Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered Review

Developer: Infinity Ward, Beenox

Publisher: Activision

Release date: March 31, 2020 (PS4), April 30, 2020 (Xbox One, PC)

Available on: PC, PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One

In 2009, Activision and developer Infinity Ward released the sequel to its smash hit Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare onto the PS3 and Xbox 360, continuing the story of Captain “Soap” McTavish and others as they fought a global war against terrorism. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 generated a fair amount of controversy by putting you inside a terrorist cell committing an attack on an airport in its “No Russian” mission as it told the tale of Vladimir Makarov and his plans to wreak havoc upon the world, especially upon the United States. It saw a depiction of a war caused between the United States and Russia, complete with stunning images of a war ravaged Washington, D.C. In 2009, these images struck home, as we weren’t as far removed from the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and we were still mired in wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2016, Activision delivered a remaster of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare alongside the futuristic shooter Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare to great success, and fans wanted the same treatment for the 2009 sequel. Now in 2020 the sequel gets a campaign only remaster. So, how well does it hold up?

Quite simply, as a first class shooter, it holds up very well. The biggest difference, though, may be how players will react to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered. Time has lessened the impact of such missions as “No Russian” and “Whisky Hotel”, but the game’s story is still solid enough. Once again we get a rotating cast of characters to play- Captain “Soap” McTavish, Sgt. Gary “Roach” Sanderson, Pvt. James Ramirez, and Pvt. Joseph Allen- across 18 missions in the 7-10 hour campaign. The missions are jam packed with action and furious firefights (even if it does feel slow when measured against id Software’s recent DOOM: Eternal), though they’re not as varied as the 2019 reboot of Modern Warfare. Still you get to use a nice variety of weapons (including piloting a Predator drone), and there is that thrilling snowmobile chase.

The game controls well, as has become standard for the franchise, and the updated visuals look great. Some may bemoan the lack of inclusion of the game’s multiplayer and Spec Ops modes, but the campaign is fun enough to return to to warrant its $19.99 (USD) price tag. Finding intel in the levels unlock modifiers that you can use on future playthroughs, and a completionist may need a couple of playthroughs to find all 45 pieces of intel, especially without the use of a guide. The modifiers are split across three categories- Challenge, Fun Time, and Visual- and you can have multiple modifiers activated at any given time. So, if you’d like, you can have soldiers with pineapple heads while playing in black and white for the noir feel, and have corpses drop grenades to make you extra wary of being near dead bodies. It’s a nice way to give the remaster some replayability, as well as some customization.

Finishing the campaign also unlocks a museum for you to walk through and look at exhibits based on the game’s missions. It’s neat seeing certain groups of soldiers standing in an exhibit recreating moments from the missions, with a display case holding all of the game’s weapons. A walk down the hall showcases the game’s vehicles. And, just to spice things up, should you ring the bell at the information desk, you will come under attack and need to fight your way through. It’s a neat little extra to enjoy.

In all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is a nice way to experience a great sequel to one of the franchise’s best games on current gen consoles. The price at least reflects that you’re not getting the full game, and it’s fun for those who have played the game before to return to and a nice introduction for newcomers to the series. The game still has some of the best controls of its genre, and the updated visuals look terrific on current consoles. Modifiers unlocked by finding intel in the missions give it a bit of replayability, even with the missing multiplayer and Spec Ops modes. It’s a game that holds up fairly well, and is still among the best shooters out there. Even if it is slow when compared against DOOM: Eternal.

8.5/10 stars