The game has only been available for a day and user videos are already emerging showing off some of the recycled assets from the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in the newest Activision release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
We all know that developers like to recycle assets from previous games in newer games; it saves time, it saves money, it spares artists from having to create new assets or touch up old ones. Recycling isn’t a bad thing at all…most of the time.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was in development for the past two years by Infinity Ward (and not the same guys who made the original two Modern Warfares), Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software. Many gamers have been complaining this past year that the Call of Duty franchise has become recycled and derivative and that the engine is long past overdue for a real upgrade. Earlier in the year Infinity Ward commented that a new engine takes too long and costs too much and that it would be counter-productive to the franchise’s annual outings.
Of course, gamers became even more riled up about the latest Modern Warfare 3 and claimed that the game, running on old tech and featuring no real innovation was really hurting the series. Sledgehammer, however, claimed otherwise and stated that the engine was upgraded and that people who said they’re the same just don’t know any better.
Well, apparently savvy gamers aren’t buying into the Emperor’s New Clothes PR routine by Activision and are showing off for themselves exactly what everyone means by “recycled” content. Josh Lumley over at Final Level posted a gameplay video of Modern Warfare 3 comparing some of the recycled assets to the same ones from Modern Warfare 1.
All right folks, so what does this tell us? It tells us that despite making a billion dollars within a month’s time every single year-on-end, Activision can afford to be frugal when it comes to development costs. No qualms there. However, evidence also tells us that they aren’t messing with the game engine much. I suppose, depending on whether you want game-changing experiences or not (and that's more-so for people who don't want them) then there’s no qualms there. It also tells us that you’re paying $60 for a game that could have very well been composed by a modding community for free. In that regards, you have to ask yourself…is a game less impressive than a Half-Life 2 mod really worth it? Well, you get to decide with your wallet on that one.
If you have videos where you find more Modern Warfare 1 assets in Modern Warfare 3, feel free to send them our way.
