Given the success of the newly releasedCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, it seems all but guaranteed that there will be a sequel released in a few years’ time. Not only hasCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s campaign performed very well on Steamthanks to campaign early access, but the sequel was the quickest entry in the franchise to make $1 billion. Beyond that,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2leaves several plot threads hanging that a sequel could pick up.
Even withCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2campaign DLC supposedly on the way, Makarov and No Russian are topics that will likely be saved for the third entry in the series. If things play out like the original, and No Russian is devastating enough to spark World War 3, Infinity Ward could have a second chance at the biggest possible setting for a fictional war. In turn, it could fix some of the originalModern Warfare 3’s biggest flaws.
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Making World War 3 Feel Larger in the New Modern Warfare 3
Assuming that World War 3 is the directionInfinity Wardtakes its newModern Warfareuniverse - which is likely given how characters like General Shepherd have similar roles to play in the reboot’s narrative - then the developer should strive to make World War 3 feel far bigger than it did in 2011. Though there were some moments that lived up to the name, like the destruction of the Eiffel Tower, Task Force 141’s personal grudge against Makarov meant that big battles often took a backseat.
If World War 3 is revisited following the newNo Russian terrorist attack, then the scale has to be properly realized. Not only should there be more setpiece moments like the Eiffel tower collapse that focus on major worldwide landmarks, but Infinity Ward should show how all the countries involved in the war are being impacted. With the introduction of Farah and Alejandro Vargas, Infinity Ward can highlight conflicts in other parts of the world without the use of Task Force 141, who will surely be busy hunting after Makarov. Though the use of Sandman and Delta Force in the originalMW3did show some big battles, so much more could have been done with World War 3, as only a fraction of the conflict was able to be captured through Sandman’s team and Task Force 141.
The New Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Should Deliver Better Character Deaths
With Makarov coming back into play, it can be assumed thatTask Force 141is in danger, as it would be surprising if a member was not killed off in the new storyline. However, Infinity Ward needs to be more careful about how it presents these deaths, as the firstModern Warfare 3felt rushed in this regard. Yuri’s death during the final fight against Makarov felt like an afterthought, and after all he had been through, Soap’s demise felt cheap.
With the narrative of the originalModern Warfare 2seeingSoap MacTavishsaved from a brutal knife wound early on, having him die just a few missions later was an odd choice. Further, the way in which he dies feels extremely impersonal and illogical, as he falls off a building the exact same way Yuri does, yet Yuri makes it out of the fall just fine. Having Soap die when Yuri lives on from the same impact is frustrating, and having a beloved character killed off from a fall after surviving gunshots and knife wounds to the chest was an odd decision.
Not only should the newModern Warfare 3aim to showcase a larger version of World War 3 with more location variety, characters, and set pieces, but it also needs to make sure any character deaths are worthwhile. Soap’s death lacked the impact ofGhost’s death in 2009’sModern Warfare 2, as Shepherd’s betrayal felt far more personal. Ghost’s death made Shepherd into a villain worth hating, whereas Soap’s felt purposeless, as it made him look weak and did nothing to further Makarov’s arc. While it did result in a great scene where Price interrogates Yuri, Soap’s death could have happened in a much better way. With Sandman’s death in the originalModern Warfare 3also lacking a purpose, Infinity Ward needs to make sure it treatsCall of Duty’s heroes with care in the new timeline.
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The New Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Has To Provide More Closure
Lastly, and most importantly, Infinity Ward needs to give fans closure if it plans on keeping the newModern Warfareseries a trilogy. While there is a chance it extends beyond a third game liketheBlack Opsseries, if the story does end up concluding with the next entry, there has to be more of an ending than what fans got back in 2011. After killing Makarov, Price begins smoking and the game’s credits instantly begin. Gamers get no idea of what comes next for Price, no insight into the state of the world following a third World War, and no tribute to dead characters like Soap. Despite all the sacrifices to get there, the defeat of Makarov feels anticlimactic.
Ultimately,the newCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3should strive to do things differently from the original, both to improve upon it and to forge its own identity. Infinity Ward should look to deliver more missions like the Battle of New York and Battle of Berlin, and this time around, they should take place all across the world and focus on people from those locations. If a big death does happen, it should not only serve as a gut punch for fans, but feel like an earned moment that makes the villain stronger or allows the dying character to have one final moment of heroism. Most importantly, if the new story is being wrapped up with the next game, fans need proper closure for the characters and the world that they live in.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
