In fact, there were at least individual missions that made the narrative component exciting or provocative. Consider the “airport level” from Modern Warfare 2. “Well Camouflaged” from the first “Modern Warfare” from 2007, in which the player has to sneak through the ruins of Chernobyl, on the other hand, is considered an example of how a game can become a milestone in a positive way.

The new edition of “Modern Warfare” does not offer such a level, but the 16th game in the series will still be remembered. The “Computer Bild” test reveals why this is so.

“Call of Duty” campaign without compromise

“We’re all killers,” the villain “Wolf” blurts out in one scene. Of course, on the surface he simply wants to provoke. But at the core of his profane message is a truth that may not be to everyone’s taste. It holds up a mirror even to the so-called good guys, because they, too, use questionable methods in a war without fronts, methods that can hardly be morally justified.

And that brings us to the middle of the central conflict of “Call of Duty – Modern Warfare”, which superficially begins with a devious terrorist attack in London. A car bomb detonates in Piccadilly Circus, suicide bombers blow themselves up, heavily armed infantrymen fire on anything that moves.

You, as the player, help stop the attack, have to keep track in the confusion of explosions and not accidentally shoot civilians. That leads here, as in all the other of the 14 levels, to the mission abort.

In a sense, this strike against London’s beating heart sets the pace for a game in which regular combat with legitimized armies is the exception. As a rule, the battles are completed with paramilitary troops or special units whose commander is the intelligence service.

“Call of Duty – Modern Warfare” points towards the Middle East

The plot fits in with current political world events, pointing the narrative finger primarily towards the Middle East. However, real actors are not mentioned by name – if you disregard the usual suspects like the USA and Russia. The mission “Piccadilly” becomes a yardstick for the game’s direction at the latest when a certain Captain Price enters the scene – the popular elite soldier known from the original represents the old school and makes no compromises.

True to the motto: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” His unwavering demeanor is meant to demonstrate right from the start that only hardball and extreme decisions lead to success. The fact that, in the course of the game, borders are crossed more and more often, the Geneva Conventions are overruled and the moral compass is lost, is sometimes difficult for the gamer to bear.

As mentioned at the beginning, the new “Modern Warfare” doesn’t have a glorious mission that could be used as a flagship. What makes the new edition so special is a whole series of at least borderline scenes that will cause discussions: It’s about torture, terror and murder – the killing doesn’t even stop at women and children this time.

Most of these situations are so well integrated into the context that they cannot be dismissed as mere media provocation. For example, it’s strong stuff when you take out a possible terrorist cell to get information and also have to fire at women who attack the player.

But in the spirit of the game and trying to replicate reality, violence to protect one’s virtual life is arguably legitimate at this point. The problem is that there is no dealing with the consequences and children left behind are simply left to fend for themselves.

The al-Qaeda of Urzikstan

Things get even more difficult when the terrorists’ trail leads to the fictional country of Urzikstan, where insurgents are encountered. These fight against the terrorists (a kind of al-Qaeda), but also have to deal with a regime sponsored by Russia. Their commander is called Farah Karim, and you’ll get to know her much better during the game.

It’s an almost intimate, disturbing examination of the motivation for her actions, why she does everything she can to fight occupiers and terrorists. Players experience firsthand how Farah loses her parents. How she stands her ground as a child against brutal Russian soldiers. And how she finally takes up the gun herself for the first time in order to kill.

Developer Infinity Ward commits a first border crossing here: it’s one thing to show children fleeing from soldiers – it’s another to have children kill in a video game. Things get similarly harsh when Farah is tortured several times (waterboarding) – but this is perfectly acceptable in the context.

At least players have the choice to skip the scene. Just because something is supposed to be depicted as real as possible and has been approved by military advisors doesn’t mean it has to be shown or made playable. The same goes for snarky comments in another scene where soldiers enjoy “roasting” enemies.

The contempt for humanity may be so in reality, but it does not belong in a video game. Fortunately, the moral compass is straightened out at the latest when the game punishes the killing of civilians – the more often this happens, the worse the evaluation of the mission turns out to be.

“Call of Duty” lags behind “Battlefield 5

In terms of gameplay, “Call of Duty” remains true to its roots, the adventure is absolutely straightforward as ever, except that exaggerated pathos is largely dispensed with and the Michael Bay memorial moments can be counted on one hand. You fight your way through an embassy, rush through a freight station and then shoot your way through narrow tunnels.

There are only a few gameplay surprises – for example, when you have to guide a civilian past enemies to freedom using only camera images and radio. Elsewhere, the usual power fantasies come into play, you shoot missile salvos via laser pointer, act as a sniper in classic fashion or sneak around behind enemy lines with a silencer weapon. The routine staging is varied enough to entertain for the couple of hours – as long as it doesn’t come to the described outliers.

A word about the technology: Yes, Infinity Ward has given the game a graphical upgrade. This means that “Call of Duty” has at least reached an acceptable visual level, without tearing out trees now. However, it still lags behind games like “Battlefield 5” and cannot offer terrain destruction at a mostly stable 60 frames per second, which is especially noticeable in multiplayer mode.

New in multiplayer mode

At first glance, the multiplayer mode looks completely classic, has the usual modes (e.g. deathmatch) in it and lets you collect and level up various weapons. Fortunately, Infinity Ward has the guts to introduce a few new modes and to at least numerically pimp the old ones.

