It goes without saying that ever since Call of Duty found its stride with 2007’s COD 4: Modern Warfare, the series has been pretty much infallible in its popularity. While each game might have its detractors and others its fans, every Call of Duty title inevitably ends up at the top of the best-sellers list without fail. Brand recognition aside, there is no denying that the various COD studios have pumped a great deal of time, effort and especially money into the series – making it a smooth-as-butter first-person-shooter with few contemporaries in the space. Despite this, the sentiment towards the series from a hardcore player’s perspective has fallen over time, with 2023’s MWIII being a low point for some.
With the most recent entry safely in its mid-life cycle, the recent launch of Ubisoft’s xDefiant comes perhaps at the perfect time to try and steal as many eyes away from Call of Duty as possible. While in many ways, xDefiant is indeed competing in the same space as COD gameplay-wise, one might argue that Ubisoft’s efforts have resulted in a product which feels as though it was designed to compete with Modern Warfare 3 (2011), not Modern Warfare III (2023) – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Much discussion has already been had regarding xDefiant, from its server issues, to its free-to-play model, unlockable system, battle pass and more. For this analysis however, I have reduced myself to the core gameplay ideals and approaches which are vital for any multiplayer first person shooter: gunplay, movement and level design – and this is where xDefiant puts its most interesting foot forward.
While many bemoan the fact that Call of Duty is the same game every single year, over the past decade or so we have seen a great deal of changes, innovations and improvements, especially when it comes to the core feel of the game.
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Without going into the whole history and evolution of the series, last year’s Modern Warfare III introduced a new hybrid between aiming down sights and hip-firing; labelled as the ‘Tec-Stance’. Though dismissed by some, I believe this single addition could have the potential to change all future FPS titles with a new gameplay function whose importance isn’t far off from that of the ADS revolution from decades prior ( I wrote a solid 2000 words on the Tac-Stance HERE ).
All this is to say that the Modern Warfare III from 2023 is pretty much an entirely different type of game from the OG MW3, despite both being first-person shooters within the same sub-series.
Ubisoft’s xDefiant takes me back to the days of the OG Modern Warfares and Black Opses, with a much more restrictive toolset – ultimately leading to a game which feels as though it was created with the design mentality of FPS titles from the PS3/X360 era. First up: Gunplay.
As mentioned, over the many Call of Duty entries released in the past 10-15 years, we have seen a significant change in the way gunplay is handled. While COD remains an arcadey FPS franchise, each new entry has added something new to the palette – culminating in a series of games which would feel quite foreign to a COD player from generations past.
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xDefiant clearly harkens back to the older CODs, with much more simplistic animations across the board, putting a greater emphasis on visual clarity free from flashy reloads and advanced movements.
Looser aim assists on controllers; reduced recoil and a toned down cinematic flair all lead to a more rustic and ‘old-school’ feel. Similarly, the reduction in the complexity of each gun’s attachments and the overall modification system means that each weapon feels more unique in its specific use.
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Even in 2024, Call of Duty remains much closer to an arcadey shooter than the Battlefields of old, however with the increase in visual flair and production quality (in big part thanks to the engine revamp introduced with MW 2019), Call of Duty has lost some of that arcadey identity – even if it were through visuals alone. The way muzzle flashes, smoke, flinch and more are presented gives off a distinctly different vibe to older CODs – something which xDefiant has managed to speak to.
Of course, the actual gunplay itself is just one part of what makes an FPS game feel the way it does. Perhaps even more important is a game’s movement – and this is where xDefiant goes all-in on capturing this older design mentality.
One of the biggest changes to Call of Duty over the years has been its movement system. From the addition of dolphin diving; to sliding; boost packs; exo-suits; tactical sprinting; mantling; ledge hanging; door peeking; breaching; weapon mounting; swimming and so much more, the difference in movement over time is quite clear.
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MWII (2022)
While some of these features have come and gone, we need look no further than 2023’s MWIII to see just how much things have changed over time. With last year’s entry including all of the original Modern Warfare 2 maps, a near-direct comparison can be made between older and newer CODs.
Even without any fancy jetpacks, maps such as Favela, Underpass, and Scrapyard play entirely differently, with the added climbing systems, mantling, ledge grabbing – among others – all making for spread-out yet even more chaotic engagements as enemies can come from literally almost anywhere.
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xDefiant on the other hand keeps movement much more simple. You can walk, run, crouch, slide, climb very specific ladders and mantle a highly restricted number of ledges/boxes/platforms. Even those more modern mechanics such as mantling and sliding are significantly gimped compared to the likes of more recent CODs – with such actions halting momentum in favour of slower, clunkier canned animations.
While seemingly objectively worse than COD’s implementation, this purposeful pacing pushes players to be more particular with their path of choice. Choosing to climb a ladder or mantle up to a higher level takes time and leaves you in a vulnerable and slower place – necessitating a more careful sense of decision making when wanting to reach the higher ground. In this way, being elevated above your enemies gives a stronger advantage, rewarding the short term risk.
As I hinted at earlier, movement in a multiplayer FPS is closely tied to the level design itself. Last year’s Modern Warfare III may have included all of the OG Modern Warfare 2 maps, but they were subtley redesigned to take advantage of the new and enhanced movement, with maps being scaled ever so slightly up, and much of the maps’ terrain now being realistically climbable. If you think you could climb it, there's a strong chance that you can.
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xDefiant on the other hand takes a page out of the older Call of Duty’s design ethos, with boxier, static and more clearly defined playable lanes. Combat exists on very selective levels of elevation, broken up by a few places where you can mantle for a slight height advantage. These reachable areas are obviously marked – primarily with the infamous yellow paint – meaning lines of sight are generally more restrictive; though more predictable.
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It did take me some time initially to get used to this apparent regression, trying to climb obstacles which would be simple in real life (and in newer CODs), but is seemingly too big of a task for the soldier I am playing as. That said, once you understand what type of era xDefiant is operating within, these unreachable areas become much easier to spot and ignore.
Call of Duty used to be known for its three-lane system, which was part of what made its controlled chaos fun. Heavy action is typically confined to particular zones and hotspots, making for fewer situations in which you are acting as a lone gunman – unless you are specifically trying to do so.
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There have been many more instances within xDefiant in which I have managed to flank around behind the enemy lines and take out clusters of enemies as they focus on the group of my teammates in the distance. Similarly, saving a teammate from certain doom feels much more rewarding and intentional, as opposed to simply stumbling onto a 1v1 as you hop around the map leaping over everything in your way.
xDefiant isn’t a tactical squad-based shooter with constant communication or anything close to that, but the level design in combination with the game’s movement system makes for matches which naturally see you encounter your teammates much more frequently – feeling less isolating and more co-operative as a result.
Is xDefiant a Call of Duty killer? No, nothing can be. Call of Duty has reigned supreme for too long and has had far too much money pumped into it for any other studio to realistically compete in the exact same space. Through sheer budget alone, Call of Duty has remained the smoothest and most satisfying multiplayer first-person shooter in my opinion, something which I feel as though disgruntled fans often forget.
That said, xDefiant has carved itself a niche, taking much of the design ethos and mentality from the ‘golden age’ of Call of Duty, while adding the slightest hints of modernity in the form of sliding to make a game which in 2024 feels as though it comes from a bygone era – an era which many FPS fans have yearned to return to.
Personally, I prefer the advanced movement and gunplay innovations seen with recent Call of Duty games, but for many, xDefiant will be the true boots-on-the-ground experience which has been missing for far too long.
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