Summary
Despite maintaining its hold on the sales market, theCall of Dutyfranchise is currently at an all-time low, at least as far as its critical reception goes. TheCall of Dutyfranchise has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the last two decades, with each new entry seemingly rolling the dice on being viewed as either a mediocre cash grab or one of the greatest FPS games of all time. That being said, the vast majority ofCall of Dutyentries have never really been viewed as truly bad games, butCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3has changed that.
Currently sitting at 56 on Metacritic with its critic reviews, and a shockingly low 2.0 with its user score,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3is the lowest-ratedCall of Dutyof all time, and it’s for good reason. While its graphics are great and its gunplay is still some of the best in the industry,Modern Warfare 3represents a much grander issue for the entire franchise, featuring a laughably short campaign, no original 6v6 maps on launch, and an overreliance on last year’s weapons and mechanics. To some fans,Call of Dutyis a franchise that’s crumbling at the seams, and the best course of action might be to rip away its two safety nets.
It’s Time to Retire Modern Warfare and Black Ops
Modern Warfare and Black Ops Deserve Their Flowers
Before making the case for their conclusion, it’s important to first explore just how importantModern WarfareandBlack Opswere totheCall of Dutyfranchise. Back in 2007,Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfareessentially popularized the modern military shooter, especially in the online multiplayer space, introducing now-staple features like custom loadouts, killstreaks, and a constant sense of progression.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2doubled down on those key selling points, cementing this new direction for theCall of Dutyfranchise as a whole.
ThenCall of Duty: Black Opswas released in 2010, continuing to expand onModern Warfare’s revolutionary features while also adding its own unique flair to the formula, and doubling down on Treyarch’s previously successful Zombies mode. Now, well over a decade later, the vast majority of fans consider these earlyModern WarfareandBlack Opsentries as the franchise’s best, and while nostalgia plays a role in that modern-day reception, it’s hard to argue that the campaigns, maps, additional modes, and progression systems weren’t better all those years ago.
Modern Warfare and Black Ops Are Just Holding Call of Duty Back Now
But times have changed, andModern WarfareandBlack Opsare no longer the guaranteed signs of quality that they once were.Call of Duty: Black Ops 3was the first sign that the series might have outstayed its welcome, though with some impressive post-launch support it’s managed to stay fairly popular among fans. ButBlack Ops 4was the first severe disappointmentfrom either series, lacking a campaign mode and making some odd choices with its multiplayer.
And while 2019’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfaremanaged to breathe new life into the franchise, the one-two-punch ofModern Warfare 2and3has really hammered home this feeling thatCall of Dutyis stagnating, leaning far too much into nostalgia and relying much too heavily on its live-service model to just fix things later down the line. It seems fair to say thatCall of Dutyis simply using theModern WarfareandBlack Opsnames to shift copies rather than do anything genuinely innovative and in keeping with each series' original themes or vision. Getting rid of these series entirely might finally forceCall of Dutyto create something new, something that’s finally worthy of becoming a series in its own right rather than just a one-and-done throwaway entry.
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
