There is a ton of hype building around theCall of Duty 2020release. After several pseudo-confirmations placing the game in theCall of Duty: Black Opsstoryline, there is still huge amounts of information that fans do not know.Call of Duty2020has a tough job taking the next step in the fan-favorite series as reimaginations of the classic title have gone both ways.
Raven Software fans are now looking closer at theconnection betweenWarzoneand the 2020 release. This connection brings up some concerns about the depth of the story, double so afterBlack Ops 4released without a campaign selling its Battle Royale feature as the main attraction. WithCall of Duty 2020planning to be in theBlack Opstimeline, the developers need to exceed past successes and bring fans something sharp, gritty, and new.
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Traveling to the future, although epic and flashy, was a idea in theBlack Opsseries that didn’t pan out. After the first game presented players with a gritty and dark set of missions, to travel into the future setting seemed off-brand.Black Ops2 was able to reign in the futurism just enough, but whenBlack Ops 3pushed the envelope further, fans were left disgruntled and upset at the lack of simple experience. Now,Call of Duty 2020is set in the Cold War eraand might be the backward move needed to bring this franchise back into good graces with its dedicated community.
Black Ops Story
There is a dramatic difference in pacing, style, and depth when comparing theBlack Opsstorylines. There was a ferocity to the narrative that the gritty setting only made more realistic. From the modern weaponry to the war flashbacks, this game put players into intense combat situations and earned the name ofBlack Ops.Once the game started to progress into the second and third, it turned less intoaBlack Opsexperienceand more into a futuristic shooter.
The problem with this evolution stems from the idea of a “Black” operation in itself. These are missions and tasks outside the realms of legality, the kind of operations covered in conspiracy and red tape and buried beneath redacted files. Although moving forward in time dealt with more intense situations, they were not nearly asBlack Opsworthy aspoison gas and nearby nuclear fallouts. There is a conceptual difference between a successfulBlack Opsgame and a futuristic shooter.
Thenarrative ofCall of Duty 2020needs to rely on theBlack Opsaspect. The literal cover-ups and questionable missions are the lifeblood of the franchise, and although high-tech toys are nice, questioning player’s morals is more on brand.Black Opsneeds to return to its root,s so it can give players a taste of the dark cold-war style operation that has been asked for by fans for years. Move away from the future and return to the time of double agents, infiltration, and illegal international operations.
Black Ops Multiplayer
The multiplayer stayed consistent throughout the series with the only difference being new technology and weapons. This wastrue up untilBlack Ops 4when players lost their tactical slots in exchange for operator abilities. Rather than making the player the hero of their multiplayer experience, they were instead trapped in operators whose abilities were defined by the characters themselves. There was a lack of personalization and a lack of options when it came to selecting an operator that both fit a player’s style and met their in-game needs.
Still, the operator selection was not a bad decision on a design level. The issue most fans had was that it was decidedly notBlack Opsand felt more like afuturistic shooter akin toInfinite Warfarethan a standard experience. The loadout selection being tied to characters was a far pull from the original formula and not one that fans will miss in future chapters. The best thing for Treyarch to do is grow closer to the game style found inModern Warfare.AlthoughBlack Opsis not hyper-realistic, players are still going to hope for an on-brand multiplayer experience.
Black Ops Zombie
Zombies is one of the biggest and most memorable features ofCall of Duty: Black Ops.Ever since the dead made their first official appearance, fans have spent hours discovering map secrets and memorizing patterns to overcome these undead foes.Black Ops 2pushed the game modeto a whole new level by adding in Tranzit, a mobile multi-map enviroment that challenged players to face their fears while embracing the futristic setting of the game. Traveling forward in time in Zombies has had a very different reaction then to the coreBlack Opsexperience.
Fans enjoy the futuristic ploy as long as it follows the timelines that they have grown to love. Although the Chaos storyline was fine in a design aspect, it lacked the personality anddedication that the Aether timelinehad gained from years of player commitment. Traveling to different lands and wielding gear from outside the bounds of space and time perfected the arcade experience while still holding true to the overall tone of Zombies.
The best way for the developers to exceed their current Zombies game mode would be to move back to the beginning of where it all started. The nature of the Aether storyline allows players a perfect opportunity to revisit old experiences while seeing a new evolution. This is more than a remastering or reimagining of the old maps, it is a retelling of the old story and giving players a different taste, outcome, and possibility.
By returning to the past,the entire Zombies franchisecan launch itself far above its predecessors and return to the origins of the entire Zombie experience. The worst decisions would be if the developers, for whatever reason, decided to double down on the chaos timeline. Hopefully, Treyarch loves the Aether cast as much as fans and will at least stay in a timeline that will drive the series forwards rather than backward.
Call of Duty 2020is being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software.
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