I think the original Modern Warfare (CoD4) was the best overall game in the series. I enjoyed MW2 and MW3 a great deal, though those games elicited a lot of "I'm going to say this sucks because it's wildly popular and hasn't changed much" hate from the internet. Black Ops and World at War were fine games in their own right as well. (I didn't play Black Ops II, but people seemed to like it.) I bought Ghosts because it's the only real FPS multiplayer option for the next-gen that wasn't broken, but it's just not a very good game. The multiplayer in Ghosts seems to only reward two playstyles, and those are bitchcamping or putting every speed perk on and blazing around the map hipfiring SMGs/shotguns, neither of which I remotely enjoy doing. I don't know it's just poor map design, the FPS community gravitating to those two extremes, or some combination of both, but it's certainly less fun. And why the hell did they remove theater mode? Throw in cheesy, stupid shit like weed/meme weapon skins/outfits, and it's pretty much impossible to even take the game seriously.
I'm out for Advanced Warfare, partly because Ghosts was highly disappointing, and partly because all this speedy cyborg-soldier garbage just seems ridiculous to me and takes the series even further in the wrong direction, IMO. As much as people crapped on the series for the similar Modern Warfare iterations, I personally miss those games. They got a whole lot right in terms of console FPS multiplayer, as the only other games I've had more fun with in this genre were Rainbow Six 3 and OG Halo. That wasn't good enough for the internet, though. The internet demanded change. No one could really articulate what they wanted changed, but everyone hopped on the nondescript change bandwagon. Confused folks at Activision brainstormed, trying to think of how to throw in "New!" crap to satiate the entitled masses without ruining the game. And early on, they mostly succeeded, by throwing in zombie modes and changing up the games' setting a bit. That wasn't good enough, though. "More nondescript change!", cried the internet. So they made it faster and threw in more perks and killstreak bonuses and other bullshit that made the game worse.
Meanwhile, I'm wondering who the fuck enjoys the actual gameplay of laying down in a stupid room/corner and aiming at an opening, surrounded by camper mines. That, or putting all the speed mods on and blazing around spamming bullets in the general direction of people to exploit the way-too-forgiving aim assist/hit markers. Oh, but if they do that long enough, maybe they'll get a helicopter killstreak to get kills for them. Seeing +100 and having no fucking idea how that kill even happened is so much fun. What matters is that it happened, and boy, when that K/D ratio gets artificially inflated, that's the most fun possible. Forget about actually doing something skillful, it's all about that K/D ratio. Gotta quench that insecurity, bro, and what better way than having a few numbers indicate you're better than you actually are?
Here's some changes that could help. First of all, don't list the K/D ratio at all on the top of the screen or at the end of the match so people stop striving for only that. List it as an aggregate on some global leaderboard that you can't even see in-match or in-lobby. I'm not saying don't keep score or don't rank players (I hate "everyone gets a trophy" bullshit), but just make it a points system. I know it already is, but it's pretty much meaningless since the points are almost entirely kill-based. For example, assists need to count more in team deathmatch because that indicates teamwork. Make them +80 or something, so fulfilling the mode's objective matters more. Basically, shit that doesn't reward some little asshole who only cares about his K/D for sitting there selfishly not helping the team. Also, no more speed mods or mines. No more SatCom bullshit that puts everyone on radar at all times. You show up on radar for a few seconds after you fire, or if you have a suppressor on, you blip once. No more "don't show up on radar" perks. Reduce or eliminate generous hit markers/aim assist.
Also, how is there not a game mode where if you stay in the same small area for more than fifteen seconds, you die? (And no, "Cranked" wasn't it, because you can just die in that if you happen to not see anyone to shoot, which is dumb.) Or how about a game-wide deal where you get the Oracle treatment if you just sit there like a pansy? Even a Goldeneye-esque after-match description might help curb some of this crap if the game called out "worst camper" or something. What about making class-specific modes? ARs only, snipers only, etc. There are a bunch of things they could do to make the series way better. The path it's headed down, and the FPS community's willingness to use increasingly lame strategies have lost me on the genre until shit goes back to the good times or improves. And I don't think I'm alone here. I'm going to wait and hope that Rainbow Six: Siege will provide a breath of fresh air.
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