Summary
Details surroundingCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3are now plentiful, with the game shaping up nicely for its inbound November release. One of the most talked-about confirmed aspects of the title is how its multiplayer map roster will be entirely composed of remakes for classicMW2maps at launch, with the news impressing older fans of the franchise in particular.
While there are a lot of benefits to theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3map roster in the way of appealing to nostalgia and ensuring a respectable number of maps at launch, there are also some downsides that tarnish the news. In particular, the new way in whichCoDplays when compared to older titles like 2009’sMW2could be a big blemish on the new maps, only further fueling the disconnect between the classicCoDformula and its slower modern counterpart.
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The Benefits and Worries of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s MW2 Map Remake Approach
It has been confirmed thatCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3will feature all 16 ofthe launch 6v6 multiplayer maps that first appeared in 2009’sModern Warfare 2. This will give the upcoming release a huge amount of star-power right from its outset, with theMW2roster featuring some of the most beloved maps across the entire franchise.
While it is true thatclassicCoD:MW2maps like Rusthave made numerous subsequent appearances in recentCoDtitles, the scale of remastering inMW3will give the more obscure maps a renewed lease of life. Due to the high standing that the classic maps hold in the minds of manyCoDfans, some players are already much more interested inModern Warfare 3than they would have been if it went down the usual route of producing brand-new maps.
There has been a lot ofcriticism overCall of Duty’s recent map track record, in particular with 6v6 experiences, and falling back on maps that have already stood the test of time could be the perfect way forMW3to provide a much more approachable online experience. Aside from the quality of the maps, the frequency of 6v6 maps at launch is another huge boost forMW3. With 2019’sMWand 2022’sMW2only featuring 10 6v6 maps upon release, the jump to 16 at launch forMW3is another commendable aspect of its remaster approach.
Of course, falling back on nostalgia and reusing older content is not a perfect strategy forMW3, and stellar fresh content will always be the preferred option. The reliance on nostalgia in particular could be a downside for the maps ofMW3, largely due to the fact that the title will play very differently from the originalModern Warfare 2. While the maps themselves are generally structured well, they are memorable due to the gameplay thatMW2provided within them, which wasmuch faster and arcade-like compared to modernCall of Duty.
This is already having an impact with how these maps will be present inModern Warfare 3, with it being rumored that manyMW3multiplayer maps will introduce changes like functional doorsin some buildings. While intended to bring the maps up to speed with today’sCoDgameplay, these changes could ultimately make them depart from how they originally felt, disappointing the veteran fans that the maps were appealing to in the first place.MW2maps could be a great short-term boost forMW3’s launch content, but could also cause some long-term problems if they poorly translate to the franchise’s more methodical modern gameplay.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3launches on November 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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