Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019): Does it Live up to the Hype?

By David Cohen

​The new installment of the popular Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare (2019 edition), has players all around the world excited to see a reboot of the well known Modern Warfare series. But does this re-imagining live up to the hype? Let’s dive deep into all aspects of the game.
The series refreshes players with a reboot of the classic Modern Warfare series, which was overwhelmingly popular. The story is set in a fictional, yet realistic, modern era cold war between the U.S and Russia, and the player follows a CIA officer code name Alex and SAS Sergeant Kyle Garrick through a fictional war on terrorism.

The first mission’s objective is to obtain a shipment of dangerous chemical gasses that is supposed to be recovered by Alex and Marine Raiders but is intercepted by hostile forces. Twenty-four hours later, the shipment is found and used in the hands of a terrorist organization called Al-Qatala. The chemical weapons are used in a bombing in the middle of London, switching the perspective to CIA operative Kyle Garrick, who is accompanied by SAS Captain John Price, a character from previous Call of Duty games. Throughout the missions, there are many violent scenarios, so parents should not advise younger children to play the game. 
Like the story mode, the multiplayer mode also introduces a much more realistic and tactical experience. Time to kill, or the amount of shots it takes to kill an enemy, is much faster, but the pacing is much slower compared to other arcade-style shooters. Classic game modes return such as team deathmatch, a 6v6 match that is won based on who has the most kills in the ten-minute game. Another original game mode is domination, a point-based mode in which two teams of six fight to capture and defend three flags across the map.  
New game modes are also introduced. For example, gunfight, a 2v2 round based deathmatch that gives players access to different weapons every two rounds. Another game mode is NVG (night vision goggles). In this mode, the player experiences classic modes in the dark. The game does a very good job of executing how night vision is utilized by soldiers in the real world. It is a common misconception that soldiers aim through their optics under helmet-mounted night vision units, but this game finally gets it correct, as it depicts soldiers  utilizing an infrared laser to trace their shots. The multiplayer mode also includes a cooperative mode where four players can team together to complete various missions in spec ops or survive infinite waves of AI controlled enemies in survival. 
Modern Warfare (2019) was the first Call of Duty I have purchased in years. Although there are some minor issues with the game, such as standard bugs and glitches, overall, it has brought back the excitement many fans in the gaming world lost over the past few years.

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