Call of Duty Modern Warfare gameplay approaches terrorism by “doing it tastefully" (Pic: Infinity Ward)
After two recent demo missions with the team at Infinity Ward we wrapped up and moved on to some questions about the developers gritty new reboot. It's at this point we were joined by Joel Emslie and Jacob Minkoff, Studio Art Director and Campaign Gameplay Director at Infinity Ward.
The main feeling I had about this game from what I observed was that it was harrowing and affecting – but I greatly preferred it over the pointless murder arcades that the most recent Call of Duty games have provided.
Its Call of Duty for grown-ups, not for the faint of heart. Most school kids pick up Call of Duty regardless of their age nowadays – but Id genuinely be quite worried about a younger sibling playing this one. It hits close to home and it has something to say that will definitely make you think about what youre doing and question the blurry nature of modern conflict, as long as you glance at the news every now and then.
Im told well be playing with characters in London, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, swapping between them as they all intersect as part of the narrative. The new engine also apparently allows for 60hz photogrammetry and a whole swathe of bells and whistles that make the game look far more impactful than any recent Call of Duty title.
I also learned that there will be more open, non-linear missions where you have to visit multiple places within a certain location to glean information and progress – a fun concept that should shake up the linearity of the campaign and make missions feel less Michael Bay in their execution. Well see large scale line battles and open world experiences, as well as being locked into a raid.
I asked about a recent Kotaku report which focused on people working on Mortal Kombat 11 being diagnosed with PTSD after having to look at gory animations all day – I wondered if the studio had systems in place to support people working on such harrowing subject matter as terrorist attacks, convulsing bodies and children crushed by rubble.
I was told “Our team understands its an entertainment product” and that the whole team was “extremely excited and invested in what theyre doing”, emboldened by the fact that they get to cover such subject matter – which is an interesting and… positive response? If there arent any problems at the studio that is good to hear – my question was intentionally out of pure concern having just been struck with the subject matter – I remember leaving the presentation feeling dejected at Modern Warfares depiction of events – but filled with promise that theyre shooting for something different and interesting rather than the same old.
According to Minkoff – the team will reflect on what they see on the news, conflicts and attacks and figure out how they can reflect these situations in the game, but theyre very clear that its all in the chase of entertainment rather than sending a political message. Infinity Ward was clear about that.
Minkoff makes note of the AC-130 mission Death From Above in the original Modern Warfare as something that “profoundly” affected him due to the fact that you can't really fail it – he compared it to watching an Apache strike on CNN. It makes you question how honourable things are, it makes you feel icky. The developers believe that games “build empathy” and do this sort of impactful work better than any other medium due to the fact that the decisions are in your hands.
(Pic: Infinity Ward)
I later asked about what they had to strip out Read More – Source
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