Modern Warfare 3's Open Combat missions sound more like Dishonored than Call of Duty

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 developers have revealed a few more details about how the game's more open-ended campaign missions will work, and I'm getting some light but promising Dishonored vibes.

The story of Modern Warfare 3 picks up directly after the previous game. Captain Price and Task Force 141 will take on the ultranationalist aims of Vladimir Makarov in a "dark and gritty campaign experience." The game will feature traditional Call of Duty campaign levels on top of a new class of stages that the devs are calling Open Combat missions.

"Open Combat missions complement the cinematic levels players have come to love for a cohesive narrative story and emphasize player choice with numerous additional paths and choices to complete objectives," Activision says in a press release. "Built to react and adapt to different playstyles - whether taking a stealthy or run and gun approach, players can truly play how they want."

Previous Call of Duty games have experimented with more open-ended mission design, but it sounds like this will be an even more expansive take on the idea. In fact, the notion of being able to choose between stealth or run-and-gun approaches sounds much more in line with immersive sims like Dishonored or Deus Ex than it does with traditional Call of Duty level design. We may not see the same degree of reactivity, player choice, or branching paths, but the direction alone is exciting for Call of Duty. 

While no Call of Duty campaign has ever lacked for spectacle, they've certainly had a habit of running short when it comes to gameplay variety, so here's hoping that Modern Warfare 3's expanded offerings can bring a little more to the table.

Modern Warfare 3 will also include remastered versions of every Modern Warfare 2 (2009) launch map.