Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) Reviews
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II delivers what could be the best multiplayer of the series since the original entry in the Modern Warfare franchise, while providing a very safe and almost disappointing campaign to its side.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 comes in as the 19th instalment of the series. It’s easily the best-looking Call of Duty game to date, and the graphics shined on my PS5. The campaign mode is a little lacklustre, but there are plenty of multiplayer modes to explore, even if Infinity Ward hasn’t ironed out all the performance issues just yet.
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.
The standard multiplayer generally retains the series’ three-lane structure, although some new maps (including one set at the aforementioned border and filled with explosive cars) smartly mix things up. With the huge success of Call Of Duty’s battle royale, Warzone, and its enormous player counts and vast maps, it almost seems like a novelty to indulge in short multiplayer battles with regular bursts of spawn/kill/die action. The Special Ops co-op mode also makes a return, although it’s less distinct than previous entries and it hews irritatingly close to Warzone’s expanse. It’s strange to see Call Of Duty so circumspect but overall this is an impressive package.
Despite corrections making for an improved all-around package, Modern Warfare II continues the series' ongoing trend of paling in comparison to its original namesake.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, not to be confused with the sequel to Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2 is a great package. The roughly 8-hour campaign throws more twists and turns at the players than a day at an amusement park. It was a joy to not have to clear one corridor of enemies after another for the entirety of its run. Not to mention the stellar graphics on the campaign mode, combine all that with what is arguably the best Call of Duty multiplayer experience we have had in years, and you end up with a recipe for success that Infinity Ward is all too familiar with cooking up.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II has both pros and cons blended together. For every fleshed-out character and voice line, we have a mediocre plot. For every tactical gameplay, we have a lack of explosive set-pieces, and for every Co-op mission, we have a grindy multiplayer where 14-year-olds describe how they had consensual intercourse with their mother. All in all, it’s a good game but it somewhat feels like it’s similar to the earlier Battlefield games (except 3) where the maximum focus was on the multiplayer instead of the main campaign. That said most of the multiplayer content will be drip fed to you over the course of the next two years. If only the devs could reduce the number of bugs in this game as it’s too much for a meagre 6–7-hour campaign. However, if you’re in only for multiplayer, it’s quite good.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II makes for an average campaign experience with its multiplayer carrying the load.
A brand new Call of Duty that brings back the feeling of old Call of Duty
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 returns in a remake that fails to fully satisfy. The gameplay is certainly among the best on the market in the shooting aspect, but it has serious problems that lead to this chapter being considered the worst of the entire saga.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.
We've played a lot of war games, some were really good, others were just horrible and my expectations for this game were a little low, also because lately the series has promised a lot and delivered little. However, we were surprised quite positively. The story is simply incredible and maybe one of the best if not the best we've ever played in a Call of Duty game (yes, we dare say it's better than the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2). It has a bit of everything, drama, plot twists, anxious moments and plenty of enthusiasm. The multiplayer is well polished (except the respawn), with everything to improve even more over the coming months. In general, Activision has once again shown that it manages to reboot without tarnishing the image of a game that was once recognized by many as the best of the year in question.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II once again focuses on multiplayer and nails the landing in that regard. The singleplayer and co-op modes are a bit more mixed, though.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
After almost 20 years on the frontline this most enduring of shooter series is still finding new ways to blow up bad guys
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is a monster of a game with a phenomenal campaign and fantastic multiplayer and well worth your hard earned cash.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II brings the core of what makes CoD games great and stays true to Infinity Ward's best efforts in the series. It's big step away in a positive direction from last year's Vanguard disaster. I just wish there was a bit more meat to sink my teeth into. The single player campaign makes no attempt at a commentary but will have you running through a series of competent missions and set pieces. Multiplayer is what you would expect from the series, both with competent gunplay as well as a map playlist that will need to expand over time. The new co-op mode seems a better experience with a friend than queuing with a random from the lobby. All in all there is good game on offer that moves slicker and the shine on your assault rifle looks more gorgeous than the series ever has.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is an improvement over Call of Duty: Vanguard. The single player plays well, despite the fact that you buy this for the online multiplayer. Infinity Ward is certainly not finished with this part and there will also be a lot of new content such as new maps in the coming period. Infinity Ward is already busy with that and with the first season and Warzone 2.0, the fans will be sweet for a while. The only hope is that Infinity Ward will also give the necessary attention to Cooperative and what exactly they want to do with Raids. All in all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is another big blast, but a blast with a recognizable flavor.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Now we come to what Call of Duty is known for and this is where both Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Infinity Ward themselves excel and after spending 20 years improving and perfecting their craft it shows. The multiplayer is a finely tuned masterpiece which improves on all of the previous iterations, yes there were a few teething issues with matchmaking but nothing that really spoilt my experience.
As I have said earlier, I am looking forward to sinking hours into the multiplayer of Modern Warfare 2 despite its nagging issues. Yet I can't recommend it to casual gamers largely owing to its price. Activision is also notorious for never putting Call of Duty games on discounted sales. So, only go for this game if you are the type of player who craves the challenge of online gaming. Despite ending on a strong note, the campaign is not enough to justify paying its premium cost.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) is a fine sequel that checks all of the boxes when it comes to a serviceable CoD campaign, good co-op options, and a super shiny competitive multiplayer that plays well enough for most. However, Infinity Ward has played it safe with this CoD installment, leaning into the strengths of Modern Warfare (2019) while making minor improvements, but ultimately failing to push the envelope in any meaningful way.