Call Of Duty Modern Warfare Review

Call Of Duty Modern Warfare (Xbox One, PS4, PC) (Rated Mature)

(Video Review)

I was skeptical when they announced that they would reboot the Modern Warfare series, the first will always be one of my all-time favorite games, but, while the sequels were enjoyable, I lamented the fact that they went from a more realistic look at war, to what was essentially James Bond in a warzone. Do not get me wrong, that kind of thing has a certain kind of appeal, but, Call Of Duty to me, was always about authentic depictions of real warfare, and the more the series went away from that, the less I enjoyed it.

I know a lot of gamers play these just for the multiplayer experience, and there is nothing wrong with that, truth be told, I have been looking forward to the day that I love COD online as much as I did during 4, and my personal favorite World At War. Thankfully, I can report that not only is the online action balanced better than ever, with some truly fantastic maps but, the fact that this is one of the first major cross-platform multiplayer games, is just outrageous in the best way possible, online shooting is fun again.

However, I am not here to go on and on about the epic multiplayer action, plenty of people are doing that, and I always hate it when the campaigns are treated as the second class citizen, I come for the single-player action, and I stay for the multiplayer thrills, then again, I am one of those weirdos who plays campaigns over and over again, what can I say, I love the idea of an interactive, setpiece driven cinematic experience. This game has consistently made my jaw drop, and made me scream like a damn teenager all over again, the story is easily one of the best, if not the best in the entire franchise. This is a character-driven story, where you actually care about the characters and, yes, part of that has to do with fighting alongside the likes of Captain Price and running into old buddies like Sgt. Griggs, but more than that, this is a game that found the perfect ratio of storytelling and interactive action, gone are the pace stalling sections of the previous Call Of Duty games, instead of having levels of pure action and then occasional story bits, the entire game is consistently driving the narrative forward with every action setpiece.

What really makes the story so enthralling, is just how close to reality it strikes, now, this may actually put off some players, because the entire game hits the dark marks of the infamous No Russain level from Modern Warfare 2, and when I say dark marks, I mean dark fucking marks. Expect to witness realistic terrorist attacks on crowed civilian areas, expect to witness some of the most coldblooded action you will find in any video game, this game is making a statement about real war and real loss of life, and I am damn impressed by the blend of cinematic action, with the trademark casual flow of a Call Of Duty game, mixed with something more tactical, more thoughtful and with far more down to earth styled combat.

The action still feels like a COD game, but, it is also much more refined and far less arcadey than ever before, weapons have more pronounced recoil, and enemies no longer fall over when shot dead, but instead have far more realistic and gruesome death animations. The inclusion of a new mount, or cover system, that allows you to shoot around and over cover, also changes the action in a pretty dynamic way, and that is another thing that feels different about this entry in the long-running series, the action feels far more dynamic than ever before, the game is still linear and driven by interactive setpieces, yet, you feel far more in control and that makes you feel as if you really are there in the thick of some very brutal and intense firefights. This may sound morbid, and those who are not into military fiction or, the war genre as a whole, will probably think, why would you ever want to take part in something like this? Well, while I disagree with war, I also respect the warriors who put their lives on the line for a cause they believe in, even if I think they may be being used by a corrupt government, I still respect the idea of a hero who believes he is fighting to save lives, and fighting to save the man next to him.

It also has to do with my Dad, he loved military history and we loved watching war films together, and these games were something that always impressed him, and I know if he could see this one, he would be blown away by the story this game is telling, this is one of those stories that may not appeal to everyone, but those who have a passion for this genre will be in for a truly riveting experience. I also expect some sections of the game to be pretty damn controversial, and no, I am not just talking about bombs going off in Piccadilly Circus, I am talking about a level where you are playing through a fictionalized version of the Benghazi Incident. There is a level that starts off in an embassy, and I thought at first, whoa, there are some eerie parrels here, and the more I played the more it sunk in, they were not just making vague references, they were making the entire incident playable, in what is possibly the greatest level you will find in any First Person Shooter.

There was one level I kept thinking of while going through this recreation, and that was the opening D Day level from Medal Of Honor Allied Assault, while that game felt like a scene out of Saving Private Ryan, this one felt like it was ripped right out of 13 Hours. The thought that kept occurring to me during that level, was I cannot believe they had the nerve to do this, do not get me wrong, things in this game are going to rub some people the wrong way, but, if you have an appreciation for this kind of thing, you are going to be nothing short of impressed. I would also like to point out to those who are going to say, this trivializes a real-world event, simply, you are wrong, I think the more bombastic and over the top Call Of Duty games, to an extent did trivialize real war, but, when you have the kind of respect that this game has, when you take these things seriously and are depicting them in a manner that pays respect, then I think you are doing something right, you are educating people about what these events felt like, and while it is still a game, I think anyone who plays or enjoys these kinds of things, is not someone who is hungry for war, but they are someone who has a respect for those who put their life on the line.

All in all, this is easily my favorite Call Of Duty, even surpassing the original Modern Warfare and World At War. This is the kind of military game I have always wanted, something that depicts what real war is like, and yes, no game can ever truly do that, but, when you at the very least try to get the basics right, then I think more than creating mere entertainment, you are creating something informative, something that stimulates a person into thinking about things they never have before, and that kind of informative entertainment is what I crave.