Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Modern Warfare gets the series back to its roots with plenty of nods to the 2007 original, but it also does enough to keep the game fresh and exciting, and it looks simply stunning on both console and PC.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the best entry the series has seen in nearly a decade. A riveting story, beautiful visuals, and addictive multiplayer are bolstered by new features that will keep you coming back for more. Modern Warfare is a must-play for anyone who enjoys the older Call of Duty titles, especially considering the steady flow of free content we've been promised.

COD: Modern Warfare is the dawn of a new era for the series and the show could not have been better than this. By embracing different categories of digital killers with some bold changes between gameplay, rhythm and level design, online FPS will have to compete with it from now on.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare manages to become that gritty-war franchise that we once knew and loved, but adapting its appearance and gunplay to 2019.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is one of the most thrilling and absorbing experiences I ever had in a very long time. The story is containing shocking scenes which will be remembered forever. And removing the season pass and enabling cross play is another plus that makes Modern Warfare a great game.

After a few years experimenting with the formula, Modern Warfare is a great Call of Duty that feels like a step forward for the series. There are some aspects that, we hope, will be polished over time, but overall we’ve really enjoyed it.

It’s undeniably well-made albeit controversial part of the series. One that tries to break the mold and open itself to another kind of player. It’s worth of praise, even if just for that. I recommend it especially to Battlefield players – you may be pleasantly surprised. [13/2019, p.50]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is worthy of the name, and that was no easy task for Infinity Ward. We also have to mention that Infinity Ward is only present in name, as the team that made the original 2007 iteration has long since departed Activision. I played the game on PC, and I have to have to say that it looks stunning. From the looks of it, each new edition of Call of Duty somehow manages to enhance the graphics without impacting the hardware. The only problem I found was the time it took to preload the shaders, a process that was supposed to take place only once. But it was triggered again after the update.

Small quibbles aside, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the best Call of Duty game we’ve had in years. It’s far from a wholesale reinvention but the shift toward more realistic, strategic, and grounded play leads to an experience that feels fresh and familiar at the same time. If, like me, you’ve been off the Call of Duty bandwagon, you owe it to yourself to hop back on and give it a try.

Infinity Ward has thrown overboard ballast that has been dangling into Call of Duty in recent years and at the same time manages to bring back the fascination and feel of the first Modern Warfare parts.

Modern Warfare is by far the top CoD of the current decade, featuring improved graphics, a remarkable campaign and the freshest multiplayer the series has ever had. It remains CoD to the bone, so if that doesn't discourage you, buy it without hesitation.

It’s hard to tell why there was so much ado about single-player campaign: controversial topics aside, it’s completely mediocre. On the other hand, the multiplayer mode is one of the best in latest instalments of Call of Duty series. [Issue#241, p.49]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's combination of modes is an easy recommendation for long time enthusiasts. However, the campaign feels really short and not up to expectations, and multiplayer modes feel hastily put together and thrown around without real consideration of what works and what does not.

It might be a reboot, but Modern Warfare’s observations about, well, modern warfare are entirely its own. Neither the campaign nor the multiplayer are in any way weaker than in the original Call of Duty 4 - and that is quite the praise indeed.

Coming from someone who’s been jaded about the franchise since 2011′s Modern Warfare 3, Infinity Ward’s reboot should be cause for celebration. It knows what it does best, and does it better, all the while offering a complete suite of modes and features.

The story of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare knows how to convince. The creators of Infinity Ward present here a special shooter experience that is somewhat different from the typical formula of the Activision shoot-out. The wacky Michael Bay action has been brought down a bit, but in return the title now tells a story that breaks social taboos and blurs the boundaries between good and evil. This more serious approach pleases, but unfortunately it wasn't thought to the end. A more critical or reflective approach to the topic of war would have been the premise. But that remains - apart from the somewhat scarce game size and the compulsory online connection - the only point of criticism. The co-op- and multiplayer-mode offer more reason to complain. The special unit missions seem somehow half-baked and lack announced features. The multiplayer battles suffer from the partly confusing maps, which seem to reward a passive way of playing. This clouds the overall impression a bit, even if the title can otherwise fully convince in terms of gameplay.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s varied gameplay modes and excellent gunplay suggest the series is headed in a promising direction.

It’s a great-looking game with really strong sound design. That stuff helped make the campaign worth seeing, and it’s part of why I keep coming back to the competitive multiplayer, too.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare tries to be a serious commentary on present-day conflicts, but is mostly just another Call of Duty game by nature of the series's longstanding blind spots.

Modern Warfare is a really interesting heir to CoD 4, with its deeper gameplay, and a fair philosophy that excludes Season Pass while bringing crossplay, cross-platform, and a lot of content for solo, co-op, and multiplayer on multiple scales, from 2V2 to 32V32.

Modern Warfare evolves the series for the better, but it could be so much more.

While not every multiplayer addition is as good as it could be, Modern Warfare’s campaign sets a new gold standard for the series that will be hard for sequels to match.

Modern Warfare is not a stellar game, but decent first-person shooters about modern conflicts are so few and far between that it’s surprisingly satisfying.

Crammed with different modes and maps, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare offers extensive multiplayer possibilities. The online action is slower, with emphasis on sound cues and open maps, and the campaign is better than average thanks to mission variety and choreographed house incursions. Despite the PC technical issues, it is a noteworthy reboot.

The pitfalls of Spec Ops don't detract from what Modern Warfare does well, though. Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts. And while the campaign ends up playing it safe in the end, it's still a memorable one, and it lays a strong foundation for where the Modern Warfare series could go from here.