Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Review – COD is Back!

Say what you will, but when it comes to shooters, there’s not a bigger franchise than Call of Duty. Yes, some manage to get pretty close, but all fall within months while COD continues to thrive all year long. That considered, Infinity Ward decided with their turn at Call of Duty it was time to hit the reset button on the most iconic installment the studio has to offer, Modern Warfare. There’s a very popular saying: if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. So, it’s very risky seeing Infinity Ward take a masterpiece in the attempt to recreating a masterpiece. Taking the Modern Warfare we all know and love, did the team rise to the occasion or go in over their heads?

Activision has a lot to prove this year and Infinity Ward knew it, as Modern Warfare is the first COD on Xbox One and PS4 to not include a season pass locked behind a paywall. Yes, additional DLC will be available post launch, but not at a cost. And with that being a huge win this year, IW also revealed Call of Duty would genuinely bring the entire community together with cross-play on “every platform.” The only game to date to unify its community is Fortnite, and we’re all witnessing their success one v-buck at a time.

Welcome Back to Modern Warfare

Call of Duty Modern Warfare is literally an experience you wouldn’t expect. We were all ready for Captain Price, but the story that follow is simply iconic. For all the right and wrong reasons, the campaign is very addictive. However, some may find a lot of the content rather distasteful, and after playing, we understand.

Modern Warfare plays out as a prequel to the original story, delivering an incredibly written campaign. Under the direction of Captain John Price, you’ll play between characters Alex (Echo 3-1) and Kyle Garrick (SAS) looking to take down the biggest terrorist threats, Barkov and The Butcher. It’s all Spec Ops missions to support the Urzik Milita and commander Farah Karim who’s being targeted by Al Qatala and the Russian Army.

Saving Lives at a Cost

Call of Duty is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end, following the shadows of Captain Price. Kyle for example signs up to take down Barkov after witnessing a sickening suicide bombing in London. Doing what he could to protect those around but not enough, he joins with Price in hopes to get a bit of payback from all involved in this heinous attack. And Infinity Ward told a very dark story, one that kept my attention in a way Call of Duty haven’t for years. Modern Warfare feels as real as it gets.

You’ll find yourself not wanting to take a break during the campaign thanks to the variety of gameplay. Whether it’s a rescue mission, night vision chapter or just a breach, I felt on edge not knowing what to expect next from the developer. Literally the little things made the loudest noise as you managed to crash drones into enemy choppers and camp sights for a big bang, or paint targets to call in missile strikes to catch the enemy off guard.

Only touching the surface of the experience in MW, there’s also content that may shake you to your core. There’s memory that can scar a soldier, including making a mistake and taking the life of an innocent. Call of Duty challenges you this year with making sure you aren’t trigger happy as you just might shoot a civilian in the process. Equally, engaged in combat there are things you may see you never imagined.

There’s one scene at the Embassy where I tried everything that I could to save a boy and his father from being executed. It instantly became the most gruesome moment in MW. Even when I tried to save them, restarting the checkpoint, I failed again taking a bullet myself to the chest. It was a sad, but true illustration that in combat, death is sometimes inevitable and required to allow in order to complete the mission. But to watch a child be executed was extremely gut wrenching.

Finish the Mission…

The Embassy also had an entire mission that left you weapons free, operating in third person, becoming the eyes of a scared civilian. Trying to guide someone to safety through cameras left me more terrified than the women in that position! Each move she made left me hoping all would end well.

In all, the roughly 6-hour campaign truly redefined everything once loved, just coming to an end rather short. In no way does the campaign feel rushed, but surely missing content we can only imagine will make up Modern Warfare 2.

Upon completion there are four additional objectives to tackle in co-op. The missions are challenging, and equally unforgiving as you fly in with three extra players looking to complete each mission. As you complete each objective the A.I. becomes quite the task. Though to be honest, Spec Ops didn’t hold up as much as we hoped. Possibly with dedicated teams and communication the experience might receive more praise, but Spec Ops appeal just didn’t feel like what it once was.

There is a positive side to playing Spec Ops however as everything done in-game allows you to earn XP and rank up your character for multiplayer.

Ready Up in Multiplayer

Gamers are quite familiar with Team Deathmatch, Headquarters and Domination, making the biggest introductions for now are Cyber Attack, Ground War and Gun Fight. Cyber Attack is in a sense a remix of Search and Destroy, only difference being the attacking team can keep planting the detonator until every squad member is dead. There’s more! As your team members become K.I.A., you can deny the kill and respawn them, granting the player another chance of aiming towards victory. After a few games and familiarizing yourself around each map, strategy becomes second nature and requires communication to get your team on board.

This new twist to Search and Destroy was exhilarating! I found myself throwing grenades across the map as I assumed the opposing would focus on reviving as much as possible. There’s no I in team, but there is in revive. Corny, yes. But necessary! As for Gun Fight, it’s a 2v2 elimination played through multiple rounds. Each round, weapons may change, switching up the advantage and requiring skill. Finally, there’s Ground War, a massive map where players drop in squads in attempt to capture headquarters long enough for their team to be victorious.

Surprisingly, the most anticipated mode introducing NVG was pulled last minute but promised to be released later post launch. Customization also played a big role for those looking for the right weapon that fits them, editable in-game or while in lobby. Every adjustment made to your weapon comes with its own pros and cons, mostly feeling like a win when crafted to your likeness. With all the weapons available as you progress, this is going to give every player a sense of advantage as they drop out of a chopper or army jeep like a badass.

Throwing Flashbang

It’s astonishing how Infinity Ward managed to find an individual that could not only sound like Captain Price but look like him as well. That said, Call of Duty Modern Warfare looks amazing, raising the bar and expectation of what COD games should resemble, regardless if on current or Next-Gen. Gameplay is accompanied by amazing sound effects. No matter what was going on, I always felt on the battlefield. The bullets sound as real and the voice work is aesthetically pleasing! There was even a radio effect that made the game feel as if we were using some sort of comms.

Verdict

Call of Duty Modern Warfare did an outstanding job reintroducing the franchise rather than making minor tweaks and rehashing MW from 2007. I’m excited to see what’s next from Infinity Ward as they just helped revive the series from ground zero.