Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered Review (PS4)

good
key review info
  • Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
  • Platform: Playstation 4
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  • Reviewed on:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered key art

For almost 20 years now, Call of Duty tries to mix and match different ingredients to nail down a recipe for a truly good shooter. During this period the different iterations registered various levels of success, changed several settings, experimenting with wars of the past and conflicts of the future, gave us zombie invasions, alienated some of the veteran fans, but also managed to appeal to younger demographics.

While there might not exist a universal formula to turn this franchise into a yearly blockbuster, no one can deny the memorable moments the series offered us. Like the “No Russian” mission in Modern Warfare 2, which managed to stir up quite the controversy. Is it still as shocking today? To find out gather your equipment and join Soap, Price, Ghost and the others, who embark on the very same goose chase around the world, but with new looks.

After the success registered by the reboot of Modern Warfare, it is no surprise that the second part was dusted down as well. What is somewhat surprising that even if the new multiplayer is still going strong, this time around we received just the campaign. Still, we have to admit that Beenox did a pretty good job with Modern Warfare 2, managing to make it feel fresh, even though it will be familiar to those who played the original. Some elements are still outdated compared to the latest entries in the franchise, but the remaster looks very impressive and still proves to be fun.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
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One of the reasons might be the movie like the original trilogy, which transcends its age and still works like a charm. If we add the soundtrack composed by Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer we get a truly memorable experience, comparable to the Hollywood blockbuster movies made with insane budgets. Playing Modern Warfare 2 is like being the protagonist of an action movie directed by Michael Bay. The very famous missions like the aforementioned “No Russian”, comparable to “One Shot, One Kill” or perhaps “All Ghillied Up” cannot be as dramatic as they were when they first came out, but they are damn close. And the updated visuals makes it worthwhile to revisit them.

The developers are praiseworthy for making the game not just visually attractive, but also as smooth as possible. CoD MW2 Campaign remaster runs at 60 fps in 4K on a PS4 Pro console, with no delays in the loading of the textures. The engine under the hood of the Call of Duty series was never an extremely demanding one, but this does not take away from the value of the result. Thanks to the amazing details the game truly feels a modern production and not a game released 11 years ago. You can see the times chalked on the blackboard at the entrance to the shooting course, and you will be amazed by the bird-eye perspective of the missile hitting the White House. Visually there is nothing to complain about.

The same cannot be said about the gameplay. Especially the behaviour of the AI is a dead giveaway about the age of the game. Your teammates often feel like soldiers recruited from the former Red Army: they just keep advancing no matter what. If you heed the warning and try to keep up with them you may very well find yourselves shot in the back by enemies you missed. Things get aggravated by the fact that in many missions it is really hard to tell apart friends from foes.

Also, we have some returning issues like the pinpoint accuracy of the opponents, who manage to kill you from hundreds of meters away. On advanced levels of difficulty, you will curse the missions taking place in the Brazilian favelas, where you get shot before you can even see the enemy. The same can be said about the mission in which you try to reach the White House, trying to take down snipers while your weapon’s holographic aiming is disabled by an EMP. You might argue that these unfair conditions are part of the fun, except they are not fun at all - they weren’t 11 years ago and they still aren’t today. This example illustrates very well what to expect: an old game with new looks.

The handling of the guns, the lack of a cover system, the behavior of the AI, the flow of the combat, and the level design are all part of a game launched in 2009. Of course, we deal with a remaster and not a reboot, but it would have been nice to see some modern features imported from the Modern Warfare game launched last year.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
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The Good

  • Movie-like atmosphere
  • Great story with memorable moments
  • Excellent visual presentation

The Bad

  • Outdated game mechanics
  • AI issues
  • Decrepit level design

Conclusion

Despite the technical issues, or better said somewhat misplaced expectations, CoD MW2 Campaign Remaster is good fun. No matter if you are experiencing it for the first time or reliving the stealth sections of the Russian base covered in a thick snowstorm, the rescue of Price or the desperate effort to reach Washington, these missions are still as memorable as ever.

And these are the moments that compensate all the outdated gameplay mechanics and make it worthwhile to enlist again. And yes, the “No Russian” mission still works, it still makes you feel really uncomfortable, but for those who have already experienced it, it is no longer shocking. Just like the thrill of the first kiss: yes all the kisses that come after are still very enjoyable, but nothing compares to the very first.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remaster is worth playing it again, or for the first time, thanks to its story. It is a good example of the good in the Call of Duty series. But, you also have to curb your enthusiasm and accept the fact that the remaster yanks the graphic in 2020, but not the gameplay. It is not continuing on the path of the reboot from last year, it is merely a remaster, but one that you should not miss.

story 8
gameplay 7
concept 7
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 
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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered screenshots (21 Images)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered key art
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign RemasteredCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign RemasteredCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign RemasteredCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered
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