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!

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - Review

Since Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was released I have played it every year with the exception of last year.  I am not the biggest Call of Duty fan as a whole, mostly due to the fact I am not big into multiplayer and also some of the games are just not that good.  With a lot of first-person shooters, especially nowadays I feel the studios create a single player campaign as an after thought which really bugs me.  To me playing games is about your own singular immersive experience which I simply don't think you can achieve with multiplayer.  I think its's good to have the option of multiplayer but I feel along with many others that there should be more focus put back on the single player campaign.  First-person shooters often seem to blend into each other, why?  Because while there are some variations in the multiplayer experience they all feel too similar.  The one way to set them apart from each other and stand out is by having a solid story.  It worked in Bio Shock Infinite, Black OPS, Crysis, Far Cry, Half Life and The Darkness to name but a few.  I could talk about this stuff for hours but time to refocus, my point is Modern Warfare 2 has a great and engaging story which is why it stands out from the others and why so many people want it remastered.



Pies, pies, wonderful pies, they are a whole meal encased in pastry whats not to like?  With so many variations there is something for everyone (note to self buy some pies).  When I was growing up there were a few pies I really liked, one of them was steak and kidney.  It's not the nicest sounding or the best looking but it was damn tasty.  I tried one a few months ago and it was still good but not as tasty as I remember.  Playing Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 I found myself asking was this is tasty as it used to be?

Story


The game is set five years after the original Modern Warfare and the world sees a new enemy rise up after the death of Imran Zakhaev, his name Vladimir Makarov.  He has no allegiance, no political agenda and isn't afraid to commit murder or even genocide, he is one bad guy.  You get to see the story unfold from many characters perspectives including; Private Joseph Allen, Private Ramirez,
Captain McTavish and Sergeant Sanderson.  There is nothing more I can tell you as it would spoil the story.


This story has it all, betrayal, revenge, loss, war and lots of guns. It still holds up to the test of time and is a great story with a really good ending.  The game had me hooked as soon as I heard the intro, Captain Price saying 'what the hell kind of name is Soap anyway?', which is a call back to the first Modern Warfare.

Graphics


The game is starting to look dated but that isn't saying it looks poor either, it does however show that it does need to be remastered (hopefully in 2018).  The cut-scene at the beginning looks great and helps provide a recap from first Modern Warfare.  I know it's only a map showing illuminated green lines jumping all over the globe but it does look good.  There are some stand out places in the game, my three favorites were; Firebase Phoenix (where you first start out), The Boneyard and Cliffhanger missions.  Firebase Phoenix is a living breathing place, there are soldiers carrying out repairs, a few playing basketball, some training and others just hanging out. The Boneyard looks amazing especially all the old planes, half a fuselage here, a wing there, even a few rows of seats out in the open.  I also like the contrast between old and new, you have all these forgotten wrecks and then there are a ton of soldiers with up to date equipment fighting around them. The Cliffhanger mission is awesome for many reasons but one of them are the visuals.  At the start it has Captain McTavish causally smoking a cigar near the edge of a mountain, you get to look at the ice and snow capped mountains surrounding you and it just looks fantastic and that is just a taste of what the mission has to offer.



Music


The score for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is simply epic, it has the feel of a really good pulse pounding action movie and it really creates an intense atmosphere.  The two people responsible for this are:


Hans Zimmer who created the Main Themes in Modern Warfare.  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 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 an hour 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'.

Gameplay


On to the good stuff!  Let's talk about shooting mechanics, as a whole they were okay throughout but there were times I thought the aiming was off or the weapons were not as balanced as they should.  It wasn't enough to spoil my experience overall but it did throw me off a couple of times.  Everyone one has weapons of choice, mine were the UMP45, M14EBR and the combat knife.


My biggest concern when reviewing a game is that I will give away too much and spoil the experience for those reading it so I will try not to give away too much detail about the missions.  I will however provide some cliff notes.  The cliffhanger mission is great for people who love snow, snowmobiles and mountain climbing. The Gulag missions offer a varied pace which helps keeps you on your toes plus who doesn't like a prison break?  The Boneyard is chaotic fun and encourages you to choose flight over fight.  Then there is the mission Loose Ends, this is a tough one to talk about as it brings up a lot of emotions for me, so like any regular male I am going to keep quite and say nothing (it still hurts).


The campaign is short and depending on what difficulty you decide to play it on you could have it finished in as little as five or six hours.  It might be short but it certainly is sweet and even though some people complained about it I thought it was the perfect length.




Final Thoughts


So after fifty hours or so (well just under six hours this time) how did I feel?  Awesome, I really enjoyed playing it again and getting to experience the thrill of it all.  I am hoping next time I go to play it that it will be remastered as at this point it is really needed.  This one was easy to score and gets a 4 out of 5