‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’ is a heated experience in which actions carry consequences
“Have fun”, says the tiny text on the opening menu of Call of Duty:
Modern Warfare – the latest instalment of the world’s bestselling shooter series. On the surface, it’s a well-meaning message.
After all, video games are supposed to be enjoyable, right? But the source material that developer Infinity Ward has chosen to depict in this reimagining of the 2007 classic is anything but pleasant.
It’s hard, for example, to raise a smile while crawling through a fictional town strewn with the still-warm corpses of women and children. Or, say, being charged at by someone wearing a bomb vest in a crowded Piccadilly Circus in London.
“Have fun” is a poor choice of words, then. But the gritty campaign is Call of Duty’s most compelling yet.
The atmosphere throughout the single player mode is incredibly claustrophobic. You may be dropped across the world in the pursuit of stolen chemical weapons, but each mission locale plunges you into a tight set-piece of action that rarely gives you room to breathe. So far, so Call of
Duty. But there’s a difference. Not only does Modern Warfare look stunning, especially in 4K, but the unerring approach to realism forms an emotional attachment to the on-screen action as never before.
Your actions carry consequences, and there’s an emphasis on decision-making that forces you to make gut-wrenching choices on the battlefield.
If this sounds too heavy for you, don’t worry. These are punctuation points to what’s essentially a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. An FPS (First Person Shooter) masterclass that plays out in under six hours.
You’ll love the punchy new feel of the weapons, something the developers have paid particular attention to this year. From the FAL rifle’s weighty thuds to the barely contained chaos of the classic AK-47, each gun has its own personality. Speaking of personality, the return of Captain
Price, owner of the second most recognisable moustache in video games – second only to Mario’s – is great, but overshadowed by newcomer Farah Karim. The fighter hails from the fictional Middle Eastern country of Urzikstan and is the subject of the game’s main story arc.
Karim is an uncompromising leader and – almost unbelievably – represents the first positive female lead in the series’ history.
Her backstory mission also happens to be more interesting than 99 per cent of the ones you’ve played in a Call of
Duty game to date. Having such a compelling campaign mode in Modern
Warfare is even more remarkable, considering Activision ditched a solo mode entirely for 2018’s Call of Duty: Black
Ops 4. It marks a return to past glories and features the type of solo experience that has increasingly been pushed behind multiplayer over the years. However, although
Modern Warfare is great, it’s not without controversy.
The “Highway of Death” mission has kicked up a storm for Activision. It’s based on an event that took place in 1991 in Kuwait, where the United States and its allies applied excessive force on withdrawing Iraqi troops which resulted in the deaths of many, including innocent civilians. Modern
Warfare’s use of this event is not subtle. Not only has the US developer recreated the scene of burnt-out cars and ambush points, but it rewrites history by painting Russia as the aggressor and a CIA operative as the saviour.
Infinity Ward defended its decision by playing the ‘creative licence’ card. But then why use the same title for the mission?
So, with a return to form for the single player, the multiplayer must be great, too, right? Not exactly. Modern
Warfare takes a bold step away from its winning formula. Gone are the three-lane map structures that funnel players into choke points of violence and in come sprawling landscapes.
Ground War, a new mode in which you capture and hold points on a map, can accommodate 64 players, which gives you an idea of their size.
The unerring approach to realism gives gamers an emotional attachment to the on-screen action as never before
It’s initially a jarring experience to those familiar with
Call of Duty’s multiplayer and unforgiving for newcomers.
One or two bullets is all it takes for you to be looking up at the digital sky. And with so many corners, buildings and windows to keep an eye on now, it can be extremely disorientating. But it does improve.
You’ll soon gravitate towards areas of the map that you know and feel comfortable in, as your score increases with each round.
All in all, Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare pulls the franchise back up where it belongs. An emotional campaign coupled with dazzling graphics and a multiplayer that has serious potential make it a great package. It might not be “fun”, per se, but it’s unmissable.