In August, Activision unveiled the newest installment of their long-running Call of Duty franchise, Vanguard. This new entry will once again throw players back into World War II, the first and most iconic time period that the franchise has explored. But unlike 2017’s Call of Duty: WW2, which primarily took place in the European theater, Vanguard will take place across all four fronts of the war. Yes, that means that players will experience the Pacific Front, the Western Front, the Eastern Front, and North Africa. The game will tell stories of various individuals across each region of the conflict, which seemingly will be four separate tales spread across one large single-player campaign. Typically, the series focuses on one single plot thread in its single-player modes, so it will be interesting to see so many different tales are molded into a single campaign.
While there are certainly many exciting events from World War II that have yet to get adapted into a Call of Duty game, there is a handful that players are particularly excited to see come to life in this new entry. One event that many are antsy to see featured is the iconic bombing of Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor is perhaps the most iconic event from all of the Pacific Theater of WW2, so its inclusion seems somewhat likely and, quite frankly, necessary.
It Hasn’t Been Adapted for Games in Over 15 Years
One major reason why we think Pearl Harbor would fit perfectly into Vanguard is the simple reason that the iconic event hasn’t been featured in a AAA first-person shooter since 2004’s Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault. While it was a great adaptation at the time of its release, Pacific Assault is now incredibly outdated compared to modern gaming standards (though those water effects still look very decent). It’s frankly shocking that we haven’t gotten a proper portrayal of Pearl Harbor in a modern FPS game, seeing as it’s one of the most widely known events from all of World War II in the United States. Vanguard should feature it if only for the fact that it hasn’t gotten adapted for the medium in a notable title in such a considerable amount of time.
Pearl Harbor Make for a Great Set Piece
Another major reason that Vanguard should feature the bombing of Pearl Harbor is that it would make for a striking set piece, perhaps as the opening mission for the game. War movies such as Save Private Ryan did a phenomenal job of portraying the war as a whole, and we’re sure that modern technology could allow for the Pearl Harbor bombing to be successfully portrayed in an equally dramatic and realistic fashion as such films. If executed well, a Pearl Harbor mission could have the ability to truly captivate gamers, engage them in the conflict as it unfolds, and make for one of the best missions in any Call of Duty game to date.
Players Want it to Happen
Many gamers have been interested in playing through a Pearl Harbor mission for quite a while and including said mission in Call of Duty: Vanguard would be fan service at its best. Not to say that fan service should be Sledgehammer Games’ priority, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with meeting gamers’ requests, especially if it fits the medium. The past few Call of Duty games have definitely exceeded many fans’ expectations compared to years prior, so featuring one of the most iconic battles of World War II would certainly help make Vanguard stand out by giving gamers something that they really want.
What do you think? Would you like to see Pearl Harbor make an appearance as a mission in the upcoming Call of Duty? Continue following Epoch XP for more news about Call of Duty: Vanguard and other historical video games.
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