Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Review – The Pinnacle of the Series

Call of Duty has been in decline for years. Everyone knows this. The campaigns have been lackluster, the multiplayer hasn’t been up to par, and there has been waining interest in the franchise as a whole. This has changed with Modern Warfare.  It wasn’t only the most anticipated Call of Duty game in the better part of 10 years, but it harkened back to the glory days of the series. Modern Warfare 2 was the height of the series and the latest re-imagining of Modern Warfare surpasses it with flying colors. Many of the developers who worked on the game returned to Infinity Ward and played a key role in developing this masterpiece, which may be the best game to come out this year. It’s not only a fantastic first-person shooter; it’s an incredible experience, with a variety of different experiences accessible to all.

Campaign

Modern Warfare has the best campaign of any Call of Duty, including Modern Warfare 2. The characters drive the narrative and the game has many twists and turns that you will never see coming. Captain Price is back and reimagined, which is a beautiful touch, as he is one of the most iconic characters in the franchise. Your two playable characters, Garrick and Alex, are background characters for the most part but still have their moments to shine. The game also touches upon current events, taking Russia into account and Al-Qatala, which is obviously meant to be a version of Al-Qaeda.

War is very different in Modern Warfare, even moreso than its predecessors. While the original series catapulted the series into modern times by way of technology, Modern Warfare does so in terms of warfare. The enemy is no longer nation-states but terrorist cells. There is an early mission where there is a terrorist attack in London. As Garrick, you have to fight through the terrorists, but on top of that, suicide bombers run at you and you have to make sure to aim at the head in order to, for a lack of a better term, not be blown up.

This happens throughout the game and catapults the series into the 21st century. After this mission, you track down a terrorist cell that resides in a home. Some are hostile, some are women and children; it’s up to you to decide who is a threat and who’s not. Some may seem innocent, but, if you’re not careful, you will be attacked. This is a brand new experience in the Call of Duty series. Another sequence has you playing as a child, stabbing a Russian soldier and killing him, on top of shooting another. The game is not meant for children and while these instances are quite shocking, this is the reality of war and survival. The Modern Warfare campaign reflects this, and even though it’s a bit on the short side, it promises a sequel that will please fans.

Multiplayer

Modern Warfare has the best multiplayer of any Call of Duty game to date. The maps are superb, there is endless customization to your equipment and avatar, and it has all the classic game modes plus a few new ones. I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not the best at Call of Duty multiplayer. The last time I was actually halfway decent was playing Modern Warfare 2; maybe in my early 30s I’m just getting old. These kids are ridiculous, but that’s beside the point. One of the best features in multiplayer is that you can now filter your playlist, so you can alternate between game modes that you want to play.

For instance, I love Domination and objective-based modes like Headquarters. By putting these two modes on my playlist, I automatically play Domination or Headquarters each match and don’t have to back out to switch. This is a great feature (I don’t know if it was in previous CoD games) and needs to be featured moving forward in future iterations of Call of Duty. There is one new game mode, Ground War, which consists of 64 players (32v32) which take place on enormous maps. In Ground War, vehicles are accessible and the objective of the mode is to capture as many objectives as possible. It feels very Battlefield-like and isn’t for everyone, but there are such a plethora of multiplayer modes that there are enough for everyone to enjoy.

The Pinnacle of Call of Duty

Modern Warfare is the pinnacle of the Call of Duty series. It is by far the most intense and the best entry in the franchise to date. Activision took a chance last year with Black Ops IIII and had no campaign and focused on a fad, Battle Royale. This didn’t work out too well. Modern Warfare went back to the roots of the series, brought back classic characters, has yet again re-defined the first-person shooter genre. It’s not only the best Call of Duty game, but the best first-person shooter of all-time. It has something for everyone, from the campaign to its multiplayer.

A sequel is inevitable and I, and gamers alike, cannot wait to see what Infinity Ward has in store for us in the next installment of this classic franchise.