Call of Duty: Modern Warfare E3 Preview
For many, Call of Duty is all about that sweet 60fps multiplayer experience. Many don’t give a rip about the single player campaign and that is okay. Call of Duty typically offers something for everyone, so it’s a bit silly to expect everyone to embrace every single aspect of every COD game. The single player campaign for me; however, is always a nice treat. I always enjoy those epic set pieces and plodding along a mostly linear 7-8 hour action-packed experience. It’s usually mindless fun and a nice break from the usual slate of 100-hour open world juggernauts.
Last year, the Black Ops 4 ditched the single player campaign and I’ll admit, I wasn’t happy about that decision. I wasn’t the only one either. This year, the single-player experience is back, as Infinity Ward is promising to deliver a campaign that will be more authentic, and real. While at E3 we had a chance to check out a couple of short demos from the campaign and there is no question, this year the experience has a darker, more serious tone.
I should mention, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is not a sequel but rather a reimagining of the original Modern Warfare game. It’s everything you know and love about the Modern Warfare world but according to the development team is more relatable and reflective of our modern world. It is slightly more realistic and isn’t all about that cheesy dialogue and over-the-top sequences anymore.
War is Ugly
Design Director, Jacob Minkoff said they “want to treat the story in a more mature way”. Think less Michael Bay and more American Sniper. Infinity Ward wants to make an experience that is more accurate and touches on some of the complexities of war. Civilians will get killed in the game and by the sounds of it, some of your decisions or mistakes could have a real and devastating impact. It all sounds captivating and I haven’t been this excited for a single player Call of Duty experience in quite some time.
Modern Warfare’s single-player experience will have emotion. This isn’t a black and white world. It is a morally grey world. This was evident when the demo started to roll.
At E3, we had a chance to check out a couple of levels. It was a hands-off demo, so, unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to check out any new controls or mechanics. But let’s face it, Call of Duty never does a tremendous amount of tweaking with the core mechanics and controls. Again, I am cool with this.
The first demo starts with a mission in London where a terrorists group have perpetrated an attack. Your job, as part of a team of Navy Seals, is to take down those terrorists who are all located in a tiny and cramped house. Right away I noticed the superb night vision camera. It looked spectacular and there was a level of intensity every time the Seals had to creep around a corner or open a bedroom door. Bullets sounded sharp and the gurgling of dying enemies was gruesome. It did feel realistic and a bit spooky. The scene was straight out of a haunted Halloween house where enemies are trying to trick you.
The second demo involved a flashback sequence that takes place 20 years before the events of Modern Warfare. A girl and her brother experience some horrific events that ultimately lead them to become rebel warriors. The demo involved Russian soldier killing the kid’s dad and the children fighting for their lives as the Russian soldier hunts them down. Without giving too much away, the kids persevere and manage to gain the upper edge with the soldier. Like the first demo, it was intense, gory and 100% mature rated.
Overall, I like the direction Infinity have taken with Modern Warfare. I always enjoy a good story with relatable characters, who are complex and not perfect. War is ugly and I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like for soldiers who have experienced all the difficulties of war. Modern Warfare looks like it will make many uncomfortable, might even offend many, but I am confident the development team at Infinity Ward will put together a campaign that is respectful to veterans but won’t be as pleasant as perhaps many would want.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is scheduled to be released on October 25, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
