With Modern Warfare 3 revealed by Activision and leaks about the upcoming installment stacking up, we’re taking a dive into three reasons to be excited for MW3… and three reasons to be worried it might not be a standout Call of Duty. With the positives first, let’s dive in.
MW3 is Exciting Because…
1. Classic Minimaps Return
Texting Activision has become part of the buildup to MW3, with players able to eke out details about the upcoming reveal and subsequent game by hitting up the devs via phone or WhatsApp.
On August 14, they revealed that classic minimaps will return, with unsuppressed weapons revealing players’ locations when they fire. For unknown reasons, Infinity Ward refused to add such a feature to Modern Warfare 2 in spite of player feedback. It’ll add value back to suppressors, which were largely neglected in MW2 as a result of the changes. Classic combat and intelligence will be rewarded, the way most (and us) think it should be.
2. Maps and Map Voting
Leaks have revealed that a plethora of original MW2 maps will be returning in MW3, including fan favorites Favela, Highrise and Terminal. It means fans are guaranteed to have a series of maps they love and, in a lot of cases, feel genuine nostalgia towards.
Similarly, map voting has been leaked as a returning feature, another that has been removed from recent installments for unknown reasons. Its alleged return means players can choose their favorite maps when they come up in the rotation – and won’t be forced to play maps that are too big or badly designed (Taraq, we’re looking at you).
3. Warzone & MW2 Integration
It’ll be another year of integration with the Warzone battle royale and, for the first time ever, there’ll be significant crossover with the preceding annual installment. Activision have revealed that almost all cosmetic and earned MW2 content will translate to MW3.
Not only will that give players loads of content to choose from, it represents an unprecedented connection between a new annual installment and the previous. Fans have renewed reason to continue playing MW2 late in its life-cycle, as well as diving into MW3 as much as they can.
MW3 is Worrying Because…
1. Sledgehammer Games
There isn’t — and probably never will be — general consensus over Call of Duty installments. Each player appreciates different things and has their own preferences. However, it’s generally agreed upon that Sledgehammer Games’ CoDs have been some of the weakest in the franchise’s history.
WWII and Vanguard were both underwhelming returns to the historic conflict, with neither establishing itself as superior to any of Treyarch or Infinity Ward’s recent titles. Bland and forgettable – here’s hoping MW3 is not.
2. It (Reportedly) Started Out as a MW2 Expansion
Reports to this point suggest that MW3 was originally a premium expansion for MW2, which would have become the first annual installment in CoD history to boast a two year life cycle. However, for unknown reasons, it was handed to SHG and turned into a full, annual release.
It seems legitimate to have concerns about it as a result, specifically the strength of its story and whether it’ll actually boast enough to stand on its own. $70 is a hefty outlay, even more so if it’s going to be another year of MW2.
3. Rehashed Content
The mix of classic CoD content and fresh, original content has been at the forefront of Call of Duty in recent years. However, it can occasionally lean into seeming lazy and rehashed. Instead of creating new and exciting maps, we’re apparently getting sixteen we’ve seen before.
Some might like it but, if the game isn’t up to scratch, concerns over throwing old content out might come to fruition. We’ve seen it in the past with classic maps reskinned for newer CoDs, despite there being no real reason for doing so (Rust in Infinite Warfare, for example). They’re using the same maps, we’re using the same image.
Those are the main reasons we’re excited by Modern Warfare 3… and worried about it. For everything on CoD’s upcoming installment, stay with us right here.
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