Image via Activision
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 released officially on October 28, with the reboot of the beloved original Modern Warfare trilogy taking a bit of a different route for the Call of Duty franchise. Although the 2009 release of Modern Warfare saw a game about a world at war, with all-out battles in the neighborhoods of Virginia and covert operations with Task Force 141, Modern Warfare of today is all about the undercover ops and has given the world of Narcos a place in Call of Duty in full swing.
Featuring some of our favorite characters from Modern Warfare 2019, Modern Warfare 2 was like one jam-packed playable action movie, with missions of many kinds and a variety of gameplay styles being catered to. A great story, great gunplay, great animations, and so much more, Modern Warfare 2 certainly was a fun experience that is what I was hoping for when I booted it up.
You can watch our review for Modern Warfare 2 on our official YouTube channel below:
A Great, Exciting Story
Modern Warfare 2’s story has been criticized for not living up to standards with Modern Warfare 2019, however, it seems like the two games took different approaches for their plots.
While the predecessor took a look at the more human toll of war, Modern Warfare 2 was more focused on the soldier’s perspective in fighting against enemies. It gave more of a focus on the undercover black ops covert world of war and it showcased the lengths that Task Force 141 and its allies had to take to accomplish the mission, no matter the costs.
Modern Warfare 2 took an interesting approach by focusing on the cartel angle, which allowed for the story to expand into Mexico and for the players to get a chance to meet Alejandro Vargas, a member of the Mexican special forces.
It’s incredibly hard not to love the characters and their very human interactions this time around. Throughout the action-packed campaign, we get real moments of real humanity between the soldiers. Soap and Ghost had one of the best developments, with their dynamic feeling like brothers by the end of the story.
Captain Price, Gaz, and Laswell’s interactions were also very fun. The writers of Modern Warfare 2 really did a great job giving players a chance to relate to and connect with the members of Task Force 141 and beyond this time around. Alejandro Vargas and Rodolpho were amazing characters and they were genuinely a great addition to the world of Call of Duty.
Modern Warfare 2 gives us a glimpse at corruption, the underground world of Narcos and the cartels, and the role of terrorism. Delivered through an action-movie style campaign, the main idea of the Modern Warfare 2 story was pretty clear. Although it’s not as deep as the previous title, I believe that Modern Warfare 2 delivered what it promised: A military shooter with plenty of close quarter combat, stealth, and gunfights.
Memorable and Great Missions
One of the most popular missions from Modern Warfare 2019 was Clean House, where players get to methodically sweep through an AQ home in London. More missions like this were present and deeply embedded in Modern Warfare 2.
Unlike some reviewers stated, Modern Warfare 2 did have plenty of memorable missions and memorable moments. Missions that tipped hats to the old Call of Duty titles were among the most fun, alongside new mission styles. Dark Water, Recon By Fire, and so much more really cementing themselves as great additions to the lineup of missions to be played.
The mission titled Alone was one of the most unique, with the mission focusing heavily on a stealth aspect. Although a divisive one, Alone provided some interesting differences to Call of Duty’s standard gameplay style. Crafting makeshift tools as though one were in a guerilla war as well as the dialogue between Ghost and Soap and the high stakes involved made for a unique and engaging sequence to be played. Plus, although you start injured and slow, if you find the stim you’ll be able to move normally. It provided a different style for Call of Duty to try out, and honestly, it tried it out really really well.
Graphics and Animations Are Fantastic
Graphically, Modern Warfare 2 really excels, just as Call of Duty did in 2019. This time, the vibrance of the maps, the variety of the locations, and the work done on character models really shined through. Call of Duty did not disappoint with its graphical quality this time around. You can really see this shine through in city designs like Amsterdam or even set designs, like the boat from Dark Water.
Gunplay is precisely on par with what you’d expect from Call of Duty, and the animations are insanely good. I can’t complain about this point because honestly, there’s nothing to complain about here.
Methodically, what makes a great Call of Duty campaign is a decent story alongside fun shooting gameplay. Call of Duty gave a decent story this time around and gave great gameplay through both shooting and stealth.
The Enemy of My Enemy
Call of Duty did not stop at giving some interesting aspects to its story this time around either, and I think that comparing it to 2019’s story is a bit unfair, as 2019 took an entirely different stylistic approach to the plot. While Modern Warfare 2019 focused on the insurgency against AQ and corruption with General Barkov, who was not the best villain Call of Duty had to offer to be fair, Modern Warfare 2 gave us a villain in our own allies. It also makes you realize the toll that people in between the gunfire can face, and it really does show the underground world of terrorism, Narcos, and the impacts they can have on civilians.
The enemies are not just big bad guys because they’re big bad guys. The motivation was clear and it was there. Besides, there were moments of dialogue from enemy troops that made the game feel much more whole and much more human. It made you realize that the enemies are not just random AI that are being sent to their deaths. It gives even more depth to Modern Warfare 2.
Modern Warfare 2 was most likely not a short campaign, it just feels short because as the old saying goes: Time flies when you’re having fun. The campaign is really, genuinely fun, and because of that, time definitely flew. Both Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare featured campaigns that take on average 6 hours to beat, which goes to show that there was a charm to Modern Warfare 2 that made it feel fast, jam-packed, and action-filled, and that’s likely what made it simply feel faster.
Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Score
I believe that the campaign this time around certainly deserves a minimum of a 9/10 at least. With any flaws and faults it may have, Modern Warfare 2 was a very fun campaign from the Call of Duty lineup. I’ve already replayed some of the missions several times, echoing for me just how much I loved the original Modern Warfare 2.
The replayability in different difficulties is present, and the title is very fun. The characters were amazingly written, the dialogue was awesome and very life-like, and the game delivered what its trailer promised.
Of all the positives, the flaws really lied in the strength of the story and some of the gameplay elements. For instance, the armored enemies really did throw in an annoying flaw to some of the missions, but it really honestly was not enough to detract from the overall mission at the end of the day. Adding in another layer of difficulty might appeal to some people and it may not appeal to all, but it’s not a deal-breaking thing for the title.
I would say that the second biggest flaw I had with this title is just technical things like bugs and crashes. I played this on a PC, not a console, but there were plenty of times where the game would crash, wouldn’t load, or would just be a pain to work through. Additionally, on the ghillied mission, I ran into a bug where the enemies would spot me and just suddenly spawn over to slaughter me. It was pretty annoying to have to restart the mission over something like that.
Conclusions
Overall, Modern Warfare 2 is not a bad game by any means and it’s not a boring one either. The story was fine, fun, and gave you precisely what you want from a Call of Duty campaign. It’s got some thought-provoking elements all while feeling like a long action film that doesn’t stop giving you the elements of what makes an action thriller feel so good.
Gunplay, graphics, and gameplay are just as great as you would think they are, if not better. Sounds, animations, set design, and the locations are vibrant, interesting, unique, and well-made as well.
Each mission has unique aspects to it and some missions give nods to the original Modern Warfare trilogy, making this a great title with nods to fans of old and new Call of Duty titles alike.
Had the game been a bit less buggy and had it had just a tad stronger of a story, I think it would’ve been basically perfect. Other than that though, it was an amazing campaign. I enjoyed it and will definitely be replaying it many times.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
