How Dare They Put This Many Parries in a Call of Duty Game

Modern Warfare 4 begins conventionally with a soldier in South Korea, but the second mission shifts abruptly to a parrying-focused sequence. Players control Captain John Price in a Manhattan nightclub, where combat involves pressing L to block bouncers and R to punch them. The mechanic persists even after obtaining a pistol, blending melee and gunplay in a neon-lit setting. The mission culminates in a boss fight against Makarov, where parrying becomes mandatory to progress, with no tolerance for missed inputs.

The parrying mechanic reappears in a later mission, this time with a North Korean soldier facing an enemy who tackles the player and demands parries. The sequence halts the game’s momentum, forcing players to repeatedly time button presses to avoid failure. The inclusion of parries feels jarring in a series known for straightforward shooting and set pieces. The mechanic disrupts the flow of action that typically defines Call of Duty campaigns.

The author acknowledges parries can work in other genres, such as turn-based RPGs, but argues they clash with first-person shooters. They suggest Call of Duty campaigns thrive on solid shooting, level design, and set pieces, not timing-based interactions. The parrying sections are described as roadblocks that undermine the game’s pacing. The critique highlights a disconnect between the mechanic and the series’ established strengths.

The author admits uncertainty about parries appearing in prior Call of Duty campaigns but emphasizes their unusual prominence in Modern Warfare 4. They contrast the mechanic’s awkwardness in first-person with its natural fit in third-person games like Valor Mortis. The piece concludes by dismissing parries as unnecessary, preferring the series’ traditional focus on shooting and action. The frustration centers on how the mechanic disrupts the game’s otherwise strong campaign design.