{
  "id": 15803629,
  "title": "How Dare They Put This Many Parries In a Call of Duty Game",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/how-dare-they-put-this-many-parries-in-a-call-of-duty-game",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-20T21:28:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Polygon",
    "slug": "polygon",
    "url": "https://www.polygon.com/mw4-modern-warfare-4-parries-call-duty/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Last night, I began the campaign for Modern Warfare 4, the latest Call of Duty game. I anticipated standard elements like shooting bad guys, hiding behind cover, and blowing up tanks or navigating busy cityscapes. However, I was unprepared for an entire parrying mechanic, as if it were a first-person Soulslike game. The game starts conventionally, with soldiers stationed in Hajin, a fictional city in South Korea, facing a North Korean regime bombing the city. Combat then transforms during \"Out in the Cold,\" where Captain John Price infiltrates a Manhattan nightclub and extracts information from a Russian asset. Parrying begins with pressing L before being hit to block, followed by pressing R to punch them. Soon, combat involves a mix of melee and pistol combat, reminiscent of John Wick. A chase scene and parkour segment through Midtown add excitement and fluidity reminiscent of Mirror's Edge. The boss fight against Makarov, however, commits two grave sins: requiring parries to win and being an instant-fail fight if a single parry is missed. This slogs the momentum built up by action-packed set pieces. The next mission, \"Following Orders,\" has players play as an unnamed soldier in the North Korean army, searching for a regime dissident in a rural hamlet. When cornered, the same parry prompt returns, adding frustration to an already challenging fight. While I don't claim to be a Call of Duty expert, I believe parries in first-person might not feel as natural as in third-person games like Valor Mortis. However, this feels more like trend-chasing than a logical decision. It's not a critique of parries as a mechanic, but rather situational commentary about their appropriate placement. Despite the potential for innovative genre mashups, as seen in turn-based RPGs, parries in an expensive first-person shooter seem more like a roadblock for the engaging aspects of the game. Modern Warfare 4 succeeds in solid shooting, carefully designed levels, and intense set pieces, but it doesn't need to force players to press L to parry.",
  "summary": "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 introduces an extensive parry mechanic, but do Call of Duty games really need parries? Really?",
  "key_points": [
    "Parrying mechanic added to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4",
    "Players must press L to block, R to counterattack",
    "Boss fight against Makarov requires flawless parrying"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}