It is rare to come across people who know about video games that have not heard the name Call of Duty. The name rings true as one of the better series of games when it comes to first person shooters. Though the series had somewhat lost its way with time, it seems to be back with a bang. This time developer Infinity Ward borrows a prestigious name from the past. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from the year 2007 was a landmark game in not just the series, but also in FPS history. But the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is not a remake of the old one, rather just a look back into the past for inspiration. I played the game on PC and here’s my review.
Graphics, Music and Cinematics
Right off the bat, the visuals of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are stunning. The textures and lighting are more lifelike than you can imagine, and this brings out environments like you were on the ground. From the arid desert regions, to the misty jungles, and back to the glitz of civilization, every detail will make you marvel at the details. And its not just the environment that have stunning visuals, but the characters and objects well. You will be able to tell each beard apart, and even the pores on the skin of the characters. The objects and the guns received some visual love as well and reflect lighting and environment conditions with precision.
On to the music of the game, it has been composed by Sarah Schachner of Assassin’s Creed Origins fame. She composed the score of the previous Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare as well. I might sound a little biased here, but I have been a fan of her work with the other games, and find that she has done an equally great job here. The music will make you feel the situation and haunt you. The in-game cinematics during the campaign mode are made to fit the plot like a tee and nothing seems extra.
Story and Content
The campaign mode lets you choose from three different characters. These include CIA officer Alex, SAS Sergeant Kyle Garrick, and Urzikstan rebel leader Farah Karim. Though not a playable character, SAS Captain John Price is there in the game with the protagonists along with his mustache in all its glory. Before the release of the game, the developers had iterated that there will be hard-hitting sequences in the game (remember the airport massacre sequence from MW2). But the devs explained that it is not to desensitize the players but rather make them think of the consequences of their actions. I applaud the devs for creating such a storyline in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare that shows that there is nothing black and white about modern warfare. It’s not the World Wars anymore where there is good and bad. Telling the good apart from the bad is almost impossible in war today.
The game forces you to make difficult decisions, which makes things uncomfortable at times. I would rather not reveal these moments, because I don’t want to ruin the experience for anyone. The game consists of sequences that are not just your regular FPS. There is one where you had to put on night vision goggles and take out an enemy which is reminiscent of the operation to take out Bin Laden. There’s another where you solely control security cameras and are directing a hostage to safety. While in another you will be taking control of a child, making him avoid soldiers and to safety. This is definitely one of the better plotlines in the Call of Duty series, if not the best.
An equal number of players look forward to the multiplayer modes of new Call of Duty games, and Modern Warfare does not disappoint. There are many multiplayer modes as usual which include the likes of Team Deathmatch, Free-for-All, Headquarters, Cyber Attack (previously called Search and Destroy) and Domination. It also has a new mode called NVG where players wear Night Vision goggles and go into combat in a dark area. There are no visual indicators which mean that you won’t know if you downed an enemy or not, it just makes the experience hardcore. The other modes are just as impressive as they always have been. There have been concerns among players that this new game promotes camping a lot which is not totally untrue. Me being a hardcore rush player, have felt the wrath of those claymores. But that is not all there is to the multiplayer modes. Of course someone sniping from a balcony would need something to cover their flank. Players can unlock new visual content to the game and score streaks as well.
Controls and Gameplay
The controls of the game are as efficient as they have always been. There is nothing choppy about the controls of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Character controls as similar to the previous game and it’s pretty much the same with vehicle controls. Though different situations will require the player to innovative with their controls. As for the gameplay bit, it is unimpeded if the specs of the system are strong enough. I use a PC with Intel 7700k processor, Nvidia GTX 1070 AMP Extreme card, 16GB RAM and I experience FPS between 100-120 at max settings. This was uncapped FPS but there were some choppy frames when transitioning from the gameplay to the cutscenes. But that was nothing major to disrupt the experience.
Verdict
Infinity Ward deserves a pat on its back for a job well done with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The game excels in the visual department along with the plot and gameplay. It has fleshed out characters and very well defined multiplayer modes. Modern Warfare is a Call of Duty game in all the possible aspects of it. And it proves that even if it takes after the material from the original game it is still a brilliant game in its own right with a great campaign mode and multiplayer modes. It may need a few tweaks here and there, but it definitely is a game that not only Call of Duty fans should play, but others as well.
