July 20th 2023.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – has the series peaked? That's the question on everyone's minds, and in the Thursday letters page readers were speculating on whether Activision might be put to work on the Halo franchise. If you have an opinion on the matter, you can join the conversation by emailing the address provided.
One reader in particular looked at the value-for-money of the Activision Blizzard takeover by Microsoft, which seems to be a near-certainty at this point. The decline in both Call Of Duty and Overwatch 2 players isn’t surprising to them, as there is a growing resentment and disappointment surrounding the games. Overwatch 2 is basically dead, and the only thing keeping Call Of Duty afloat is the lack of direct competition. But if Sony were to try and create a rival, it would likely do very well.
Call Of Duty has been going for 20 years and it’s starting to show. Most other paid-for first person shooters have faded away, including Halo, and Call Of Duty is really the last one holding on. The Modern Warfare games are the only ones people have liked recently, but even that could be ruined soon with the upcoming Modern Warfare 3.
Another reader is hoping for Nintendo to do more remakes of top-down games, such as The Minish Cap and A Link To The Past. A remake in the style of Link’s Awakening would be great, and help keep the game in the public eye, as many younger gamers may not know about it. Unfortunately, with Tears Of The Kingdom there’s no real reason for it this year, but hopefully it will be released in the future.
The next reader has been playing Exoprimal on Game Pass and finds it to be… okay. The random story elements and Capcom-style wackiness are quite fun, but at the end of the day it’s a pretty generic team-based shooter. They’re not sure what Capcom expected out of it, but considering it's free on Game Pass, they feel they’ve missed their pitch.
The final reader has read the EA Sports FC 24 preview and thinks EA are adding some decent features. However, they feel some of the features are already included in their annual hockey game, and maybe even previous versions. As an example, they mentioned pinning three different gameplay modes to the main menu with all the other options beneath.
To wrap things up, the reader comments on the recent fake Switch 2 leaks and how highly-professional they look, yet are so obviously fake. They can only assume the creator wasn’t really trying to trick anyone, but were just having a bit of fun.
Finally, the reader speculates that Microsoft will make the most of their acquisition of Activision Blizzard by getting them to work on Halo. With the Call Of Duty games biannual in the future, mixing in the Halo lore could make for a winning game. Not to mention the potential of the Call Of Duty PvP. They conclude by putting a bet down that we will see a Halo game made by Activision by 2028.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Has The Series Peaked?
The Thursday letters page has been abuzz with discussion about Activision and their possible takeover by Microsoft, as well as speculation over the future of Call of Duty and other Activision franchises. One reader even looks forward to the next fake Switch 2 leak!
Value For Money
The takeover has been a long time coming and now that it's looking like a certainty, I'm left wondering whether it's money well spent for Microsoft. The recent story about Call Of Duty and Overwatch 2 seeing a decline in players is no surprise to me. The buzz around both games appears to be nothing but resentment and disappointment.
It's clear that Overwatch 2 is in serious trouble, and while Call Of Duty still has millions of players, I think it's only the lack of direct competition that's stopped it from doing even worse. If Sony were to try and create a rival to it, I think it could easily do very well.
Call Of Duty has been going strong for almost two decades, but its starting to show. Most other paid-for first-person shooters have faded away, including Halo, and Call Of Duty is really the last one standing. The Modern Warfare games are the only ones people have liked recently, but Modern Warfare 3 looks set to be a hack job so even that could soon be ruined.
Top-Down Classics
The discussion turns to Nintendo and their upcoming Zelda game, with the reader wishing for remakes of the top-down games. The Minish Cap gets a mention, with the holy grail being A Link To The Past.
A remake of A Link To The Past in the style of Link's Awakening would be great, and would help keep the game in the public eye. Many younger gamers have never heard of it and don't know to look out for it on Nintendo Switch Online, which is now the only place to legally get it.
Unfortunately, with Tears Of The Kingdom coming out this year, it doesn't look like the remake will be released until possibly next year. Or perhaps with the upcoming DLC?
OK For Free
The reader then moves on to Exoprimal on Game Pass, calling it okay, but nothing special. They like the random story elements, as well as the Capcom style wackiness, but the actual gameplay is pretty generic.
It's difficult to know what Capcom expected out of the game, but it might have been practice for other online shooters and live service games. However, considering it's only free on Game Pass, it feels like they've missed the pitch.
Self-Plagiarism
EA Sports FC 24 gets a mention, with the reader noting that some of the features are already included in other EA Sports titles. They suggest pinning Career Mode, FUT, and Pro Clubs Seasons to the main menu, which would be useful.
They also mention that in NHL 23, female players were added to HUT and that the mode is a lot more user friendly than FUT was. It's good to see that EA are taking inspiration from their other sports titles.
Obvious Fake
The reader then moves on to the recent fake Switch 2 leaks, which look highly professional but are so obviously fake it's hard to understand why the person took so much time on them. They even made a box and a manual, but the lack of new games is a huge red flag.
It's likely that the creator wasn't actually trying to trick anyone, but were just having a bit of fun. We'll have to wait and see if the next fake is more successful!
Bet On It
Finally, the reader turns to Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard, wondering how they will maximise the strategic value of their acquisition. To them, the obvious solution is to get Activision on Halo.
Call Of Duty will be biannual in the future, so mixing in the Halo lore with the Call Of Duty campaigns could be a winner. Not to mention the potential of the Call Of Duty PvP.
The reader bets that by 2028, we'll see a Halo game made by Activision. We can only wait and see!
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