The rebooted Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, set for release on PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 25, is going back to its realistic roots. That means the military shooter will be dropping its popular brain-munching zombie mode.
It's been a staple of the over-the-top Black Ops entries into the Call of Duty series, developed by Treyarch. But with the reins being handed back to Infinity Ward, and with completely different tonal aspirations for the game, the undead horde will not be being reanimated this time around.
"Because [Treyarch's Black Ops] focus on more of the stylised, graphic novel, super-hero experience, they can have the much more 'out there' different types of gameplay in their games," Minkoff said during an interview with PlayStation Lifestyle.
"But for us, we're trying to create an authentic, realistic feeling world. We don't have the flexibility to do something like put zombies in the game. That would compromise the feeling of playing in a world that feels realistic and authentic and relative to today's conflicts and things we face."
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Unified progression
So, if there's no zombie mode, what's Infinity Ward replacing it with? The answer seems to be an ambitious-sounding "unified progression" system that will carry across three distinct-yet-linked game modes.
First off, there will be a proper solo-play campaign mode, which had been cut from the last Black Ops title. This feeds directly into a new co-op campaign mode, with progression between these two modes being symbiotic and continuous, rather than existing in isolation. And finally, there will be a standard player-vs-player multiplayer mode.
It's a return then to the fetishistic dedication to realism that popularised the series (complete with fan favorite characters returning). Those looking for some pulpy rootin-tootin' zombie shootin' action will just have to turn elsewhere this year.
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