Fans are arguing about the new Call of Duty: Is Modern Warfare 2 too easy or too hard?
A discussion about the direction of Call of Duty has accompanied the releases of the shooter series for several years – casual game or hardcore shooter? Even Modern Warfare 2 is not spared.
With every new Call of Duty, the same discussion flares up again: Is CoD aimed too much at casual players? Why aren’t the wishes of the hardcore fans properly acknowledged? Why is there still skill-based matchmaking in the game?
After the first beta phase of Modern Warfare 2, the discussion is back in full swing. The CoD bubble on Twitter is full of calls to adjust mechanics in the game.
MeinMMO has looked at the discussion, shows you the arguments of the hardcore players and explains why the decision about such supposed “little things” is not that easy.
If you want to check out the CoD MW2 multiplayer trailer, we’ll include it here:
CoD in a dilemma – hardcore or casual?
A typical hardcore gamer spends a lot of time in the game and has been around for a number of years. Most of them still remember a CoD with a high “skill gap”. Black Ops 2 is often the favorite CoD here – for many, multiplayer is still considered the best CoD experience to this day.
Skill gap means that there are mechanics in the game that players who play a lot prefer – they learn the mechanics, so they are better than players who spend less time in the game. This creates a “gap”, a gap between the skills of the frequent players and the occasional players, the “casuals”.
But Call of Duty is not a niche game with hardcore claims. CoD is more “mainstream” than almost any other shooter. The series dominates the video game charts every year.
Even the rather weak CoD: Vanguard was number 1 in the US charts for a long time. In August 2022, the title is number 2 among the best-selling games in the previous 12 months (via gamespot.com).
So on the one hand there are the hardcore fans: A smaller group that gets deeply involved in the game, goes full throttle and is passionate about the game and the series.
On the other side are the after-work gamblers: The much larger group that looks forward to a relaxed round of shooting around in the evening.
Guy on Twitter shows off Modern Warfare 2’s awesome gameplay – “People like you make CoD no fun anymore”
CoD wants casual focus, hardcore gamers complain
After the miserable sales of Black Ops 4 (CoD from 2018), the strategy changed. CoD MW 2019 was primarily aimed at casual players. This is reflected, among other things, in 3 important revisions:
- The mini-map offers less information
- Casuals use the map little or not at all
- Stricter skill-based matchmaking
- Strong players quickly get into a match with other strong players
- More random spawn system
- Experienced players can read a match better when the spawn system is predictable
While the spawn system in the new Modern Warfare 2 again allows better predictions, the other two points are still an issue that is now boiling up again. Especially on Twitter and Reddit there are discussions about mechanics that casuals prefer:
The second tweet from “Modern Warzone” shows the dilemma that Call of Duty is in.
Behind the account is a player who has worked extremely deeply into the matter. He sifts through opinions, picks up feedback and draws a conclusion: “These changes are recommended by both casual and hardcore players alike”.
But the occasional players rarely give feedback. Many buy a game and want a few hours of fun. Most aren’t on forums or sharing their opinions on Reddit.
But hardcore players like “Modern Warzone” sift through social media and see the feedback from the “loud” players, most of whom are hardcore players themselves.
The account spreads that the changes would also benefit casual players, many of whom don’t use the mini-map, let alone know what the “classic mini-map” is all about. The GameStar colleagues have dealt with the mini-map topic a little more deeply (via gamestar.de).
Modern Warfare 2 – Too Easy or Too Hard?
Call of Duty has already announced some changes in a feedback statement – for the second beta week and the release on October 28th.
The developers draw some boundaries and make it clear that they are leaving certain design choices in the game that clearly support casuals. For example, with the mini-map or the field upgrade “dead silence” (via infinityward.com).
However, the developers are quite willing to talk about certain things. The audio system will be revised and so will the perk system.
How do you see it? Take part in our survey on:
Call of Duty is huge and still has a lot of potential. With CoD: Warzone, the number of players exploded in 2020 and many new casuals came into play that have nothing to do with the current discussion.
We are also interested in your opinion on the subject. How would you proceed as the responsible person? Leave a comment and take the poll in the article.
If you want to read about my first impression of CoD MW2, then have a look here: I’ve been playing Call of Duty for 14 years – This is my first impression of Modern Warfare 2
Reference-mein-mmo.de