Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Updated: Mar 6, 2021
(Spoilers ahead)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the next game in the Modern Warfare series. Despite not being called Modern Warfare 4, it is indeed the fourth instalment in the series. However, it is not connected to the other three games apart from some returning characters. In Modern Warfare there are three main aspects to the game, Campaign, Multiplayer and Warzone. These modes each offer a unique experience with Campaign mode being the traditional single-player experience.
Personally, I believe Modern Warfare’s campaign is the strongest of all the campaigns in the Modern Warfare series. It does not follow the same timeline as the previous three games, so this opens a whole new storyline for the player to follow. Captain Price makes a glorious return to the series and is vital throughout the game. Infinity Ward has really focused on the single-player experience and it has paid off. The story provides moments of fear and tension, such as sneaking around a pitch-black London flat with a team, to trying to hide and take down an enemy soldier as a child. The game really immerses you in the experience and has you on the edge of your seat throughout.
One mission that really stood out to me was ‘Clean House’. This is the mission where you are part of a team and you must infiltrate a London flat, where it is suspected terrorists are plotting an attack. You start by using a ladder to climb through the back window of the flat, carrying two silenced weapons. While one team comes through the bottom floor door, you sweep the second floor and quickly encounter a target who is swiftly brought down by your teammate. You proceed down the corridor, activating your night vision goggles and you can hear voices in the room to your left. After looking through the door you can see three suspects, you line up your shot, and BANG the targets are down. You must be mindful of all targets as you need to adjust to the situation quickly. Are they running to grab a gun or simply trying to cower in a corner? It is still eerily dark and quiet as you move one by one up the stairs to the next floor, trying not to make a sound as you go. You can hear the panic in the voices of a man and woman as you get to the top. It appears the man is holding the woman hostage against her will as a human shield in an attempt to survive. As you bash the door down, your instincts were correct, you must react quickly and take the shot, missing the woman the target is down. In a split second, the woman runs for a gun lying on the bed you now must take her out too. As you move up onto the next floor, your teammate passes a door and you hear a shout, then a barrage of bullets come flying out of the door straight into your friend. No warning or signal, this has you on high alert. You need to get in and take down the attacker with no idea where they are in that room. Clearing the floor, you move upstairs again. This floor presents the biggest challenge in the sense of quick decision making. Entering the first room a woman quickly runs across the door and out of sight, as you enter, she is grabbing something. The choice is yours, take the shot and do not take a risk or see what she is picking up. The woman is not a threat, she is reaching for her baby, if you take the shot you will not fail the mission, but you will have guilt on your mind. It is these sorts of winding corridors and tight spaces that really heighten the experience and get you involved. Not knowing what is behind the next door is scary and does justice to what real soldiers must experience during these tense and frightening situations.
The whole story is interesting, and although there are moments where you just have to stay in one spot and shoot, these pass quickly and you get thrown into something new while the story quickly develops with plot twists and surprises. As you progress through the story you start to realise this game has some hard-hitting truths about real warfare. One of these moments come when your supposed friend Hadir pushes a truck full of stolen enemy chemicals into the attackers and blows it up. This makes your character Alex and Hadir’s sister Farah scramble to get to a gas mask as you had no idea what he had planned. Hadir is convinced he stole the gas from the Russians in an attempt to help, but the whole reason for this fighting was to prevent the use of chemical warfare, and he has just broken that rule and started to play dirty. This really points out the horrors of chemical warfare and the devastation it can cause in such a short amount of time. Overall, this is my favourite Call of Duty campaign to date, and I only hope that they continue with this trend.
Coming onto the multiplayer aspect of the game, this is split between the regular multiplayer modes and the new Warzone mode. The regular multiplayer modes include the likes of Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Domination and many more unique modes that each offer something different. Each mode will test your skills in a new way and the gameplay is never the same across each mode. Some will require you to be more aware of your surroundings, while others will just let all hell break loose. There is a host of new multiplayer maps for players to learn and experience, and some older fan favourite maps from previous games such as Rust and Shipment. Kudos to Infinity Ward as they have done away with the previously paid DLC maps, as all-new maps are free of charge to every Modern Warfare player. The only payment in the game now is for cosmetic items and the battle pass, however, you can earn in-game credits by simply playing the game, and you use these to purchase items. The battle pass is essentially a ranked system that allows you to unlock special items, characters which are known as operators in-game, and weapons while you level up through the pass. The gameplay feels fluid and objectives are clear to follow. There is a host of weapon upgrades and attachments for you to go through and unlock. This enhances your experience and allows you to customise and create the gun that you want. You can try out different things and combinations and find what best suits your play style. Once you figure out what works for you, save the custom loadout and you are all set to go. The biggest issue that the multiplayer modes have is campers. Campers are players that will join the game, sit in one corner where it's hard to be spotted or killed, and just wait for people to run by and kill them. This gets very frustrating as it is a cheap and easy way to play that does not really require any skill whatsoever. There is not a whole lot that can be done about this as the game cannot filter out campers, but it does somewhat sour the experience. If you can find games where campers are relatively scarce you should have an enjoyable experience.
This chapter in the Modern Warfare series has added a battle royale mode under the name of Warzone. With the rise in the number of popular battle royale games, such as PUBG and Apex Legends, Infinity Ward have also entered the market with their own twist on what a battle royale should entail. First off you have the classic circle that is present in all battle royale games, which slowly pushes all players towards each other to battle it out to be the last player standing. The circle moves into a set zone every time the timer expires and getting caught in it will surely earn you an early grave. Watch your back though as some players may have gas masks so can come from within the circle and get behind you! The standard mode to play is trios, however duos and quads have been introduced but do not always stay, so in essence, they are timed events. The most unique feature of Warzone comes when you die, you will have a second chance at entering the battlefield again. Whereas in most battle royales death means game over, Warzone sends you to the Gulag, a place where you and another fallen foe fight it out 1 vs 1, winner takes all and enters the Warzone for one last shot. Don’t die again though as you have been given a second chance and you don’t want to blow it! Personally, this element and other unique twists make Warzone the best battle royale yet. With such a high amount of battle royale games out there, is Warzone the one to climb to the top? Only time will tell.
All in all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare provides a thrilling story, exhilarating multiplayer gameplay, and a great new addition to the battle royale family. Even though there are some things that could be improved upon, Modern Warfare is still the fast-paced shooter that it’s come to be known as.
9/10 Sloths