Spoilers for the Deep Cover and Frozen Tundra missions in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3Over the course of the handful of hours it takes to finishCall of Duty: Modern Warfare3’s campaign mode, players will have the chance to take control of the series’ most iconic characters for some often-intense firefights. FromModern Warfaremainstays like Ghostand Captain Price to freedom fighter Farah Karim, Sledgehammer Games’ threequel gives nearly every major character a moment in the spotlight. This is why the decision to makeModern Warfare 3’s Deep Cover mission, where gamers play as CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell, a largely combat-free affair feels like a missed opportunity.
First introduced in 2019’sCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, Kate Laswell is a CIA Station Chief who has worked closely with theoperators of Task Force 141during the series. Though primarily serving as the voice on the line telling the game’s protagonists which hotspot they’re headed to next, throughout theModern Warfaregames Laswell has proven that she’s more than capable of holding her own when a situation goes south. Given Laswell’s wealth of experience in the world of covert ops, the fact that her lead role inModern Warfare 3’s Deep Cover mission consists of little more than a slow walk comes as a letdown.
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Deep Cover Should Have Let Laswell Show Off Her CIA Skills
Rather than limiting the woman who killed her would-be kidnapper with her bare hands inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2to a short stealth section and a set piece, Deep Cover should have allowed Laswell to show off her particular set of skills. Although Laswell takes the lives of an army major and his assistant during the mission, the bulk of Deep Cover consists of a slow walk through a Kastovian military base. Adding a combat section to the level would have letModern Warfare 3show Laswell in action and proved why she’s the only agent tough enough to oversee the operatives of Task Force 141.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare(2019)
A Firefight During Modern Warfare 3’s Deep Cover Mission Would Have Raised the Stakes
What makes the decision to haveModern Warfare 3’s Deep Cover missionbe mostly combat-free particularly disappointing is that a well-timed firefight would have been a great way to raise the stakes during the stage’s latter half. Laswell’s cover could have been blown after her meeting with Yuri, leaving her to fight her way out of the building as the incoming chemical attack ravaged the base. This would have given Laswell a chance to show off her combat skills without altering the overall narrative of the otherwise stealthy mission.
The escape that caps off Deep Cover already makes for a fairly thrilling experience, and adding a firefight into the mix would have ramped up the action even further. Retooling Deep Cover’s central set piece sequence to include a shootout against Kastovian forces as chaos erupted around her could have made Laswell’s level more memorable and helped make Deep Cover one ofModern Warfare 3’s best missions.
In a campaign where even the usually desk-bound General Shepherd gets the chance to pick up a pistol and take down enemies, relegating Laswell’s first playable appearance to a short stealth stage feels like a missed opportunity. Given conversations betweenCaptain Price and Laswellthroughout the series, it’s clear that even the series’ most grizzled veteran has respect for the CIA agent’s skills, which is why it’s such a shame that Deep Cover didn’t give players a chance to see them for themselves.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
WHERE TO PLAY
The war has changed. Call of Duty returns with an all-new campaign, modernized versions of classic Multiplayer maps and an open-world PvE Zombies experience. The campaign, a direct sequel to the record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sees Captain Price and Task Force 141 face off against ultranationalist war criminal Vladimir Makarov as he extends his grasp across the world. In Multiplayer, the 16 maps that launched with Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 return with upgraded graphics, new modes and innovative gameplay features. In Modern Warfare Zombies, team up with other squads for the first time ever as you work together to survive in the largest Zombies map yet
