Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign is now available through early access, and many players have already rolled credits on the latest story of Infinity Ward’s rebooted subseries. Unfortunately, the response to the campaign has not been a good one thus far. Prior to its release, Trophy hunters were quick to call out the lack of a Platinum to collect, while the mode’s availability has led to lots of criticism about Open Combat Missions. However, the story has also come under fire for a few choices, one of which was made in its final mission.
There are a couple of good moments in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s narrative, like Price finally dealing with Shepherd and the harrowing Passenger mission, but there are also some strange choices made with the story. The biggest is undoubtedly the death of Soap MacTavish, an iconic Modern Warfare character who fans were happy to see again in Modern Warfare 2. While this is a case of history repeating itself, as Soap has now died in both Modern Warfare 3 s, it feels like the wrong man was chosen to bite the bullet.
Why Killing Soap Off in Modern Warfare 3 Was a Mistake
Soap Had More To Give The New Modern Warfare Series
After complaints about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 playing it safe and not killing off any characters, it was a good decision to add some stakes to the story, especially with the evil Vladimir Makarov now in play. However, killing off Soap is a genuine headscratcher. It feels like Soap was set up to do so much more in the story, and while that may have been the idea so that his death feels more shocking and tragic, it also feels unearned.
Plenty of focus has been placed on this version of Soap being young and learning from his comrades, as a memorable bond with Ghost is established in the first game when Soap is injured during Alone. He’s also seen smoking when undercover in Modern Warfare 3, something Price calls out since it’s unlike him and is instead a classic Price trait, which could suggest that Soap may eventually fill Price’s shoes one day. And most of all, it feels as if Soap has the greatest rivalry with Makarov throughout the story instead of Price, something that would have been great to explore in another game - especially if Makarov had killed one of Soap’s friends instead. It felt as if several things were being built up for Soap only for the rug to be pulled out from under him.
Price Was a Better Candidate For a Big Death in MW3
Beyond Soap’s death feeling like a sudden shift and a waste of a beloved character, it is also a story that fans have already seen. The original Modern Warfare 3 campaign killed off Soap and shifted attention to an angry, grieving Price that was desperate to kill Makarov. And, sure enough, the next Modern Warfare game will have Price hunting Makarov to avenge Soap. Instead of putting Price’s vendetta against Makarov at the heart of the story yet again, turning that tale on its head and killing Price could have been a welcome change of pace.
Soap’s death in the original Modern Warfare 3 was a bit divisive due to the way it happened, but also because Soap had just survived a fatal injury in MW2, and fans found it odd to kill him right after saving him. Funnily enough, he did the same thing in the new timeline, barely surviving in MW2 just to die in the next game.
Captain Price dying would have been the exact opposite of the old storyline, as he was the lone survivor in those games and all his Task Force 141 partners were the ones killed. It could have been poetic to have this Price sacrifice himself so all his friends could live on instead of repeating the same story beats from the previous series. Soap stepping up to hunt Makarov would have been fresh and interesting, as given how much he hated him already in MW2, players could have seen an unhinged Soap that breaks some rules to avenge his former leader. Unfortunately, despite being a chance to treat Soap differently, the new Modern Warfare series has tossed him aside yet again in favor of making Price the star.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 58 /100 Critics Rec: 14%
- Released
- November 10, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Sledgehammer Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- iw 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
