Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer review: An immersive journey, interrupted by a couple of bumps

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has had my attention ever since the first trailer was released. As a fan of the series, whenever a new title is announced, I get excited, often only to be disappointed on the launch day. However, it wasn’t the same this time around.

I got a taste of the game’s multiplayer mode during the beta testing phase, which concluded on September 26. And it perplexed me. Even though it wasn’t without flaws, a Call of Duty title had finally met my expectations for the first time since 2019’s Modern Warfare.

Modern Warfare 2 is Infinity Ward's most ambitious project to date, boasting cutting-edge graphics, new audio technology, advanced AI, upgraded movement mechanisms, and more to provide fans with a truly next-generation gaming experience. While these changes are a welcome addition, do they elevate the experience in any particular way or are they merely gimmicks?

This review looks solely at the multiplayer experience that Modern Warfare 2 delivers. I’ll be going over several aspects of the game, critically examining them and sharing my thoughts along the way.

Day-One Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer experience

It was October 28. The day had finally arrived for fans to get their hands on the game. However, it was met with immediate disappointment. The initial impression of Modern Warfare 2 across various platforms was fairly negative, with several issues plaguing the highly anticipated title.

Many players were unable to access the game for the first hour or so, and those who could, were unable to form parties of more than two as the game would crash as soon as you found a match. Therefore, most players were either stuck queuing for solo or duo matches.

Furthermore, many game modes that were promised on day one, such as Tier 1, were nowhere to be found. As of right now, there is no word on when these fan-favorite modes will return.

Similarly, there was no option to keep track of one’s challenges and overall in-game performance. Players were unable to view their statistics, unlike in previous Call of Duty games. It felt like the game didn't want us to know our statistics and wanted to keep the experience overly casual.

Even though Infinity Ward was quick to respond and solve the party crashing issues, the game isn’t polished yet and numerous bugs still need squashing. Despite being a triple-A game from a reputable studio, it falls short of expectations in terms of quality.

Almost perfect - A diverse gameplay experience complemented by new combat mechanisms but crippled by SBMM

Gameplay in Modern Warfare 2 carries both the tactical as well as the arcade shooter experience that the series is known for. Thanks to this, players can approach a situation however they see fit. Unlike previous Activision titles, Modern Warfare 2 encourages both the playstyles and rewards accordingly. With all the types of equipment it features, you can either opt for a slow-paced plan or an action-packed one, depending on your equipment for kills.

This certainly caters to newcomers to the series and veteran players alike, ensuring that everyone has a fun time. After all, video games are meant for entertainment.

Another addition that is appreciated is the ability to toggle between Scorestreaks and Killstreaks. Since both these systems of earning streaks have benefits in different modes as well as playstyles, users can now choose their way to earn streaks that suit them in their matches.

In the case of new movement mechanisms, two new techniques were introduced, swimming and ledge hanging. While they might sound gimmicky, they have real and important implications in modes such as Ground War.

Underwater combat (Image via Activision)

Swimming is a new addition to the Modern Warfare series, but is an old feature for Call of Duty as a whole. It was present in Treyarch’s previous titles like Black Ops 3 and Black Ops 4 as well. However, Modern Warfare 2 has now perfected it, allowing you to silently maneuver underwater to avoid any action on land and make your way to enemy territory.

Ledge-hanging in Modern Warfare 2 (Image via Activision)

Similarly, ledge-hanging has essentially allowed parkour to be a thing in the game. In modes like Ground War, there are plenty of buildings clustered together across the map. Ledge-hanging allows players to traverse the buildings with ease.

While all of these additions and upgrades sound amazing, one would hope that the game is almost perfect. But that would be wrong as we haven’t yet addressed the elephant in the room, SBMM.

The return of skill-based matchmaking, or SBMM, forces players to exert themselves in almost every game. When a game first begins, you have the time of your life, amassing 10 to 20 killstreaks and dominating the leaderboard. You have a stellar performance and claim a victory. At this point, the SBMM system will match you up with opponents who have at least as much skill as you do, so be prepared to be let down in the next game. Now that your performance has worsened, the game will pair you with a less difficult lobby for the next match.

It is guaranteed that players will follow this cycle of excellent match-worst match throughout their playing sessions.

Modern Warfare 2 could have been so much more, but SBMM ruins it, at least in my opinion. Even with all the recent changes to gameplay, every other match feels like a chore now. Nevertheless, Modern Warfare 2 offers a top-notch gaming experience when SBMM is ignored.

