Call of Duty Modern Warfare Review

While the title of this review may seem like deja vu for those of you old enough to have played the original Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare back in 2007, the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare (soft) reboot is anything but a repeat. Let’s get this out of the way up front, 2019’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare is the best Call of Duty game this generation, and this comes from someone who enjoyed a couple of the past games quite a bit. Activision’s “A” squad, Infinity Ward have clearly taken time to think about what made the original Modern Warfare great and have reworked a lot of the Call of Duty formula from the ground up, making a fantastic experience with only a few flaws.

Let’s start with multiplayer here, as it’s typically what people go to Call of Duty for (maybe try campaign first this time, trust me!). Multiplayer in Modern Warfare is the Call of Duty you know and love, but toned down from the future weapons, dozens of perks, multiple killstreaks and more of the past few games. It takes multiplayer back to basics, back to a similar feel to the original Modern Warfare, but with updates and tweaks to make it feel modern in 2019. Perks and killstreaks are back, but reduced to a few solid options that fit into the core gameplay Infinity Ward is going for. The team has also added a full gun customization aspect that lets you add attachments and perks to the guns themselves. This makes much more sense and is more manageable than giant menus. My favorite part of the new multiplayer has to be Ground War. This mode was formally Call of Duty’s larger team mode, but Modern Warfare takes it to a whole new level, pitting 64 players in a match on massive maps with vehicles. It’s nearly a Battlefield-level game change, but still retains Call of Duty speed and time to kill. It makes for absolute insanity, in the most enjoyable way.

The story and campaign for Call of Duty Modern Warfare are easily my favorite this generation. It follows in the steps of some modern-day events, a terrorist group wreaking havoc on cities around the globe, Russia pushing their own agenda and the United States (and a few characters specifically) working to stop everything. I won’t spoil much, but you jump around to numerous characters and it still has some of the typical Call of Duty bombastic sequences, but it feels a lot more down-to-earth than previous games. The conflict revolves around a fictional country, and nearly the entire game’s story is fiction aside from a mention of the “Highway of Death” which was a very real event in which the United States (not Russia, like the game, would have you believe) bombed innocent people. It’s a weird thing for Infinity Ward to keep in the game because it plants the idea that they are making a strong political statement when I don’t believe they intended to. That oddity aside, the campaign to Call of Duty Modern Warfare is varied, fast-paced, and extremely fun to play.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare Review Final Thoughts:

Overall, Call of Duty Modern Warfare is the best Call of Duty game this console generation. It takes what made Call of Duty great with the original Modern Warfare and returns to those roots, while adding 2019 updates that make the game feel refined, yet feature-full at the same time. The multiplayer is deep, and with the addition of the much bigger Ground War (with vehicles), there really is something for everyone. The campaign isn’t missable either, it keeps you moving and guessing until the very end. If you’ve been waiting and passing on Call of Duty games because they’ve just been “more of the same” then this is the year for you. Hopefully, Activision takes this success and streamlines future games into this mold. Call of Duty Modern Warfare is a fantastic game that will keep you going for months, it’s a must-play.