After a week of play and extensive contemplation, it’s reasonable to state that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which was released in 2019, offers the greatest single-player campaign experience in the franchise’s history. I would even venture to suggest that it goes much further than that: aside from Titanfall 2, it’s difficult to come up with a first-person shooter that hasn’t been surpassed in the last ten or so years.
With the utmost respect for the several fantastic first-person shooters that have been created since the release of the first Call of Duty game in 2007, I offer this immensely grandiose statement. However, I don’t really take this assertion lightly.
Call of Duty’s old campaign format has been the subject of years of criticism from both fans and observers. Most recently, Black Ops 4 revealed that the game actually lacks a single-player campaign. Now, Infinity Ward is returning to prove a point, aided by High Moon, Beenox, Raven, and Sledgehammer.
Not only is Modern Warfare the game that 2019 and the series deserve, but it also sets a new standard for the genre.
Don’t worry if you haven’t played it yet—spoilers will not be included in this roundup.
Not only is it exquisite, but it is also constantly cinematic.
It’s so gorgeous that, in pre-mission build-ups, you’re taken aback when you see names floating above other characters. No, this isn’t a flash movie; instead, the in-game graphics and live mechanics are what’s happening. What you see is what you get; there is no fast crossfade to lower the quality before you release the guns.
The HUD, which actively disappears from the screen for a brief period of time if you are not actively utilising your weapon, emphasises this even more. It’s the smartest move the devs could have done because it breaks down yet another fictional barrier separating you from the Modern Warfare experience.
Everything is done so perfectly that I was forced to make an adjustment to what I consider to be an audio-visual crutch. I’ve been playing almost all games with subtitles for years since I don’t want to miss anything. I turned them off after the first 10 minutes of Modern Warfare. Even while they’re undoubtedly crucial in terms of inclusivity, they nevertheless lessen the art direction’s impact. In the game’s opening moments, nothing quite captured this more than “[CROWD SCREAMING]” when an extremely framed suicide bomber goes out into Piccadilly Circus.
That’s not to suggest the graphics are flawless all the time; in fact, the uncanny valley frequently manifests itself, especially during intermissions and with Captain Price, Modern Warfare’s throwback to earlier times. Some character models, such as SAS Sergeant Kyle Garrick, a recent addition and excellent addition overall, appear realistic. Characters may appear strange depending on the conversation and lighting, but overall, this first-person shooter has the most realistic graphics available.
The gameplay is intense, realistic, and incredibly varied.
The fundamental principles of Modern Warfare are almost flawless. Running seems like a physical chore, while shooting feels devastating and heavy. Levels never feel contrived, constrained, or linear. Although they have frequently been a feature of competing games for years (such as bullet mechanics affected by wind and distance), new features are introduced that are done well and never feel forced in.
Everything that a combatant sees, does, and experiences has a genuine seriousness to it. Watchtowers burn and fall exactly as you would imagine, people trip and fall exactly as you would expect, and explosions shatter trees.
Throughout the game, you’re also introduced to a variety of gaming styles:
- That iconic first-person shooter action that alternates between flashy combat and stealth features;
- remote-controlled, out-of-body experiences;
- tactical drone action with point and click;
- A narrowly focused but very entertaining stealth segment using a camera; and
- Opportunities often to modify your combat approach with advance planning.
It’s also important to mention that, compared to other first-person shooters, Modern Warfare makes you feel like you’re two feet taller. Not misleadingly, though; it just appears like the ratios and elevation from the ground are more realistic, and the transitions between prone, crouching, and standing are more precise than before. No more sniper antics with your eyes resting on the ground.
The fog of war is real
Fog of War, the title of the game’s opening objective, surely alludes to the poisonous cloud that forms the basis of the plot. But the stunning graphics and brand-new gameplay provide a real fog of war sensation, to the point that you might find yourself ducking into a chamber or courtyard corner to gather your thoughts. In fact, if things get too hot, the loading page sometimes advises you to leg it.
I like to play Call of Duty games on Regular or Hardened mode and then go back and enjoy the story on Veteran mode, but I have never had as much trouble with an entry-level difficulty as I did with Modern Warfare. It’s all because, unlike your typical videogame gunfight, it depicts the real-life pandemonium you’d expect from a genuine combat.
Bullets shoot in every direction. Because of the changing illumination, adversaries in completely dark locations are virtually invisible. Voices aren’t manipulated to seem like they’re originating from a certain location, gunshots don’t leave cartoonish trails, and the AI’s tactical moves give the impression that it is alive and well.
The AI’s erratic adaptability is so great that, should you fail, die, and reload from a checkpoint, you may witness the opponent who killed you suddenly approaching from a new direction, employing a different tactic, or even managing to be killed by an ally before they get to you. It’s reactionary rather than random. Because of this, even after numerous deaths, you are unable to foresee the situation of play thirty seconds after you resume.
As my boyfriend observed me fighting through the streets of London, he enquired, “Which ones do you shoot?” She really nailed the nail on the head because this is the first Call of Duty game where it’s not immediately apparent. Those in the distance may be civilians, armed police, SAS members, or even terrorists. The campaign mode simulates a living, breathing world for the first time in the franchise’s history. That could also be detrimental, but in the best way for the plot.
A persistent, heavy undertone is helplessness.