Solid and realistic gunplay

The developers at Infinity Ward certainly outdid themselves when it came to weapon design. Guns function far more realistically than in previous games. The attention to detail on even the tiniest aspects has improved the gunplay experience tenfold. Weapons are no longer laser beams hitting the targets where they are directed at. Instead, they exhibit a fair amount of recoil, which also behaves naturally as opposed to simply moving up vertically. Now, more than ever, equipping the correct attachments becomes crucial.

The new Gunsmith 2.0 has brought in customization features that weren’t present in any previous entries of the series. Certain weapons in the game, such as the M4, allow players to unlock the Receiver upon leveling up. This enables you to completely change the weapon and its behavior. For example, the M4 can be transformed into an SMG or an LMG thanks to the new Gunsmith 2.0 system. This system also carries a unique weapon progression system where, if an attachment is unlocked for one weapon, it can be equipped for all weapons that support the same attachment.

The updated customization and progression system has now made it easier to unlock attachments for weapons. On top of that, this encourages players to try out all the weapons in the game, bringing plenty of weapon variety to matches.

Fun new modes with generic map design

Ground War

Ground War has also received an upgrade in Modern Warfare 2. This mode can be defined as Domination on a larger scale and bears many similarities to Battlefield’s Conquest mode. Two teams of 32 players battle it out to establish control over five points spread across a large map. Players can make use of all the vehicles available, such as tanks, helicopters, boats, and more to traverse the map.

Swimming and aquatic combat mechanisms can be experienced within this mode as well. These new features create alternate pathways to navigate and flank enemies.

The new vehicle combat system works flawlessly, and taking over vehicles has never been this fun. One thing I must say about Ground War is that it is a serious contender to the Battlefield games in terms of delivering the large-scale chaotic experience generally found in the EA franchise’s Conquest mode.

Interestingly, there are bots in this particular mode. Despite being advertised as advanced AI that will ruthlessly hunt down players, they aren’t as dangerous as expected.

All in all, Ground War is the most fun (and yet) rage-inducing mode in the game, apart from Prisoner Rescue.

Prisoner Rescue

While there are plenty of new modes added to Modern Warfare 2, I would like to highlight Prisoner Rescue. The mode, in a nutshell, involves two prisoners spawned in different locations on the map. The objective of the defending team is to protect them from being taken by the attackers or eliminate them before the timer runs out. Meanwhile, the attacker team’s mission is to rescue those prisoners and bring them to safety or take out all the defenders.

As previously mentioned, this mode is the perfect blend of tactical and arcade-like playstyles. You cannot blindly rush at corners, as enemies could be hiding anywhere. Similarly, you cannot play it slowly as the clock keeps running out of time and your opponents make their way into your area.

The entirety of gameplay in Modern Warfare 2 can be summarized by the experience provided by its newest Prisoner Rescue mode.

Maps

Maps in Modern Warfare 2 are well-made and generally follow the typical three-lane design. Obviously, not all maps are equally made and a few definitely outshine the rest. In Modern Warfare 2, almost every map provides the scope for engaging in long-range as well as close-range combat.

There is nothing special about the maps that were available at launch. While they do add the ability to make use of the new movement mechanisms, they don’t innovate much on other fronts.

The only map where I felt it didn’t reward players for going aggressive is Taraq. This map seems to reward players for playing tactically using snipers or long-range rifles. For SMG or Shotgun players, their best option is camping it out, which is a discouraged playstyle within the shooter community.

Another map that caught my attention was El Asilo. Not because it is poorly designed, but because in certain game modes such as Domination, the game doesn’t take advantage of the complete map. Most of the combat occurs in the middle lane. The majority ofthe points (A, B, and C) are on a linear path, generally leaving the other lanes empty. Changes are required in the site placements so that the other two lanes are used by players more often.

Santa Sena Border Crossing map in Modern Warfare 2 (Image via Activision)

The final map I want to talk about here is the Santa Sena Border Crossing. This is by far the worst map in the game and most likely the worst in the entire Call of Duty franchise. There is barely any variety, crammed full of vehicles, and a camper’s paradise. Although it is technically three-laned, it is implemented so poorly that it barely has two complete lanes. Due to the nature of the map, matches play out slowly and this doesn’t add anything to the compromise in pace. For example, the map Al Bagra Fortress is large and features many choke points alongside angles to take fights in. Hence, the compromise in pace here makes sense. However, Santa Sena Border Crossing has neither many choke points nor angles to take a fight in. It is a linear map with nothing good in store for the players.

