In this article you will find the review of Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, the second chapter of the new series of COD. Will this new juncture in the saga succeed in reviving the fortunes of the most famous shooter in the world?
After the release of Vanguard, which has disappointed much of the press and players, the scepter returns to the skilled hands of the Infinity Ward boys who try to create a Call Of Duty capable of entertaining, introducing a more mature and thoughtful gameplay, all without ever distorting the brand or the style that distinguishes the saga.
A solid gameplay, but that with some additions manages to innovate without ever losing focus. The campaign is a great showcase for a spectacular game, that looks more and more like a Hollywood colossal. Unfortunately, the incomplete plot and with obvious narrative holes accompanied by an uninspiring villain contain the success. However, it remains an excellent production there are many high points of view.
A campaign between ups and downs
We are facing a sequel to a reboot that boasts, however, a plot almost completely unrelated to past events. There is obviously no shortage of quotations and historical characters from the saga and, as already mentioned, the campaign can be played and enjoyed safely even by those unfamiliar with the game’s past. As usual, the vicissitudes narrated are a pretext to take up a rifle and put on a show. Everything would have closed like this for a normal COD, but the guys from Inifinty Ward have again made available to players a number of reasons why the single-player campaign alone is worth a good part of the ticket.
We are not at the levels of the previous chapter of MW, but thanks to a series of known charismatic characters, and a few successful new entries, the campaign runs pleasant and satisfying for all the seven, eight hours it takes to complete it. Task Force 141, commanded on this field mission by Ghost Rider, iconic and beloved character of the saga, will have to thwart a terrorist attack that aims to bring the United States of America to its knees. The plot of the game is practically this and net of some insertion on Mexican soil. Excellent the inclusion of a new and well-characterized character while the missions will be a series of events related to good and better by a narrative thread, sometimes interrupted by a few holes here and there, scattered around the Middle East. There will be moments of spectacularity, as well as the classic points “à la Call of Duty” in which a handful of men will be able to vanquish a small portion of the enemy army.
Entertainment at any cost | Call of Duty Modern Warfare II review
Just like in some Fast And Furious movies, to play Call of Duty Modern Warfare II you have to put aside that portion of gray matter dedicated to consistency and simply enjoy the show. Without making spoilers, the change of scenarios, locations and above all the possibility of feeling omnipotent will not be lacking. The story flows well and is held aloft especially by situations and variables, making us soon forget a plot that is meaningless in some places, but which will give us the opportunity to give vent to our creativity and our desire to create a little healthy. and fictitious chaos.
The most iconic characters, combined with the new generation, are charismatic beyond all limits and unfortunately they overshadow a villain who won’t be able to hold the supremacy of the chosen teamalmost totally canceled, and certainly not able to leave a trace of itself in the memory of the players.
Fun and solid gameplay | Call of Duty Modern Warfare II review
The feedback of the weapons, the various recoils and the differences in use and approach to the different guns manage to make everyone really have fun. The enemies, and consequently also the gamer, fall to the ground easily and all this makes the game hectic and exciting. In addition to the classic modes such as “Team Deatmach”, “Domination”, “Search and Destroy” and “Kill Confirmed”, “Prisoner Rescue” and “Knockout” also appear, where the slightest mistake is enough to go to the bench. Obviously there is no lack of versions of the main modes in an amplified version with 32 players, land vehicles, airplanes and bots to flavor everything.
Third-person mode has also been added, which, however, has left us rather perplexed, not to say disappointed, under various circumstances. One example above all are the start-up match scenes that happen in the third person and switch to the first in a deliberate way, without a well-made or captivating transition. On the other hand, the aiming system is good which, contrary to what we saw in the beta, always remains in the third person unless you use long-range sights or sniper rifles.
A good number of maps with different scenarios | Call of Duty Modern Warfare II review
The number of maps is more than enough to give a sense of novelty for quite some time, with Infinity Ward and Treyarch managing to create eleven maps for classic modes and five additional maps for large-scale battles. The level design proves effective and fun: between walls to be climbed over, dilapidated buildings and streams to cross, everything is different every time. This allows us to develop new attack strategies every time, for example, in the map where the entrance to a highway is simulated, the level design is practically fundamental. Each vehicle is ready to explode and detonate the surrounding cars and it will therefore be easy to cause a series of rather important damage: a fragmentation grenade thrown at the right moment could even wipe out the opposing team in one blow.
