Currently you can Modern Warfare II for free with purchase of a system powered by an 11th Gen i5, i7, or i9 Intel Core Processor or 12th Gen i5, i7, or i9 Intel Core Processor, don’t miss out on one of 2022 biggest games.
Some people keep asking an odd question and that is something to the effect of “What happened to Call of Duty?”
For many more mature gamers who are more into team-based FPS titles, like Squad, the long-running Call of Duty franchise has never been impressive. It’s generally perceived as a fast-twitch game for younger audiences, which is fine, every game has its niche.
I will say that while wasn’t without its flaws, 2019’s Modern Warfare was a high point in the modern entries of the series. If I had hopes that this year’s release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II would have been a continuation of that form, they were let down by a flawed release that has seen little in the way of post-launch support thus far.
While there are single-player aspects to the game, let’s be realistic: Multiplayer is considered the main draw here, and to their credit, the developers have put more of a spin on it compared to the previous Modern Warfare offering.
One surprise was its new multiplayer mode called Hostage Rescue, in which respawning is disabled and one team must attempt to rescue a pair of hostages being held by the other team. The exact placement of the hostages is somewhat random, and it makes for a style of tense, methodical gameplay normally found in, well, games that aren’t Call of Duty.
Another new mode is called Invasion, which not only has two teams of 20 players facing off on a larger map but there are also a variety of vehicles to take to the field. Also, there are 20 AI soldiers on each team that will push the front, and while it’s almost always obvious which is which, it does make the overall battle feel large without the expense of an overly chaotic front line.
The last of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s new modes is Knock Out, which is another no respawn mode that pits the team against each other to see who can grab a bag of cash and hold onto it until either the round ends or the other team is wiped out.
And for vets of the series, a lot of old favorites have returned, such as Hardpoint, Domination, and ol’ reliable Team Deathmatch. Kill Confirmed has also managed to see the light of another release, but the chaotic nature of its spawns and that tags show up on the minimap makes victory or defeat continue to feel random at best. Additionally, other modes such as Headquarters and Search and Destroy, have made their way back into the rotation, but their gameplay is effectively no different from the previous release.
Unfortunately, the release of the game and the condition that the multiplayer modes are in tells me that the success of a Call of Duty game is taken for granted. It’s evident that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will reliably sell millions of day-one copies, so that the developers no longer need to polish things before release or react with any urgency when new issues are discovered.
A relatively easy invulnerability glitch that makes players unkillable — giving them easy access to game-ending nukes, has existed for days. The multiplayer menu frame rate frequently drops to sub-single digits when the state of the lobby changes.
It’s a shame because when the game works, it can be pretty okay. Movement feels a little too fast and only slightly weighty, but at least odd movement quirks such as slide canceling are nowhere to be seen (mixed opinions there). The game’s gunplay feels like it rewards skill with accurate fire, and while there is plenty of rage around the game’s aim assist for controller users, it generally seems overblown.
It’s hard to feel like the multiplayer wasn’t just thrown into the mix for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. It’s not totally horrible, but there are so many flaws that consistently and almost constantly crop up. The lack of post-launch support makes it feel as though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a victim of its own success, and it really doesn’t matter what state it’s in or how quickly it gets fixed because millions of people have already purchased it, and it’ll all be forgotten before the launch of the next one.
Hopefully, the game’s millions of fans won’t be taken for granted going forward, but in the meantime, Modern Warfare II certainly subscribes to the mentality of, “Oh well, our fans are going to buy it anyway.”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is available on PC and consoles.
So, get those gaming PCs ready for action!
Score: 7 out of 10.