It's Good to Be Back | Modern Warfare Remastered Campaign Review Modern Warfare changed the FPS franchise as we know it. World War II games were dominating the market at the time and Modern Warfare changed all that. It also skyrocketed the multiplayer FPS into mainstream media and set the standard for online multiplayer. But thats not what I reviewed. I only played the single player story. Its a feature that a majority of the current player base for COD dont bother with, but something I have always enjoyed. I cannot describe the amount of nostalgia that hit me playing the game that launched COD into the powerhouse that it is today.
This goes back to before all the space battles and superpowers. People dont have exo-suits that grant them inhuman ability. They dont have jetpacks strapped to their back so they can double jump and run against a wall. There are no weird gadgets that you have to suspend all concepts of reality. No robots, no new world order, no mythos taken too farnothing. I never knew how much I missed the basics until now. Captain Price came back like an old friend and the first mission immediately got my blood pumping. There wasnt a massive large-scale battle or showy effects to get you hooked. Its an intense small squad operation where you storm a ship. Your companions shout out orders and communication. Thats it. There is nothing fancy happening here. Its a basic breach and grab the intel. Its so basic that its almost hard to believe its a COD mission. But it excels in its simplicity. Modern Warfare is definitely simple by todays standards. Most missions have you running from one point to another (something the COD series never really strays from) and shoot the heads that pop up above walls. When you play as Soap of the SAS you get smaller squad based missions with a few tricks like night vision goggles and air support. When you play as a US Marine, you are in the larger battles where everything is exploding, helicopters are soaring, and plenty of mass chaos. The mission structure never changes much throughout the game. I have grown accustomed to vaulting over an object in a blink of an eye, throwing a grenade, and unloading a magazine into a group of enemies. Modern Warfare reminds me that I am playing as a human and must act like it. Climbing over an object has a weighty (and clumsy) dip and slow movement to it. Overall, I noticed a slower movement to my characters actions than what Im used to. Its almost as if Modern Warfare is reminding me that its okay to take a second to breathe before running ahead. This is not a bad thingand another friendly reminder where COD originated from. It isnt fair to compare this remaster to other shooters of today. I have been doing so in the lightest terms just to give you a proper idea of how it differs. The developers did a great job with updating the graphics and giving it a nice new shiny coat. It wont blow you away, of course, but its impressive enough to carry itself proudly.
The game is still close to a decade old and you can see the dated feel in level design, story presentation, and each missions individualization. The story is told quickly and without much flash. Its easy to not even know whats happening. I do wonder if I didnt have the nostalgia tied to the game if I would care for the story as I do. I remember it being grander, but I was younger when I
first played it. I was wowed by everything. The real dated feel is how the missions are designed and carried out. My squad constantly got in my way and even would push me out of my hiding place. They were locked into their route and I could do nothing but follow along. The levels have scattered debris thats become fairly basic and expected in shooters. Nowadays games make an attempt at least to give you a few options on how to get to the objective. Modern Warfare was before that time. The path from point A to B is as clear as day. Its simply a matter of what cover you will hide behind whether it be a broken fence on amound of dirt, destroyed building, cargo container perfectly placed, or other basic shooter cliches. My favorite dated feel is how Modern Warfare reminds you a few times that you can shoot through walls to kill enemies. Its something almost expected in games of today. Im not faulting Modern Warfare for this. Back when this game was new that was a pretty fun feature and I remember being amazed by it. My point being, Modern Warfare got a new coat of paint, its plenty of fun to play, but its still a game made a decade ago and it feels like it. Modern Warfare isnt going to bring anything new or unexpected to the table. Its simple and basic. It holds your hand a little too much and leads you down a narrow corridor. Yet, its still a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. I will always take a well-crafted, linear single player, over a big, messy, impressive one. The missions are strict with what they allow you to do, but when those moments of impact hit you, like crawling through the field in the mission All Ghillied Up. They really, really hit you.
Modern Warfare is considered a classic at this point and it really should be. Im glad a new group of gamers who may have missed it the first time around can experience it. It doesnt try to be any bigger than it is. It doesnt need robots, giant satellite death rays, or super-suits. It impresses with its characters, realistic story, and simple, but fantastic gameplay. This review is based on a review code of the Playstation 4 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered Single Player developed Infinity Ward and distributed by Activision.