When Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare were initially marketed, the game strove for realism and detail. For many fans, the game was a gritty realistic shooter, but new packs are starting to change the game’s tone. Many Call of Duty: Warzone fans are concerned that the game is becoming more silly and less serious than originally marketed.
The main trigger to this discussion is a new 16-bit DLC pack for Modern Warfare and Warzone. The pack includes two ranged weapons with a unique 16-bit death effect. This death effect exchanging the normal death animation for an explosion of pixels. It is this bright effect that some fans are saying reduces the realism of the game as a whole.
Skins, death effects, and other cosmetic variations have been a part of the first-person shooter genre for some time. From Team Fortress’s hat collection to Halo’s infamous death animations, these game aspects are not new. Still, many fans say that is not the point. As of now, there are two lines of thought about this issue. One group of players believes that as a video game, all wacky effects are completely fair. The second group argues that wacky effects detract from the original concept which was to give players a realistic military shooter in a “modern” warzone.
Returning back to the original Infinity Ward trailer and developer concepts, Modern Warfare was described as a gritty and realistic title. The developers took extra care trying to create realistic maps, weapons, and try to depict a real-world version of war. To their credit, the base game is extremely realistic from its gun animations to the audio on each map.
Still, since the original launch of the title, the game is quickly turning in a different direction. Optional DLC content has added in cute character skins, unrealistic takedowns, and distracting tracer effects. For quick examples, fans can look towards the Cat Ear Mara skin, the bat animation finisher, and now the 16-bit death animation.
Many fans argue that although the developers may promise realism, the game has never been about that. The gameplay, action, and Call of Duty’s Easter Eggs show a more silly and wacky side to the game. Still, many fans are unsure if this direction is the right one for Warzone or Modern Warfare to be taking.
Solution wise, some fans have suggested an option that simply disables DLC cosmetics. While this would serve as a visual fix, the fact still remains that the developers will still be producing this content and driving the game further away from its realistic foundation.
Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Eurogamer
