Modern Warfare 4 is the Black Ops Game I Always Wanted

Spoilers ahead too Call of Duty: Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3 (2023).

on paper, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 seems to be doing a lot right. The campaign splitting the focus between a South Korean squad stuck behind enemy lines and Task Force 141's regular scrimmage adventures should ensure plenty of mission variety, while the return of the DMZ is something many extraction shooter fans will welcome with open arms. On the multiplayer front, create-a-class will now allow players to attach their preferred streaks and operators to individual classes, allowing for mid-game swaps. And though MW4 on Switch 2 may limit its visual potential, the game that leaves PS4 and Xbox One behind could still be a big step towards graphically impressive Call of Duty game.

However, none of this has me hyped. Instead, it's Captain Price's story that intrigues me the most, but again, it's not for the same reason that everyone else will be. Long Call of Duty campaign goers can be on the edge of their seats to witness a battle between iconic action heroes Price and Ghost, and while it sure could be cool, it's everything leading up to that confrontation that makes me ready to pre-order. This depends on Modern Warfare 4 shows what happens when a villainous hero is hunted by the people he once fought for – a great idea that has always put me off Black Ops leaves on the table.

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Modern Warfare 4 Must Do Price Vs. Ghost Justice, but can it do it?

Modern Warfare 4's reveal trailer and marketing put all the focus on a conflict between Price and Ghost, but it won't be easy to live up to expectations.

Black Ops' Alex Mason Story is full of untapped potential

Anyone who knows me will be aware that I have always been one Black Ops Guy. I find its twist-filled stories that draw from real-life history far more interesting than that Modern warfares simple, fictional plots, and I spent pretty much my entire teenage years theorizing about and playing Cod Zombies. Still, as much as I love Black Ops subseries as a whole, especially the first two campaigns, it's always bothered me that nothing came from the unforgettable ending of the 2010 original.

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For those who didn't play the original Black Opsor simply forgotten the details of its history in the decade and a half that have passed since its release, Alex Mason was essentially brainwashed twice. First by the Russians to make him a sleeper agent who would kill President JFK, and then again by Viktor Reznov to hunt down the men behind this plot, who just happened to have betrayed Reznov years earlier. As Mason is about to kill Dragovich, the last man on the list, he exclaims that the villain tried to get Mason to kill his own president – to which Dragovich wryly replies, “tried?” As the credits are about to roll, an edited photo showing Alex Mason in the crowd on the day of JFK's death is shown, with eerie music playing as Mason's face zooms in, implying that he did indeed kill the 35th president. With all the real life conspiracies about JFK's death, I thought I'd create a new one within Cod universe was a super inspired idea.

As someone who loved learning history in school at the time, this revelation was downright incredible, and I spent months imagining how cool a game where Hudson and Woods had to chase Mason would be. When Black Ops 2 was announced, and there was confirmation of both a past and a near-future aspect of the campaign, I was hoping to see that story unfold soon. In reality, that's not what happened. And even if Black Ops 2 The promotion we got was really great — Raul Menendez is still my favorite Cod villain by a wide margin — I couldn't help but be annoyed that this cliffhanger went untouched. Since Alex Mason has continued to reappear, I've given up hope entirely and accepted that the JFK plot was rewired, and Mason simply broke through KGB conditioning. But while my dream Cod scenario will probably never be played in any official capacity, MW4 is ready to offer the next best.

Since Treyarch seemingly canonized Alex Mason's death at the hands of Frank Woods in the lead-up to Black Ops 7I'm also disappointed that we'll never get a game show where Mason was between his “death” and his reunion with David in the good ending of BO2. Alex Mason as a character is really wasted potential, as is his story after Black Ops 1 presented far more memorable story opportunities than we actually got.

What kind of weapon is that?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

What kind of weapon is that?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

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Modern Warfare 4 is the closest Black Ops game to My Dream that we'll probably ever get

Obviously the situation with Captain Price is a little different than Alex Mason. That Winter Soldier-esque, “forced to do something you didn't choose” guilt that would have been great to see Mason wrestle with just won't be there, as Price was in full control of his actions when he killed General Shepherd. Also, Shepherd “deserved it,” making it easier to support Price's ongoing ventures than it would have been with Mason's offense (especially for OG Modern warfare fans who would have hated the new Shepherd from the start due to the actions of the original). Still, the core idea is there – the protagonist on the run from characters who would normally be allies, forced to make morally gray choices at every turn in order to survive. It's a refreshing concept for one Cod campaign, and as long as Price isn't released and there are some real consequences to his decisions, the story should leave me feeling a bit of closure… even if it's not quite as appealing as a Black Ops story with Mason on the run.