Call of Duty series has seen several major changes across the past generation including the switch from a WWII focused shooter to the more futuristic setting seen in Black Ops 3 and the upcoming Infinite Warfare.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was the first game that essentially took the series to new heights. It was not only critically acclaimed, it managed to create several sales record for the series. This has resulted in a fan following that still fondly remembers it today.
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered won’t be out until November 4th, there is 30 days early access available for PS4 users who have pre-ordered the Legacy or Legacy Pro edition of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. There is no multiplayer available yet, as it will launch on November 4th. The multiplayer has been confirmed to include atleast 10 maps from the original game while there is the possibility of more being added later down the line as DLC.
Since we have only played through the campaign, this article covers the details surrounding the changes from the original and the remastered version of the game. To start, the major change is of course in term of the graphics that have been completely retouched from the original game. The remaster runs on Unreal Engine 4, which means the developers had to completely rebuild the game from scratch while making sure that the look and feel of the original version remains intact.
Those who have played every Call of Duty game will remember the campaign of Modern Warfare rather fondly, because it introduced us to many memorable characters including Captain Soap Mactavish. Modern Warfare story was spread throughout a trilogy. It is refreshing to go back to the original game with the remastered visuals and see what started it all.
Raven Software are the developers behind this exceptional remaster of the original Modern Warfare and honestly if we compare the two versions side by side, it is shocking to see just how much work has been poured in making sure the remaster meets the current visual standard. It almost feel like a complete remake of the game at times. This article takes a look at the difference between both version side by side and it is a real eye opener.
The texture work has been redone for the majority of the game and there is even new motion capture to add more realism to the original cutscenes, and bring the game closer to the current generation’s visual standards. The sound quality has also been touched and now it is greatly improved. There is also more detail added in the background for some of the key story sequences which looked rather bland in the original game. This gives the game a feeling of tension that was missing from the original game.
In term of the gameplay, Raven Software has stuck with the old style and there aren’t really any major changes here. This might please the hardcore fans who would have hated to see any alterations to the game’s original gameplay. There is no radar in Modern Warfare making you rely on your instincts and visual cues to locate enemies. This is a staple of the old design from the original game but it is nice to see it remain for this remaster. Unlike the recent Call of Duty games, the main character is an actual normal person which is refreshing to see after playing as the equivalent of super heroes with insane powers.
It has been close to a decade since the release of the original game. Replaying the mission design and structure of Modern Warfare might give a feeling of deja vu, because it has been since mimicked by majority of the games. The game’s campaign goes through the story of Captain Soap Mactavish and his fellow soldiers as we deal with a wide variety of missions featuring stealth and sniper sections, and also witnessing the chaos of a battlefield. It was a great experience when the original was released and it deserves to be played now with the launch of the remaster.
When all is said and done, it can be argued that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is an exceptional remaster of an old classic. The original game was considered one of the best first person shooter of its time and the remaster appears to have taken it further with highly polished visuals. This feels like an upgrade in line of going from DVD quality visuals to 4K UHD. The visuals are sharper and the details are clearer while the quality of the original is preserved.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered will be released for the PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 4th, 2016. It was developed by Raven Software and will be published by Activision. This review covers the PS4 version of the game.
