Summary
- Adding a modified version of the Highrise campaign map (not to be confused with the current multiplayer map called Highrise) to Search and Destroy would add variety and excitement to the popular multiplayer mode in MW3.
- Highrise's verticality and multi-level layout would provide new strategic possibilities for team play and make it stand out from other maps in the game.
- The addition of Highrise to Search and Destroy would give players a fresh way to enjoy one of the best maps in the campaign mode, elevating the gameplay experience.
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign mode failed to live up to many players’ expectations thanks to its emphasis on semi-open-world missions, the addition of what is arguably the best of these contentious Open Combat maps to the Search and Destroy playlist could elevate the gameplay of the popular multiplayer mode. By introducing a modified version of Modern Warfare 3’s Highrise campaign map to Search and Destroy, Sledgehammer Games could deliver a fresh spin on the CounterStrike-inspired multiplayer mode. With its focus on verticality and numerous options for quick traversal across the map, its addition could see Highrise become one of the best maps in both the campaign and multiplayer modes in Modern Warfare 3.
Adding a slightly retooled take on Highrise to Modern Warfare 3’s version of Search and Destroy would add some interesting variety to the fan-favorite multiplayer mode. It would also give players a whole new way to enjoy one of the campaign mode’s best maps. Making a few changes to the layout to prevent the map from feeling too unfocused while retaining the same sorts of entertaining traversal options as in the campaign could allow Highrise to take Modern Warfare 3’s Search and Destroy mode to new heights.
Highrise's Verticality Would Provide a Fun Spin on the Fan-Favorite Mode
A mainstay of the iconic shooter series dating all the way back to the first Call of Duty game, Search and Destroy is one of the franchise’s most popular multiplayer modes. Similar to the bomb defusal mode in Valve’s CounterStrike series, Search and Destroy sees the attackers trying to plant a bomb at a specific location while the team on defense attempts to either eliminate them or defuse the bomb. The tense mode has proven to be popular with players for years, but the largely flat layout of many of the Search and Destroy levels can sometimes lead to maps feeling overly similar.
Featuring scaffolding to scale and multi-level blocks of buildings perfect for planting bombs in, Highrise would shake up the gameplay in Search and Destroy. Adding the St. Petersburg-set map to Search and Destroy would introduce a level of verticality to the game that’s largely absent from existing levels, with bomb sites spread across multiple levels opening up new strategic possibilities for team play. Though some sections of Highrise would have to be blocked off to keep the map size manageable, its addition to the popular multiplayer mode would likely be a welcome one.
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Game Mode |
Search and Destroy |
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Objective |
Attackers attempt to plant an explosive at one of two bomb sites that must be either defended against or defused by the opposing team. Rounds are won either by detonating or defusing the bomb or by eliminating the enemy team. |
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First Appearance |
Call of Duty (2003) |
Adding Highrise to Search and Destroy Would Give the Map a Second Chance to Shine
Not only would the verticality of Highrise make an entertaining diversion from the standard Search and Destroy map, it would also give players a whole new way to enjoy the map’s impressive design. Representing a refreshing change of pace from the flat and largely linear maps found throughout the rebooted Modern Warfare series, Highrise’s multi-level layout makes it feel truly unique. This would help it stand out from the other locations found in Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer mode and give players something other than remade Modern Warfare 2 maps to enjoy.
With a design that ensures that it would feel and play unlike any other map currently available in the mode, the cramped buildings of Highrise would make a great addition to Search and Destroy in Modern Warfare 3. Whether ziplining between towers to plant a bomb or finding the perfect perch for sniping would-be attackers, its addition would give gamers more ways than ever to enjoy one of the franchise’s most popular multiplayer modes. Though it would need a new name, as an iconic map called Highrise already exists and is present in Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, this campaign location could be a stellar multiplayer play space.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 58 /100 Critics Rec: 14%
- Released
- November 10, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Sledgehammer Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- iw 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
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
- Franchise
- Call of Duty, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 5 Hours
