Since 2023, Call of Duty has been trying to rebuild trust. This is largely due to Modern Warfare III and Black Ops 7 launching in less-than-ideal states, which led to them being among the lowest-rated in the franchise. Infinity Ward’s first step toward bringing players back and rebuilding confidence is to set up a campaign in Korea.
“We’re in the middle of what they call the third Hallyu wave, the name they give to the spread of Korean culture throughout the world,” co-studio head Jack O’Hara says in a hands-off presentation of the campaign. Aside from cultural impacts, another reason the team landed on Korea was the ever-growing standoff at the North-South Korean border.
The team wanted to take the idea of North Korean leaders invading (albeit under a fictional family’s name) the South. Because it sounded like something that could happen in the real world, all of this gave the team the idea of returning to the series’ roots: playing as a grunt in a war who doesn’t necessarily understand everything happening. It’s also worth noting that Infinity Ward plans to continue the story of Captain Price, which it describes as a “James Bond-esque” style of storytelling, as he travels the world.
Before going hands-on with multiplayer, Infinity Ward explained the new Apex Attachments – the final unlocks for your weapons. A Sniper Rifle’s Apex Attachment, for example, can shoot blades. Alternatively, a Shotgun can be equipped with explosive rounds. They all drastically change how each weapon can be used. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fully explore this feature while playing due to a bug, but I deeply enjoyed being able to attach a shotgun barrel to my pistol.
The Special Equipment tab is also getting a shakeup, one of the biggest being that Riot Shields no longer take up a weapon slot. Now classified as equipment, they can break after enough shots and be planted on the ground to provide cover out in the open.
Movement in MW4 has also been sped up significantly. You can now corner-peak while hanging on a building ledge, parkour onto pipes, and slide much more quickly across cars. Even if some of these movements defy real-world physics, the team is okay with that as long as it’s fun.
“We’re trying to make you feel like a badass,” technical designer Jack Hoppus tells me. “We want you to feel like you’re the hero in your own game.” Although many of the new movement features may be fun, I fear some mechanics won’t be used as much because the game plays so fast.
Many of Infinity Ward’s multiplayer maps are designed with three lanes. Unfortunately, spawning has been a consistent issue in Call of Duty for a long time, and MW4 is no different. There were plenty of times when the enemy would spawn behind me and immediately kill me. Or if it didn’t do that, I would spawn in and immediately get killed by the other team rushing in. I was frustrated in the moments where I was getting killed back-to-back and felt I had no control over the outcome, but it is admittedly a recurring Call of Duty problem.
I didn’t play the campaign, but it shows promise. The multiplayer feels familiar in a complimentary way, and for the first time in a couple of years, I’m genuinely excited about what Call of Duty has to offer upon its full release.