Black Ops 6 Was Right Not to Follow in Modern Warfares Footsteps

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Black Ops 6 Was Right Not to Follow in Modern Warfares Footsteps

As someone who’s been a dedicated Call of Duty fan since the days of Modern Warfare 1, I can confidently say that Treyarch made the right call by not rebooting the Black Ops series. While the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot was undoubtedly a fantastic game in its own right, it felt like a slap in the face to longtime fans who had grown attached to the original trilogy’s characters and stories.

Ultimately, after several months of eager waiting, the newest addition to the Call of Duty franchise, namely Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, has been released. As usual, gamers are immersed in the thrilling setting of spies and covert operations that is characteristic of the Call of Duty subseries, offering a captivating gaming experience so far. Although it might not reach the pinnacle of its golden age, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has provided a refreshing change for numerous players. What’s more intriguing is that one of its major strengths lies in its significant departure from Modern Warfare.

For quite some time, the “Call of Duty” series was characterized by the “Black Ops” and “Modern Warfare” spin-offs, offering gamers a chance to delve into two unique war narratives, bond with various character sets, and traverse different eras within the “Call of Duty” universe. However, in 2019, there was a shift when Infinity Ward opted to reboot its “Modern Warfare” series rather than developing separate games or continuing within the existing “MW” universe. This move was initially successful, as the 2019 game garnered positive reviews. However, it also meant that the original trilogy’s universe was no longer in play, and fortunately, “Black Ops 6” did not follow suit with this decision.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Was Right Not to Reboot

Modern Warfare Rebooted the Franchise

Ever since its debut, I’ve been hooked on the Modern Warfare subseries within Call of Duty. The original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare catapulted the entire franchise to unprecedented heights with its immersive campaign and multiplayer. Its successor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, took things a step further, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 brought the trilogy to an mostly satisfying end. To this day, these games are frequently hailed as some of the finest in the franchise and even among the best that the first-person shooter genre has ever produced.

As a die-hard fan, I must say that the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare trilogy truly redefined the franchise for me. The games were just packed with elements that players couldn’t get enough of. The campaigns from these titles are still legendary, the tailor-made missions in the original Spec Ops mode gave MW2 and MW3 a distinctive edge, and to this day, they are the only Call of Duty games to receive remasters.

Black Ops Has Forged Ahead With its Wacky Timeline

Unlike “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare”, which generally follows a linear timeline, the “Call of Duty: Black Ops” series has been quite diverse in its storytelling. For instance, the original “Call of Duty: Black Ops” is renowned as one of the franchise’s best games, set during the Cold War era. However, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” spanned two eras – primarily focusing on 2025. “Black Ops 3” jumped ahead to 2065 and transitioned into a hero shooter with its wall-running characters known as Specialists. “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4”, conversely, moved back to the 2040s and introduced a battle royale mode instead of a campaign. Now, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” has returned to its roots, picking up where “Black Ops Cold War” ended. Despite being somewhat disjointed in terms of timeline, Treyarch continues to expand the “Black Ops” universe with newer releases rather than starting anew.

Rather than starting over, Treyarch chose to continue developing and enlarging the universe they’ve been crafting for 14 years. With each new release, except for Black Ops 3 because of its futuristic setting, they’ve either focused on the same characters or their family members. This has resulted in figures like Frank Woods, the Mason clan, Jason Hudson, Viktor Resnov, and more recently Russel Adler becoming some of the most memorable characters in the series. Players have had the opportunity to form connections with them across various games, as their stories continue to unfold as Treyarch delves deeper into different periods of their universe’s history.

The iconic characters and tales from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are likely to be remembered for a long time, but since they’ve been rebooted, players must navigate two sets of these narratives. The latest timeline also revisits old ground, which is under close scrutiny by long-term fans who feel that certain characters and events don’t measure up to the original Modern Warfares. Conversely, Black Ops 6 is expanding on its initial stories while creating new ones, making its characters seem more fleshed out and well-developed. Moreover, this approach ensures that everything from the past remains significant in the broader context of the series, allowing Treyarch to reference key moments and keep the attention of Black Ops veterans while still experimenting with fresh ideas.

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2024-10-27 01:43