Black Ops 6’s Campaign Avoids a Big Modern Warfare 3 Pitfall

This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for BOTH Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a clear return to form following the disappointment of last year’s Modern Warfare 3. Round-based Zombies is back, 16 original 6v6 maps are available on launch with the promise of more to come, and last but certainly not least, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 boasts a genuinely great campaign mode.

The Call of Duty franchise hasn’t had a critically acclaimed campaign for quite some time, but Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has finally broken that unlucky streak. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s campaign features a ton of variety when it comes to mission types, introduces some surprisingly innovative gameplay mechanics, and finally offers fans a wealth of thrilling action set pieces. Black Ops 6‘s campaign features some major improvements over Modern Warfare 3‘s own single-player offerings, and one of its best improvements is how it handles its ending.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Avoids Making The Same Mistake as Modern Warfare 3’s Controversial Ending

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s Ending Felt Rushed and Unearned

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s campaign had some serious pacing issues. While some missions were overly long and tedious, such as the Open Combat sequences that offered little story content or excitement, others were finished before they even started. And with the entirety of MW3‘s campaign lasting just 2–3 hours, there was virtually no time to build tension effectively.

So, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s campaign reaches its closing mission, it feels as though the story has only just begun, giving the campaign an exceptionally rushed feeling. This is exacerbated by the actual content of MW3‘s ending, which sees the sequel end on several major cliffhangers.

The final mission sees Makarov kill Soap, which itself feels unearned and unoriginal as fans had only spent a few hours with this version of the character. To many, it felt like MW3 was killing off Soap simply because that’s what happened in the original Modern Warfare continuity. Makarov is left at large at the end of the campaign, and the post-credits scene sees Price killing General Shepherd, which only unravels the plot thread further. There’s no sense of closure or finality to MW3‘s ending, and that’s deeply unsatisfying.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Story Teases a Sequel, But Doesn’t Rely On Its Existence

While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 heavily relies on a final chapter that may never come, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s campaign spends the vast majority of its runtime focused on telling its own story. Though there are plenty of callbacks to previous Black Ops entries, and characters like Frank Woods and Russell Adler make their return, Black Ops 6‘s story is fairly self-contained, with it focusing on an all-new threat and a mostly new set of protagonists.

It may not be the most concise or logical plot out there, but Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s campaign does have a definitive beginning, middle, and end. And while Black Ops 6‘s final cutscene teases that Pantheon is still out there, it feels earned, as the game’s main story beats have come to a satisfying conclusion.