Courtesy of the folks at Activision and Infinity Ward we’re bringing you our full Modern Warfare II review, alongside our common-sense parent’s guide. We’ve been playing on PC, Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, to bring you a run down of the title as well as our five-point examination of gameplay, visuals, narrative, audio and replay value. Find the full video just below or keep reading for our extended written review.
The Basics – What is Modern Warfare II About?
Modern Warfare II sees us back with Ghost Captain Price, Gaz and Soap, battling middle-eastern terrorist forces both at home and abroad. Much like the remade Modern Warfare in 2019, there are echoes of the original here, while the title brings original story material. You’ll primarily work in the form of Soap and Gaz, with some dalliances into further supportive forces and the occasional super-powered gunship.
The campaign has been excellent in this instalment, blending some tactical and stealth gameplay with all-out firefights in various locations. In addition to the campaign there are, of course, many multiplayer modes to choose from within this instalment. This includes the expected in-game multiplayer, as well as the revamped Warzone 2.0. In addition to this, however, is the new DMZ mode which we’ve really enjoyed.
In DMZ you’ll drop into Al Mazrah in a team of up to three player operators. This PvEvP mode brings a number of objectives and AI enemies, alongside the threat (or, potentially, assistance) or other player teams. The DMZ mode of Al Mazrah has various objectives and missions for your team to undertake before battling your way to extraction.
You’ll get to keep whatever you pick up during your time in DMZ mode, as long as you make it to extraction. It’s also possible to lose items and weapons by failing to extract, falling to AI enemies or attacking players. It’s not as mission-based as the single-player campaign mode of course, but DMZ does give a great cooperative experience playing with friends.
Is Modern Warfare II Safe for Children?
Rating: 1 / 5: Adults Only.
Modern Warfare II is set in the brutal world of international terrorism and this is reflected in violent and often gory visuals. As well as the standard sprays of blood in gunfire, both the campaign and multiplayer also have close quarters combat which doesn’t water down the horrors of war. In line with the setting, there’s also significant bad language throughout the campaign and multiplayer.
In addition, the significant online play brings interactions with other players, and modern warfare’s multiplayer lobbies have been notoriously packed with filth for years. The title does also steer you quite noticeably towards store purchase options within the new menu system which adults may be able to avoid but which will be really alluring for younger gamers. With all things considered this is one which we’re rating as Adult Only.
Is Modern Warfare II Accessible?
Rating: 4 / 5: Low Barrier.
Modern Warfare II has a significant number of options for difficulty as well as adaptation for the interface and controls. There are a good number of accessibility options here, and good campaign checkpoints and compartmental multiplayer means you can drop in and out easily.
One thing to note here is that the main menu seems to have some real multiple-personality conflicts, and can be overwhelming and tough to find your way around at first. Multiplayer modes of course aren’t variable in difficulty and playing against others can be tricky but other than that it’s clear a lot of thought has gone into making the title as accessible as possible.
The Run Down – Our Five-Point Rating for Modern Warfare II
Gameplay – 4: Overall the gameplay within Modern Warfare II has been excellent. New AI, new weapon handling and other tweaks and improvements are genuinely noticeable within both campaign and multiplayer. We’ve had a small number of minor glitches and connectivity issues which have let the game down a little but overall it’s a solid build and gameplay is great.
Visuals – 4: Both in-game and cut scene visuals in Modern Warfare II are absolutely outstanding. Unfortunately the main menu and multiplayer user interface can be confusing and would benefit from some extra work but where it matters, visuals in the title really shine.
Audio – 5: The music and effects all work really well here, but the real star of the show is the voice acting. Within the campaign this really completes the characters and the voice work is worthy of a cinema experience. In multiplayer, built-in operator dialogue provides excellent audio direction to help you know what’s going on even if the players themselves aren’t that chatty.
Narrative – 5: The storyline of Modern Warfare II is exceptional. There’s a clear, compelling and well designed narrative through the campaign. We can’t say too much without giving spoilers, but both in game play and through cut scenes the story flows well, and at a good pace.
Replay – 5: There are a small number of collectable bits and pieces within the campaign, but of course multiplayer is where replay value really shines through. There are a great number of unlocks within multiplayer, and a huge number of playable modes to suit most tastes. The Warzone 2.0 and DMZ modes also offer a great multiplayer experience.
The Verdict – Is Modern Warfare II Worth It?
Pixel Bandits Going Dark Level for Modern Warfare II is an Outstanding 9 / 10. More and more focus goes into multiplayer these days, but the campaign for Modern Warfare II is equally impressive. It’s great to get back with Gaz, Soap, Price and Ghost and with updated AI and new weapon handling the game feels more real than ever. Multiplayer brings playlists we know and love as well as adding new ones and third-person shooter modes as well.
The menu system doesn’t help things, as I found it really hard to navigate at first, and we’ve also come across some issues with connectivity and a couple of small glitches and clashes such as only being able to edit your warzone loadout even when in regular multiplayer. Apart from these small niggles though, this is the most fun we’ve had with a call of duty game for years. If you’re a fan of the shooter genre the campaign here is excellent and the significant number of multiplayer modes is a gift which keeps on giving.