COD: Modern Warfare Review, Classic with a new look.
It was quite a big announcement, but when it became known that Modern Warfare would come this year, the party was complete for me: back to the old familiar Modern Warfare and away from the future. But will the game match the hype of Modern Warfare 2, my personal favorite, or would it even surpass this game? I have now spent quite a bit of time in the game and have come to a conclusion.
Let’s kick off with the story modes in the game, for starters, this one is way too short. You actually already know this when you start, but those few hours you lose with it are really too short. The story mode is brutal at times and the game becomes more challenging as you crank up the difficulty. It basically has everything a Modern Warfare title should have; a bit of sniping, a bit of sneaking and that is also possible in the dark these days. And by dark, I mean really dark, because man it’s black before your eyes when you take off the night vision and it gives the game a completely different vibe! I played on ‘veteran’ and then it’s really sneaking through the dark. Delicious, exciting and perhaps one of my favorite missions in the game. The story in the game is good and solid and is not just a story, it also wants to show you the other side of war. You will be faced with choices, to shoot or not to shoot. Sometimes you shoot and you accidentally hit a child and that is not allowed in the game, so play again.
Is the story mode now as good and memorable as we know it? No, unfortunately not. I remember the mission ‘No Russian’ like it was yesterday. These kinds of missions stay with you and you don’t forget so quickly. This Modern Warfare is hard, but just not memorable enough or I’ve just become less sensitive to this kind of thing, that’s also possible. In addition, I am glad that there is a story mode again, because it was completely left out of the game in Black Ops 4.
Well, you have to experience the story and before I start spoiling, let’s move on. The gameplay in the game is tight and well put together, characters and weapons feel more like weapons and extensions, add the sound of a weapon firing and you really have an experience for me. The good changes in the sound now make it possible to hear where the bullets are coming from and where they are firing. Unfortunately for us, the footsteps in the game are very clear, a little too much. These were supposed to be addressed in two updates, but nothing seems to have changed even in the latest update. But once you look up at your screen and see the graphics, all is well, the game gives you cutscenes that emulate photo-realism and a level of detail we haven’t seen before.
Yes, the point that most fans buy the game for is the online multiplayer, which delivers a fast and gruesome gaming experience as usual. Of course with some changes here and there. I’m going to start briefly with Groundwar, which has been modified to offer you a large-scale Domination match with vehicles. It’s a bit of an unbalanced pot at times. Since yesterday a third map has been released for these modes and with that there are now three large maps, each with its own charm. It’s nice for a change or if you like big battles. In addition to Ground War, the game mode Gunfight has been introduced, which is a 2v2 mode on small-scale maps with a varying weapon loadout. Both teams start with the same weapons and you have 40 seconds per game to finish the opponent. It’s fast and up tempo, at least if you hit the right opponent and I was ‘lucky’ to be matched in 3 games with people who waited nicely in the back of their section. It was practically impossible to make it even a bit of a battle.
In addition to these innovations, the classic way of shooting is also back with Team Deathmatch and Domination. The game offers you new maps that deviate from the 3-way concept we know from the classic games. The games now offer you houses that you can walk through and passable stairs. There is so much more dynamic in the maps that you can be shot at from all sides. It’s just not as simple as running from a to b anymore, because sometimes there’s a little more to it. Is this better? In any case, I like it more, but unfortunately it gives campers much more chance. Still, I hope that this will decrease with time and how nice it is to sit quietly in a corner. What is gone from the game and perhaps a loss for most is the Prestige Mode. You now play up to level 55, but you stay there and you continue to play for season ranks and get missions to get emblems. These ranks are reset after the season, after which you start again at 55 and therefore keep all your gear. It’s not that bad for me, because I personally like the fact that you can continue to customize freely.
A few pieces that I miss in the game: it would be so nice to be able to vote for a map in your lobby, this gives you more of a rotation focused on the players. There are just maps that you don’t like to play on, you always get them twice in a row. Then there are the various bugs that the game is rich; challenges don’t continue, missions reset after every pot, people crashing out of your game, an xbox that already shut itself down. It is a small selection of the defects that the game has and in addition, the game sometimes feels a bit more broken after an update, only to be fixed again in the next update. We have already received some updates in the time that the game has been released.
Lucky for us, the content provided for the game is free, yes, all the maps that come are free. This is a big change in the series and I personally think it’s a good decision. It is very annoying if your friends spend money on a season pass, you do not pay and then ultimately cannot play the new maps with them. Not everyone has the money for a season pass, this is the best solution for the playability of the game. The only thing we can pay for in December is the Battle Pass, which we know from games like Fortnite. The advantage is that you know what you are paying for and what is in it. It remains to be seen how this will turn out, but I think the development is a step in the right direction.
All in all, Modern Warfare is a solid title, it has some teething problems, but that’s to be expected with a game of this size. Not everything can go smoothly. The communication from the developer to the fans is straight and fast and the problems in the game are dealt with quite quickly. I see a good future for the game and will certainly spend the necessary hours in it. It’s a great shooter for me and definitely my favorite game of the moment.
We will also be streaming the game regularly on our Twitch channel, so follow us there.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Where the game is a return to Modern Warfare for many, this classic is really new. Maps are more dynamic and more changes have been made to the game. I think it’s a fast and fun title, but unfortunately not Modern Warfare 2.
That’s Gaming
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graphics 9
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Gameplay 8.5
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Story 8.5
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Online 8.5
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Fun factor 9
The Goods
- The story is tough
- Multiplayer is as we are used to it
- The folders are very dynamic
- Enough choice for your loadout
The Bads
- There are too many bugs in the game for me
- Some folders are not really balanced
- Shotguns are OP again
- Spec Ops exclusive to PS4 for a year
8.7 4.35 5 Average Score
