While it seems like millions of people jump right into Call of Duty’s multiplayer games every year, you really always start by playing the single-player story first. This has resulted in some memorable experiences over the years, but most of them happened more than a decade ago. Fortunately, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s campaign isn’t far from fulfilling the original’s amazing adventure.
It’s not because of the plot, however, as Modern Warfare II takes a more “popcorn Michael Bay” approach rather than the more “damage locker/zero dark thirty” style of its predecessor. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the result is a fast-paced thrill ride that once the credits roll across the screen, you forget why. That’s not the case with everything you do to get there.
Remember how I mentioned that in my June preview there were several missions that were clearly inspired by the original Modern Warfare trilogy? These examples are far from the only ones here. I’m not going to spoil which ones, but let’s say a veteran like me gets a lot of flashbacks on most of the top 10 missions. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about copies or just remakes here, as Infinity Ward has done a great job of taking visual elements, game mechanics and/or sets from the classics and mixing them with a lot of their own ideas and techniques. The latter aspect is particularly noteworthy.
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Sure, Activision touts their “breakthrough” demo every year, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II lives up to the hype on both PC and PlayStation 5. Infinity Ward and the crew have been bragging about their amazing water technology so much that I don’t even bother to mention it after this point. It’s time to give the animation, lighting and environment details some well-deserved love. This trio makes cinematic sequences look very close to photo-real and makes you stop and stare at your surroundings during missions. At least if you have time. Because one of the missions that highlights all of these missions is the caravan mission I mentioned in the preview. It’s a sight to behold to see light bounce off different vehicles, sand fly into the air, and your character climbs smoothly onto the roof before jumping onto a pickup truck in the vast desert. All at perfect 60 fps or higher? Heaven.
Spice up this already great dish with scenes where dialogue choices allow you to bring some of your personality into already engaging characters and situations, some very different you’ve never seen before in CoD With cool new ideas, incredibly smart enemies (which also makes it more immersive and challenging), and the series’ always top-notch feel and sound, it’s safe to say that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is My favorite Call of Duty campaign since the original trilogy…even if it’s partly because the game recycles a lot from it and lacks the same punch in the plot.