Call of Duty needs to build off its absurd skins to be taken seriously
ActivisionDespite the fan frustration with the series becoming less of a mil-sim, Call of Duty needs to embrace its absurdity to be the king once again.
Call of Duty is certainly still one of the most popular series in gaming, and that isn’t going to change. But it has also seen its reputation take a hit.
With a new title every year, it’s difficult to innovate the core gameplay and keep things fresh, which is exactly what has happened to the series over the past decade. While there have been changes made to movement with jet packs and exo suits, the feel of firing a weapon or how a game mode works largely has remained the same.
This has led to a shift in perception of the franchise, as players have gone from taking it seriously to considering it somewhat of a joke. Yes, there are still plenty of players in it, but the overall opinion in the gaming sphere has certainly changed over the years.
However, if Call of Duty wants to climb back to the top of multiplayer gaming again, it needs to keep embracing the absurdity in its skins, modes, and events to make up for that lack of innovation.
Many players are upset with this perceived focus on weird skins, saying that the series needs to return to its mil-sim roots, where realistic gameplay and skins were supreme since, in the past few entries, Call of Duty has seen a plethora of ridiculous content come to the game. From giving players the chance to use Kong’s B.E.A.S.T. Glove to Snoop Dogg dancing his way to an execution, the game is having fun.
Sure, the games have absolutely taken on a different feel than they did back when Call of Duty 4 was released. It isn’t the same game, and that’s good.
It has always been an arcadey series, with twitch controls and fast-paced gameplay being what the people want. This doesn’t line up with the realism of a mil-sim at all. When Modern Warfare 2 tried to do that by slowing things down, the player base was not happy.
Releasing a mil-sim every year would be incredibly stale, as there is only so much you can do within the restrictions of reality. The games would be boxing themselves in and would grow stagnant, really fast.
But embracing absurdity, relishing in the ridiculous, and celebrating the crazy is when the current iteration of Call of Duty is at its best. And there is room to go even further.
Trying to implement realistic gameplay with everything else feels like it’s lacking focus and like the devs don’t quite know what the identity of the game should be.
Call of Duty should be a game where players are flying around the map, sliding and diving around the corners to pull off an absurd shot with akimbo pistols, and, truly, that kind of gameplay shines when it’s done by Spawn or Paul Atreides.
The moment-to-moment gameplay is ridiculous, and the rest of the game should reflect that. There should be more absurd game modes like the limited-time, Get High, that shake things up in a big way.
Maybe bringing in new Perks that really cause chaos on the battlefield, or events that collaborate with the most bizarre of properties. Keep pushing further and further into the weird.
Even on a subconscious level, getting dominated by a player using a broken weapon is a lot more digestible when they’re a dinosaur. There’s just something about these “so stupid, they’re beautiful” skins that make the game feel less toxic.
It truly feels like if the games can keep having fun with themselves, then the overall perception of the series can change, which can only be a good thing.
