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An extensive look at the features and changes being made for the next Call of Duty. Short version: the answer is yes.

Ah, it’s that time of year again – the leaves are changing, the temperature is plummeting, and we are all preparing to gorge ourselves into turkey-induced comas. But for me, there is another meaning: it’s time for another Call of Duty game. Regardless of your feelings on the franchise, Call of Duty is an absolute juggernaut in the gaming world. Despite its consistent success, however, the franchise continues to receive criticism for its lack of ingenuity with recent installments. This year may prove to change that, as Modern Warfare 3 looks to include a new rewards system, game modes, and mechanics (not to mention elite) to the already popular franchise.

Strike Packages

One of Call of Duty’s signature strengths has also remained one of its most notorious faults: Kill Streaks. While Kill Streaks add that patient feel that is Modern Warfare, they have also come to help encourage less than desirable play styles. The old system was one dimensional, only offering rewards to players who killed the enemy team while surviving themselves. This system works when examined through the eyes of the team death match mindset, where Kill to Death (K:D) ratios literally decide the outcome of the game. However, as many of the fans of the series will tell you, in other objective-oriented game types, K:D has little to nothing to do with a team’s success. Thus we are left with a system that is counter-intuitive to how one should play, rewarding players for actually forgoing objectives in an attempt to prolong their streaks. This year the developers look to change all of that with their revamped rewards system Strike Packages, which are unlike Kill Streaks in that they reward players for completing objectives and obtaining kills alike.

For example, if a player were to complete an objective within a game, he would then be credited one point toward his streak just as if he had gotten a kill. This is an ingenious move by the developers as players will no longer be forced to decide in agony between streaks or objectives. One problem still remains, however: while objective points help alleviate the dichotomy between objective and slaying play styles, the system still rewards K:D conscious players while penalizing aggressive ones. Yes, up until this point the vanguard of the Call of Duty community has been looked down upon as nothing more than cannon fodder, but fear not my aggressive brethren, as it is the dawn of a new age… the age of the Support Package!

Easily the most jarring additions to the new rewards system are the three possible package routes: Assault, Support, and the enigmatic Specialists. Each system balances with a different play style and offers rewards that suit that style.

The first is the Support package which offers rewards that not only benefit one player, but the entire team. The interesting addition to the Support package is that it is not predicated on your typical streak. If the player dies throughout the course of the game his streak continues on, only resetting when the player reaches his final reward. This package is perfect for players who aggressively charge straight into the thick of it all.

Next we have the more standard Assault package that supports your typical K:D conscious player. With this package the streaks revolve around imposing your will on the other team by raining down death and destruction. As in past iterations of the franchise, when players die with this package their streaks will reset. However, unlike the previous Support package, the Assault package allows streaks to stack. Thus if you were to call in an Attack Helicopter and it managed to get 2 kills those points would be added to your streak total.

Finally we come to the Specialist package, which offers players the chance to become a super soldier. This package works differently than the other two as the players are not rewarded; instead, as players continue their streak they are afforded additional perks. After every 2 points the player is awarded an additional perk, and before you know it you are a behemoth laying waste to everything in your wake.

Call of Duty Elite

Certainly one of the most heated discussions revolving around the upcoming release of Modern Warfare 3 is the new service Call of Duty Elite. While Elite is not a direct portion of the Modern Warfare 3 game, the release of these two products is so closely tied that one cannot help but feel they are part of the same package. First off, let’s address the big problem that is associated with this new service. Many people feel that the addition of Elite (a service with an annual cost of 49.99) is a grave injustice on Activision’s part, taking advantage of the people’s fandom surrounding the Call of Duty franchise. People believe that these services should be free, as many of the services provided are offered on similar free systems (such as Battlefield’s Battlelog).

