One of the most popular franchises in video games history is back, well, it’s been back for a couple of months now and if you haven’t jumped into its latest campaign then I think this is the perfect time to do so.
In an age where Battle Royale games are popular now more than ever it’s hard for single player games to standout of the crowd. Despite having a very popular Battle Royale (Warzone) experience, this instalment of Call of Duty possesses a good campaign, not the best? but good enough for any fan of the franchise to enjoy. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2′s campaign picks up 3 years after 2019′s Modern Warfare, bringing a fully assembled Task Force 141 to the forefront as an international terroristic threat rears its ugly head. Opening on a successful drone strike that takes out Al Qatal’s leader, the team soon discovers the terrorists are working with a global cartel to distribute American made missiles. Naturally the war on drugs is now also the war on terror.
Don’t get me wrong, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is not perfect, I’ll start by saying that the stealth section could have played out better. Instead of the game forcing players to gather resources in order to craft smoke bombs, trip mines, and lock breaking devices. Infinity Ward could have given players a good old knife, a place to hide dead bodies and the freedom to hide in any building when they are spotted, so players can rethink their strategy whenever they themselves in trouble. The stealth mechanics show their ugly head towards the end of the game and that scenario requires players to run and hide, if not? the games AI will gun them down. It’s far from pretty and it’s the most frustrating part of the game.
Despite not so great stealth gameplay, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II campaign packs a pretty good punch. The developers of the game Infinity Ward take us down memory lane by reimagining some of the classic Modern Warfare missions that made millions across the globe fall in love with the franchise in the first place. I enjoyed walking down memory lane playing a mission that is similar to the original Death From Above from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, where players are the gunmen on a warship cycling through different weapon types, while trying not to shoot civilians and friendlies. This time around the mission feels more fast paced, so you can’t go trigger happy and the cartel has tons of fire power to keep you on the edge of your gaming chair. From Mexico, to the Netherlands and back to the USA, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II features some stunning locations, I’ve seen a lot of people rave about how gorgeous Amsterdam looks in the game and don’t get me wrong, the attention to detail is out of this world. My favorite scenes are set in Mexico, fighting the cartel in the mountains and then down a raging a river, it’s a fast paced section of the game inspired by scenes straight from the Netflix’s series Narcos.
The fast pace nature of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II comes alive thanks to its audio design, the guns are loud and each one has its own signature sound, the bombs bang harder than before and your ears ringing louder as a flash bang goes off in front of you. The cinematic cut scenes set the tone for what’s to follow and the close-quarter encounters are fueled with adrenaline pumping action. If you’ve been a long fan of the series maybe this is the time to jump back in, despite a terrible stealth section, the game does what Call of Duty does best? good old action and making players feel like they are part of an a top secret military operation. Fast paced action, tons of weapons to choose from, some familiar missions that pay tribute to the first Modern Warfare game and some breath taking locations, this is a Call of Duty campaign that we’ve been waiting for a couple of years now and I think its good.
Review written by @TheIdiotsGuideToGaming