner.
Hopefully, Modern Warfare will be a step in a bright new direction for the Call of Duty franchise and will set the bar for first-person shooters as it was able to do so successfully all of those years ago. Personally, I couldn't be more excited to play the upcoming title. Infinity Ward has a chance to break the monotony created by a slew of unimaginative annual COD releases, and give us one of the greatest shooters we've seen.
A Promising Reimagining
A gritty story that dives into the humanity and tragedy of war will be a breath of fresh air amongst tone-deaf competitors, and the technology and detail put into the game promise an incredibly immersive experience. Modern Warfare is slated to release on October 25, and I couldn't be happier to finally have a reason to buy another Call of Duty game.