While many engage with the Call of Duty series for its varied and intense multiplayer suites, a large amount of fans are just as invested in the single-player campaigns accompanying each release. 2019’s Modern Warfare took some big swings with its story, though opinions differ on how many times it hit the ball out of the park.
The upcoming entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, seeks to similarly take a step forward with numerous new features. While it looks to differentiate itself from its predecessor in numerous ways, there are several elements from Modern Warfare that we hope it takes inspiration from.
10 Keep: Characters
Modern Warfare has one of the most memorable casts of characters the franchise has seen. Not only are they cool and well-designed, but throughout the story the player grows to understand each of their motivations, an impressive feat for a campaign just barely over four hours long. The Black Ops series is known for notable personalities, and with several returning faces, fans are confident the new game will contain just as many memorable roles.
9 Change: Attempts At Being Edgy
Several particular moments from Modern Warfare were met with controversy. It is not that gaming cannot tackle difficult subject matter, but numerous gamers took umbrage with the way these were turned into game mechanics. Resisting waterboarding by moving one’s head and hiding in a house from a Russian soldier being turned into boss battle all felt exploitative. Here’s hoping Black Ops Cold War does not try similar antics. It can tackle dark topics, but it should not try to turn war crimes into a game.
8 Keep: More Grounded Approach
Before Modern Warfare, the series was getting out of hand with its set pieces and focus on futuristic settings and technology. Call of Duty: WWII was a change of pace, but felt like more of a throwback than a step forward. With the more grounded approach of Modern Warfare being so well-recevied, one imagines Black Ops Cold War will go for a similarly toned down style.
7 Change: Linearity
One aspect of the franchise’s campaign certain gamers bemoan is the linearity. Little opportunity for exploration exists within the missions, and rarely do side quests or choices come up that affect the narrative.
Fortunately, the developers have already promised side quests and multiple endings to the story. In this way, perhaps its structure will somewhat resemble Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
6 Keep: Tight Structure
While this may seem to run contrary to the more open mission structure promised for Black Ops: Cold War, it does not have to be so. Side quests and exploration can go hand in hand with the tight narratives for which the series is known. By trimming unnecessary exposition and gameplay, the story can fly by just as fast and bombastically as it did in Modern Warfare.
5 Change: Nighttime Infiltration Missions
One new feature of Modern Warfare were the nighttime infiltration missions which had the player enter a residence and forced them to think quickly on their feet to differentiate friend from foe.
They were certainly exhilarating missions, but they felt a little too on-rails, making replays less exciting. If the next game brought this feature back, hopefully they would make them more dynamic.
4 Keep: Variety Of Locations
The Call of Duty campaigns generally take players to all manner of locations during the story. Modern Warfare goes from urban Western European environments to deserts, woods, and even Russian streets. Given the global nature of the Cold War, one expects a similar amount of variety from the upcoming game. The trailer has already shown Vietnam and Berlin, but surely the developers have more surprises up their sleeves.
3 Change: Being A Reboot
Reboots have been all the rage for a while. When a franchise starts to falter, press the reset button to breathe new life into it. It worked for Modern Warfare, whose prior entries had a definitive ending, but the Black Ops world has more stories to be told. Fortunately, Black Ops Cold War will not reboot the franchise, and instead aims to be a direct sequel to the first Black Ops from 2010.
2 Keep: Stealth Levels
First-Person Shooters and stealth do not always blend together well. Wolfenstein: The New Order is an example of a game that does it well, while others mostly become frustrating. Fortunately, the stealth missions in Modern Warfare tend to be the best ones, especially “Going Dark,” an open level near the end where the player must infiltrate three separate mansions. Hopefully some levels in Black Ops: Cold War take influence from this mission in regards to stealth.
1 Change: Changing History
There’s nothing wrong with taking some poetic license with historical events, but last year’s Modern Warfare arguably went too far. the “Highway of Death,” for example, which in the game is described as an atrocity committed by the Russian army, is based off a real event which happened in the Gulf War perpetrated by U.S. forces. Conflicts and proxy wars from the Cold War are still sensitive topics for many, as are the scandals which occurred during the Reagan administration. Hopefully these events are treated with sensitivity and historical accuracy.
