Gamescom 2023‘s Opening Night Live on August 22 turned out to be quite an attraction for gaming nerds. They witnessed an exclusive look at some of the most popular upcoming IPs. Having the CoD: MWIII Beta release date around the corner, Call of Duty fans have got to see the first-ever footage from the game. The latter is a direct sequel to its predecessor – the ongoing MWII from Infinity Ward.

Developed by Sledgehammer Games, MWIII will be the new premium for Call of Duty fanatics in 2023. The studio has unveiled a new feature called Open Combat Missions for their upcoming game after releasing gameplay footage. But how will they change the flow of the single-player experience? Let’s find out.

Players will get tons of choices to complete quests in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Campaign, thanks to the Open Combat missions feature

August has been extremely busy with the FPS series when it comes to promoting its next big title. Earlier this month, fans witnessed a teaser, followed by a reveal trailer for Makarov. Recently, an extended gameplay video from the Call of Duty: MWIII provided them with an exclusive look, straight from the opening mission itself.

While presenting the gameplay footage during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, Sledgehammer’s creative director has mentioned the term ‘Open Combat Missions’. Being a new feature, it’s going to be part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III’s Campaign.

Unlike the traditional experience, players will now have a choice of how to finish a certain mission. In the latest blog, Sledgehammer’s team tried to offer an in-depth overview of Open Combat Missions and their impact. Campaign Creative Director David Swenson revealed what to expect from the choice-based missions through an Intel Drop.

Basically, Open Combat Missions are not linear. This means “they can be approached from numerous angles, including altering strategies at any point during the mission.” Although they will be fixed, how they get completed will be up to the players’ approach.

READ MORE: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III Reveal Event Unleashes Brand New Trailer With Task Force 141 Going Against Makarov, Return of ‘No Russian’, and the Biggest Open-World Zombies Mode

Moreover, OCMs will be “intentionally dispersed throughout the Campaign to create a seamless, intertwined experience between these and the traditional cinematic missions,” according to devs. Thus, there will be options to free roam in a given area in order to make unique decisions to complete a certain quest. Furthermore, there are also 10 best strategies, unveiled by devs, players can make use of during the Open Combat Missions dealing with the following:

• Stealth
• Guns a-Blazing
• Using a Loadout wisely
• Picking Up Enemy Ordnance
• Scavenging For More
• On Foot
• Parachuting alongside Parkour movements
• In Water
• Vehicles
• Killstreaks and Interactable Items

Players will be able to change their approach at any moment while being in an Open Combat Mission.

Call of Duty confirms Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise in Modern Warfare II Season 5

In another major piece of news, shared right before the aforementioned Intel-Drop, Activision has finally confirmed a crucial update for the current installment. With the arrival of Season 5, Modern Warfare II had received a blog on PlayStation, in July. Surprising everyone, it revealed an unprecedented crossover of Call of Duty and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. Now, the publisher has made it official with a social media post on X (formerly Twitter).

Interestingly, we had presented a possibility theory for this epic collaboration last year in December. And now, Lara Croft is actually set to make her appear in the Call of Duty universe. She will come to Modern Warfare II as a playable Operator, being part of a bundle. The date for the latter is yet to be finalized. Going by ongoing rumors, fans may receive it during Season 5’s reloaded update later in August.

As for Modern Warfare III, it will be released on November 10 worldwide. Sledgehammer Games’ premium offering will be available on the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X\S, Xbox One, and PC.

Source: Call of Duty

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