History Lesson
In October of last year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II was released as a direct sequel to the 2019 reboot. It went on to become one of the best-selling games of 2022. This year, we’ll be able to get our hands on that game’s direct sequel, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. Releasing sequels in back-to-back years is unheard of for this franchise, which makes this iteration even more exciting.
Let’s rewind a bit to the ending of last year’s campaign mode (spoiler alert if you haven’t played CoD: MW II’s campaign mode). After the last mission, Kate Laswell, Captain Price and the rest of Task Force 141 gathered in a bar, and here she shows the team a photo of the next seemingly unknown threat they will have to face.
But immediately, the entire team recognized who this man was. Laswell asked for his name, and Captain Price let out just one word that sent shivers down my spine, but also got me way too hyped for the sequel. “Makarov,” Captain Price revealed.
Hardcore fans of the franchise will recognize Vladimir Makarov as the villain who made his first appearance on the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II back in 2010. Part of that game’s campaign is the infamous “No Russian” mission, where you join Makarov as an undercover CIA agent and massacre an entire airport full of innocent civilians.
There was even a callback to this mission in the very last cutscene of last year’s campaign wherein an armed man on a plane received a text from someone named M (presumably Makarov himself) stating “No Russian.” And I immediately knew what was about to go down.
So Yes, Makarov will finally be making his debut in the rebooted franchise in this year’s Modern Warfare installment. This was revealed through a teaser and reveal trailer which were released two weeks ago on Call of Duty’s Youtube channel and other social media platforms.
What can we expect from CoD: MW III?
Apart from Makarov, based on the footage it seems like the entire team will be reuniting to face this wicked villain – Kate Laswell, Task Force 141 and Farah Karim will all be making a comeback.
One of the most significant changes to the game will be the Open Combat Missions (OCM). From what I’ve learned, these missions will be part of the campaign. But the twist is that you, the player, will get to decide how to carry out this mission depending on your preferred playstyle. You can use vehicles, weapons and combat equipment you deem necessary to complete these objectives.
I can’t wait to try out this new feature of the game. For the longest time, I’ve been dreaming of a Call of Duty campaign mode wherein I can decide what approach to take to complete the various objectives. This gives the players so much empowerment, and it also provides a level of replayability in the campaign mode that has yet to be seen in previous iterations.
Multiplayer die-hards will also have something to look forward to. All the original 16 launch maps from the 2010 CoD MW II will be a part of the multiplayer mode that have been modernized to give players a nostalgic but also contemporary experience. There will also be new game modes you will get to try on these maps.
But the biggest news for multiplayer has to be the return of the fan-favorite Zombies game mode, albeit with a twist. It seems like an open-world element will be introduced to this game mode, although I can’t really tell yet how this mode will play out. Either way, I’m sure this is something fans of the franchise can’t wait to test out.
I won’t be diving into every single new feature, but if you want to know more about the game, you can check out Call of Duty’s website at: https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2023/08/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-III-worldwide-full-reveal-announcement
Mark your calendars
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is set to release on November 10 on all major platforms. Personally, I prefer immersing myself in the single player campaign of these games as I get to live out my fantasy of being an operator in the battlefield. I usually find myself heavily invested in the storyline and astounded by the jaw-dropping action, but this game will have something new for everybody including the multiplayer fanatics. The 10th of November can’t come any sooner.
