We've all had our whinges over how the Call of Duty franchise has just dished out the same game year after year with minor tweaks since Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I'm not here to argue that...in fact, I'm here to agree with that but to also address the simple fact that, not only does this system work, but its why we're all so drawn to the game.
Having hit Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer as soon as I popped the disc into the tray, my initial impression was "Wow...its Modern warfare 2.5". There was very little difference in the visuals, gameplay or structure of the game. Its the same frantic shooter we've come to enjoy investing endless hours on since CoD 4: Modern Warfare first graced us. If this were any other game franchise, I'll be honest, I would have returned it the next day. When I buy a new instalment of a game, I want to see and feel like I'm playing a new game and not just another add-on to a game I've already played.
The thing with the Modern Warfare franchise is that gamers have come to EXPECT little changes to the iconic formula from Activision while Activision have never promised they would re-invent the wheel after CoD 4. The Modern Warfare series is the most obvious case of "If it ain't broke, why fix it?" and gamers everywhere appreciate that.
Now, there are definitely pockets of gamers in the virtualverse who can't stand Modern Warfare. They see Activision as ripping off consumers by dishing out the same product under a new name and charging the same price for DLC etc. The introduction of the Elite feature in Modern Warfare 3 doesn't help convince these gamers otherwise. This is fair enough. To an extent, I agree with these gamers in that Activision are taking advantage of the franchise's popularity and not really investing extra money in resources to significantly improve the overall game's appeal (a new engine comes to mind) but, instead, charging premium prices for content that is at the end of the day rather useless. They're making a huge profit off of little work that hardcore gamers and casuals alike eat up like its free EXP.
The thing is, Activision aren't forcing anyone to buy or use these extra features. People are buying these content packs and Elite subscriptions on their own free will. That's one great thing about Activision, in that they don't detract from the core experience by forcing the consumer to buy and buy and buy unlike some developers (coughBLIZZARDcough). No, Activision simply give the gamer at home the OPTION to further their engagement in the experience. Surely, that's got to count for something.
I'm not here to call Activision a greedy corporation or to make claims like "Modern Warfare is everything that's wrong with gaming today". The truth is, I like Call of Duty simply because its a good "pick up and play" game. With Modern Warfare 3, Activision have given the real hardcore gamers competitive features to use to their liking. That's absolutely fine. But, for me, I like the franchise just because it gives me cheap entertainment without having to worry about competition everytime I log on. Call me a casual or what you will, the point is I'm content playing a mindless shooter that I can have FUN with coupled with mates rather than planning out strategic attacks. Battlefield 3 is great for that, and is definitely a milestone in that style of shooter, but I don't have the time or dedication to throw myself into that style of play.
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Blog written by: Elraro
32591 Kudos
09/11/2011
