Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered - Review

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was originally released back in 2009, and the weeks leading up to its release I was pumped.  The first installment of Modern Warfare had an engaging story, the campaign did not feel like an afterthought, unlike some first-person shooters whose focus is purely on the multiplayer experience but fear backlash for having no single-player campaign and tack it on. When it was released I played the hell out of it and once that Modern Warfare arc came to close I dreamed of a day when Modern Warfare 2 would be remastered. The day finally came earlier this month.


I like peanut butter, I like chocolate, so naturally putting them together for me is like heaven. Enter Reese's Chocolate Eggs, they are the best example of this and right now I am already thinking how I will be devouring a few at the weekend. This combination of peanut butter and chocolate works well but not all combinations do.  Playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered (henceforth will be shortened to CODMW2CR (even the abbreviation is long)) I wondered did it combine things I love into something heavenly or was is reaching to be something it could never be?

Story


What makes the Modern Warfare series so interesting is that you don't just follow one character but a number of them, each is doing their own missions but they all tie together. The story sees Russia go to war with the US after an incident that occurred in Russia.


When starting the game I was asked did I want to remove myself from playing this mission? Why? Well at the time and now even it is seen as controversial.  The mission is called 'No Russian', your character is a US soldier who is undercover working for a very bad guy (understatement).  The mission has you walk into an airport with the very bad guy and his team and watch every person you lays eyes on be slaughtered. There are two options; engage in helping them kill everyone or simply watch the horror unfold.  Right at the end of the mission you are shot by the villain and left to die when it is discovered who you are it leads to Russia to invade the US. With a tense history between the two nations, it is not unfathomable that this would be the straw that finally broke the camels back and gave them the reason they needed to go to war with the US.


When I watch a horror movie I don't get the option to opt-out of the blood, gore, or possible violence, because I know going in this is likely to be part of the movie.  So why would it be done with a game, a first-person shooter that involves you killing people throughout it?  Sometimes scenes are put into movies just to cause outrage, it does not add or drive the plot and is just there for the sake of gratuity. Playing the mission 'No Russia' it adds to and drives the overall plot.  It establishes how bad this person, how if you were a Russian (or anyone with a heart) how it would hurt you to know this had happened to your people, and even how it might be conceivable that they would be justified in wanting revenge.  So with that all being said why should there be a choice to opt-out of the mission? If people are aware of it and don't like it, don't play the game, if they are aware of it they should have the knowledge and sense that there will be a lot of violence in the game.


When you break it down my point or rather my question is why censor or attempt to censor something that was already in the game from day one?  Killing hundreds of people in a game no one bats an eye, kill a load of civilians and everyone loses their mind. I guess what I am saying is if I go into a bar and have a drink and then see people drunk out of the mind getting angry, shouting, falling about the place, or throwing up should I accept it?  Maybe not. Should I be aware this might happen if I go into a bar? Yes.


Overall the story still holds up and is the best modern warfare story to date.

Visuals


The visuals are fantastic! Everything has been upgraded, the character models are more detailed, giving a more realistic look. The levels themselves are more defined, in some cases extra parts added to provide a more organic look. It is one of the best visual remasters I have seen as it is not just a simple 1080p to 4K upscale but a complete redesign of the entire game. It is clear that real-time and effort was put into the visuals and the results speak for themselves.  The game deserved a fresh coat of paint but ended up getting a lot more than that and really shows how come visuals in games have come.


Overall the visuals are all they could be and only hope they round it by remastering Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.



Music


The soundtrack has stayed the same with the exception of a small fine-tuning to give a clearer sound.
The score for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is simply epic, it has the feel of an excellent pulse-pounding action movie, and it really creates an intense atmosphere.  The two people responsible for this are:


Hans Zimmer created the Main Themes in Modern Warfare 2.  The man needs no introduction and has worked on and created musical masterpieces for many films, TV series, and games.  Some of his works include; Gladiator, Inception,  Black Hawk Down, The Rock,  Lion King, and The Darknight Returns.

Lorne Balfe is a Scottish born composer and created the main score for Modern Warfare 2.  He has a varied background, some of his works include: Terminator Genisys, Assassins Creed 3, Crysis 2
and Ghost in The Shell (2017)


The soundtrack runs at just under at over three hours which I found to be a great length considering how long the campaign is.  There were many great pieces, my favorites were; 'Ordinance', 'Extraction Point', 'Guerrilla Tactics', 'Onwards', and 'Safeguard'.


Overall the music still hits hard and works well and helps add more depth to the game as a whole.

Gameplay 


Similar to the visuals the gameplay has had quite the overhaul. One of the first things I noted was how you could examine your weapons, it's a small thing but looks really cool.  The weapons feel more balanced helping to provide a more immersive experience.


The enemies seem tougher and smarter, while I did play the game on hardened difficulty this far from my first rodeo and I only played the original Modern Warfare 2 last year and it did not feel anywhere near as hard.  This was welcomed though and added a new level of challenge to the game.


Something I always enjoyed about the game was the diversity of areas, some of which see you fighting through a gulag, on a snowmobile doing all you can to make a speedy escape while not being killed, traveling through different areas of Afghanistan, through caves and traveling down rapids. The game likes to keep you on your toes and does it well.


Often with first-person shooters, one of the biggest complaints from players and critics is how short the campaign is, this is not the case with CODMW2CR. The campaign is a good length and never feels too short or like it is dragging on too long.


Overall the gameplay is a lot of fun, it has revamped and adds a new challenge while still keeping its original charm.





Final Thoughts


So, after ten hours (yeah I got that long out of it) how did I feel? I feel a renewed love for the game. The story holds up well, the visuals are something else, the music is the same but if it ain't broke why fix it, and the gameplay is polished and more well balanced as a whole. This one did not leave me having to decide for long, this one gets a solid 5 out of 5, roll on CODMW3CR!