Continuing with today’s community sourced content, OrigamiKiller has seen fit to furnish us with his opinions on the Call of Duty series and asks an important question of it.
I’m a big fan of the Call of Duty series. I own nearly every game of the franchise from the home console releases to Roads to Victory on the PSP. Over the past few years Call of Duty has, in my opinion, come to be the best FPS title in video game history. It’s fast paced and exciting, with every game in the series grasping the same formula and pulling it off expertly. However, after playing Modern Warfare 3, I somehow feel lost.
Currently, I’m about halfway through the campaign on Modern Warfare 3 and I don’t feel motivated to complete it in the slightest. It’s the fact that I’ve seen it all before. I am actually bored with the game.
Don’t get me wrong, the gunplay is great and the action sequences are breath taking but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s missing. During one mission I was controlling a remote tank and blowing helicopters out of the sky with grenades. In any other FPS I would find this brilliant to play, I mean it’s clear that this sort of gameplay should be fantastic. However, here it almost felt like a chore to complete.
[drop2]I also find myself losing my way with the story. The first Modern Warfare had one of the best FPS storylines, but after a further two games in the series the story feels thin and repeated. At certain points in MW3 I didn’t know what was going on. A safe house had been attacked by soldiers, I didn’t know if they were Russian or American. In fact, I wasn’t even sure where this was taking place. In general, it’s just become shoot anything that moves and hope that you can find some motivation for it.By far the biggest repetition in the series comes in the endings. If you compare the endings of Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 everything starts to seem a bit familiar. No, it’s not quite a shot for shot remake but if you look at broadly what’s happening the similarities are glaring (obviously I’m skirting around spoilers here). If Modern Warfare 3 ends with the same scenario for a third time I’ll be exceptionally disappointed.
I was even more shocked to see structures from the previous Modern Warfare games being re-used. For example, on one mission in the UK I walked into a building only to recognise it as a structure in Pipeline – an online map from the first Modern Warfare.
Following that I began to recognise even more buildings from the original Modern Warfare. Most notable were corridors that were exactly the same as those in the Vacant map (again from MW1). It may be me picking up on minor elements a little too much, but from the looks of it there hasn’t been any innovation in the last two games’ single player; Activision and Infinity Ward look as though they are adopting the “rinse and repeat” tactic to a worrying level.
Although the single player really is on a downwards trajectory, I cannot fault the multiplayer. I love it. Every year brings new additions to the multiplayer and I admire Activision for not forcing an online pass (at the moment that is). However, the single player story is suffering as a result of the multiplayer taking priority and for me it has falls well short of the experience that the original Modern Warfare delivered and promised for future titles.
Modern Warfare 3 is a great game, I can admit that. Unfortunately, I think it is time for change. The story in the Modern Warfare series has become thin and weak. The gameplay doesn’t appeal to me anymore due to the fact it hasn’t changed for nearly 5 years. I doubt I am the only one with this feeling. So I ask what are your thoughts on the Modern Warfare series? Do you still enjoy the single player or are you like me and feel it has lost its way? Will we even see another Modern Warfare title?
Awayze
It was a chore, whilst playing through the SP, I saw many places that would have been great for maps unlike the current maps in MP.
COD 4 has an amazing story.
freezebug2
I would love to see the series have another go at a WW2 shooter; I think that most people would agree that the second world war era of these games has had a long enough cooling off period.
Good read Origami, and I’m sure that you’d also like to see the series try the direction again that I’ve mentioned :P
Origami Killer
I would welcome a WW2 revisit, even though I think medal of honor holds the crown for that period maybe they can change that :)
freezebug2
Indeed they do, thinking Allied Assault, Frontline etc. But COD: Where Eagles Dare has a nice ring to it :P
Origami Killer
speaking of frontline, I’m still yet to get the plat! :/ Will make sure that I go back to it soon and finish it on hard and pick up the last few trophies. Wonderful game even when its dated.
3shirts
I don’t know, I think if you add WW2 games together they’d last longer than the actual war.
freezebug2
Only when I play them on Hard difficulty lol.
E8_BALL_
So would I, but not by treyarch. looked and sounded awful(even worse than bops & that’s saying something. Good campaign story still.
E8_BALL_
sorry… w@w that is.
3shirts
The biggest disappointment for me was how much Battlefield 3 story copied CoD. I really expected them to do their own thing but it was the same storytelling techniques and really a very similar plot.
It’s one thing for CoD to become a bit stale and repetitive but for another franchise to follow it down is very saddening.
SpikeyMikey23
Love the multiplayer. Love kicking ass in it also.
I always used to finish the SP before I ventured online but that has changed. I enjoyed MW’s OTT story but it didn’t leave me wanting more. Glad I got it out of the way and have no intention of going back into it to mop up some trophies.
BLOPS SP was great. Really Enjoyed it. BF3’s campaign was a rip off of Blops but a more modern setting. Most FPS campaigns have become a ‘not very good brucey bonus’.
It’s all about the multiplayer, but for me, it’s not COD that started this trend, it started with quake II and unreal tournament.
blackredyellow
A good read OK, and I agree with some of your points, but not all.
First off – I hadn’t played an FPS for quite a while, so when I played this I was hungry for some melon popping action. Which I got. The storyline is in keeping with previous titles in that it’s fairly short, and action packed. I didn’t struggle to WANT to play and finish it, but I do think that’s because I hadn’t been feasting on any of the other FPS beforehand.
I don’t think they’ll do another MW, at least not with the same characters. That’s not a spoiler, I just think the series is getting a bit drawn out and this one ended well. It’d be good to see some new characters being introduced with a completely new storyline.
The MP is good, but I haven’t enjoyed any of the COD’s online play since the first MW. That was 10/10 for me.
My favourite part of this COD is the Spec Op’s. It’s good fun to play with a mate, on or offline. Plus it’s good as a pick up and play for 10 minutes whilst I wait for the missus to put her face on!
Origami Killer
I’ve been playing Black Ops and MW2 quite a bit last year so it just felt boring. I was actually surprised at how good the spec ops was from playing (even for 30mins) just then with you. It was much more enjoyable than the campaign :) Maybe if I play it a bit more my views will become more positive :)