Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Single-Player Review

ign.com:

This is our single-player campaign review for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. For our thoughts on PvP, check out the in-progress multiplayer review, and expect our final verdict soon.

In five years time when we discuss Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, there will be no confusion as to which of the two games that share that name people are referring to. Thanks to a lackluster story, fumbled mechanical innovations, and largely underwhelming mission design, this year’s Call of Duty campaign is an unfortunate misfire that fails to live up to standards set by not only its unforgettable 2009 namesake, but also its 2019 predecessor. While it is graphically impressive, the gunplay remains state of the art, and there are some welcome but all-too-brief attempts to tread new ground, Modern Warfare 2’s campaign relies too much on echoing the victories of Call of Dutys past rather than establishing its own triumphs.

The six-hour campaign whisks you away from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Middle Eastern frontlines and drops you into Mexico for the majority of its run. That’s thanks to the addition of the Las Almas drug cartel to the list of foes, who fulfill the exact same tired stereotypical roles that you’ve seen everywhere from Ghost Recon: Wildlands to Bad Boys. They’re heavily embroiled in a plot that involves an Iranian arms deal, stolen US missiles, and the interplay between multiple nations’ special forces. The quality of this story is a substantial step down from its predecessor; where Modern Warfare examined the human stories that emerge from military occupation and (lightly) assessed sacrificing a piece of your own morality in order to protect the civilian world, Modern Warfare 2 is more interested in broader, shallower