Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) Reviews
Modern Warfare 2 sets a new bar for Call of Duty all over again.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer moves the formula forward with bigger maps and more customization without sacrificing its bulletproof mechanics. [OpenCritic note: IGN separately reviewed the multiplayer (8) and single-player campaign (6). Their scores have been averaged.]
This year's Modern Warfare 2 has some good moments, some beautiful cinematics and some typically moreish multiplayer - but it's a cowardly retconning of the original's story.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's campaign is a disappointment and while there's fun to be had in multiplayer, it's missing important features.
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign is a riot from its impressive opening act to its explosive finale. While we're still waiting to test the multiplayer, the campaign makes a great first impression on behalf of the entire experience.
Whether any of this is enough to put off an audience inured to Call of Duty’s detached depiction of brutal warfare is anyone’s guess. Plenty of people can put up with a bit of ugliness if there’s still a pretty good time to be had overall. For Modern Warfare II, the good time offered by its multiplayer and in glimpses within its campaign may be enough.
Look no further than the integrated proximity chat, which incorporates voice and text. It's not nearly as nuanced as the Teamspeak plugins utilized by dedicated military simulation groups like Shack Tactical (a group of which I am a member, for what it's worth). Camelpoop420 sounds just as loud and shrill when he's across the street as when he's right next to you, and the directional audio in these situations is a bit hit-or-miss. But it gets the job done. You can heckle, you can taunt, you can make people panic as you stalk them through the smoke... or you can make friends.
Modern Warfare 2 dials back Call of Duty's multiplayer experience for a refreshing and more classic feel, but the overall package is incomplete. [OpenCritic note: GameSpot separately reviewed the multiplayer (7) and single-player campaign (8). Their scores have been averaged.]
I mean, do you see the genius in that? Do you see how Modern Warfare 2 says something, and then unsays it, but in a way you might not notice, but also leaves the writers, developers, and the entity of Call of Duty an escape route from any accusations of intent or subjective belief? In a postmodern world of alternative facts and the end of the metanarrative, where it seems like there are no answers, truth, or anything you can fully believe in or trust, and everything shifts all the time, I think Modern Warfare 2 is a kind of masterpiece. And now I imagine them using that quote, “Modern Warfare 2 is a kind of masterpiece,” on a poster or something later on, and everything around it won’t matter.
Modern Warfare 2’s campaign is a cocktail of modern mechanics, updated characters, and callbacks to classic missions and villains. By the end of it, the campaign ends up saying little of substance. And though that is certainly true of its predecessor, it at least had the gall to try.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is not a revolutionary entry in the franchise, but its multiplayer and co-op do just enough to make it an enjoyable Call of Duty.
A more measured approach to movement brings out the best of COD's arcadey shooting, but watch out for unwieldy unlocks and performance issues.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 packs one of the best multiplayer suites in the franchise’s history. That’s no small feat when you consider that this Modern Warfare (2019) sequel is the 19th mainline Call of Duty game. However, a lackluster campaign and bland co-op diminish the overall package.
A largely excellent COD campaign with a slapdash mixture of the spectacular and the middling, with all the tonal pitfalls you'd expect too.
I can’t predict if it will outsell Modern Warfare 2019, but it is off to a winning start. For sure, it is running fast out of the gate, and it’s going to get a big boost from the free-to-play Warzone 2 release in 15 days, as Warzone serves as a kind of gateway drug for the full title. I do think this game will have longer staying power with its multiplayer combat, so long as the stats and other new maps arrive in time.
With plenty more to test in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, we’ll update this review to include a breakdown of its multiplayer, but as far as the campaign goes, Infinity Ward has put out a solid effort that surpasses most Call of Duty campaigns we’ve seen over the last five years. It’s a good sequel to 2019’s reboot, but still follows some all too familiar tropes, with some of the characters not getting the spotlight they deserve. I’ve played a good chunk of it, but it’s too early to give proper impressions of its online components, so check back soon for our complete review along with a score.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 complies without taking risks. Its multiplayer mode is very fun, one of the most polished of recent times, although I miss some more experimentation.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Over the course of 8 hours playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, the game provided us with an enjoyable experience on all levels, from dialogues and cinematic scenes to improvements in the gameplay, and even the solid graphics level. All this provides us with an exceptional experience that we see as the best among many Call of Duty titles so far.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
If like me, you're a Call of Duty fan, this is very much more of the same — but that also means you can't really go wrong. Some new features feel unnecessary, whilst others feel like a tutorial for Warzone 2.0. Modern Warfare 2 is certainly let down by repetitive gameplay and missions that overstay their welcome. But, that said, Infinity Ward has given fans what amounts to a gripping story and stunning cinematic experience that's peppered with a few flawed concepts and disappointing elements.
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.