PS4 Review – Call of Duty: Modern (why did they call it this) Warfare

So what can be said about the 16th game in an annual series that has not already been said 15 times before?

Honestly, not much.

What can be said is that Modern Warfare is #1, a really stupid way of naming a game, as they already had this exact title 10 years ago, so not really sure the mindset to calling it this, since it is not a remake, and it is not really a reboot, just another story in the Call of Duty universe with some characters we know and love.

#2 – This marks the triumphant return of a single player campaign.

Last year in 2018 we got Block Ops 4, the first Call of Duty to ever ditch the single player mode in lieu of a multiplayer only title. In a move I suspect Activision made so they could save money on development as they believed most folks in their eyes only play the online game.

This hurt them BAD. Sale of BO4 were about 50% of what they usually sell. Not shocking when you remove 50% of the game.

It was also the first Call of Duty game in 15 years I did not purchase. So withholding dollars actually did work in this case.

Modern Warfare is really typical Call of Duty fair, there is a big crisis, you need to take charge and stop a world threat no one knows about all while staying under the radar enough to not incite another world war. It is a tried and tested formula, and honestly, it works.

There is a reason they tend to sell 20 million copies a year, people like to play the hero. As do I.

Combat is very slick, over the last 15 games they have worked every kink and glitch out pretty much. It is fast paced, and never really feels unfair.

I play all of the Coll of Duty games on the hardest setting possible to milk the most out of the single player I can. I also like that actual feeling of war in a way. Where a single bullet will tend to do you in.

This one however felt a little light on difficulty on the hardest setting. Other than a few instances of getting overwhelmed by a group of enemies, I never really felt in imminent danger of dying if I pooped my head out of the gopher hole.

Visuals this time around were top notch as well. An obvious engine change has done wonders for the game. With expertly crafted HDR on a well tuned system made for ink black shadows and pure white flashlights. One of the better HDR presentation out there honestly.

Sound, while not in Atmos, worked very well with simulated Atmos. From helicopters overhead to siper fire whipping overhead, the sense of sound immersion was great.

All in al lthe single player campaign was pretty great for a franchise that is pretty much same old same old every year.

I can’t comment on the other half of the game though, the multiplayer. I did not even dip my toe in that pool. It has been about 5 years since I played any Call of Duty MultiPlayer online, and the community then was rife with cheaters and campers, so I can’t imagine it got any better in the last 5 versions.

If you are looking for a stellar war campaign in a time tested franchise, then I highly recommend you pick up Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2019, you will not be disappointed.

A solid 9/10 for single player mode, and a big ?/10 for the multiplayer.