Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (PlayStation 5) Review

The story of Modern Warfare II is close enough to the original that players of that game should get a kick out of the more referential levels. Basically, the player takes control of a few characters throughout various manoeuvres to catch a bad guy. From walking round a very realistic and cool Amsterdam to the Mexican border, the story does a fair bit of hopping around but it is consistent and easy to follow. The story itself is usually presented in cut scenes or in-game cinematics which all look mind-bogglingly great, with sharp details and fantastic character rendering.

Gameplay will automatically feel similar to fans of the series with a very standard first-person shooter layout. The controls are however very responsive, and it genuinely plays very well. The campaign level design also provides some interesting challenges for these controls. Each mission has its own unique draw, from sneaking around in a ghillie suit to walking around Amsterdam, there is a nice balance and a surprising amount of variety in the visual makeup of these levels. The set pieces are all great fun to play for the first time, but a repeat playthrough is really not a particularly interesting option. This is especially true as many parts of the game use the same visual design and similar scenarios to the first of the new Modern Warfare titles.

The game excels visually with some insane levels of detail, yet it holds a nice steady level of performance. There is a lot of incidental detail and animations in the environment. Each stage is full of life and even non-player characters have equally detailed portrayals unlike some games where secondary characters can be a bit lifeless. The best example of the game's approach to realism is the Amsterdam level (yes, it has been mentioned 3 times now…). The water visuals and physics look amazing. Textures and geometry believably capture the brickwork, pathways and leaves, among other incidental details, making the set dressing feel more realistic. It's a genuine achievement in visual recreation but it is all a little artificial due to the lack of player interaction. Effects work is also incredible with some amazing night vision and dynamic explosions.

Voicework and facial animations are paired perfectly and really bring characters to life. All the acting is spot on, if a bit over-serious, allowing the story to be entertaining even though the actual plot is quite generic. The same goes for the music, it's full of bombastic themes and has some of the best quality orchestrated soundtracks but the overall forgettability is very high.

There was some controversy on the game's release too, with a level where the player de-escalates a situation by aiming a gun at civilians. The obvious line is that this was intended as a mirror of how police/soldiers do this in the real world, and it doesn't work, but it is portrayed as working perfectly well in-game. As an aside, a weapon cannot de-escalate a situation.

Online mode loses out somewhat by simply being Warzone 2.0. It's a solid time with great content but it is not really a part of Modern Warfare II. It is very much separated in the menu and receives its own updates. The game also doesn't 1:1 remake the original, so players hoping to see their favourite missions return may be disappointed.