Modern Warfare stabs you in the gut with a real sense of vulnerability that’s exacerbated by the fog of war effect. This could be due to the graphics, or it could be a broader symptom of the contemporary world we live in. Once more, the first authentic instance of this can be found at Piccadilly Circus.
The awful concepts and experiences of 2019 Modern Warfare, which put it on thick in the most realistic way from minute one, feel bland and uncomplicated in comparison to the London dirty bomb in Modern Warfare 3 and No Russian in Modern Warfare 2. You feel more like a victim than a soldier when you’re in an open square and there are active shooters, exploding automobiles, and suicide bombers wherever you look.
Earlier, Modern Warfare sets the tone for ominous, slow-building suspense right away with an opening straight out of a Scandi-noir film, cutting from real, terroristic horror in the heart of London to a silent title card, then dropping you thousands of miles away at an earlier point. It sets the tone right away for what is, quite honestly, the mature experience that fans of the franchise have been longing for.
Before you know it, you’re back in London, knowing exactly what’s going to happen as you witness a Ford Transit that is obviously full with terrorists drive up to one of the city’s most crowded locations. From here, you are usually left feeling helpless and, at the end of the day, like a cog in a war machine.
You are constantly reminded that you cannot save everyone in Modern Warfare. Even while you might end up reloading a checkpoint to save that woman or just taking another stab at murdering more terrorists after your death, you’ll still see innocent people killed on a regular basis simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong moment. It always feels awful, piercing through both contemporary concerns about terrorism and age-old anxieties of dying.
In contrast to No Russian, it never strikes the viewer as dramatic or exaggerated in hindsight. To put it mildly, the first opponent on level Hometown serves as an excellent example of how Modern Warfare sometimes presents some enemies—especially the Russians—a little too clumsily. All of this, though, ultimately advances the game’s gripping narrative.
Both the plot and the actors are really outstanding.
The plot of Modern Warfare will never let you down, even though giving too much away will reveal the game to those who haven’t played it. It still manages to harken back to the formula that once made the game so exciting, even while it has evolved to a new, adult level to fit the franchise’s current direction. There will still be a lot of plot twists, moral ambiguities, and WTFery moments to keep the tension high and your predictions off.
Simultaneously, Call of Duty games no longer have the cartoonish enemies and performances that were a common feature. Replaced in the original Modern Warfare is the seemingly altruistic Omar Sulaman, who never feels like a “proper” evil character. Imran Zakhaev was a one-armed bandit who oddly resembled and behaved like an even hammier version of Bitores Mendez from Resident Evil 4.
Then there’s Price, who eschews the tough, beefy Brit schtick in favour of a far more rounded, measured, and balanced attitude. Price has the appearance of a more sophisticated Thoros of Myr from Game of Thrones. Farah, Hadir, Alex, and Kyle never behave in a clichéd or predictable way; instead, they all seem genuine and uphold healthy relationships without being sensationalised for a ridiculous subplot, such as a two-day romance on the battlefield.
Even the mysterious Nikolai, who appears to be played in this game by a more dapper-looking Eugene from AMC’s The Walking Dead (but Stefan Kapičić, Colossus from Deadpool, plays the role), is a character who raises a lot of questions. In the unlikely event that a sequel is produced, we will only witness him develop into a completely different person.
Nikolai’s seeming moral ambiguity foreshadows an intriguing future for the character.The Infinity Ward
The best vision is at night.
Even if it was possibly brought up in the earlier gush about the graphics, the night-vision option deserves special recognition. Maybe this was just a lucky break. Real-life footage of night vision on TV or the internet has lower definition because true night vision is limited by technology. Therefore, Modern Warfare appears to benefit from a “meeting in the middle” scenario: although the game’s graphical fidelity is a little bit lacking, it still looks far better than what we’re used to seeing in monochrome green.
The missions that heavily rely on night vision, like Clean House and Going Dark, are quite enjoyable to play, which enhances the overall experience. However, there isn’t a game that is more authentic than Modern Warfare when you’re discreetly making your way up a London townhouse’s stairs. I’ve been actually rubbing my eyes with delight at how realistic a game appears for the first time in years.
‘Modern Warfare’s’ night vision mode appears realistic.The Infinity Ward
Modern Warfare is obviously designed with campaigns in mind.
With the exception of local co-op on Zombies and the amazing Spec Ops mode in Medal of Honour 2, I’ve never been a huge fan of Call of Duty multiplayer modes. However, it seems that the MP component has taken some developers’ focus away from the narrative. From the outset, modern warfare is unquestionably story first.
Tiny adjustments ensure that you also appreciate it. The endless Intel collectables model is no longer in use; it seemed to exist primarily to force you to explore the entire map rather than to take in your surroundings. On the Xbox One, the achievements list, however, is solely campaign-related and features fantastic in-level challenges that provide you with different and frequently difficult approaches to each stage.
‘Modern Warfare’ keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole eight-hour playthrough.The Infinity Ward
Despite its advancement, the Modern Warfare campaign does not strive to change the course of history or ignore its origins. Though it is only two years old, the remastered edition of the series’ last genre-defining offering is a whole different thing. Even though the two experiences are connected by Captain Price’s recognisable visage, 2019 Modern Warfare is a very distinct animal, and as such, it is okay to enjoy the two separately.
Fortunately, Modern Warfare 2019 will determine the franchise’s course. You’ll be eager to see what happens after playing it.