Obviously, there is also a cooperative mode, albeit limited, which will allow us to face battles in the company of friends. Currently there are only three cooperative campaigns, but we are sure that with the next updates the mission portfolio will be greatly expanded.
Fire Mouths and Accessory Management | Call of Duty Modern Warfare II review
As far as weapons and gunplay are concerned, we have almost nothing to complain about. The new management of the unlocking of weapons allows us not to have many immediately and in order to get as many guns as possible it will be necessary to accrue a considerable number of experience points. Furthermore, the weapons evolve starting, as always, from the basic ones to progressively advance towards the most effective ones. As for the management of accessories, those obtained by advancing level by gamers will remain at the disposal of the basic weapon and all its variants. In other words, the continuous change and evolution of weapons, while maintaining the basic accessories already unlocked, will never allow the player to become bored.
The management of the Perks also changes which, despite being four per class, only two will be available from the start of the game. The others will only unlock midway through or towards the end of the match, which would probably have been almost perfect for a single special ability. All in all, however, the choice will force the player to develop increasingly stratified strategies and to prepare different classes also in view of different types of modes. The balance of the weapons looks pretty good and whether you choose to carry a submachine gun, an assault rifle, a tactician, a pump or a sniper you will be able to compete safely in every match. The recoil of weapons like the feedback itself that is returned is different and well structured even with weapons of the same class.
Well structured technical sector | Call of Duty Modern Warfare II review
Both for the campaign and for the multiplayer, the graphic level is very high. Obviously the attention to the campaign is slightly higher, at least for the faces and for the details, but even in multiplayer the technical level remains superfine. The maps are well thought out and rich in detail without a limited amount of edgy textures. The particle effects given by the explosion of the bullets, such as the dust that remains in the air after an explosion, really make it all more exciting.
It is also a duty during the campaign mention the underwater movements that are also minimally found in a multiplayer map. In these situations, both the movements and the firing create an effect that smacks of innovation, and it is truly exciting. And the innovation does not lie in the simple fact that it is difficult to find a video game that allows you to shoot underwater, but also because it is almost impossible to find one that makes it so superfine.
The models of the cars, those of the main characters and supporting actors are made in a painstaking manner and despite the amount of detail, for obvious reasons, undergoes a slight decline in the online maps, the result is still remarkable. Optimization on PC is also excellent that despite our now aging RTX 2080 allows us to play at a very high level of detail without making too many compromises with the frame rate. Less well the management of menus and sub-menus that are confusing and impractical. To change modes or simply to understand which camouflages we have unlocked or to be able to figure out how to do it it will take so long that it is more likely that the desire to do it passes. Pity.
Welcome back Call of Duty Modern Warfare II
In conclusion of this review, after the not much appreciated Vanguard, we would like to reassure Call of Duty players with Modern Warfare II. Thanks to this new chapter it will be a pleasure to return to play first a fun and exciting campaign, and then a multiplayer that knows how to keep players glued to the screen. It is probably not the most accessible title to the new generation, who will have to deal with a structured gameplay that sees the ttk (time to kill) lowered. In Call of Duty Modern Warfare II you die quickly and for those who approach this saga for the first time, everything could be frustrating, at least for the first hours of the game. Our advice for the new generation, but a little for everyone, is to end the campaign in order to better assimilate the gunplay. The new COD is fun and beautiful to look at and, net of some small imperfections, it is certainly among the best productions of recent years. It will hardly be abandoned by the community also thanks to the sure improvements that the guys from Ininity Ward will bring.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S. Let us know if you have purchased it below in the comments, we will continue to keep you updated with all the news, guides and reviews on videogame and tech! And if you are interested in game keys at affordable prices, we recommend that you take a look at the InstantGaming catalog!
fun and rewarding
Points in favor
- Well optimized technical sector …
- A fun campaign …
- Good balance and weapon handling
Points against
- … even if you could …