It is no lie that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) was not only revolutionary for the franchise but first-person shooters in general. Infinity Ward raised the bar for this genre by having some unique gameplay bringing new mechanics to the franchise, new animations, engine, and style. Modern Warfare (2019) is one of the highest-selling Call of Duty games, and the game well deserved it. With its more serious tone, it managed to satisfy not only the more casual community but also a more hardcore one.
What makes Modern Warfare (2019) so great? What do they need to improve in Modern Warfare II in October of this year? Let’s discuss.
Things that Should Stay the Same in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022)
1. Stay Loyal to the Tone of CoD Modern Warfare
Something that we all loved from Modern Warfare (2019) is watching Call of Duty going back to its roots with a more serious and dark tone instead of the flashy/edgy they got us used to with the past entries.
We want more “Shoot House” with the same level of realism and dedication. As mentioned before, Modern Warfare (2019) set up a new bar for first-person shooters, and we don’t want you to pass it. We want more of the same with some improvements based on the feedback received on the latest Modern Warfare entry.
2. Keep the Asymmetrical Map Design
Modern Warfare (2019) went all the way into realism which resulted in map design that required teamwork and planning. Let’s keep it this way! Symmetrical map design makes up for repetitive gameplay that relies on remembering angles and critical positions. Even though Call of Duty Modern Warfare maps received some level of hate, they matched the game’s tone.
It was made for thinking players that could adapt to different situations even if the map design or odds were not in their favor. Let’s take, for example, Piccadilly Circus. It is an unfair map, yes, there is no doubt about that, but based on personal experience, this led to great experiences where having an organized team that communicated well paid off. In other words, having a competitive shooter doesn’t mean that they need to follow trends of other popular shooters with symmetrical maps such as Valorant or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
3. Maintain the Level of Realism Shown in the Marketing
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) was a fantastic reboot to the franchise by adding new mechanics, animations, engines, etc. while maintaining the tone offered in the original Modern Warfare trilogy released between 2007 – 2011.
While gamers will enjoy some goofy cosmetics and character skins, maintaining the tone is essential to staying loyal to what was promised to the community. Cosmetic-only microtransactions are okay as far as they don’t give a player an advantage over others and remain in the original tone of the game.
4. Bring Back Dead Silence as a Perk to Encourage Tactical Movement
Footsteps in Modern Warfare are loud, which incentivizes camping unless you have the Dead Silence field upgrade. The balance is that you can only use it for a few moments. You will then need to wait before it’s recharged again and ready to use.
Having Dead Silence as a perk (instead of a field upgrade) will incentivize tactical movement and awareness. It will mean that players will not just rely on sitting behind corners waiting to hear footsteps.
5. The Same Amazing and Punchy Sound Design
As mentioned before, Infinity Ward set a high bar for other games in more than one department. Call of Duty’s gun sound design, in general, tends to be unrealistic and “artificial.” Modern Warfare (2019) developers took this a step further and gave us a much better sound design. They made guns feel realistic, punchy, and heavy.
Not only this, but all the sounds, including the ones produced by players and ambiance, feel in harmony and feel like they are part of the map players are playing in. The music was astonishing. Loading into a match in Picadilly Circus while dropping on a helicopter and listening to the amazing soundtrack created by Sarah Schachner will get you pumped up for battle instantly.
Things to Change or Add in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
6. No More “Third Wheels,” Please
Modern Warfare (2019) players will agree that it is annoying looking at their menu and seeing an icon telling them that they’ve unlocked something new. Hurray!!! Yet, they find out it was an attachment, gun, or cosmetic for Cold War or Call of Duty: Vanguard. When a gamer buys or plays a game, it’s to play that game.
Related Article: All Call of Duty Games with Zombies
7. Warzone and Multiplayer Deserve Separate Treatments
You do not play a Warzone match the same way you play a round of Search and Destroy because they are entirely different game modes and play styles. Modern Warfare (2019) multiplayer player had to stick to the Warzone meta as Activision turned a blind eye to the classic multiplayer to focus on Warzone. All the buffs or nerfs were based on the trending Battle Royale game mode that didn’t match the needs of the multiplayer community. Thankfully, Activision already announced Warzone 2, which hopefully will be a different experience from Modern Warfare 2.
8. Update to a Better Blueprint System
If you unlock a gun blueprint through a challenge, or if you paid for one, you will want to change some of the attachments that come with it. Unfortunately, if you buy a blueprint and decide to change some of the attachments, you will have a mess as the change will obliterate your gun’s blueprint design.
It would be beneficial for players and Activision to make a more flexible blueprint system where you can change attachments without changing the gun’s looks or at least include some spare parts in the blueprints.
9. Include a Tactical Reload Ability
This one is aimed at the more hardcore and tactical community. More and more games are now implementing tactical reloading. This helps the player reload faster at the expense of losing a mag that might still have some ammo in it. Choosing between tactical and traditional reloading adds interesting decision-making for the player. Call of Duty has implemented something similar through perks, but it’s time to move on and have it as a realistic mechanic.
10. Incorporate a Live Attachment System
Modern Warfare is a mixture of tactical and fast gameplay. Players need to quickly adapt to any situation. A system where you can rapidly change some of your attachments would be a great addition and will open up more gameplay possibilities. For instance, being able to remove your suppressor on the run would be nice to have.
11. Dynamic Maps with Weather and Night/Day Cycles
This is something that Call of Duty never dared to explore. It would help make the maps feel less repetitive. Having a weather system that sometimes is cloudy, other times is a little rainy and others sunny will be amazing and refreshing for the franchise.
This doesn’t mean that there has to be an over-the-top weather system such as we have seen in games like Battlefield, as this wouldn’t fit Modern Warfare. Just something simple that gives some visual variety to the maps would be a welcome change.
12. A Dark and Classic Campaign
Infinity ward did an amazing job rebooting the original Modern Warfare trilogy universe with the same characters and maintaining some of the main lore. It was nice seeing Call of Duty back on its roots. We want more of these dark and grounded campaigns. For instance, we want to see more of Shoot House, or a fan favorite (Or not) Loose Ends.
Thankfully Infinity Ward will manage to fill Modern Warfare’s (2019) shoes with an improved version of it with the new engine and system we already saw. The community, in general, received Modern Warfare (2019) very positively due to its innovation. The developers don’t necessarily need to create something new that will renovate the industry, no. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it! We want more of what we got in Modern Warfare (2019) with a few improvements and additions.
What are you interested in seeing in the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare II? Do you agree with our list of things that need to be updated or kept the same in Call of Duty Modern Warfare II? Do you have any requests of your own? Let us know in the comments below!
Images Courtesy of Activision.
