Call of Duty: Modern Warfare shares the name with its 2007 predecessor, and the pressure to deliver is self-imposed. When we draw the line, we're left with a robust single-player shooter and one of the best Call of Duty multiplayer we've seen in years.
Back in 2007, the original Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare was the first one to move away from the Second World War theme to more recent times. It was an instant hit, and its follow up, Modern Warfare 2, remained etched in history with its infamous No Russian mission when players could take part in an attack on civilians.
The terrorism motif stays the same, evens after so many years. Activision is trying to make a return to the game that started the contemporary wave of shooters, and it's even using the same name, completing a circle.
But if we take a moment to think about their decision, to keep the name, we can't help but notice that 12 years have passed since 2007. The only people that would be somewhat impressed would be the ones who played both of them, which can't be such a significant number. In any way, it's a nice callback to the 2007 game, but I can only hope that the next one is not going to be called Modern Warfare 2.
Story
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare doesn't use real places or events, many of the things you witness will be oddly familiar. Fortunately, from a story point of view, the game manages to focus on events that don't threaten the entire world. A terrorist group steals some nerve gas from the Russian forces, and the Americans are looking for it because they fear it might be used in terror attacks.
The organization believed to be responsible sounds a lot like Al-Qaida, but with a twist. There's betrayal, and disappointment when the Americans deceive their partners in the Middle East after they helped them take down important targets. It's clear that the gameplay and story were built a long time ago, but somehow remained relevant because of current, real events.
Players will get to experience events from many viewpoints and explore some flashbacks that are definitely going to make people feel at least a little bit unnerving. Even if there isn't a "No Russian" mission that goes over the top, seeing how a real-life attack in London's Piccadilly Circus would play out is going to be remembered.
The characters are the best part of the game, by far. They are well defined, they have interesting backstories, and all of them are explored in detail. By the time you reach the end, you already care about all of them and having to make sacrifices hurts, which is the essence of good writing.
And if it's something that the new Modern Warfare is trying to teach is that most of the things are the world happen whether we want to or not. You can't save everyone. In fact, you won't be able to save most of the people you try. But from time to time, you can save one, and that matters. The game puts players in situations where they need to make difficult choices, having to weigh the good on the many against the life of one.
Gameplay and Multiplayer
I would love it if the single-player mechanics were kept in the multiplayer as well, but that's not really the case. Most of the enemies, if they are not heavily shielded, will go down after just a few bullets. Weapons are varied, but more importantly, they feel and act unique. If you play enough, you only need to hear a gun to know what it is instantly.
The game advanced from one mission to another, with some surprises along the way. It's not just a straight FPS, as you'll have to employ stealth techniques to stay alive, guide someone by using surveillance cameras and even clear the ground from an attack helicopter. In Modern Warfare, you're not going doing the same thing over and over, and that's a high point for any game.
The only problem is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 is too short, with only six to eight hours of gameplay, depending on how fast you're moving or how proficient you are. Some of the missions are challenging, but checkpoints are very close together.
As you would expect, Call of Duty games have ceased, for a long time, to be a single-player experience. It's likely that people are buying the game mostly for the multiplayer part, with the single-player acting only as an explanation for the maps, characters, and weapons.
There's something for everyone in the multiplayer, but the one constant that seems to be ported from one game to another is the chaos. Unlike other similar multiplayer titles, the action is a lot more fragmented and chaotic. For one, the animations the movement of the characters allows for unnatural patterns, making it challenging to anticipate moves. Simply put, real people don't change direction on a dime; it would have been nice to see some inertia used by the physics engine.
By far, team-based modes are more fun. Even if you don't know the other people in the squad, it's easy to find one or two players that can improve your chances of survival. It makes the multiplayer worth playing, and that includes unlocking classes and weapons.
The sad truth is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 is not a revolution, especially since the trailers and the initial media was presenting it as such. Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent game, much better than many of its predecessors, but I think that Infinity Ward should have pushed the envelope further. They might have held back so that it's not all that controversial.
The Good
- Well-defined characters
- Beautiful graphics
- Engaging storyline
- Really close to real events
The Bad
- Too short
- Multiplayer is just OK
Conclusion
I played the game on PC, and I have to have to say that it looks stunning. From the looks of it, each new edition of Call of Duty somehow manages to enhance the graphics without impacting the hardware. The only problem I found was the time it took to preload the shaders, a process that was supposed to take place only once. But it was triggered again after the update.
It's nice to see that some developers still have the courage to build compelling narratives that challenge our sense of morality. Don't get me wrong, Modern Warfare is no Hemmingway, but it's still good enough to make me care about fictional characters.
At one point, it forced me to look through the eyes of a little girl caught in the rubble after a Russian bombing in a town somewhere in the Middle East. Her dead mother right next to her and the screams of people topside is not something that I'll soon forget. Modern Warfare might be a game, but it's worth playing so that you can get out of your comfort zone, even for just a little while.