Before we get into that, a little background on my history with the franchise. I--like many other players--started playing the series when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) was released. I was immediately hooked; and this was before I even started playing the Multiplayer component of the game! Ever since then I've purchased and played every single release, except for CoD: Black Ops 4. Say what you will about the campaigns for these games, but Black Ops 4 not including one to focus more on their new Blackout mode (their first take on the Battle Royale genre) was a major turn off for me. I feel the story modes tend to give the multiplayer aspect of these games a little more context (but that's a post for another day). So, needless to say, I'm very familiar with the franchise. I may not know or remember every single mechanic there is, but I've sunk more than my fair share of time into these games. Everything from standing in line for a midnight release to the feeling of how I couldn't wait to get home from work just to hop on and play a few matches into the late evening; I've experienced it all.
And that's my clunky segue into the rest of this post:
I'm not sure exactly when it started (I've only began listening to the community online in more recent times), but for about the better part of a decade, it seems that older players have not only become more and more frustrated with the franchise, but also more nostalgic for the older game; seemingly holding them up on a pedestal.
Are they right to do so? Has Call of Duty strayed too far from what made the franchise great in the eyes of so many of us older players?
I'd say Yes and No.
Obviously, this is just my own take on the subject; coming strictly from my own point of view. But there many other opinions on the matter; many of them I've agreed or disagreed with in my own right. These are just thoughts, ideas and musings that ramble around my brain from time to time.
I am a firm believer to never dismiss the past and to acknowledge what has come before. Those older games in the franchise are legendary. If it weren't for the creators taking a chance with the original Modern Warfare, the landscape of modern first-person shooters could very well look a little different today. And from there a legacy was born. No other FPS since has been the Juggernaut (pun wasn't intended, but I'll take it) that is Call of Duty--with the exception of Halo. Even Battlefield--a series that I initially wrote off, but have since come to love as well--has always seemingly been partially engulfed by CoD's shadow. And each yearly entry seemingly got better and better; improving and innovating what made Modern Warfare's formula so engaging. But the fundamentals of those games basically stayed the same.
And maybe that's where the problem starts. For every new entry in the series the surrounding details changed, but those core values always remained the same. And even further, maybe it's those core values that eventually lead to tedium and fatigue for the player base. It was essentially the same game every year, just with a shiny new coat of paint and a few new features.
Then Advanced Warfare came out. And things seemed to change at a rapid rate. Bored with "boots-on-the-ground" game play, the devs decided it was time for jetpacks to come to Call of Duty. And with it a new era of CoD began. Not only for the franchise, but for its fans. The older generation of players were becoming just that--older. And younger, less established, fans were beginning to emerge. And along with that, platforms like Youtube were beginning to really get their foothold on the zeitgeist of gaming culture; leading the way for more tips, tricks, information and montages than ever before. I believe this is pivotal. It's around this time that I was starting to feel like the franchise I had faithfully played for years prior was beginning to slightly grow away from me. Like a lot of the older players, it took me some time getting used to the new movement and mechanics of the game; the core values of running around a map and shooting the enemy team were the same, but everything else was beginning to feel somewhat foreign to me. And I was never against the ideas of jetpacks in the series, but it was still an adjustment.
From there the games got faster; movement opened up even further with boost sliding and wall running. Maps became less and less iconic and more chaotic with no real sense of flow. How could it when the movement let you practically go anywhere? DLCs, Map Packs and Microtransactions got worse at nickle and diming the player at every turn; hiding game changing elements in loot boxes. As those years passed a new generation of up and coming fans were younger and practically instilled with the skill set necessary to play, all while listening to their favorite content creator or pro player telling them how to break the game ever further and what their settings should be to do so.
Then there's Skill Based MatchMaking (SBMM). I fully believe that SBMM should not be in causal games/game modes. I think new players should have a grace period to learn the mechanics and maps, but once they hit a certain level they should be adept enough to hold their own against other--and possibly better--players. Now, Ranked or more competitively designed games should definitely have SBMM and they can crank it to 11 if they so choose, because that's what's expected of those types of games/modes and works better for them. But with the dial turned up so high on newer CoD games, it's made them way more competitive and sweaty than they have any right to be.
And now that we've had more "boots on the ground" games lately that means that things got a little better right? Well, not really; but also yes. SBMM is still a major issue, but as of the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) things are a little different and familiar at the same time. Microtransactions still remain, but game changing elements, like weapons, are free for everyone to earn in game. And maps aren't sectioned off to those with a deeper wallet. The game is slower paced, like the older games (side note: I do take a twisted sense of joy when I hear players complain about how they can't slide cancel, bunny hop, or use any other movement exploit, anymore), but with it came new headaches and upsets for the older generation.
Because then the devs wanted to make the game more accessible for new players and their publisher wanting those same players to spend more money; the games today seem to be designed more for those players than the ones that have stuck with the franchise through all its growing pains. The ones who want red dots on the mini-map, quieter footsteps and the Dead Silence perk to return and not be a Field Upgrade. Though I don't inherently miss those things. I've played many other games that don't have those features, so it doesn't really bother me one way or another.
I guess my final thoughts on the matter are that maybe it's not so much that the older players are necessarily blinded by their nostalgia goggles, but maybe they're feeling pushed aside or fazed out. And the generation below us haven't quite hit that time yet; though it is coming. I've recognized for myself that I may not be the intended audience for CoD anymore. Not because I don't love the series, but because I don't have the time to devout to learn every single mechanic. I'm older now; I have other things in my life that have nothing to do with this game. And it feels as if the devs (or maybe it's mostly their publisher, Activision) want only the people who have the time to play endlessly, who live and breathe for the pixels on screen.
And maybe that's okay in some sense. Nothing lasts forever and not everything's that created should be catered to be accessible to everyone. It's okay if some get left behind or choose to leave on their own. Because as life moves on and things change, the memories of all the fun times that were had will outlive even the biggest franchise.
I just know that for me all that matters is that I'm having a fun time while it lasts. I've enjoyed my time with the older games, but those times are gone. However, I have plenty of fond memories that I can look back on. But I know I can't have those times back. Nothing will bring those feelings back. I'm a different person now than I was then. And now we have a younger generation that are getting into the same passion I, and many others, had when we first discovered the franchise. They are the ones who are creating future nostalgic memories. And they'll eventually chant the same mantra
: I miss old CoD.
But, those are just my random thoughts. Let me know in the comments what you think. Are older players just too nostalgic for the glory days of CoD? Or are they feeling like they being left behind? Or is it something completely different that I didn’t even think of?
I hope you all have a great day!
