Yesterday's War – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered Review

Do you want to know how to save $20? Here’s a life hack: don’t buy the deluxe edition of the new “Call of Duty”. We have already said everything about Infinite Warfare. But for those who are not stingy with tips during tough times with a price tag of two thousand, Activision has prepared something else. Modern Warfare Remastered is the revival of an unknown game from 2007, when there was no space, no drones, not even a shabby jetpack. And it is also a completely pointless revival of a shooter classic that should be remembered, but better left untouched.

Well, maybe you can slightly touch the single-player mode. Slightly – because it is unlikely that there are people who have not played one of the best campaigns in the series, and for everyone else, the experience is completely secondary, no matter how many beautiful graphics they put on it. The graphics have indeed been brought up to a modern level, as promised, but the fact that there are now more polygons in Captain Price’s mustache than in the entire original version does not really motivate for a replay. After all, in our memory, Modern Warfare is much more beautiful anyway.

Anyway, you gathered here for the multiplayer, right? It’s a pity, because everything is bad with it. Undoubtedly, at one point, the fourth Call of Duty was at the forefront of online entertainment, gave the genre a dozen trendy ideas that are still relevant today, and was generally great, but playing it now is like chewing on a bun that was definitely tasty last September.

Understanding what’s wrong is easy based on the most popular mode – “Who will spawn first behind the enemy”, disguised as classic TDM. Its essence lies in futile attempts to entertain oneself while random players also randomly respawn in the most advantageous position and shoot identical killstreaks from there. There is no talk of any skills: either you are lucky enough to find yourself behind enemy lines and indulge in easy kills, or someone else will shower everyone with airstrikes and helicopters. Occasionally, of course, there are people with neural implants who finish the match with a score of 45 to 0 in any conditions, but in most cases, the outcome of the game depends only on the omnipresent Random. Before him, as is known, everyone is equal.

And this is insane stupidity, to say the least. Instead of a competition, Modern Warfare Remastered organizes a lottery, the only way not to participate in which is to sit in the nearest hiding spot and kill those passing by. It is not surprising that the overwhelming majority of the population here engages in camping.

The game itself seems to encourage it. It is hard to believe that the cluttered corners on the local maps are intended for fierce and dynamic battles. On the contrary, supporters of, ahem, strategic immobilization feel too comfortable on them. It is even problematic to notice them, thanks to the wonderful color filters from the palette of “Three sleepless nights in front of the monitor” – after half an hour of trying to make out enemies in the brown-gray mess, your eyes start to hurt like crazy.

Of course, the same applies to any Call of Duty – the series has never been known for its intelligent respawn system or vibrant colors. However, over the years, it has developed numerous defensive mechanisms that help mitigate these shortcomings. The range of perks and abilities has expanded, the maps have become more spacious, and the overall pace of the game has increased. Through a multitude of small changes, a much more engaging and fair multiplayer experience has been formed. Therefore, it is no longer practical to go back to the origins, even if you have Black Ops II in your library.

Other game modes, by the way, have been empty since day one. Maybe you’ll find a scarce lobby for “Domination,” but it’s impossible to break through anywhere else. If anyone else in the world still loves hardcore playlists, don’t expect to try them here. The menu claims that only 20% of the population plays on increased difficulty, but I’ve only managed to play on it twice.

The server density was quite disappointing. At least, the hype around the remaster suggested much more active player numbers. But no, even a standard team deathmatch constantly starts with only 6-7 players, and there’s no guarantee that the remaining slots will be filled. Either the loud crowd ultimately decided against purchasing or they refused to play due to technical issues.

There aren’t many recent ones, but it’s enough for the picky ones. Aside from a few less common issues, the game periodically suffers from terrible freezes for the first 10-20 seconds after loading the map, regardless of graphic settings. Some matches last a little longer, so it’s quite fair that not many people want to endure humiliations at unstable 5 frames per second.

And that’s how it is… not fun at all. At all. Nostalgia is one thing, but indulging in memories can only last for a couple of evenings, after which all that remains is an outdated and poorly thought-out shooter. In addition to the aforementioned problems, there are also balance issues that render class customization ineffective, strange hitboxes, clumsy melee combat, and everything else that has long been improved. The mechanics, although neat and concise, are too easily exploited for obvious advantages, and once you realize that, you don’t want to go back.

Modern Warfare Remastered simultaneously blooms with the most advanced technologies and reeks of unbearable gameplay staleness. From the perspective of restoration, the work done is remarkable, but its exhibit has long lost its grandeur.