For a long time, it seemed as though Call of Duty had lost its way as it progressively became more and more fantasy-oriented. Wall running, jetpacks, specialists and all that other fantasy-filled rubbish had ruined the game. Call of Duty: WWII was a slight redemption. But still it wasn’t good enough. The game was a shadow of its former self and came nowhere near living up to Call of Duty: World at War.
Then Activision announced that Infinity Ward were developing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Straight away my ears perked up, I was still sceptical but they had piqued my interest. I needed more information so I scoured the web, found everything I could possibly find about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and began to write an article. Suddenly, I had a strong feeling this game was going to bring it back. By the time I was finished writing the article I had pretty much sold myself the game.
Then on September 12, at last, the closed beta came out. Instantly, I was hooked. The game greatly exceeded all of my expectations. They really brought it back! Needless to say, I bashed that beta like it was the real game. And then when the real game did finally come out I had to make an active effort not to transform back into that teenager who saw no issue in wasting away until the early hours of the morning glue to the screen.
But with all that being said Modern Warfare is still not without its faults and after some extensive play I’ve come up with a substantial list of things that need changing…
Pre-Game Lobbies
Starting with the pre-game lobbies; the playlist system used in Modern Warfare is an extreme contrast to the old system. Where you would just pick a game-type and cycle through maps staying in the same lobby. Now players create a playlist of game types they want to play. Then in order to fulfil the playlist they are thrown into a random lobby after every game
This causes a number of problems one of which being the lack of a much-loved feature from the previous instalments; map selection. The fact you can no longer vote for the map you want can be quite infuriating. No one should be forced to play Akrlov Peak three times in a row (unless they choose to).
Another problem this system causes is splitting the lobby. Meeting strangers online was a big part of the old Call of Duty games. Even the more toxic interactions added to the fun. But with this system players don’t get a chance to mingle or get competitive. You’re only in the same lobby for one game before your spat out into another totally random mix of players.
Is it really that much of an issue to just change the game type manually? You should at least have an option to select between this system and the old one.
Maps
Some of the maps on Modern Warfare are really well designed and extremely fun to play. Hackney Yard, in particular, is one of my favourite maps of all time. But most of them were designed with specific game types in mind. Which is great for gameplay but the fact that these maps are tailored made for a specific set of game types means that the overall map selection is lacking.
If you only play games like hardcore domination and hardcore headquarters you’re stuck cycling between the same 8 maps. Which may sound like a lot but is only half the amount of maps that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had and if we’re being perfectly honest most of the Modern Warfare maps are nowhere near as good as the ones on Modern Warfare 2 were. Some of the current maps are cool but a few are lacking in creativity and are dull at best.
We need more maps simple as that and bringing back maps from old games isn’t good enough. I love vacant and crash as much as the next player. But these maps were designed with a completely different game in mind and it shows. Adding space does not update them or make them fit better in this game. It just gives people more opportunity to camp.
The internet is filled with rumours about previous Modern Warfare maps returning and no one seems to be saying anything about it. Are players seriously okay with this? Bringing back a bunch of old maps is just lazy give us some new ones!
Game Modes
One of the best aspects of Modern Warfare is the vast amount of game types on offer. There are many new game types included in Modern Warfare that we’ve never seen before in Call of Duty. Some of which are reminiscent of gameplay seen in other franchises (*cough* ground war). But game types like gunfight, realism mode and NVG really add a new flavour.
However, the problem with having so many game types is because there are so many Infinity Ward seems to think it’s okay to keep taking popular game modes away from us. A good example of this is Shoothouse 24/7. This is likely because they want to keep things fresh and make sure players are trying different game types. But we know what game types we like and taking them away seriously runs the risk of alienating players. Especially when replacing them with subpar game modes like Shipment 24/7.
Realism Mode
From the release of the beta one of the things that stood out to me the most was realism mode. This mode was definitely one of the most unique elements of the game that sets it apart from the rest of the franchise. It also stands out from all of the other games that are currently popular that all seem to be rapped up in fantasy showcasing cartoony visuals desensitising players from the violent elements of gameplay.
