Summary
TheCall of Dutyfranchise is currently sitting on a knife’s edge. WhileCall of Duty: Warzoneis still performing absurdly well, andCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3still sold very well, the series is at a bit of an all-time low when it comes to critical reception, withModern Warfare 3also beingthe worst-reviewed entry inCall of Dutyhistory. A short and disappointing campaign, no original 6v6 maps on launch, and an overreliance on nostalgia damagedCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3severely. It’s going to take something big to win back the disillusioned portions of the fan-base.
It sounds like that’s exactly whatCall of Duty’s 2024 entry plans to do. Heavily rumored to be titledCall of Duty: Black Ops Gulf War, the franchise’s 2024 entry has suffered from an overwhelming number of leaks over the last few months, ranging from those revolving around its alleged Zombies mode, to those surrounding its campaign. It’s the latter that’s most recently caused a stir in the community, withCall of Duty2024 apparently adopting a bold new approach for its campaign, and while it might not fitCall of Duty, it’s an approach thatBattlefieldshould have been using for years.
Battlefield Should Already Be Using Call of Duty 2024’s Rumored Open-World Approach
Call of Duty 2024’s Open-World Rumors Explained
About a week ago, Insider Gaming’s Tom Henderson published an exclusive report claiming thatCall of Duty’s 2024 entryis going to be adopting an open-world structure for its campaign. WhileCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3dipped its toes into the open-world genre with its incredibly disappointing Open Combat Missions, these levels simply threw players into a largerCall of Dutymap, and tasked them with reaching an objective in any way they saw fit, which usually boiled down to either using stealth or going in guns blazing.
According to Henderson,Call of Duty2024’s open-world structure will be completely different fromModern Warfare 3’s Open Combat Missions.Call of Duty2024’s campaign will reportedly feature one large open-world map, containing fast travel points and requiring players to traverse it via vehicles. Though this open-world map will apparently contain linear missions, Henderson makes it clear that it’s currently unknown just how much of a role these will play in the overall campaign.
An Open-World Campaign Would Be The Perfect Fit for Battlefield’s Gameplay
Right now, theCall of Dutycommunity is a bit divided on the next entry’s alleged open-world approach. On one side of the fence, fans love the idea of a completelynewCall of Dutycampaign experience, especially if its open-world ends up being filled with quality content. But on the other side, many fans believe that this open-world approach risks feeling extremely half-baked in practice, coming across as more of a strategic decision on the developer’s part to reduce the number of hand-made missions in the campaign.
Regardless of whether this approach would fitCall of Duty, there’s one military shooter franchise that would almost definitely benefit from this open-world campaign structure, and that’sBattlefield. For its entire lifetime,Battlefield’s main gimmick has been its sense of scale, whether it’s the originalBattlefield 1942’s gigantic historical maps, orBattlefield 2042’s impactful weather effects. This sense of scale - along withBattlefield’s trademark destruction physics and varied map design - makes an open-world approach seem like a natural fit.
TheBattlefieldfranchise has actually dabbled in open-world game design before. InBattlefield: Bad Company’s campaign, players are thrust into a fairly large map, where they’re essentially given free rein in how they approach their objectives. While missions have specific objectives and cutscenes,Bad Companygives the player a surprising amount of freedom in how they reach an objective and complete it. This approach was a good start, but the nextBattlefieldgame could do so much more with a fully open-world structure, especially with modern hardware.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