Deathmatch can now be played 20vs20 on larger maps, for example. This works well, but likes to degenerate into even more chaos than usual. If only because more players means that it rains “death from above” even more often when players use their kill rewards.

Perhaps the most salient newcomer is called Ground War, and it too is initially based on a significant numerical upgrade – and what a one: by Call of Duty standards, it’s downright revolutionary upheaval. Whereas the game is usually played on rather small maps with up to a dozen players, 64 players (32vs32) shoot at each other at once.

And not only with infantry armament – you now also go into battle with tanks and attack helicopters or bridge the large distances on the huge maps. But it’s not only the vehicles that contribute a new playful touch, the more vertical terrain also ensures an expansion of the game’s possibilities.

For example, the skyscrapers on some maps (such as Tavorsk District) are ideal for players who enjoy being snipers. According to the developers, the mode can be expanded to more than 100 players, so it might be possible to create a battle royale mode.

Gunfight is a highlight

A second multiplayer highlight is Gunfight. This is an extremely fast-paced mode on very small maps, with only two players on each side competing against each other. The action is so fast that matches are often decided after just a few seconds. Whoever makes the first mistake immediately falls behind, so the skill of individual players is more important than in conventional modes.

Another outstanding feature is the Cyberwar mode. It plays like the already known “Search and Destroy”. Here, the teams try to be the first to detonate a bomb and thus win, or to eliminate all other opponents. In the test, the latter succeeded much more often, although it is possible to revive teammates and thus improve the chances of winning.

All multiplayer modes have one thing in common: The matches play very quickly and without long waiting times during respawns – furthermore, the well-known series of kills are the focus of the action. If you string together a lot of kills, you get access to particularly powerful special attacks and can really give your opponents a run for their money.

By the way, this also works across platforms, because “Modern Warfare” supports crossplay: PC, PS4 and Xbox players can play together. Console players who don’t want to compete against gamers with mouse/keyboard can explicitly exclude this.

Those looking for a special challenge should take a close look at the Special Ops mode. Here, the goal is to overcome extremely strong opponents in special missions that are based on the campaign. The missions last up to two hours and require four players who communicate well with each other. A very tough game for professionals!

Monetization of “Call of Duty”.

A rejection was given by Activision and Infinity Ward to microtransactions. According to Patrick Kelly, CEO of the developer, there will be no lootboxes in “Modern Warfare” and the – Season Pass will also be omitted. At a later date, there will only be a kind of Battle Pass, as known from games like “Fortnite”. Under no circumstances do we want to sell “functional items”.

Basic weapons, for example, will be available as free rewards – those who want the “pink” premium variant may have to purchase it along with other – Season al content in Battle Pass for real money.

Conclusion: “Call of Duty – Modern Warfare” is undoubtedly a gripping shooter, a comprehensive package that has something for every action fan. It is not a milestone, unlike the 2007 original. This is because, although there are controversial scenes in the single-player mode, they are more disturbing or even morally questionable than “epic”. In multiplayer mode, developer Infinty Ward tries out cool new gameplay ideas that absolutely liven up the gameplay and bring a breath of fresh air to the games.

Strengths: very intense battles, typical CoD feeling, improved graphics, cool new multiplayer modes, ground war mode with vehicles, crossplay feature, single player campaign returns, great sound, no microtransactions.

Weaknesses: typical blockbuster moments are missing, exaggerated depiction of violence: torture, murder of civilians/children, children who (have to) take up arms, very linear missions, “tube levels”

“Call of Duty – Modern Warfare”: System requirements

The annual release of a new “Call of Duty” installment is nevertheless a firm institution for fans of cultivated firecrackers. While PS4 and Xbox One owners are looking forward to playing “Modern Warfare” without a care in the world, PC gamers are taking a precautionary look under the hood of their home computer.

Will the computer still be able to handle the graphically demanding fun, or will new hardware be needed? Activision has now published the official system requirements for “Call of Duty – Modern Warfare”. According to them, you need one thing above all: memory! See for yourself:

Minimum system requirements:

Operating system: Windows 7 64 bit (SP1) or Windows 10 64 bit

Processor: Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300

Graphics card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 670/GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon HD 7950

DirectX: Version 12.0

Memory: 8 gigabytes of RAM

Free hard disk space: 175 gigabytes

Other: Internet broadband connection

Recommended system requirements:

Operating system: Windows 10 64 bit with current update

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen R5 1600X

Graphics card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 970/GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon R9 390/RX 580

DirectX: Version 12.0

Memory: 12 gigabytes of RAM

Free hard disk space: 175 gigabytes

Other: Internet broadband connection

Advantage for PS4 players

In mid-September, Activision announced that owners of a Playstation 4 would enjoy an “exciting Day 1 advantage” when playing Call of Duty – Modern Warfare. In the meantime, the manufacturer has revealed the secret – and has given users of other platforms a good head’s up.

Mode one year PS4 exclusive

Although Activision advertises the mode as a time-exclusive bonus for the PlayStation 4, the duration of the promotion goes beyond the usual scope for such three-game gifts. In fact, players of other platforms will only get “Survival Mode” on October 1, 2020, which is a full year later.

At that point, the next Call of Duty installment will probably already be in the starting blocks, and the interest in the mode will probably be long gone. Players are accordingly not very enthusiastic about this measure and are railing against Activision’s plans in the comments on the latest trailer.