The Call of Duty franchise has fully embraced Operators in recent years, and with Call of Duty: Warzone 2 integration remaining a priority, it seems unlikely that this will change anytime soon. While restoring Call of Duty: Vanguard’s Operator system going forward would be wise, as Modern Warfare 2 feels like a significant step back in this regard, Operators could also be improved by taking some notes from Overwatch 2.
With Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty under the same roof as Activision Blizzard properties, it only makes sense for the games to borrow systems for each other. Though a traditional first-person shooter and hero shooter are very different gameplay styles, meaning this does not happen often, it is still possible for certain systems to be passed between the games. One good thing for Call of Duty to borrow from Overwatch 2 would be the conversations between heroes, both before a match and during games. With players pointing out how the Operators seem to be lacking distinct personalities in Modern Warfare 2, this would be a great way to address the problem.
How Call of Duty Can Use Overwatch 2’s Conversations
Overwatch 2 is full of fun voice lines, some of which have rare unlock conditions. Players can get fun dialogue for having a team with all female heroes, a team comprised of primarily one-eyed characters, and a team with characters that do not use guns. They can also hear serious conversations between heroes like Ramattra and Zenyatta, funny ones between Hanzo and Orisa, and antagonistic ones between Moira and Mercy. Special dialogue is heard when heroes kill certain characters, too, like Sombra taking out Pharah or Tracer defeating Reaper.
All of this can and should extend to the Call of Duty franchise’s Operators. For instance, many players loved the relationship between Ghost and Soap in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s “Alone” mission, as they felt like proper friends. Letting them have a quick chat when they are both on the same team at the start of a Modern Warfare 2 match would go a long way to making players feel more like their chosen character, as currently the Operators come off as little more than skins.
This could extend to combat as well. If Graves were added as an Operator, Soap could have some harsh things to say whenever he eliminates the leader of Shadow Company. Similarly, Alejandro could make a comment whenever he kills Valeria if the two ever come to the game as Operators. This could extend to any never-before-seen Operators that come to the game as well, as Infinity Ward or whichever Call of Duty developer is working on the game could give them existing relationships with a few other Operators.
This would not have to be limited to multiplayer, either, as conversations could enhance a co-op mode like DMZ or Treyarch’s beloved Zombies mode. Even if the dialogue is limited to a few lines, hearing characters comment on the undead and their horrifying surroundings would add a lot to the overall atmosphere. Similarly, for DMZ, having the Operators talk to a hostage to calm them down or listening to them get stressed out when they are extracting with a weapon case could make them feel more like proper characters.
Though most Call of Duty characters lack the depth of the Overwatch 2 roster, dialogue like what is seen in that game could be a step toward fleshing them out a bit. Providing conversations and kill-related lines for established figures like Task Force 141 would be a good starting point, as there are distinct personalities and established lore to pull from. Going forward, the goal with Operators should be to make them feel as they would in a Campaign mission or one of Call of Duty’s new raids, as they lose a lot of personality in multiplayer, Spec Ops, Zombies, and Warzone.