Call of Duty Modern Warfare Vs Black Ops

While from the same Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare and Black Ops quite, in fact, have stark differences between them, many of which can affect which title you prefer. Are you more keen on a cinematic storytelling campaign, dotted with smaller, more tactical shooting? Would you rather play a more realistic shooter or an arcade one, with a faster, more frantic pace? 

Ultimately, Modern Warfare and Black Ops come from different developers. And deliver unique experiences, be it the maps, story, weapons, and more. What becomes your favorite and go-to, thus, depends on your fighting style and personal preferences. 

Tag along while we explore these differences in our Call of Duty Modern Warfare Vs Black Ops article below, and wrap up with which entry is the better option.

What is Call of Duty Modern Warfare?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter military game from the developer Infinity Ward (later Sledgehammer Games) and publisher Activision. It’s a sub-series of the larger Call of Duty franchise, featuring six mainline titles and five spin-offs, so far. It all began with the original trilogy: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, and Modern Warfare 3.

Owing to the massive success of the sub-series, Activision rebooted the original trilogy. They adopted the same universe, with the same characters, but telling a new story. 

What is Call of Duty Modern Warfare Black Ops?

Black Ops is also a first-person shooter military game, but from the developer Treyarch and publisher Activision. It’s another sub-series of the Call of Duty franchise, featuring eight mainline titles and five spin-offs. While Modern Warfare places prime focus on full-blown war settings, Black Ops narrows its focus down to completing covert and clandestine operations.

Story

One of the major differences between Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Black Ops is the story, from the characters to the settings. Modern Warfare takes a more serious tone with its story, following Special Forces soldiers from the US Army Rangers, British SAS, the Marines, and Delta Force. There’s also the fictional Task Force 141, a joint multi-national special operations unit formed by Captain Soap, also team leader, and composed of the best soldiers in the world, including Sergeant Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, Sergeant “Soap” MacTavish, Simon “Ghost” Riley, and Colonel Alejandro Vargas. 

The main characters take on missions against Russian ultranationalists and allies, containing nuclear threats, reclaiming chemical weapons, and counter-terrorism. These missions take place in various locations around the world, including the Middle East and Russia, and then Afghanistan, Brazil, and the United States. Overall, Modern Warfare has focused on realistic takes on modern conflict, leading up to a fictional World War III.

Meanwhile, Black Ops, as the name suggests, focuses on secret and dangerous missions no one would touch. In the series, Black Ops soldiers are sent around the world to complete clandestine operations. Often about uncovering conspiracies, containing chemical weapons, and mitigating threats to world peace. Black Ops’ storyline has been a little all over the place. It began its setting in the 1960s Cold War, only to transition into futuristic Cold Wars, and then back to the 1980s Cold War. 

As for which sub-series offers the best story, it depends on your preference. Modern Warfare is more realistic, expounding on the grittier side of war. It’s raw but grounded in the actual effects of global conflict. Black Ops, on the other hand, tends to be more dramatic. It often adds complex, at times far-fetched ideas, to its storyline that end up being more intriguing. 

Gameplay

Call of Duty often offers the same game modes. Especially multiplayer, which comes with familiar modes like Hardpoint, Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, etc. Hence, you’ll find little difference in your playthrough, utilizing the tight and precise shooting CoD is known for. Still, Modern Warfare has always carved its unique place with co-op Spec Ops. Meanwhile, Black Ops has Zombies PvE mode. But Modern Warfare’s Warzone ultimately rules.

However, the campaign between Modern Warfare and Black Ops is certainly different. With Modern Warfare’s realism, you’ll unlock real-life simulated modern weapons, with battles feeling like they could happen. Plus, the threats are fathomable, from terrorism to nuclear weapons. Black Ops, on the other hand, features covert operations, often bizarre threats like mind control experiments. Some entries are futuristic, too, which translates to the weapons.

So, which is better? Well, narrowing it further to the actual feel of combat, Modern Warfare tends to be in short bursts of tactical shooting, while Black Ops is more fast-paced. The former certainly makes for an excellent campaign, balancing out the cinematic cutscenes. However, the latter is arguably more replayable.

Verdict: Call of Duty Modern Warfare Vs Black Ops

With Call of Duty Modern Warfare and Black Ops coming from different developers, there are bound to be differences between them. The most significant is the story, with the characters and settings. Personally, I prefer Black Ops’ story. While Modern Warfare is definitely more realistic and often portrays huge spectacles of full-blown war, I find Black Ops’ complexities more intriguing. It’s surprising with its spy thrillers and espionage. And glues your eyeballs to the events and scenes through to the end.

As for the gameplay, it’s hard to say. If you enjoy a realistic military shooter, Modern Warfare is perfect for you, especially with the remastered versions. Black Ops, however, has a more complex and nuanced spy thriller campaign. Its mind control and psychological manipulation ideas may be far-fetched, but ultimately intriguing. That’s not to say that Modern Warfare’s campaign isn’t a thrill, with its timely twists and surprises. 

You can definitely get something special out of both games, with either one having its unique strengths. This extends to the game modes, with certainly Modern Warfare’s Spec Ops and Black Ops’ Zombies attracting their selected fans. And so, I’ll leave deciding the best option up to you, depending on whether you’re looking for a realistic take on military simulation or a more dramatic, fast-paced arcade shootout across the globe.