So, reports are that the long-standing definitive first person shooter series Call of Duty will be returning to its roots: World War 2. This comes following the abismal reaction to last years release Infinite Warfare which was in the eyes of many Call of Duty players, more like Halo than Call of Duty.
Infinite Warfare – The Most Hated Game Trailer On YouTube
The Call of Duty series started on the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube set in World War 2. It was in 2007 (a decade ago) that the first change to this formula happened with the release of Modern Warfare – a game set (obviously) in a modern war zone. While the series would touch on WW2 with the following title, World At War, and would move onward through Vietnam and other conflicts, the series never would have another major World War 2 setting release.
Infinite Warfare has become the most hated Call of Duty game ever, according to many – at least the special edition of the game came with a remastered version of Modern Warfare.
First Person Shooters used to virtually always be World War 2 based. The Medal of Honor series, the top tier shooter series before Call of Duty took over, was exclusively World War 2 based until Call of Duty took over. Most every other series that was a military FPS was set in that war, and people grew tired of it.
Now, a decade later, people are clamoring for a return to World War 2, it would seem. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you could say.
The funny thing is, I knew this was going to happen. In the past decade that games have forgotten World War 2, the game engines have advanced heavily. Honestly I feel it wasn’t the setting that really got to people but the fact that the games were stagnating on old hardware, and the then-new PS3 and Xbox 360 platforms allowed Call of Duty to advance like it did gameplay wise, and when combined with the “newness” of the modern setting, well, what would you expect?
Oddly, people have complained the past few years about the games feeling identical year in year out, which they somewhat have been, slowly getting more futuristic in an attempt to keep things fresh, but not, for whatever reason, go back to World War 2.
I was saying years ago that eventually the games not only would, but needed to go back to the second World War to keep people interested.
As always, it seems I was right about this. Granted, certainly others had come to the same conclusion, it still doesn’t change the fact that many people saw it coming, even in the face of people saying “no, no one will ever want a WW2 shooter again.” (and yes, that did happen)
The proper announcement will come on April 26th via a livestream. I’m expecting a really high end WW2 shooter and that’s about it, honestly. Ya know what though? That’s all I’ve been wanting for years now, and all I’ve been expecting.
Watch as someone complains about this one too. It’s going to happen.