Which is cool if that’s what you’re into but it’s nice to have something different. Realism mode is exactly that. When it first came out, there was no HUD, no way of even telling you had hit or killed your enemy unless you saw them die in front of you. This gave the mode an ultra-realistic feel.
However, since then the game type has been tampered with. The damage seems to have been nerfed (I may be wrong here but it certainly seems to have) and sound effects have also been added spoiling the ultra-realistic feel of the game mode. It goes without saying that these changes definitely need reversing.
Despite the annoyances created by these changes, this is not what has spoilt realism mode for me. What has spoilt realism mode is the way that it’s being treated by Infinity Ward. Players are forced into a mosh pit of game types. Half of which are NVG. Which is perfectly fine if you want to play realism mode on night maps but if you just want to play realism you shouldn’t be forced to do it in the dark. In a mode where you can’t aim without a laser. Realism mode needs its own playlist like core and hardcore.
Hardcore Mode
Likewise, with hardcore (the game mode I was forced to convert to after realism mode was spoilt). Infinity Ward is not treating it with the same respect as core mode. A large number of the game modes on offer are only available for core game players. This neglects a large proportion of the online community. Spoiling game types like gunfight, gun game and the 10 v 10 game types for hardcore players.
Another problem and perhaps the most infuriating thing about hardcore mode from the very beginning has always been team killing. There’s nothing more annoying than being on a 9 killstreak, one away from a chopper gunner just to have some moron on your own team come around the corner and kill you. If you’re killed by a teammate fair enough let it count as a death, who cares? But it definitely shouldn’t under any circumstance end your killstreak.
Infected
Infected is a great game mode to play if you’ve had enough of normal gameplay and you feel like playing something different. But there are two things that spoil it. The first is a glitch that causes claymores to keep the blue friendly icon after you’ve been infected.
The second thing is the automatic UAV that given to the infected team when there’s only one player left. If the last player is in a good hiding spot and no one can find them it should up to the enemy players to find them. Why should UAV be given to the infected team when they already have the advantage anyway?
Classes
Without question, the create a class system in Modern Warfare is definitely the best we’ve ever seen in a Call of Duty game. The amount of attachments that are available and how they all have different effects on the gun really shakes up the gameplay. You can take a subpar gun and upgrade it until it’s a completely different weapon. This is easily one of my most favourite elements of the game.
However, there is one problem. There is no reason you shouldn’t have the ability to fill each attachment slot for your weapon. What’s the point in having all those attachments slots available if you can’t use them all? You should be able to use them with the added disadvantage of restricted movement due to the weight of the gun. Another caveat is the perks. The perks are so poor in this game they barely make a difference to your play style. They should definitely bring out an update introducing pro perks.
Gameplay
The way this game plays is nothing short of amazing. One of the most fast-paced, realistic entries to the franchise yet. So many new features have been added I wouldn’t know where to begin if I were to list them all. One much-needed feature new to this game is the ability to edit classes within the game.
This can be very helpful when it comes to things like destroying killstreaks. The only problem is if you can do this then why can’t you change killstreaks in-game too? or change camo and track the challenges for your gun? This would definitely make life a lot easier for us gamers.
There are also a few aspects of the gameplay that need patching. Spawning being one of them. There’s no way people should be spawning behind you on Hackney Yard. Fair enough on Shipment, finding a spawn can be difficult but there’s no excuse for spawning right in front of someone on any other map. Its 2020 spawn killing should definitely be behind us.
A recent update brought an unwelcome feature in the form of the new collision mechanic. Before if a teammate ran into you it wouldn’t affect you. But now they have the ability to push you by running into you. Picture this, you’re there minding your own business taking cover leaning around a corner waiting for your enemy to pop out. Then out of nowhere some idiot comes running into you and knocks you into a barrage of bullets.
Last but certainly not least, another problem that seriously needs patching is the broken camera angles. In some cases, enemies can literally shoot you around corners without you even seeing them. This is definitely something Infinity Ward needs to sort out.
