After all the hype and reports of announcements regarding Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and a potential major announcement regarding it or Call of Duty online yesterday during the Activision Blizzard first quarter conference call, we ended up hearing nothing new. Instead, we're told that we'll see the next Call of Duty in the coming weeks which translates to a big Activision presentation at E3.

It is one of the biggest game franchises ever though, so we couldn't let a day go by without a new news item or rumor. The latest insider info explains that the next game is in fact Modern Warfare 3 (not Project Colossus) which will feature larger scale maps and battles, finally introducing destructible environments.

Kotaku has the scoop from sources who've seen Modern Warfare 3 in action. They explain that the game picks up from where Modern Warfare 2 left off, after the attack on U.S. soil but that it won't be like Homefront. Much of the game will feature an urban setting with tanks and other vehicles traversing civilian streets and the story may set the foundation or hint at a World War III type scenario.

The game will see the return of Modern Warfare staple characters Captain "Soap" MacTavish and Captain Price but more excitingly, will add destructible environments, ones that are on a much larger scale than the previous installments.

Destructible environments and vehicles are something the Battlefield series has held over Call of Duty for some time, but what does that mean for its main selling point: the multiplayer? Will there be drivable vehicles on large-scale maps for the first time in the series?

While it's good to see Infinity Ward, with the help of Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software, working to continue/conclude the Modern Warfare series, the question becomes whether or not what they're doing with Modern Warfare 3 is enough to not only take a large leap forward from the last few games in the series, but to compete with Battlefield 3 which already features these things but with a new game engine and better graphics?

As good as the Modern Warfare titles were, notably for their multiplayer, the narrative story told through the single player campaign suffered through awkward loading screens which acted as explanation of current events and briefings for the missions. Hopefully, Modern Warfare 3 does away with that and offers an in-game substitue so players can get into a compelling story rather than just a fast-paced shooter.

Expect more soon in just a matter of weeks.

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Source: Kotaku