Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Review
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Genre:
PEGI:
Comments:
The undisputed king of console FPS franchises, Call of Duty stands alone when it comes to online PvP shooters. While other series such as Destiny and Halo have had their moments in the arena of multiplayer FPS titans, none of them hold a candle to the success and longevity of CoD. While the series has sometimes strayed from its roots and gotten carried away (Advanced Warfare, anyone?), it inevitably self-corrects to the core gameplay that millions of us have come to know and love.
The newly released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare aims to revitalize the branch of Call of Duty that truly launched the franchise into greatness. Although it takes place in a new timeline, this sixteenth entry in the series features familiar characters from earlier Modern Warfare titles.
Campaign of Blood and Tears
While almost anyone who you talk to will tell you that Call of Duty games are all about the online multiplayer experience, I find myself compelled to review the campaign all the same. It could easily be said that the new Modern Warfare campaign experience is very short and brutally difficult, but that would not be giving it a fair shake. Yes, the campaign is much harder than its predecessors, but it is also full of magnificent scenery, more realistic combat and a gripping story that is seldom found in such a PvP-centric title.
The gunplay in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is nothing short of spectacular, just as one would expect from the series focused entirely around gunfights. Following the ever-expanding trend towards deeper weapon customization, you will find a pleasantly diverse range of weapons and attachments available for your use. These, of course, must all be unlocked in online play, but more on that later.
The single largest caveat of the campaign mode is how incredibly linear it is. Not only do you only have one path to follow at most points in the story mode, you often only have one exact time at which you can safely take that path. This means that for large amounts of time you are holding an angle, mowing down as many opponents as possible, until your escort/commander tells you it is time to move up. This can be extremely frustrating for players who like to find their own routes and strategies, as you feel very boxed in to complete the level exactly as it was intended.
Back to PvP Roots
Other than that, the campaign is a short-lived experience that can serve as a type of tutorial to prepare you for the carnage of online gameplay. Online PvP action is the heart and soul of any good CoD game, and the new Modern Warfare is no exception. Featuring a host of gameplay modes including Deathmatch, Domination and King of the Hill, as well as Night Vision and Ground War, you will have your skills tested in a pleasant variety of combat scenarios. With more customizable weapons than ever before, levelling up has never been more important! Killstreaks, perks and special equipment are back with both classic and all-new options for each, meaning you have countless ways to customize your loadout. Keep yourself prepared for any scenario by saving diverse presets!
The ultra-smooth gunplay really shines in the online Multiplayer modes, as in all of our time playing, we never once experienced a stutter or frame drop, meaning we had very little but our lack of skill to play our poor performance on (wait, is that even a good thing? I guess so).
Special Ops have also returned to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, allowing you to hop into four player co-op missions with your squad. This is where is becomes beneficial to have played through the storyline, as the Special Ops missions pick up where the campaign ends, progressing the story and providing more PvE content for those who would rather shoot with their friends than at them.
All in all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a shining example of a franchise who has an affinity for pushing the envelope but realizes it is time to dig back to the roots that elevated it to greatness. With all of the classic fun of the Modern Warfare series combined with the new graphics, customization, game modes and network stability that are needed to make a fair and enjoyable online experience, this is one Call of Duty game that is certainly worth picking up and will not be gathering dust on the shelf for a long time to come.
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