WHAT HAPPENS AFTER MODERN WARFARE 2?

The hype for Modern Warfare 2 has begun spinning like a turbo-charged washing machine. Game of the year is on it’s way! At least, that’s what many FPS fans are expecting. (myself included) How can it not be? Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare was my favorite game for a very long time. The single player campaign was the most intense gaming experience I can remember to date and the multiplayer of COD4 was completely off the charts, for me, my friends and still for many COD4 fans who sign onto Xbox Live on a daily basis for their First Person Shooting dose of medicine. Infinity Ward could not have made this game any better. If they could have made it any better, I’m sure they would want to implement their new features in the next edition of the Call of Duty franchise. Infinity Ward could keep creating new DLC and improve upon it’s most successful game yet, but this ain’t Bungie. They’re onto bigger and better things now and the pace of development seems to be relatively quick as the release date was just announced: November 10, 2009. Just in time for the holidays, which is totally predictable since developers fail to take notes on how successful a certain games April release was. (Related blog post: Too many games, Not enough time)

When COD4 was in its prime, the folks at Treyarch were busy creating yet another Call of Duty game. However, it unfortunately was another WWII genre FPS which did not interest me in the slightest. Nothing against Treyarch, it’s just a been there, done that situation and I for one, will not spend one more dollar on a genre that has been developed to death. I’ve played parts of the campaign and Zombie mode with friends and I know I made the right decision. Where is the creativity? Where are the “out of the box” ideas? Why stick with something that has been done way too much?

So that begs the question, what happens after Modern Warfare 2? What happens after the next game of the year wipes the floor with every other FPS game out in 2009? Are we going to see yet another WWII Call of Duty? What about Modern Warfare 3? If they end up doing Modern Warfare 3, I’m afraid for me, it will be another WWII genre type deal where I (and I assume others) are jaded and done with “more of the same”. We expect more as gamers, maybe we expect a bit too much sometimes. But it would be nice to see a surprise after Modern Warfare 2 and not something so predictable as another sequel. I’m sure MW2 will be my game of the year, but a revamp of the franchise may be needed to keep me as a loyal fan. We aren’t waiting for the next generation of games to arrive on our doorstep. The next generation is here, it’s now. So give gamers something we don’t expect.

It seems like both Infinity Ward and Treyarch are even running out of Call of Duty names. The number of COD titles can only go so high before we start comparing it to Rocky and Rambo, which we ask ourselves: will this shit ever end? Which is OK, because I don’t necessarily want the Call of Duty franchise to die. (Sorry, can’t say the same for Rocky & Rambo) I want it to redefine quality FPS’s and take the genre to the next level. I think for Modern Warfare 2, they will probably set the bar higher than ever but when that time comes, gamers and developers alike will already be looking past that bar and where they can set it even higher. Which is where my dream game comes in. Call of Duty: Future Warfare.

Infinity Ward can go just about anywhere with this. The talent Infinity Ward possesses is a great Future Warfare experiment just waiting to be explored. Get all the great minds over there together and finish the WWII genre, finish the Modern Warfare genre, cross it off the list of dead ideas. Give the gamers who have come to respect these developers exactly what they don’t expect. We expect you to give us more of the same. We expect you to throw a couple of new features in a sequel and call it revolutionary or “the next big thing”. But we all know the same engine is being used, some of the same characters and textures are being used, (although upgraded and slightly altered I’m sure) and the controls will be exactly the same with maybe a few gimmicks thrown in so they can claim as “new”.

So how will Modern Warfare 2 be any different than the first Modern Warfare? Well, that’s the thing. We just don’t know yet. I don’t see it being a brand new game though. Kind of like how I felt with Gears of War 2 being Gears of War 1.5. Will COD: Modern Warfare 2 feel more like COD: Modern Warfare 1.5? I’m concerned Gamer Report readers. I only want to purchase the best games possible. I don’t have time nor the money to waste on a sequel that really doesn’t fall into a true sequel category. Which is why I am calling for a Call of Duty: Future Warfare to be next in the development cycle. Give the gamers what they don’t expect. Stop being predictable and change things up. Surprise us, because if we keep getting more of the same, the Call of Duty supremacy will soon die as other developers take their gloves off and show where else the FPS genre can go.

Take into consideration the fact that Crytek is breathing down Infinity Wards neck now with their announcement that the CryEngine and Crysis game is in development for the PS3 and 360. Watch out Infinity Ward! You may lose your Game of the Year title if you’re not wise with your next move. I hope you take my thoughts into consideration, so for now, this is no where near Checkmate. But do consider this a Check… for your King status may soon be in jeopardy.