I feel like I mention this at the start of every Call of Duty review, but I’ll say it again. Call of Duty is my preferred franchise for multiplayer gaming, and I’m generally playing each year’s instalment, regardless of the varying levels of quality. Yes, there have been multiple ups and downs over the years, but it’s no secret that last year’s Black Ops 7 was certainly more down than up, as far as its convoluted campaign was concerned. That being said, I actually had fun with its multiplayer modes.
While the rebooted Modern Warfare series had left things on a rather sour note, again, as far as its shorter campaign was concerned, I don’t blame you for hesitating on whether or not to go ahead and jump into Modern Warfare 4. Thankfully, this latest instalment is actually quite a high point for the series, and it’s easily the best entry since 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot.
While it does have its issues, it is undoubtedly a solid return to form, thanks to its rollicking campaign, grounded multiplayer and dense DMZ mode.
Campaign
Modern Warfare 4’s campaign is told from multiple perspectives, but primarily from that of two distinct characters: newcomer Private Park Hyun-Jun and fan favourite, Captain John Price. Private Park Hyun-Jun’s perspective places you right in the thick of North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, spearheaded by the game’s antagonist, The Archer. It’s 18-year-old Park’s first time in active combat, being unwillingly conscripted and placed in the squad known as Sierra-1. These moments are incredibly tense and traumatic, as we process not only the effects of war on soldiers, but also on civilians and civilian life as we know it.
Captain John Price returns, this time on the run from the military, having paired up with the Las Almas cartel leader, Valeria Garza, in a bid to get close to The Archer. Hot on the heels of John are his Task Force 141 pals, Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley and Captain Kyle “Gaz” Garrick. While there’s much more of a personal connection to Price for fans, I do prefer the breakneck pacing of these missions, which feel more like well-coordinated set pieces, leading to an epic climax of some sort. Each mission also feels like a homage to another action franchise, which is awesome. Early on in the campaign, Price forces his way into a nightclub to track down returning villain Makarov, and I swear it’s something out of John Wick, in the way you move through uniquely lit rooms, pistol in hand.
Either way, both missions between Park and Price feel consistently engaging, with one of Park’s missions letting you explore a more open-ended map and complete three unique objectives however you see fit. It’s definitely warming you up for the DMZ mode in terms of its structure, but it’s a nice injection of variety and creativity that rarely feels stitched together or undercooked, much like Modern Warfare 3’s campaign, which literally reused Warzone assets and maps.
Given the campaign is so fast-paced and direct, it can feel a little on the shorter side. Still, I would argue it gets the point across, even bearing some emotional resonance in its closing moments, particularly for fans of both the franchise and these characters.
DMZ
The DMZ mode may have been introduced in Warzone prior to Modern Warfare 4, but it’s certainly its own unique mode within this game. While extraction shooters are all the rage at the moment, I can appreciate Modern Warfare 4’s decision to include this as a secondary mode, instead of making it the sole focus.
I wouldn’t say it’s going to lure in players who aren’t already a fan of this type of experience, but what’s here is admittedly impressive. Hajin serves as the main PvPvE map for this DMZ mode, and it’s honestly massive. So much so that you can honestly spend hours here without exploring the entire map.
You’ll spend the bulk of your time completing either the six dedicated story missions, which expand upon the lore of Modern Warfare 4, or partaking in the Dynamic Operations, which are procedurally generated missions that give you a random assortment of objectives. Either way, you’ll head in, collect as much special or valuable gear as you can in a 30-minute window, and extract. Die before extracting, and you’ll lose all your gear. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, especially if you’ve played something like Escape From Tarkov or even Arc Raiders, but it’s definitely serviceable.
Along the way, you’ll even get the chance to level up your Operator’s Dog Tags and unlock a range of Traits, which essentially behave like perks, spread across three unique Trait trees: Warfighter, Scout and Survivalist. Warfighter Traits essentially increase your combat effectiveness in outright combat, while Scout Traits increase your ability to find and acquire loot, and Survivalist Traits increase your ability to heal and stay alive on each run. There’s a fair amount on offer, and it really does allow you to create and tweak your own preferred playstyle and approach.
While it’s a genre I’m personally not a fan of, I really do commend its inclusion as a robust and expansive mode that gives you a reason to stick around for the long run, both solo and with friends.
Multiplayer
I’m normally here for the multiplayer, and am really picking up what Modern Warfare 4 is putting down this year, but there are a few things to note. Time to kill is normally a little quicker in Modern Warfare entries as opposed to Black Ops entries, but that doesn’t feel like the case here. Time to kill might be slightly quicker, but not by much. Instead, Modern Warfare 4 has removed weapon bloom, a feature that would cause your bullets to spread randomly within a small designated area, which generally widens the longer you fire your weapon. As a result, Infinity Ward has decided to reinforce your reliance on aiming skills and make you an easier target from further away.
Now, there are two ways to look at these newer encounters. For one, I was never a fan of the wall running and jetpack double jumping from previous Black Ops titles, so I’m much more in favour of more dedicated positioning and realistic uses of cover and cornering. That being said, the lack of even things like the Omnimovement system does unfortunately lead to more basic map designs. It’s not to say that they’re all flat and dull, but the inclusion of certain walls and openings in something like Black Ops 7, for example, did increase the pacing and verticality of firefights, which some may understandably prefer.
There are 12 Core 6v6 maps at launch, and they’re all decent, even if a couple favourites like Lotus and Silkworm have taken the early lead. The dedicated smaller Gunfight and larger Ground War: Combat Outpost maps are also fine, but do little to reinvent the wheel or shake things up for those modes if you weren’t a fan of them already.
As a result, the new Kill Block mode has provided the goods thus far, beyond anything else. It’s essentially one dynamic map that merges the layout and elements of 3 maps, split into thirds. Given that every match is different, it really encourages you to either learn the map fast or simply rely on your skills, all while making things like spawn trapping and camping that much harder to do. I will admit that across the 12 Core maps, spawn trapping is still an issue, and I hope that they fix this in time.
Most of the remaining multiplayer offerings like customisation and progression feel par for the course, but again, this could either be great or disappointing, depending on the type of Call of Duty experience you prefer. While it hasn’t blown the doors off the franchise or reinvented the wheel, it’s certainly a welcome return to form.
Final Thoughts
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is one of the best entries in years, and arguably the best Modern Warfare game since 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot.
While I think most players will find their favourite mode or experience over time, it’s hard to deny how good each of these three pillars is, be it the exhilarating campaign, dense DMZ mode and solid multiplayer offerings.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Same solid gunplay; Campaign is great; Plenty to do in DMZ; Multiplayer feels good
Lowlights: Lack of Omnimovement can lead to disappointing level designs; Spawn trapping is still an issue in multiplayer
Developer: Infinity Ward, Beenox, Digital Legends
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 Pro with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image provided by the publisher.
