Every year around the holidays, gamers the world over look forward to the release of the latest game in the Call of Duty Series. With multiple developers working on titles,, the series has managed to have a new installment become as part of the holidays as family gatherings, food, and presents.
With the release of the Revolution map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, and the upcoming E3 conference in June, many gamers have speculated as to what the next game in the series will be about.
Rumors have surfaced that the new title will be set in the Modern Warfare storyline and will feature characters from the previous titles in that series. Regardless I am certain that record sales will follow whenever the title is released.
I have been a big fan of the series from day one, and I remember fondly playing the original game, and being blown away with the new look, setting, and gameplay of Modern Warfare when it first arrived.
While I have never agreed with a lot of the venom that some gamers have directed to the game, I can understand that for some gamers, they think it is time for a change in direction for the franchise.
This is a difficult situation as the games generate incredible amounts of revenue and it would be unwise from an financial sense to not have a new title on the market for the holidays, especially since demand is so high.
While Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 offered some new wrinkles to the series such as multiple endings, challenge missions, and more online features and customizations, many critics cited that it was simply more of the same.
While I disagree with this, I do understand that for some players, the look, gameplay, and features of the series might do with some changes, as the talented team of developers behind the series may be bumping their heads with what they can do with the current gaming engine.
Hence the dilemma, a switch to a new gaming engine would likely result in delays and cause a lucrative holiday season to be missed. I am sure this is something that has already been discussed and the team has a plan in place for when the next technological leap in the series will debut.
It is possible that the 2014 title may be Black Ops 3, the future of the series offers some interesting options.
I think most players would agree that their favorite part of the game is the multiplayer mode, as the fast paced action, customization, and social aspects of the game are a huge appeal.
Most players can complete the game’s campaigns in 6-8 hours of play so the multiplayer as well as the map packs that are released throughout the year allow gamers an incredible amount of replay options.
One of my favorite maps was Moon from the original Black Ops as blasting Zombies in a space setting was tons of fun. I have often said that a game set in the future could be tons of fun.
Imagine jetpacks, laser weapons, and a lack of gravity offering a new challenge and dimension to online play. There was an online game from a European developer a few years back that had teams battle in the area on or above the moon, and it had some real challenge to it. Whenever a weapon was fired or a jetpack ignited, it was like sending up a flare to every enemy player on the map as to your location.
There was also the recoil physics of firing weapons in zero g, as the larger the bang, then the further the recoil.
I also think that more co-op would be great as I have loved the two-man missions when I have played them. Imagine a game where you can play through it with a squad of 4-8 players where you must work as team to get the job done. Add to that roles such as pilot, medic, tech, etc where the success of a mission will hinge on keeping certain members of your team alive. No matter how valuable the data, it would be of no use to you if the pilot was killed and you were forced to make your escape on foot thus increasing the time in a hot zone.
With the pending release of the Playstation 4 and a new Xbox console on the way, the time to take the series to the next level may be sooner than we think, and I for one would love to see where they go with it.
It is important in my opinion to be innovative rather than imitative to avoid fatigue setting into the series and keep it fresh and viable for the long-term.
