The upcoming release ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is highly anticipated for fans of the franchise and the shooter genre as a whole. It’s a game thatfollows 2019’sModern Warfareand will look to recapture the magic of it, which will be a challenge since it has some of the best gameplay in the series to date. In many ways,Call of Dutyhas improved massively since its 2003 beginnings, and while the implementation of online multiplayer all those years ago massively helped player retention, it’s developed and refined the formula to be something visually, audibly, and mechanically better than ever.
Yet, there are so many players that reminisce about other titles on older platforms, and to entice them into playing the new release, it could be best to lean into the past. 2022’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2isn’t the first game to be bestowed with that name, as 2009’s entry in the long-standing series was also given that title. That game was seen by many at the time to be one of the best shooters of the generation, and while it and the upcoming game share similarities like characters and settings, there’s so much more thatModern Warfare 2can learn fromCall of Duty’s success during the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation.
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Modern Warfare 2’s Simplicity Was Key
WhileHalooffered a slow and methodical approach to gunplay andBattlefieldwas a closer depiction of real warfare,Call of Dutywas loved by fans who enjoyed its fast-paced gameplay and liberal approach to action. Strategy was essential, and knowing the quirks of maps like the rainy grasslands of Underpass or thetowering battleground of Highrisewas critical if players wanted to acquire one of the game’s many killstreaks. This philosophy carried over to numerousCall of Dutytitles even to this day, but as the franchise has taken fans to the future and back with mixed results, it has to strike a balance to maintain as big an audience as possible.
So many people will have a different favoriteCall of Dutytitle, as many will look at the series through rose-tinted spectacles, but 2007’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfarewas the first to adopt the format that the franchise would later come to rely on. Its simplicity was at the heart of its charm, and is one of the biggest reasons why it still holds up,especially inCall of Duty 4’s 2016 remaster. When compared to the mainline release in the same year,Infinite Warfare, many opted to return to a game that came nine years before, and 2022’sModern Warfare 2would do well to learn from how that year unfolded.
The Modern Warfare Name Brings Expectations
There’s a clear reason why developer Infinity Ward brought back theModern Warfarename, and it’s largely to do with recapturing a long-neglected audience. 2019’sModern Warfaresawthe return of Captain Price, a figure that has become synonymous with the brand, as well as Spec Ops, a side mode that allows solo or co-op play through a handful of missions and scenarios. This mimics the past, and so it’s apparent that the game was an (albeit slight) return to form as well as a love letter to the series' late-2000s success.
Call of Dutygained huge traction over a decade ago, but it achieved this while releasing alongside some of the best shooters of all time.Halo, Battlefield,Borderlands, andLeft 4 Deadwere each competing for the hearts of fans, andCall of Dutystill managed to hold strong sales and leave such a significant mark on the industry.Halo Infiniteis facing a turbulent and frustrating post-launch andBattlefield 2042faced tough criticism when it released, soCall of Dutyhas a big opportunity to flourish in today’s AAA shooter landscape. It needs to take advantage of it, and reverting to some of the norms of the franchise’s past games would be the best course of action to reach and satisfy players of all ages and preferences.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is available October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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