9. An Improved, More Engrossing Spec Ops
When Spec Ops was first introduced in Modern Warfare 2, it was a nice addition: a small set of challenge scenarios based on maps from the campaign, that often had challenging stipulations or environmental elements that prevented you from merely shooting everything that moves and asking questions later. And for the most part, this worked out excellently (at least until you started engaging waves of Juggernauts on Veteran difficulty. Great idea, IW). In Modern Warfare 3, Spec Ops mode was fleshed out a little more and more elements were included into it to make it better, however... Compared to Zombies mode, Spec Ops is just...dull. Included as an Easter Egg in Call of Duty: World at War, Zombies became an accidental enjoyment, and then an accidentally PHENOMENAL success, with Treyarch further developing the game mode to give it a
unique canon storyline, and more developed maps. And it's precisely what casual and hardcore gamers can get into - the regular gamers can sit back with friends, have a few beers and junk food and playfully make snide comments as they all play split-screen, whereas more dedicated players like myself can sit back, playing online with friends, as we loudly shout expletives into our mics and perpetually attempt to avoid tripping and getting killed. Spec Ops, in comparison, isn't a BAD gameplay mode - it just doesn't stand out enough. In Black Ops, Multiplayer, Campaign, and Zombie mode all have their own unique aesthetic. Spec Ops just feels like you're replaying the same campaign maps just with different objectives. Not to say it isn't fun, it just doesn't offer the same feeling of uniqueness that Zombie mode does. I would like to see this mode developed more, possibly with its own storyline and gameplay elements, but time will tell - and we all know Activision has a policy of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".