Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Review: A Dolphin Dive in the Right Direction
Modern Warfare 4 is a tighter game than Infinity Ward's previous project, better than Black Ops 7, and features a new squad of main characters with a cinematic single-player campaign and improved multiplayer mode.
Intelligence analysis by Qwen 2.5 (3B)
Modern Warfare 4 is a Call of Duty game that improves on previous entries, with a new campaign and multiplayer mode, though it still has some problematic elements.
Modern Warfare 4 is a Call of Duty game that's better than the last one. It has a new campaign and multiplayer mode, but some parts are still not good, like a mission that's too violent and an open-world mission that's too easy.
Analysis
Campaign Identity Crisis
The campaign of Modern Warfare 4 is a tightrope walk between the series' past and present. On one hand, it benefits from the extra time Infinity Ward had to develop the game, allowing for a more polished and engaging experience. On the other hand, it still struggles with some of the worst impulses from Infinity Ward's previous projects, such as open-world sections and morally gray characters like Captain Price.
DMZ Mode
One of the standout features of Modern Warfare 4 is the DMZ mode, which replaces the previous Zombies mode. This new mode is more accessible and offers a more engaging player-versus-player experience. The game's developers seem to have listened to player feedback, resulting in a more enjoyable and streamlined multiplayer mode.
Story and Characters
The campaign of Modern Warfare 4 is a tightrope walk between the series' past and present. On one hand, it benefits from the extra time Infinity Ward had to develop the game, allowing for a more polished and engaging experience. On the other hand, it still struggles with some of the worst impulses from Infinity Ward's previous projects, such as open-world sections and morally gray characters like Captain Price. The new squad of main characters, including Captain John Price, longtime protagonist of the series, and South Korean soldier Park Hyun-Jun, are surprisingly well-developed and likable.
Problematic Elements
Despite the improvements, Modern Warfare 4 still suffers from some problematic elements. The game's developers have been criticized for including a shockingly graphic mission, which is something of a tradition for the series. The mission is gratuitous, gross, and gamified in a problematic way, exacerbated by the bizarre decision to continue making this kind of mission a mainstay in each game. The open-world mission in the campaign is also criticized for being mind-numbingly easy and completely wasted on a Warzone-like, open-world mission with a checklist of more than 50 optional collectibles to seek out.
Key points
- Modern Warfare 4 is a Call of Duty game that's better than the last one
- The game has a new campaign and multiplayer mode
- Some parts of the game are still not good, like a violent mission and an open-world mission that's too easy
- The game's developers have been criticized for including a violent mission and an open-world mission that's too easy
- The game has a new squad of main characters, including Captain John and Park Hyun-Jun, who are surprisingly well-developed and likable
Modern Warfare 4's improved campaign and multiplayer mode show that Infinity Ward is learning from their mistakes and can create a better game.
The game still has some problematic elements, like a violent mission and an open-world mission that's too easy. These could turn off some players.
