Upon its release in 2019, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (MW2019) blew a breath of fresh air into the franchise by offering a reboot to his arguably most iconic trilogy. Three years later, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (MWII) is for many the most anticipated game of the year. Activision touted an improved game engine and new mechanics. On these fronts, the campaign of MWII keeps its promises.
MWII opens with the death of an Iranian commander, purposely killed by an American airstrike. His successor, the main antagonist, swears revenge. To do this, he joins forces with an international drug cartel that will help him smuggle stolen ballistic missiles destined to strike the United States. To stop him, intelligence agent Kate Laswell and General Shepherd call upon the private military company Shadow Company, as well as a hand-picked group of elite soldiers led by the legendary Captain John Price. .
Thus, we reconnect with John “Soap” MacTavish, Simon “Ghost” Riley and Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, who will be joined by Alejandro Vargas and Rodolfo Parra, leaders of a group of Mexican special forces called Los Vaqueros.
From the first cinematic, we are treated to a visual feast. The photorealistic rendering and animations are simply some of the best in the industry. Each environment, not to mention the faces, offers a surprising amount of detail and vibrancy.
Its 17-mission campaign sends us to fight in extravagant settings ranging from Amsterdam to Chicago, passing through fictional locations located in Mexico and the Middle East. Stealth night ops, prison escape, assault on an oil rig: the uniqueness of each mission kept us engaged from start to finish.
In the final third of the campaign, a mission introduces mechanics never before seen in a call of duty. We are placed in a hopeless situation, left to our own devices behind enemy lines. Here, the tension is at its height as one is forced to loot everyday objects to tinker with traps, tools and even weapons. Also never seen in a campaign of call of duty : the presence of enemies dressed in armored armor. These absorb a ridiculous amount of bullets, which sometimes makes them look like unfairly punishing game mechanics.
MWII also relies heavily on our nostalgia. Several missions are inspired by the original trilogy. Long-time fans will recognize some nods to the Modern Warfare of 2007, like operating an AC-130 fighter jet in support of allies on the ground, or sneaking behind enemy lines in camouflage.
Although much appreciated, the campaign is plagued by certain problems. On the one hand, we found it poorly paced. Some missions are too short, while others drag on. The missions at the culmination of the plot also felt rushed to us.
On the other hand, some twists were incomprehensible. For example, after a long hunt and capture of a villain, we had to let him go because it was illegal to detain him. However, a few minutes earlier, an entire village was razed to get their hands on him.
But the biggest narrative weakness remains, in our opinion, the blandness of the main villain. Not very present and devoid of any charisma, he does not make any gesture that makes us hate him, unlike the villains of MW2019which multiplied the atrocities.