Game Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Call of Duty as a franchise started way back in 2003, and since then we’ve had a game from the series every single year. Unfortunately, due to the annual release of the franchise, it seems difficult for the series to be creative and innovative.
For several years now, we’ve had the same type of gameplay and game modes in all the latest Call of Duty titles. However, developer Infinity Ward has tried its best to make this year’s game stand out from the crowd. If you’ve played the campaign for Modern Warfare II, you know that this is the most innovative single player experience in years!
Most other Call of Duty campaigns have felt the same with little or no imagination. Last year’s Call of Duty Vanguard was a so-so campaign that featured the same boots-on-the-ground gameplay as before. There was nothing special about last year’s single player experience.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, on the other hand, has different gameplay mechanics that we’ve never seen in a Call of Duty game before. Although the game still has levels with the usual gameplay style, there are many other parts of the game that try to innovate.
What I like most about this year’s campaign is the number of stealth missions included. In one mission you have to follow Captain Price and you have to eliminate many soldiers from a long distance using Gaz’s sniper rifle. The game also has realistic bullet drop physics, so you have to follow Price’s instructions if you want to succeed in killing the enemies.
Another mission sees you guide Ghost through a level while hacking into security cameras. You must make sure that Ghost is not seen in this level or he will be killed instantly. Ghost can shoot and kill enemies, but he is not allowed to trigger an alarm.
The most innovative COD mission in years is a full stealth mission when you play as Soap. Since Soap is partially wounded, he doesn’t have a gun or a knife to fight back with. Instead, Soap must create weapons and tools based on the objects he can scavenge inside people’s homes.
Crafting is not a new feature in other video games, but I believe this is a first in the Call of Duty series. You must control Soap as he tries to avoid soldiers trying to find him. Some might say this mission is difficult, although I didn’t mind the change of pace.
Probably the most controversial mission in the entire game is when you control Gaz and have to avoid mines on the road while driving a truck. The truck usually gets damaged, so you have to jump out and hijack another vehicle. The hijack game mechanic is bad because Gaz will almost always mistime his jump and die on the side of the road! It took me several minutes to complete his mission as the mines kept exploding my vehicles!
Graphically, the single player campaign is the best looking COD game in years. The level where you briefly visit Amsterdam literally looks photorealistic if you’re playing the game on a PC, PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Outside of the single player campaign, tons of other people will spend most of their time playing the many multiplayer game modes. Several of the same game modes return, such as Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy and many others.
As for maps, there are a total of 16 maps spanning many countries from around the world. There are 11 6v6 maps and the remaining five are 32v32 maps for the large Ground War mode. Unfortunately, no classic 2009 MW2 maps have been added to the new game so far.
Unlike Dragon Ball: The Breakers, the online code in Modern Warfare II is pretty straightforward. I experienced no game-breaking bugs or glitches while playing online. Not to mention the online community in Modern Warfare II is densely populated, so you won’t have to wait too long to join a game.
If you don’t want to play online, you can play any of the split-screen multiplayer modes. Some of the modes are limited, but I found playing the game with my brother more fun than playing with strangers.
Another new feature added is a playlist called 3rd Person Moshpit. As the name suggests, this features gameplay from a 3rd person perspective. This is a great addition to the franchise for those who don’t normally enjoy playing FPS games. Unfortunately, third-person perspective mode is not available in the campaign.
Finally, instead of the tired and outdated Zombies mode, Modern Warfare II has a new co-op mode. The three co-op modes are called Low Profile, Denied Area and Defender: Mt. Zaya. These modes are only available for co-op play with a partner online. Unlike previous COD games, these co-op modes do not feature split-screen multiplayer.
Overall, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is easily the best COD game released since 2019’s Modern Warfare. The campaign includes new and unique gameplay features, plus the co-op modes are more fun than zombies.
Verdict: 8.0/10
