TEST Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, a single-player campaign for fans

Like every year, Activision releases a new COD and this time it’s Infinity Ward who is back with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, sequel to 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfarehimself reboot of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. And as always, the title offers several multiplayer modes as well as a single player campaign, on which we have already spent a long time, while waiting to discover the online modes which have only just arrived.

True fan service from start to finish.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II starts in our time, when the Americans managed to kill General Ghorbranileader of the terrorist network Al Qatara. But his right arm Hassan is determined to avenge him, with great blows of missiles stolen from the United States. The latter therefore send the Task Force 141 on a mission to recover these weapons and arrest Hassan, no matter how. A scenario very rooted in reality, as is often the case with Modern Warfareand which features factions from all over the world, but above all well-known and fan-loved characters. the Captain Price, Ghost, Gas and soap are of course in the game, as well as a new face, the Mexican Alejandro Vargas. A shock team that ensures from start to finish a real fan servicethe focus is a bit more on the character of Ghoststill enigmatic behind his balaclava and skull mask. The scenario also gives pride of place to twists and turns, like a real long American action film, which knows how to keep the player in suspense.notably thanks to not so Manichaean, even very ambiguous protagonists, until its final cutscene and a post-credits video teasing already a sequel, which should again delight fans.

On the side of gameplay, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II tries to no longer be a simple first-person shooter and dares some ideas, not necessarily well exploited. On several occasions, the player finds himself alone and without a weapon, having to advance discreetly in the level to find resources and craft items via an inventory, such as crowbars to force open doors, smoke bombs or explosives in order to survive against to the enemies, they well armed and dangerous.

A best of what the franchise has offered since the fourth installment.

Sequences of infiltration and crafting which work for a while, but they stretch out too long, irritating the player more than anything in the end. Besides, the title is quite sparing in pure action sequences, the gunfights are more tactical, long distance. No more question here of rushing into the heap with his handgun or his knife, life goes down quickly, even in Recruit Where 2nd Classand the mode Veteran here offers a real challenge for the most precise and patient players. Note also the presence in most levels of particularly well-equipped enemies, with armor allowing them to take a lot of bullets without flinching. small Juggernauts which don’t add much to the gameplay, only requiring the player to dump precious ammo into their heads to pop their helmet. But to return to the subject of varied pleasures, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s single-player campaign is almost a best of what the franchise has offered since the fourth installment. Fans find an undercover sequence in uniform ghillies with the Captain Price, or even a passage in a fighter plane helping ground troops with its powerful arsenal. But we are also entitled to some surprises, we are not going to reveal them here, sequences which astonish in a COD, but which work well… for a while. Here again, the missions are sometimes long, the good idea is fun at first, much less when it drags on for several tens of minutes without being renewed. This results in a slightly longer lifespan than the last episodes, count between six and seven hours to see the end credits scroll, with a certain replayability by changing the level of difficulty, but the title already stretches long enough with the problems mentioned above.

Graphically speaking, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is visually impressive. We tested the FPS ofActivision on an Xbox Series S, the cutscenes are obviously gorgeous and almost photorealistic, while in-game, well, the title impresses too. The textures are neat, as well as the lighting, the graphics are pleasing and some effects even manage to impress, like the start of a level in the sunny but humid alleys of Amsterdam. Infinity Ward has applied himself to offer a game that holds up from a technical point of view, at least for its single-player mode. Artistically, it’s a different story. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II stay one COD, with its varied environments, but which go around in circles over the episodes. Sandy desert, cold oil rig, luxurious villa, it smells a bit warm, and level design remains fairly directive. The maps are slightly open to allow you to explore alternative passages, but it’s hard not to see widened corridors there.as the franchise knows so well, even if some passages offer a little more freedom of exploration.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s single-player campaign is big and daring, but it falls short of being grand. It is clear thatInfinity Ward had some very good ideas during the development of this opus, with the desire to offer a thrilling campaign, at the gameplay varied. But the mechanics that work are recycled over time, while others just don’t work. But let’s not be choosy either, CoD: MWII can still be traveled with pleasure at least once, the time to discover its scenario completely fan service and admire some visually incredible and well-staged sequences. Enough to restore a little hope for the future of the franchise, this episode not being just a beast FPS in hallways.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, you can find it at €60.99 on Amazon. The test will soon be updated with our opinion on the multiplayer mode.

Clint008 Writer – Tester