Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered updates a classic in a great way. The campaign is as great as you remember although some of the decisions made by the developers are a little odd. For example, there’s this strange tutorial during the beginning of the game before all the important events take place. I feel that some sequences could be rearranged so that the story would feel better edited but all in all, it’s still fantastic and intriguing. In my opinion the kidnapping and execution portion should’ve started the game to give it more shock value. The tutorial could’ve come later. While obviously that isn’t the purpose of the remaster, it would’ve made the campaign absolutely perfect. Not only one which elevates the genre on a technical level, but also one that furthers it when it comes to storytelling.
All of you know about the story so I won’t keep pushing it. I know you want to know about the visuals. Well, the first aspect of the game you immediately notice are how smooth the shooting mechanics are. The game still runs at 60 FPS but maybe the fact that a new controller is involved makes it feel that much more accurate than on last-generation consoles. Maybe they tweaked the mechanics. I’m not sure. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has never felt better. The shooting feels incredibly precise. I went back and played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on my Xbox 360 and definitely noticed some floatiness when it came to the thumbsticks. Just using improved controllers make a massive difference but I’m sure more work went into that.
All of the new graphics feature high-resolution textures aside from the occasional obscure object that many won’t notice. It looks stunning but the lighting could do with some work. While environmental effects like fire and nighttime areas are perfect, the daytime sequences seem to feature low-quality lighting and this seems a little jarring. For example, going from the tense hallways of the sinking ship which has gorgeous varieties of light coming through is a stark contrast to the scene in a desert city which has some of the most bland lighting I’ve ever seen. The developers should improve the lighting during the daytime segments because it just doesn’t even look like part of the same game. I’m not sure what happened there.
As far as multiplayer is concerned. It’s as great as it’s ever been. After almost a month of waiting, we were finally given access to the multiplayer portions of the game. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered includes iconic maps like Ambush, Backlot, Bog, Crossfire, Downpour and Shipment. I’m sure I’m leaving the others out but to be honest, I don’t really like them that much. These ones are awesome though! While many may see the map count a little sparse in the beginning, Activision have promised to update the game in December with more free content. Popular maps like Pipeline and Wet Work will join the fray then.
I have to say that all of these maps feel unique. All of you know how much I love Halo 5 but many of the maps are basically exactly the same one with different lighting or overgrown vegetation. I understand that it’s hard to design great maps that work but calling them new maps isn’t really fair to customers. The tactics are basically the same.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is different because all of them are very distinct and memorizing the layout is complicated but rewarding. Matches aren’t similar. I appreciate how Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered hearkens back to a simpler time when shooters didn’t need all of these crazy move to be popular. I realize that new Call of Duty games have to compete with the likes of Halo 5 and Titanfall 2 but Battlefield 1 went back to basics and it worked out well. Why can’t Activision do the same? The hype around Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered should be enough of an indication of what customers want.
All in all, you won’t be disappointed with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered multiplayer. The servers are smooth and I had no issues getting into matches. However, I’m terrible so I got destroyed consistently. That part wasn’t fun. The multiplayer is simpler than new iterations in the franchise and fans and newcomers will love it. I honestly think it’s more accessible because of it.
Summary
Apart from the lighting, I can’t really complain about anything. The performance is solid and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has never looked better. Just out of curiosity I went back to the PC version and this remaster looks so much better even on consoles. The developers need to be applauded. For those of you who were wondering if Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered was worth it, I can tell you without a shred of doubt that it definitely is.
Asher and Xian is a shared byline ICXM used for 18 articles co-authored between 2015–2017 covering game reviews, and Xbox news. See the individual contributor profiles for the writers behind these collaborations.