I will admit that my initial reaction to Call of Duty Elite was not a pleasant one. As I have had time to think, my perspective has swayed. The truth is that Call of Duty Elite is an optional service that provides players with no tangible in-game advantage. If you opt to forgo the additional fees you will be on the same level playing field as everyone else. More importantly the fees that are associated with the Call of Duty Elite service are actually attributed to the additional content that will be released throughout the game's life cycle. Thus Call of Duty Elite is more than an additional information service; it is also a subscription to future Call of Duty content similar to the Season Pass that was issued with the recent release of Gears of War 3.

Of course, Call of Duty Elite is more than just a subscription service, as it is offering databases, a social media network, scheduled tournaments, and game-related entertainment such as the weekly program Friday Night Fights, in which they pit bitter rivals against each other in head-to-head MW3 combat for our viewing pleasure. These additions are added bonuses, but for me at least they do not change my outlook on Elite. The decision for purchasing Elite, in my book, is a simple one: if you are a hardcore Call of Duty fan who's purchasing every new DLC pack, purchase Elite (as it will actually save you money in the long run). Otherwise, you're best off saving your money. To those of you who are worried that without the information provided by Elite you will be nothing more than target practice for the enemies, worry not. The Call of Duty community is extremely active on YouTube, providing players with everything from the game’s basics to expert strategies that will give you the advantages you need to dominate competitive play -- and the best part is, it’s all free.

New Game Modes

When one thinks of new game modes offered in the upcoming release of Modern Warfare 3, the first thing that comes to mind is their new flagship game type Kill Confirmed. Kill Confirmed meshes your standard team death Match and retrieval game types. The objective of the game type is relatively simple: when a player dies they drop a dog tag, and when the enemy team collects the dropped dog tag they receive a point; the only way for teams to receive points is by collecting these tags, thus kills alone are inconsequential (though players still receive experience for kills). One important feature added to this game type is the ability for dual credibility. When one player kills an enemy and another teammate retrieves the dog tag, both will be awarded the points and experience, helping to create a stronger sense of team cohesion instead of individualism.

This game type has been receiving praise for its ability to make players rethink their position on team death match. Many are even going as far as to state that this game type will bring an end to the hated strategy of camping (a tactic in which a player will obtain and hold a strategic position, waiting for enemies to arrive and then killing them from this vantage point instead of actively seeking out their targets). In a way this is true; camping in the normal sense will be less effective in this mode, as players will need to actively seek out the dropped dog tags to be effective. However, this game type also breeds a completely different form of camping in which players can simply camp the bodies of fallen comrades, impeding the enemy's attempts to collect their teammate’s dog tag for points. While this game may fail to completely eradicate camping (a feat that practically no shooter can accomplish), the game mode still manages to shake things up, adding a great deal of diversity to the prior stagnant team death match game type.

Another new game mode is Team Defender. This game mode also looks to inspire team unity and tactical play as it is a hybrid between capture the flag and defensive game types. The objective of this mode is to capture the enemy flag and then defend the flag carrier for as long as possible. While very little information has yet to be released about this game type, so far it has stirred up some real excitement within the community (and I must admit I’m more than a little excited myself).

The ingenuity does not stop there as MW3 is also offering a number of additional game types for private match play with friends. As an avid player of private matches, I'm glad to see that fan favorites like Gun Game and One in the Chamber are being added, along with a vast collection of new game modes including Infection, Drop Zone, Team Juggernaut, and Juggernaut.

The Verdict

When a new Call of Duty game comes to the market the last thing I expect is change. Call of Duty has a formula that obviously works very well for them, thus it makes sense that they are reluctant to change. That is why Modern Warfare 3 has come as such a pleasant surprise, as this title looks to instill some of the most substantial changes yet. Modern Warfare 3 will not likely re-conceptualize our understanding of the current First Person Shooter (as COD 4 did); nevertheless it should still prove to be a monumental progression for the series. The changes and dedication that have been present throughout the creation of this product show a desire to create a refined game. Modern Warfare 3 is certainly gearing up to be a must-have shooter for all FPS fans out there.