Much like a summer blockbuster movie, the Modern Warfare series has always deliver both intense edge of your seat, moments that is exhilarating. Sure, the previous Call of Duty games like WWII and the Black Ops series from Treyarch has delivered themselves that movie treatment with more of theatrical experience with its cutscenes and a cast of characters that you will always depend on in their own specific agendas. In any case, cinematic moments aside, this reboot of Modern Warfare is extremely promising much like God of War’s soft reboot if we are putting off an analogy here.
Being a reboot, this game has some subtle references from the original Modern Warfare much like the reboot of God of War with its different universe. The campaign is pretty robust, gameplay-wise as a shooting gallery, running and gunning in that fashion. It seems they took the exciting gameplay from those last generation, Modern Warfare games on providing many shocking and intense moments throughout the game like having CD attached to RC drones to directing an embassy personnel to safely. It’s great to see Captain Price again also, as they manage to make it more realistic rather in an action movie’s approach to the story, similar to Modern Warfare previous subject matter.
As a cinematic experience, much like the previous games, there’s an emotional toll that you and your teammates including Captain Price develop an attachment in some riveting moments throughout the game. Similar to Modern Warfare 3, there’s chemicals or Weapons of Mass Destruction from a terrorist group, again but it wasn’t done by Makarov’s ultra-nationalist group - it’s from a terrorist cell in a fictional country, Urzikstan. It feels like a huge disappointment from Infinity Ward to profile and stereotype the Middle East, fictional or not, being very Islamophobia, reminding that anyone that practices religion to be a terrorist. It’s a shame that this game pulls this offensive route, specifically having this terrorist attack using anthrax to gas London which you may remember from MW3 after you and the SAS are preventing the shipment of harmful chemicals before getting unleashed by it in a scene where you play as some tourists with their daughter. It’s really disappointing moment, despite having these shock value moments, it is yet again fun withholding some racial parts of the game. I mean, suicide bombers!! C’mon!
Aside from that the competitive multiplayer seems more refreshing unlike Black Ops 4 with its battle royale. With team Deathmatch, Ground War and Gunfight, it feels terrific - especially with Gunfight which is a round-based experience on smaller maps. The loadout of guns are determined and will rotate again throughout the match, much like Counter Strike. Ground War feels like Battlefield where you can take control of vehicles and helicopters in a massive map of 60 plus players where you try to control a number of control points. Other modes like Realism and Hardcore mode where you take more damage and it also removes your HUD entirely as you don’t know how close to you with your ammo. Kill streaks are back where a number of kills from you can make you control a harrier jet to a RC bomb car. Unfortunately, one mode is disappointing, Spec Ops which seems to be very difficult even with four of your online buddies trying to fend off waves of attacks but it is rather mundane and there is no tactical parts involved.
This reboot of Modern Warfare feels exhilarating indeed, from both online and offline perspective despite being Islamophobia and Spec Ops falling short of its mode. As a summer blockbuster sort of treatment, it’s just breathtaking to see it didn’t revert to rather, the Black Ops route with its Battle royale and its boring campaign but adds a sort of realism from the past games. I definitely had fun with the campaign, there are moments that are shockingly terrific in this shooting gallery type of game. Playing on a PS4, the game is also good-looking with its visuals and graphical detail through multiple locals from London to the fictional country, Urzikstan, is indeed breathtaking.