LOOKS GOOD. PLAYS GREAT. THE STORY IS… PRESENT.
I never play the Call of Duty games for multiplayer. I always wait until the game drops below $30 to play the campaign and then I’m sort of done with it, and I’m always okay with that because generally the campaigns are finely tuned experiences. When Activision announced they were returning to the Modern Warfare series I was excited and asked to review it. My response to my time with it however was far less enthusiastic.
Without saying too much, I felt the plot was more interested in getting to the next big shock moment than telling a story. Previous Call of Duty titles, especially the previous three titles that used the Modern Warfare title, had those moments but also told a story that was intriguing. A big issue with this game is that the villains have almost zero reason for being bad. Why is the Russian guy bad? Because he’s Russian, that’s why.
PLATFORMS: PC, PS4, XB1
MSRP: $59.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $29.99
Speaking of Russia, this game is banned there due to its portrayal of Russia and I can’t fully blame them as the real life “Highway of Death” was an American led attack. While I realize this is a work of fiction, one of the most boring ways to develop a villain is to give them zero redeeming qualities as if they weren’t a person, but simply just evil. It’s a big issue in this game as to why Russian forces invade the fictional country of Urzikstan in the first place. I assume it is because the main villain wants to stop terrorism in Russia by a group called Al-Qatala, and if that is the case then he isn’t wrong because after the main campaign the spec-ops mode picks up with Russian and Allied forces teaming up to stop the Al-Qatala invasion of Russia. I say assume because it’s never really stated why he’s there and a little bit of self awareness could have done something really interesting with a plot echoing the American actions overseas.
Maybe I was expecting too much, or maybe this game shouldn’t have touted the Modern Warfare title if it wasn’t going to say something of value like the other games did. I felt like this game never wanted to make any concrete statements about anything other than terrorism being bad. I also have a fact that this game is a reboot but the way it is presented, particularly with the introduction of Captain Price, is handled like a sequel until the very end. The moment Price is introduced is done in such a way that only people familiar with previous Modern Warfare titles would get what is going on.
All these complaints don’t mean that I didn’t enjoy large portions of this campaign still. The performances are all fantastic and the game looks amazing (maybe the best looking game I have ever played). The best part of this title was playing the actual game because the shooting felt amazing and there are set pieces like raiding a house in the UK in the middle of the night to finding terrorists that are fantastic taken on their own. I just wish these moments weren’t strung together with a mediocre plot.
Now I will talk about the multiplayer, which is what most people buy Call of Duty for. I am by no means an expert but online felt more like Battlefield than any Call of Duty I’ve ever played. Maps are fairly big with lots of verticality, loadouts that designate class, and driveable vehicles. As a Battlefield fan I was okay with this but I’m not sure if this is what the Call of Duty fans want. I sure didn’t enjoy unlocking the ability to play with a sniper rifle. Even though it isn’t what I excel at I would like the option when I start playing and not when I’ve played a couple rounds with the worst rifle on offer.
As basically a new player to Call of Duty multiplayer the menu was a bit too busy to be super accessible, and I’m still not certain what every option and every tab is for. I do however appreciate that all the maps are free to players with optional passes that unlock gear for the season. I also like the fact that I was in crossplay matches which may be the best decision made in video game consoles because it greatly reduced my wait time to get into a match.
Overall Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a good title that is marred by the expectations that the Modern Warfare name brings with it. The campaign has some really stellar gameplay moments that are brought down by the mediocre plot. Multiplayer was fun but felt a bit like the competition’s output (despite there being no Battlefield release this year) which may be a turn off for some. I don’t think Modern Warfare 2019 has done anything to make me rethink waiting for substantial price drops to play Call of Duty campaigns, because clearly multiplayer is still Activision’s main focus and that’s just not where I get my kicks.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
