Because there apparently aren’t enough games with the same name, Activision decided to release a game called Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, thirteen years after the original. We have already given you our opinion on the single player part of the title, and it is now time to focus on its multiplayer component after almost two weeks of play.
We will not insult you by pretending that this is it, it was this year that Call of Duty decided to refresh its formula to innovate and take risks – no, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II does not reinvent hot water and is a continuation of previous episodes, in particular the Modern Warfare which was released in 2019. Testing a new annual iteration of Call of Duty is like looking at the few changes that make it a slightly different title, but still look like two drops of water from the previous nineteen.
Each new installment comes with the usual selection of game modes, from simple team deathmatch to Hardpoint, available in 6 vs 6 on a handful of maps. Arriving in the menus, already, first surprise: the interface has changed. We say goodbye to the menu divided into three distinct parts, here everything is grouped into a drop-down screen where the modes are symbolized by simple clickable squares to navigate from one to the other without the side Gaz factory old episodes. You can alternate quite easily between classic multiplayer, campaign and cooperative modes, and a new side menu brings together the social functions of the game to chat with your group or start a voice chat.
No big change
No big upheaval on the side of the game modes, since there are only two new modes in the quick game: the release of hostages and the Knockout. Both are in truth variants of modes already present, inspired by Search and Destroy with a limited number of lives and the possibility of reviving fallen teammates. All of these classic modes are played in teams of six players, but we should also note the presence of the Invasion and Ground War modes. They open up the conflict to dozens of players on larger maps filled with AI-controlled soldiers and vehicles to control.
Modern Warfare II is based on the achievements of the license
Inspired by Battle Royale Warzone and Battlefield, these larger-scale modes are far from the most thrilling to play and mostly feel like a giant fairground where everyone comes to glean experience levels by chain-killing bots. . We also deplore the absence of hardcore playlists for game modes, which will only arrive at the launch of the first season of the Battle Pass – on November 16.
This rather poor selection of modes at the start of the game constitutes the first small disappointment of this Modern Warfare II. Where the 2019 episode, and even Black Ops Cold War released in 2020, tried to offer out-of-the-ordinary modes to change endless Domination matches on a loop, Modern Warfare II is based on the acquired license. It does not seek to innovate through its game modes. For example, we would have liked to find in the modes an equivalent of the Skirmish in 2v2, which was all the rage on Modern Warfare, but it is not. We will probably have to wait to see what modes will be released in the coming months with the arrival of the different seasons.
More flexibility in classes and playstyle
On the other hand, this new episode takes some liberties with its cards. There are about ten of them: some are based on a classic three-line design as the series has been doing for years, others are out of the ordinary. Zarqwa, for example, incorporates an expanse of water all around the playing field, allowing more adventurous fighters to swim across the map to take on attackers from behind and sometimes turn the course around. a part.
It’s appreciable, and it’s something that we are not necessarily used to seeing in an episode of Call of Duty. Same thing for Santa Sena, which completely abandons the level design classic of the series for a simple stretch of highway overflowing with cars. Lines of fire here are tighter than usual, points are hard to defend, and with a few well-placed grenades, the early game feels like a car-bombing fest that forces vigilance before running around.
Many of these cards are precisely designed for gameplay close to that of Modern Warfare, halfway between an assumed heaviness and the arcade side specific to the series. the level design takes advantage of the use of doors, alternating between outdoor portions and tighter indoor environments, as is the case for example on Crown – a map that takes place on a Formula 1 track. The rhythm of the fights is always tense, and the loop remains unchanged: you spend your time unplugging your brain to play the objectives and run after the killstreaks (elimination streak), hoping to win the game and finish first in the scoreboard.
Class customization, an essential element of Call of Duty, has been given a slight overhaul with Modern Warfare II. We have rarely seen a weapon modification system so advanced in a Call of Duty. It relies on the multiplication of possible attachments and options to unlock for its favorite rifles. Each weapon can accommodate five customization options, whether it’s a sight, a new magazine or an extended barrel, to choose from several dozen possibilities. The diversity of options offers great flexibility in the creation of classes, which is also accompanied by a rather significant novelty: the possibility of pressing a key to instantly access a shooting range. It allows you to try out your weapon live, modifying attachments on the fly to compare different configurations. Once a weapon is at maximum level, you even unlock a new menu of fine-tuning where it is possible to adjust the effect of each of the modifiers with gauges, to further refine the statistics of his favorite blaster.
Technical problems too present and constraining progression
Too bad this new customization system, more complex and flexible, brings with it a new and impractical way to unlock content. From now on, if you attach yourself to a weapon and want to unlock all of its improvements, you can no longer play with it until you reach the maximum level. You have to play with other weapons. Want to unlock this new bezel for the M4? You have to level up this shotgun to level 13. Are you interested in a 60 round magazine for a machine gun? Alright, you just have to play with the AK-47 for three hours to unlock it.
Each new attachment to unlock requires playing with different weapons, forcing you to try out almost all the weapons in the game to unlock all the skins and attachments that interest us. It’s a shame for players who don’t want to change class every five games, and above all incomprehensible for ordinary mortals. You have to wander through menus that are not always clear, and sometimes play with three different weapons to recover experience points and finally get your hands on a new appearance for your favorite weapon.
Apart from these few changes, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is… mostly a new Call of Duty. It plays like the previous ones, and still looks like an intravenous dopamine dispenser for those chasing experience gauges, killstreaks and rewards. There remains this FPS that we launch to unplug our brain on returning from work in order to chain matches with friends. Unfortunately, it loses a bit of the tactical dimension brought by the renewal of the formula in 2019.
It’s a bit sad, especially since it should be noted that the release of Modern Warfare II involves a slew of technical issues and network hassles. Problems with servers on consoles, crashes and disconnections on PCs and a fragile network infrastructure that still too frequently causes members of a group to disconnect… Not very practical when you want to play with your friends. We just have to wait and see how this somewhat meager content and these technical issues will be corrected with the launch of the first season and the arrival of Warzone 2.0scheduled for November 16.
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