While a fair bit is now known about theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2campaign, information on the game’s multiplayer is still heavily limited.The classic map Highrisehas been teased, and legendary weapons like the Intervention have leaked, but beyond that fans know very little about what will be offered in the classic 6v6 playlists.
With a lack of confirmed info in mind, there is still hope that Infinity Ward will move beyond the killstreak system that it uses within its games. While some players prefer this simplistic style, many feel that it is deeply flawed, finding Treyarch’s style of scorestreaks preferable. Going forward, it would be great to see all games adopt the sctorestreak model, a trend that Infinity Ward has the chance to start with the release ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
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The Fatal Flaw in Call of Duty’s Killstreak System
The main issue withkillstreaks inCall of Dutyis that they reward players for being selfish. When a player chains a few kills together, they are likely to step away from the action, playing carefully to protect their streak and camping somewhere safe to keep building it higher. This leaves gamers that are trying to play the objective with less help, as their teammates will be more focused on their own streaks than the goal of winning.
This issue extends to objective players as well, as they are not rewarded for playing the objective. Not only are therescoreboard issues tied to objective play inCall of Duty,but with a killstreak system, players are discouraged from going for flags or holding down a zone. If they want a fancy air strike or a Chopper Gunner, they are told to focus on getting kills instead of winning, as capturing flags or holding the Hardpoint will not get them any progress toward their streak.
Scorestreaks are the perfect solution to this issue, as they address both sides of the problem. Players that care more about gettingAttack Dogsor a Gunship than winning are encouraged to play the objective, as they get points toward their streak. Those that already play the objective benefit, too, with even unskilled players able to acquire streaks just by throwing their bodies on the flag and helping their team get a win. Scorestreaks even reward players for going on killstreaks, with more points given to those who chain multiple eliminations together.
For those that prefer killstreaks,Infinity Wardshould deliver a new version of the Pointman Perk. ThisCall of Duty: Modern Warfare2019 feature saw killstreaks becoming scorestreaks, but to use it, players had to sacrifice one of their all-important Perk slots. Considering how versatile scorestreaks are, they should always be the default option, as players should not be punished for wanting to have their objective play properly rewarded. For players that want the more limited system, though, a reverse-Pointman Perk would allow them to opt into killstreaks. Having the killstreaks locked behind a Perk would be ideal, as most players would just stick with scorestreaks, meaning that a majority of the community would be encouraged to play the objective.
As years have gone by, the cracks in the killstreak system have started to show, with it often punishing those that prefer a good win/loss stat over an impressive kill/death ratio. Considering how objective players already have to deal with teammates that focus more onCall of Duty’s camo challengesor Calling Card unlocks, a scorestreak system is needed to get those who care about winning a bit more help. If scorestreaks are not present, teamwork could be almost nonexistent inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2launches October 28 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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