Modern Warfare 4 is the Black Ops game I've always wanted

Spoilers ahead 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. A campaign splitting focus between a South Korean platoon stuck behind enemy lines and the usual adventures of Task Force 141 should provide a great variety of missions, while the return of the DMZ is something that many fans of extraction shooters will welcome with open arms. On the multiplayer front, create-a-class will now allow players to attach their preferred lanes and operators to individual classes, allowing for mid-game swaps. And yet MW4 on Switch 2 could limit its visual potential, the game leaving PS4 and Xbox One could still be a big step towards graphically stunning Call of Duty games.

However, none of this excited me. Instead, I was most intrigued by Captain Price's story, but again, not for the same reason as everyone else. Long-standing Call of Duty fans of the campaign may be on the edge of their seats to witness the fight between the iconic action heroes Price and Ghost, and while it could certainly be cool, it's all that leads to that confrontation that has me ready to pre-order. That's why Modern Warfare 4 shows what happens when a villainous hero is hunted down by the people he once fought for – an amazing story that always fails me Black Ops going to the table.

Modern Warfare 4 must balance the price vs. Ghost Justice, but can he?

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

Alex Mason's story from Black Ops is full of untapped potential

Anyone who knows me knows that I always have been Black Ops guy. I find his twisty stories based on real world history far more interesting than Modern warfareIt's straightforward, fictional plots, and I spent almost my entire teenage years theorizing and playing Cod Zombies. Yet as I love Black Ops subseries as a whole, especially its first two campaigns, I've always been annoyed that nothing came of the memorable ending of the 2010 original.

Drag your weapons to fill the grid

Easy to medium hard

For those who haven't played the original Black Opsor they've simply forgotten the details of his story in the decade and a half since its release, Alex Mason has basically been brainwashed twice. First by the Russians to make him a sleeper agent to kill President JFK, then again by Viktor Reznov to catch the men behind this plot who just happened to betray Reznov years ago. As Mason prepares 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 mockingly replies, “did they try? As the credits roll, an edited photo is shown showing Alex Mason in the crowd on the day of JFK's death, with eerie music playing as Mason's face is zoomed in, suggesting that he actually killed the 35th.” president.With all the conspiracies about JFK's death in the real world, I thought of creating a new one within Cod space was a super inspired idea.

As someone who enjoyed learning history in school at the time, this revelation was downright mind-blowing and I spent months imagining how great a game Hudson and Woods had to chase Mason would be. When Black Ops 2 was announced and both the past and near aspects of her campaign were confirmed, I was hoping to see this story unfold soon. It didn't actually happen. And even though Black Ops 2 The campaign we got was absolutely outstanding – Raul Menendez remains my favorite Cod villain with a big lead — I couldn't help but be angry that this cliffhanger was left untouched. As Alex Mason kept reappearing, I completely gave up hope and accepted that the JFK plot had been revived and Mason had simply broken the KGB's terms. Still my dream Cod the scenario will probably never play out in any official capacity, MW4 is ready to offer the next best thing.

Because Treyarch seemingly canonized Alex Mason's death at the hands of Frank Woods before Black Ops 7I'm also disappointed that we never get a game showing where Mason was between his “death” and being reunited with David in the good ending of BO2. Alex Mason as a character is truly wasted potential as his story follows him Black Ops 1 offered 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.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

Modern Warfare 4 is the closest thing to my dream Black Ops game that we'll probably ever get

Obviously, Captain Price's situation is a little different than Alex Mason's. That Winter Soldier-like “forced to do something you didn't choose” guilt that would have been great to see Mason wrestle with just won't be there, because Price was in full control of his actions when he killed General Shepherd. Additionally, Shepherd “deserved” it, making it easier to support Price's ventures than it would have been with Mason's crime (especially for OG Modern warfare fans who would hate the new Shepherd from the start because of the actions of the original). Still, the main idea is there – a protagonist on the run from characters who would normally be allies, forced to make morally gray decisions at every turn to stay alive. This is a refreshing concept for a Cod campaign, and until Price is off the hook and there are some real consequences to his decisions, the story should leave me with a sense of closure… even if it's not as compelling as Black Ops story with Mason on the run.