This October will welcome another entry in the Call of Duty franchise, with a confusingly named sequel Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II set for a 28 October deployment on major consoles and PC. With Infinity Ward at the helm, this continues the rebooted story set in place in 2019, however, it will be the start of a new era for the first-person shooter franchise in more than a few ways.
In a hands-off presentation, the Infinity Ward team all took their time to speak about the product, a commitment to ensuring that players’ expectations are set as Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II looks set to steer the franchise in a much more positive direction.
This comes in the form of an overhaul of what the team hopes players will think about the game when it gets into their hands. While the narrative remains fictional, real-world events will continue to influence the approach, creating characters that are both heroic and human, and ensuring that the journey is one that feels real and alive, entertaining, and that everyone, whether it be a grizzled veteran or a newcomer, can have fun.
Perhaps more pertinently, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II is what Infinity Ward hopes to be the best game in the franchise they have ever done.
Single-Player Epicness
While development took on an entirely different shape due to the pandemic and the rise of remote working, the team’s commitment to quality remains, and the campaign gets a rightful share of the limelight. Reimagining the original story for a new audience, the return of familiar characters and new faces joining the mix will help players bridge that gap and get immersed more in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
Captain John Price, Sergeant Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, Lieutenant Simon “Ghost” Riley, and Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish, CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell are easily recognisable, while Colonel Alejandro Vargas and Corporal Phillip Graves will become familiar bedfellows in no time, especially when Task Force 141 faces a race against time once again to save the world.
Naturally, players will be travelling the globe and facing dangerous situations that allow the gameplay to shine amidst the chaos, pushing technology to the limits and delivering improved AI behaviours that are more dynamic and reactive, more engaging scenarios, and the all-out action that is the series trademark.
Through several campaign missions shown, there are nighttime engagements, close-quarter combat, vehicular combat, and the addition of new water mechanics. Yes, you can now swim and dive for cover, using the murkiness of the depths as cover, and ambush unsuspecting enemies. Bullets fired from the water will hurt less, so be sure to pump the bogeys with more lead than normal, a sensible tradeoff for the stealthy approach. It helps that the water looks good at this early stage as well, so things can be improved further.
Make it Your Own
For those that love the Gunsmith feature, it is back in force as well for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II, and this time, you will be getting more power and control over the customisation. This means more functions for your weapons, but all grounded in reality along with the latest military technology out there.
Players will also unlock Platforms, essentially a family of guns that are related to each other, giving you more and more options with progression, and letting players find the right weapon for their playstyle. Talk about a killer arsenal. Once you have that favourite firearm, the attachment tuning will come into play. Infinity Ward promises meaningful adjustments that have plenty of depth, so get ready to dive deep.
Levelling up Artificial Intelligence
In terms of the improved AI in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II, it definitely makes things more interesting when the enemies are more than a force to be reckoned with. In this area, players can expect the same level of resistance no matter what mode they are playing in.
AI will display an array of behaviours and body language that should be readable at a glance. This could be in the form of caring for their lives and that of their allies, environmental awareness, coordinated behaviours, and even actions outside of combat that would look at home in the real world. This applies to your AI allies as well, so everything feels more natural.
Multiplayer Goodness
Infinity Ward’s approach to multiplayer remains the same as well, with quality at the heart of it all. The game will try to support players in every possible way, allowing them to play as they want and enjoy the heck out of the chaos, and creating a best-in-class multiplayer experience.
Whether you are rushing into things, play more defensively, or are the kind of player that loves a long-ranged kill, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II will support you with loadouts and settings that make sense. And to make things more interesting when you come face to face with an opponent, the team hopes to give players options through innovating player movement mechanics, new vehicle gameplay, and specialised equipment.
Swimming has already been mentioned, with visibility playing a huge role when it comes to evasive moves, and the changes to the combat will create a new meta. Add in boats and amphibious vehicles, together with more equipment, there is much fun to be had.
Movement on land will also see the addition of dive, which can act as an escape mechanic to avoid gunfire or traverse through windows or even elevation. Ledge hang will also allow players to peek when climbing up heights, instead of automated mantling that can put you in danger right away.
Vehicular combat is getting a facelift in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II as well. Now, combatants can lean out of windows, climb on rooftops, knock off doors, and pop tires just to name a few. Options like a helicopter troop carrier and the aforementioned amphibious vehicles will also add to the mayhem. Vehicles also do not disappear when damaged, instead, they stay in play and can be repaired to become yours to use.
Of course, you are going to have more technologically advanced toys to play with, whether it is a new EMP in the form of the DDOS, or a Drill Charge that penetrates barriers and fires off a grenade.
Infinity Ward also shared more details regarding the map designs in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II, with both large exploratory maps and small, refined experiences available for players to enjoy. Either setup will see plenty of opportunities for all sorts of combat, with the latter core maps built exclusively for 6v6 games. New game modes like Knockout (Gunfight meets traditional core multiplayer) and Prisoner Rescue (eliminate defenders or save the prisoner) will also spice things up.
The arrival of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II will also see the coming of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, which boasts the same improvements outlined above in the main game. All technology and features will be across the board, which should make players really happy as they enjoy connected gameplay built on one unified Call of Duty engine.
If you are worried about cheating, the Ricochet anti-cheat integration will be implemented in both games, so take from that what you will. And yes, Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II will be heading to Steam, and Warzone 2.0 will be headed to mobile as well.
If it feels like a lot, that is exactly the point of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II. The aim is to create a whole new understanding of the core Call of Duty experience, and should the team at Infinity Ward manage to fulfil all of the promises, it could very well be a reality. With only four months or so to go, we are eager to find out, and for fans of the franchise, be ready as more will surely be revealed in the coming weeks and months.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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