4 ways Sledgehammer can improve Call of Duty

Every Call of Duty game will have a three-year development cycle, with Treyarch, Infinity Ward and now Sledgehammer taking it in turns to release one. Sledgehammer's arrival as a studio for the biggest franchise out there could mean more of the same, or it could mean that we finally get to see a bit more innovation added to the shooter, which is starting to show signs of slowing down.

Here are some things that Sledgehammer could do with Call of Duty to bring it back to its former glory.

New game mode

Remember when the fully-fledged Zombies mode made its debut, and how much fun players had fighting endless waves of the undead in teams? It added variety for when people grew tired of the multiplayer, and many people even preferred it. A completely new game mode away from the Campaign/Multiplayer options would be very welcome indeed.

Change up the story

This goes without saying, but Call of Duty games aren't going to be winning awards for narrative anytime soon. They're all the same: skilled American soldier takes on large, evil foreign forces almost single-handedly and against all odds he comes back to claim victory. Bla, bla, bla... Give us something different!

Make a memorable protagonist

Who remembers the character you played in Black Ops? What about Modern Warfare 2? What about Ghosts? Three points to anyone who got them all right, but Call of Duty games are hardly known for creating a lead with Master Chief appeal. Make us care about the guy we're killing hundreds of enemies with! Maybe even make the protagonist female and pave the way for future games to follow suit.

Make it distinctive

Take a look at the screenshot above. What Call of Duty is it from? If you answered Modern Warfare 3 then well done, but seriously, for the last five years every map and every location could pretty much be in any of the Call of Duty games. There's nothing unique about them. Exploded cars, half-destroyed buildings, we've seen it all!