User blog comment:Crazy sam10/Infinity Ward explains leaving Modern Warfare series/@comment-81.99.27.82-20130531122846/@comment-78.97.91.207-20130601204420

The linearity, the scripting and the lack of freedom are what I really detest about CoD and most of the other modern shooters out there.

GoW and Halo are fairly open in terms of FPS games (and they sometimes even have multiple objectives that can be completed randomly so they are pretty far from linear). They don't have alleyway sized levels, most encounters allow you enough room to maneuver, alternate paths and a lot of thinking time and you don't hit a scripted trigger every five seconds that forces you to watch a cutscene, complete something in a given time, or that gives you no choice but to do what it requires you to do. Dead Space is the exception because its claustrophobic nature is intentional since it's a horror game. Funny enough, DS3 actually allows you to backtrack, has more open levels with multiple routes and side missions.

The cinematic nature is good if you are aiming for an interactive movie feeling, but it sacrifices gameplay and,  for me at least, gives it zero replay value. The older CoD games were MUCH more open and offered you a lot of freedom. I just think this cinematic style is an excuse for them to make the singleplayers quickly so they have more time to focus on the MP.