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 hard 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 of the recent Call of Duty titles. However, developer Infinity Ward has tried its best to make this year's game stand apart from the rest. If you have played Modern Warfare II's campaign, you'll know this is the most innovative single-player experience in years!
Most other Call of Duty campaigns have felt the same with little to no imagination. Call of Duty Vanguard last year was a so-so campaign that featured the same boots-on-the-ground gameplay as before. There was nothing really special about last year's single-player experience.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, on the other hand, features different gameplay mechanics that we have never seen in a Call of Duty game before. Although the game still features levels with the usual style of gameplay, there are many other sections of the game that try to innovate.
What I like most about this year's campaign is the number of stealth missions that have been included. On one mission, you have to follow Captain Price, and you need to eliminate many soldiers from afar 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 successfully kill the enemies.
Another mission sees you guiding Ghost through a level while you are hacking into security cameras. You have to make sure Ghost isn't seen during this level, or else he will be instantly killed. Ghost can shoot and kill enemies, but he's 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 even a knife to fight back with. Instead, Soap has to craft weapons and tools based on the items that he can scrounge inside people's homes.
Crafting isn't a new feature in other video games, but I think this is a first in the Call of Duty franchise. You will have to control Soap as he tries to avoid any soldiers that are trying to find him. Some might say this mission is hard, 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 hijacking game mechanic sucks because Gaz will almost always mistime his jump and die on the roadside! It took me several minutes to do 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 play the game on a PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X.
Outside of the single-player campaign, a ton of other people will spend most of their time playing the many multiplayer game modes. Several of the same game modes return, like Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy and many others.
In terms of maps, there are 16 maps in total spanning many countries from around the world. There are 11 6v6 maps, and the remaining five are 32v32 maps for the big Ground War mode. Sadly, there aren't any classic 2009 MW2 maps that have been added to the new game thus far.
Unlike Dragon Ball: The Breakers, the netcode in Modern Warfare II is pretty decent. I didn't experience any game-breaking bugs or glitches while I was playing online. Not to mention the online community in Modern Warfare II is heavily 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 some of the multiplayer modes for split-screen gameplay. Some of the modes are limited, but I did find playing the game with my brother more enjoyable than playing with strangers.
Another new feature that has been added is a playlist called 3rd Person Moshpit. As the name suggests, this features gameplay from the 3rd person perspective. This is a great addition to the franchise for those that don't usually like playing FPS games. Sadly, the third-person perspective mode isn't available in the campaign, though.
Lastly, instead of the tired and stale Zombies mode, Modern Warfare II features 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 to play cooperatively with a partner online. Unlike past COD games, these co-op modes don't have 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 enjoyable than Zombies.
Verdict: 8.0/10
