Since Call of Duty 4 in 2007, there have been countless iterations to the CoD series over the years, adding beloved game systems and features that quickly became the standard. So, why, in 2022, is Modern Warfare 2 lacking some of these most things?
This article isn’t going to be a complaint about the overly-complicated class creation and unlock system, the endless list of attachments or the needlessly complex perk system. While all of these things could be worthy of complaint, they are simply the decision of game developers doing their best to improve on the formula, for better or worse.
Rather, this article will look at five features that are simply missing altogether, for no apparent reason – and any reason that could be given wouldn’t be a good one.
These features should also be rather easy to add, and all have been a basic expectation in Call of Duty since around 2010 (that’s 12 years ago, by the way).
Combat Record / Stats
Probably the most glaring omission of all, in a supposedly competitive multiplayer shooter, released in 2022: there is absolutely no way to see your stats. You can’t check your K/D ratio, your win/loss ratio, your most used weapon, your accuracy, or your score per minute. Nothing.
How could such a standard and previously well-executed feature be missing from one of the biggest releases of the year?
There is a possibility that this was a deliberate decision, perhaps to stop players “worrying” about their stats. But where is the fun in that? One of the great joys of previous Call of Duty games was the progress you could see through your stats getting better and better over time.
On top of this, previous games had the ability to see the combat records of friends and other players too. While this is less crucial, it was also a fantastic feature in other CoDs.
Leaderboards
In truth, leaderboards have become less and less of a staple in CoD games. They are consistently missing from newer games at launch, sometimes added in later.
But, really, leaderboards should be as standard a feature as friends lists. They provide one of the great ways to keep players engaged, as they look to increase their position on the global leaderboard, comparing themselves to all other players around the world.
Sorting by friends also allowed for some great competition between your squad, as you all competed for leaderboard bragging rights.
Again, in 2022, there is absolutely no excuse not to have leaderboards in your Call of Duty game on day one.
Map Voting
Map voting was one of those genius multiplayer features that we have come to praise early CoD games for. Whether it was voting ‘Previous’ or ‘Next’ votes, or giving players the choice of three maps, it really gave everyone in a match a sense of agency.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
You were also able to more often avoid the maps you and others disliked for a certain game mode, which should, at least in theory, prevent people leaving the game early because it’s a map they hate.
Map voting is another classic Call of Duty feature which really should be available in every game – perhaps the reason it isn’t though is related to the next problem on this list.
Lobbies Staying Together
Admittedly, this is something that has also been absent from the last few CoDs, but that doesn’t make its omission any less frustrating this time around.
For years, when you entered a game lobby, you would remain in that lobby until it disbanded entirely. This meant you could play map after map against the same opponents, with the odd new player joining in if another player left.
There are many reasons to love this feature, but mostly, again, it comes down to competition and bragging rights. Nothing would want to make me play another game more than the thought of getting revenge on that one enemy who had my number in the previous game. Combine this with the trash talk of in-game voice chat, and you had a recipe for hooking people to match after match.
Why then, would it be removed? A feature that keeps players playing your game longer? The reason, it is believed, is due to the prevalence of SBMM (skill-based matchmaking). People say that because the game wants to recalibrate your skill level after each match, it kills the lobby, and finds more evenly matched opponents to play against.
But, this reason somewhat falls apart when you realize that older Call of Duty games also had SBMM – so why could they keep lobbies together, but MW2 can’t?
Deaths on the scoreboard
This one has been relegated to last on the list, because it is the least impactful. But, it is also one of the biggest headscratchers. Presumably, not showing players’ deaths on the scoreboard is a form of coddling the player, so they don’t have to see if they’re playing that badly or not.
If this is the reason (and I struggle to think of any alternative reasons) then it’s rather pathetic. Have games become so worried about protecting the innocent soul of their newest players that they can’t even show them that they currently have only 4 kills for their 20 deaths?
The increasing number of safety nets thrown over players, at the expense of just good, simple, and proven game design is most obvious in this example. Show players if they are getting destroyed – they should know. Similarly, when they’re having a great game, with 20 kills to only 4 deaths, let them enjoy that sense of accomplishment in the match.
There were other features we could have mentioned here, like the Pick 10 system, red dots on the mini-map, or pro perks. But while these omissions can be more easily chalked up to just game developers trying something new, the five features listed above are so basic and intrinsic to making a great multiplayer game that hooks you in, that there can really be no explaining them away.
Hopefully, over the weeks and months to come, the developers listen to the calls from players to just add these things that already existed, repeatedly, in previous Call of Duty titles – surely this is not too much to ask?
