A Positive Retrograde Step Back To Better Times

Thirteen long years ago, Infinity Ward unleashed what turned out to be a game-changer in the world of Multiplayer - a game where progression meant something, the chance to unlock weapons and additional perks. Where everyone on the battlefield had the opportunity to have totally different load-outs, which meant varying tactics. The Camper, the Run-n-Gunner, the Demo guy, the annoying Martyr, and so on and so forth. But in the following iterations, things just became bland, the franchise ran a bit stale, and Call of Duty lost its shine. Jump forward to 2019, and Infinity Ward hit us with 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare'. Like someone using Martyrdom, it took everyone by surprise. The engine has been totally overhauled, and at last, we have a decent looking game with significant lighting effects upgrades, excellent sound and even better gameplay. But this is a game of three parts, so I want to break it down into each piece. The Single Player I don't want to give too much of the story away, as if you've played the single-player in other 'COD' titles you'll know that there are some fantastic moments. Sometimes shock based like "No Russian" in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, others are fairly poignant, but the story ticks along quite nicely. The premise is simple, you learn of a plot involving chemical weapons and needing to deescalate a situation between fictional Urzikstan and Russia (always the bad guys!). There is a lot of exposition as you jump between characters, finding out backstories, learning of motivations and seeking resolutions - through each part of these stories it kept my interest, I did find them a bit boring compared to previous versions. One level, in particular, grabbed me as much as 'All Ghillied Up' did way back in 2007 and it has definitely become one of my favourite levels in Call of Duty history - it's called 'The Wolfs Den' and involves a night-time raid on a Safe House in the heart of London. The whole thing is incredible, start to finish as you have no idea what to expect! I'd recommend playing through the single-player, even if it's to unlock a few of the multiplayer characters. It's interesting, it has some great performances in Farah and Captain Price, and it has some great set pieces. Multiplayer The multiplayer aspect of the game is where it really shines (for me at least). Out are the pay to win items, peer to peer matchmaking, loot boxes and in, are free DLC maps, free additional game modes being introduced regularly, some new game modes such as the fantastic 'Gunfight' mode, cross-play and dedicated servers. In terms of value for money, not a single person should quibble as the amount of content they have crammed into the game is insane for the price. Yes, there are some gripes, things like your 'Double XP tokens' counting down while you aren't even in a game, or some of the guns not being balanced correctly (the now fixed, sniper 725 shotgun was great fun though), or a new lobby on every-single-game. But, these are getting addressed regularly by Infinity Ward, and improvements are happening. Personally, my biggest gripe is the inability to host our own dedicated servers as with COD4. This enabled us to create our own 'clan' before and had people join us regularly and form some excellent friendships. The sheer amount of ways you can now play in multiplayer is too much for me to really go into but needless to say, you won't run out of modes soon. The ability to play with friends on different platforms is a real boon, as getting my brother and his friends into a private lobby with me and my group was great. They were all playing on Xbox Ones, and we were all PC based, so we thought we would decimate them. Turns out that they were all pretty good (or we were terrible) and they could hold their own against their PC siblings. So Crossplay is most certainly a winner in my eyes, if you don't like it, then you can quickly turn it off in the settings. One of my personal favourite modes is 'Gunfight'. This mode is a fast, 2v2 based, quick thinking, small map, blast of a mode. With your opponent just out of sight on the other side of the arena, getting into an engagement can be done in the first second of the match. Working out the best tactic for your opponent becomes something akin to - should you push and play offensive, stay back and be defensive, or split with your teammate and play one forward, one back. Matches are played in a best of 11, and we've often seen games push back from 5-0 up to a 6-5 loss. Trust me when I say that this leads to some tense and anxious moments in the game! Other fan favourites such as Gun Game, Team Deathmatch and Domination are back, so gamers can get their fix any way they choose, with filters to pick their preferred game mode. Choosing a weapon has become a lot harder with some really great additions, and some notable subtractions. The Kilo is a great weapon and one I have stuck with since the beginning of my game, with the right attachments (you get 5 per gun) I have made it super fast to ADS, and it suits my playstyle perfectly. This is all done through the Gunsmith, a new way of updating your gun, adding cosmetic items and changing the attachments any way you see fit to make it the way you want. Conclusion Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) is a tour de force of what can be crammed into a single game. Yes, it is by no means perfect, but it is improving month by month. With many new additions to the game, it feels at last that rather than rehash old mechanics, they (Infinity Ward) have gone back to the start and redesigned and reimagined everything that made the original COD4 great. I heartily recommend it. Pros • The new engine finally updates the look and feel of the game. • New game modes such as Gunfight increase longevity. • Crossplay finally enables us to play with friends on other platforms with no noticeable loss in fairness. • Specific single-player story missions are gripping and interesting. Cons • No ability to host a dedicated server. • Bit of a balancing issue with some weapons. • Certain gameplay items need some work (XP Tokens) ——— Original ratings: • Visual Design: 9/10 • Sound Design: 8/10 • Gameplay: 9/10 • Longevity: 9/10 • Fun: 9/10