‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2'
- Release date: 28 October 2022
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: Infinity Ward
- Age rating: 18+
The latest game in the series follows the covert exploits of Task Force 141 and Mexican Special Forces, working in a joint operation against the (fictional) terrorist cell Al-Qatala, which has managed to come into possession of American-made missiles and is working with the (again, fictional) drug cartel Las Almas.
Throughout the campaign’s 18-or-so missions, the joint special forces teams conduct operations across various fictional and real-life locations, such as Amsterdam, Mexico and Spain, along with fictionalised regions peppered in for good measure, such as Urzikstan and the United Republic of Adal, if only to erect straw men, onto which Modern Warfare 2 can project its ideals.
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Modern Warfare 2 does its best to make each of these excursions around the globe feel distinct enough, with a handful of standout moments where the tried-and-tested Call of Duty formula is given a chance to stretch its legs. Extended stealth sequences, where player characters have to find supplies to construct makeshift mines, flash grenades and weapons, feel like a far cry from the series’s usual penchant for the bombastic, but these are few and far between.
Where Modern Warfare 2’s campaign really strains is in its attempts to recapture lightning-in-a-bottle moments. One of the standout moments from 2019’s Modern Warfare was the mission “Clean House”, which saw an SAS team conduct a raid on a London townhouse occupied by a terrorist group.
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It was a slow, methodical crawl that was of particular note for its subdued approach to “realistic” engagement, and that sentiment seems to have carried over to its sequel. Similarly conducted missions in the latest game feel less like an undercover operation and more like a slow-moving shooting gallery. Doors pop open and enemies pile out but that sense of tension is hard to maintain when it happens with great abundance.
One level in particular makes a concerted effort to recreate the “All Ghillied Up” level, which is often seen as one of the most notable highlights from the original Modern Warfare. But in doing so, it fails to recapture the same energy of crawling behind enemy lines within a few feet of enemy soldiers – instead creating an overly expansive map that fails to suitably punish players for getting caught in the act.
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Similarly, taking over the controls of a gunship to clear out farms, “hacking” into security cameras to guide operators through patrolling guards and calling in drone strikes from a distance all bear a familiar resemblance to previous iterations, without improving on those moments. It’s like a “greatest hits” compilation, comprised of the series’s B-side tracklist.
While the series has deeply rooted itself in the collective conscience of gaming, for better or worse, its insistence on making reference to (arguably) its most controversial moment in the franchise as a Marvel-style sting for an expected sequel may leave those old enough to remember the original Modern Warfare 2 with a bitter taste in their mouths.