A great return to the modern gaming scene.
Version tested: PlayStation 4.
The reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare which debuted at the end of October last year has passed with flying colors the exam taken with critics and the public, placing itself in the Olympus of the best games also in our review.
However, the resumption of the confident subtitle, the excellent story woven as a prequel to Call of Duty 4 and the return of the historic Captain Price were not enough to stop the great demand from the most loyal fans for a remaster of Modern Warfare 2. A chapter, this, inevitably remained in the hearts of all the players, capable of shining above all the other episodes of the series and often referred to as the apex of the same, still remaining on the top step of the podium.
The voices of the fans, however, did not seem to attract particular attention from Infinity Ward, who has never unbuttoned himself about an "exhumation" of the original released in the distant 2009. This at least until the end of March, when a surprise appeared on the PlayStation 4 digital store Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered: what seemed destined to remain a dream in the drawer of many fans has become reality.
In almost total secrecy, the Californian developer has listened to the requests and worked to bring the original campaign totally remastered in an exclusive time to PS4, while it will land on XBOX One and PC starting from April 30th. We are among those who wanted this return and now we can tell you what we think of this “modern leap into the past”, for a title that deserves to be known and played even by the younger audience.
Ab astra ad astra
The proverb has deliberately changed, as it seems more suitable to indicate that the title has not lost quality. The story does not change one iota, keeping from beginning to end that evolution of excited situations and on a razor's edge that never give up the shot. We will once again be engaged in a dangerous manhunt that goes by the name of Vladimir Makarov, new leader of the Russian ultranationalists after the events that took place in the first Modern Warfare (that of 2007). Its goal is as ambitious as it is ruthless: to impose the superiority of Russia over all other world states, sowing death and terror among civilians and eliminating anyone who tries to obstruct it. At the same time, the situation is also hot in the Middle East, where the civil war does not end and the insurgents continue to gain ground by threatening the freedom of the innocent. Alongside the Rangers, engaged in the defense of the United States from the Russian invasion, there is the new special team Task Force 141, charged with eliminating Makarov and putting an end to all tensions in the Middle East area as quickly as possible.
Although we had already played it at the time, the campaign of Modern Warfare 2 has once again managed to wring an expression of wonder (also thanks to the nostalgia effect), reconfirming itself as one of the best in the entire Call of Duty series. Absolutely nothing was touched, not even the controversial “No Russian” mission, which is still possible to skip for those who think it is too violent and crude.
To be fair, we must also say that a pivotal element of the original chapter is missing. It was predictable that online multiplayer would not be there, rightly so, so as not to “hinder” the latest Modern Warfare; what left us slightly with a bitter taste, though, is the absence of the beloved Special Operations, the ones for which everyone, in the company of friends in split screen or online, went out of our way to get the much coveted three stars in each mission. Although the story is always tense and full of gameplay, the 6-7 hours requests to terminate it could make someone hesitate to buy the game, which is sold to a still accessible price of 25 €. On Veteran difficulty, however, it might take a little longer as she still can be tough enough in some situations.
With regard to the gameplay, which has remained substantially unchanged, we have repeatedly noticed a "flaw" that the remaster inherits from the original Modern Warfare 2: when you aim, you perceive a slight inaccuracy of the aiming system, which results in some shots not immediately hitting despite the target being in our sights. Nothing that negatively affects the gaming experience of course, but that could have been fixed; however, the weapons return good feedback in the recoil and can count on improved animations.
In terms of replayability, it goes without saying that it is very low unless you are interested in obtaining all the achievements, which have been updated with several unpublished ones to replace those related to Special Operations, and all hidden intelligence documents, the which allow you to unlock dozens of tricks to try once the campaign is completed.
More than just a remaster
Moving on to the core of the review, that is the technical side, Infinity Ward first of all did an impeccable job in terms of optimization: on the standard PlayStation 4 model, the game showed a 60 fps frame rate practically granitic, except for some very slight isolated drops. In a purely graphic field, the main elements such as the characters and the weapons boast an excellent attention to detail, with the latter faithfully reproduced and embellished with additional details compared to the original chapter. The lighting system and color balance have also been improved, now more vivid thanks to full support for High Dynamic Range (for compatible displays).
Furthermore, the settings have not only been revised in terms of detail, but in many cases elements on the distance have been added (with a consequent increase in depth of field) to make them more realistic as well as some different structures than the original. The restyling has also been extended to the interface and the game menu, made more "clean" and modern.
The developer has not limited himself only to updating the graphics sector, but he has also completely revised the sound effects of the weapons, now more faithful to reality, and has improved the dialogue and the general audio rendering. To the delight of fans, the soundtrack remains the authentic one as well as the voices of the characters and the Spanish dubbing.
