What does GameDrudge think of the latest reboot from the Call of Duty franchise? You’re about to find out in this Modern Warfare 2 Review. Warning: spoilers ahead. But first some history.
Believe it or not Call of Duty was originally designed as a single player focused franchise. While the game always had multiplayer, from its inception up until maybe 2010 or so, the franchise was known for its depiction of both modern and historical combat in either a visceral, semi-realistic way or a blockbuster action romp. Nowadays, most people forget that Call of Duty even has single-player, and instead devote all of their time to the multiplayer function. Further, most press and reviews that come out each year are devoted to the multiplayer. I mean, I don’t blame most of them. From about 2013 to 2021 (with the exception of 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot) the campaigns ranged from depressingly mediocre to straight up bad. Now it’s 2022, with developer Infinity Ward and Modern Warfare 2…again. Even though the original Modern Warfare 2 came all the way back in 2009, in 2019 Infinity Ward decided to reboot the Modern Warfare name using the same characters. They took a different spin on the story and setting, in an effort to “modernize” Modern Warfare. While it shares names, locations, and some story events with the original saga, these new Modern Warfare games are their own story, completely separated from the saga that ran from 2007 to 2011. So, let’s see how their second installment’s single-player panned out.
Modern Warfare II – Gameplay is Good
In short, the campaign’s gameplay is… good! It’s a perfectly acceptable campaign with decent set pieces about military operatives doing cool operator things like shooting terrorists, shooting terrorists with night vision goggles on, and shooting terrorists in a vehicle. From a gameplay side of things, the campaign is perfectly playable and fun. All the guns feel and look great to shoot and the various levels do their best to come up with some fun gimmicks in that traditional “Call of Duty way”. In one mission you’ll be sneaking underwater with limited firepower but enhanced stealth capabilities and the next you’ll be gunning from an AC-130 gunship. The campaign does feature some truly standout levels as well. My personal favorite is an homage to the original Modern Warfare’s “All Ghillied up” mission. In this mission they have you sneak around an enemy base in a ghillie suit with a long-range sniper rifle, picking off targets before moving into close-quarters engagements. But without a doubt, the real standout is the mission “Alone” (coincidentally Alone is also the title of a song from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War). After a major plot twist which we’ll get into later, main character Soap is stripped of all of his weapons and equipment. He’s forced to survive being hunted in the streets of Mexico with nothing but his wits and scavenged items. There’s only one real stinker level involving a chase sequence where you jump between enemy trucks, hijacking them. It just drags on a bit too long for my taste, and its very clear that this game was not made to accommodate driving. Grand Theft Auto it is not!
But overall, the levels are good, and I’m especially happy they decided to double down on the “operator” aesthetic for this Call of Duty (CoD). Too often I feel CoD campaigns are too bombastic at times with their nonstop explosions, gunfire and over-the-top battlefields. However, Modern Warfare II wisely decides to reign it in putting the focus on tight operations in the field. This sometimes forces you to pick your targets wisely or clear buildings methodically. In that way, you won’t get caught off guard by enemies lurking in corners or behind closed doors. This is all in service so when the plan inevitably goes wrong and the true firefight starts, it feels earned. The game’s pacing has ramped it up in a way that feels natural to succeed the room-clearing you were doing minutes before.
Modern Warfare II – Story is a Mixed Bag
The first thing I have to admit while talking about the story is that I’m a sucker. I’m a sucker for the original Modern Warfare 2. It’s a saying that your favorite Call of Duty game is the one you played when you were a little kid and your parents were arguing with each other. For me, that was Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops. So, I was always going to be biased while writing this. While the gameplay and pacing are good, like the original Modern Warfare 2, the story itself is unfortunately a bit of a mixed bag. I’d be lying, though, if I said I didn’t giggle like a schoolgirl at the appearance of classic characters like Soap, Price and Ghost, along with the mention of past antagonists and events like the infamous “No Russian” event. This is one of those cases where the character work is surprisingly good! Going back to older games, named characters like Ghost and Soap all kind of had the same personalities. In this new story, they’re all distinct with their own backstories, beliefs, tactics, and rules of engagement. Ghost himself is a high point. As in the original, it kind of felt like his personality was “the guy with the cool mask”, but now he has his own character arc and backstory. This is the same for new characters Alejandro and Graves, who have their own motivations and personalities that are legitimately compelling, which is a rarity for this franchise. I like most of the protagonists and one of the 2 main antagonists, which, to continue, we’ll have to get into the story itself, so spoilers ahead.
Modern Warfare II – Spoilers Ahead
Any review of Modern Warfare II would not be complete without some spoilers. Stop reading now if you haven’t played the game yet and prefer to be surprised.
While the character work in this reboot of Modern Warfare II is solid, the plot itself leaves some to be desired. The story follows classic character Sergeant Gaz, Captain Price, John “Soap” McTavish, Simon “Ghost” Riley as part of Task Force 141, a group formed out of the elitest members of the British SAS to combat terrorism and threats worldwide outside the jurisdiction of many NATO countries. They are joined by Mexican Special Forces members Alejandro Vargas, middle-eastern resistance fighter Farah, CIA operative Kate Laswell, U.S. General Shepard, and PMC Shadow Company’s Graves. These forces must work together to stop the terrorist group Al-Qatala, led by Major Hassan Zyani in the middle-east, from using missiles acquired from the Las Almas Cartel based in Mexico. After following the trail throughout the world, bringing Task Force 141 and allies to Mexico, the Netherlands, and throughout Europe, the big plot twist of the game is revealed that the missiles sold by Las Almas were stolen from General Shepherd. It turns out General Shepherd has been operating with Task Force 141 and Shadow Company in an effort to not only stop Zyani from using the missiles but cover his own but in the process. This is evident when he orders Shadow Company to betray 141 by taking over a small town in Mexico to erase all evidence. That’s pretty much where the interesting plot points end, so I’ll leave off here with the story talk.
Sound like a mess? That’s because it kind of is. While Graves is a compelling antagonist, he isn’t an enemy for very long, and an ally for even shorter before he is killed off. Zyani I have even less to say on. He only appears in person maybe twice, his motivations are pretty shabby, and he generally comes off as a whiny jerk instead of a fearsome terrorist leader. The great moments in the campaign are all protagonist driven; Graves’ betrayal, getting tidbits of Ghost’s backstory, and Price and Gaz’s banter with each other. There wasn’t a huge “woah” moment like No Russian or the nuke launch in the original Modern Warfare 2. I realize that moments like this are out of the question since this game is going for a more realistic take on modern warfare. However, I really do think a big wow factor at some point in the campaign would have helped the plot get me invested. Maybe by killing off a major character or something.
Modern Warfare II – Review Summary
Ok, I know I ragged on it a bit in my Modern Warfare 2 Review, but I did enjoy their campaign. It offers a glimpse of what a “return to form” for single-player CoDs could look like by serving up some memorable gameplay segments and great character work. It kind of has the vibe of an old rock band getting back together; Yeah, they might not be as bombastic or even as good as they were before, but they’ve still got it in some respects, and damn it, you just love to see them play. I do recommend it, but in my opinion, definitely wait for a sale, especially if you aren’t interested in the multiplayer segment. Modern Warfare II is available now on Steam and Battle.net, along with PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