Graphics, Audio, and UI - The good, the not-so-bad, and the ugly

Modern Warfare 2 comes with “stunningly realistic sound, lighting, and graphics.” A brand new GPU geometry pipeline has been introduced to the game to deliver a truly cinematic experience for users. On top of all this, it features state-of-the-art photogrammetry, a new hybrid tile-based streaming system, a PBR decal rendering system, world volumetric lighting, and 4K HDR support.

In the audio sector, a new reverb engine, sound occlusion engine, and improved 3D directionality were implemented, providing a crisp and brilliant sound experience.

While it sounds (no pun intended) great on paper, how do they translate into a real-time gaming session?

Graphics

Modern Warfare 2 performs exceptionally well in terms of graphics. It is a significant improvement over its predecessor in every aspect. The true potential of Modern Warfare 2’s graphical fidelity can be observed in the campaign mode. There is no denying that the multiplayer mode looks incredible, but somewhere amidst the chaos of the guns blazing gameplay, the beauty of it all is obscured.

The game looks stunning and realistic on a PC when the graphic settings are set to the "Extreme" mode, creating an immersive experience like never before in the history of the series.

Additionally, the animations are flawless. The way your character checks his weapon, the ragdolls that play after you kill an enemy, the reload animations, and other intricate details all contribute to the overall experience in the grand scheme of things.

As aquatic combat is now a thing in Modern Warfare 2 and water bodies in the title are designed to behave realistically, the manner in which sunlight filters underwater is breathtakingly beautiful. Moreover, it reacts naturally by behaving differently to explosions under the surface and on the surface. This is a tiny detail that I particularly enjoyed.

I have nothing but praise for the graphics, which I can state without a shadow of a doubt are superb. However, the same cannot be said for the audio.

Audio

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Similar improvements have been made concerning audio design and its implementation. Despite a significant upgrade over Modern Warfare (2019), the audio quality leaves much to be desired. This is primarily evident in the one sound in multiplayer that matters the most: footsteps.

Fans complained that the footstep audio was far too loud during the beta testing phase, and Infinity Ward addressed the issue. While the sound of footsteps was balanced, the audio was ultimately muffled to the point where it was difficult to hear enemies until they were too close, at which point it was too late to react.

However, the final launch seemed to have gotten the balance right to an extent where the audio could be heard clearly. But there’s still scope to improve on the game’s audio.

Other than that, I don't have any complaints about the game's audio. The sound directionality has improved, the explosions have more depth, and the audio travels like it would in real-world situations. Where the developers take the trophy home is in terms of weapon sounds, which are fantastic, and guns now feel solid when fired, adding to the realism theme.

User Interface

The user interface is the medium through which one explores the various aspects of the service. The UI in Modern Warfare 2 is probably the worst in any game I have ever played. Designers need to understand that games and streaming apps aren’t the same. Modern Warfare 2’s UI looks more like a poorly designed streaming app made for Smart TVs. Navigating from one section to the other is difficult and doesn’t come naturally. Despite being packed with features, it takes a lot of time to find the option to make use of it.

Gunsmith 2.0 is a brilliant addition, but the UI makes it hard to take advantage of completely and will also take time to fully understand. Similarly, checking one’s progression, changing calling cards, and emblems aren’t also easy to come about.

The worst of this UI surfaces when you try to use the social features of the game. Adding new friends and forming a party is much easier when using Steam’s social system instead of the game’s.

Performance

I played Modern Warfare 2 on a PC equipped with RTX 3060 Ti, Ryzen 5 5600x, and 16 GB RAM, which is above the title’s minimum system requirements. Despite being a mid-range build, it ran the game flawlessly and I didn’t encounter any performance issues. The optimization seems great this time around. My system was generating frames over 100 per second most of the time on the ‘Ultra’ preset at 1080p.

My gaming sessions were smooth and consistent and there were barely any frame drops in my games. It is essential to note that the Ground War modes will demand more of your system’s resources and only in such cases do I have to drop down a setting or two to maintain the framerate without compromising much on visuals.

However, there were some complaints with Nvidia 526.47 driver version, which is known to cause problems with the game such as texture bugs and screen flickers.

Conclusion

Despite poor impressions on Day 1, Modern Warfare 2 delivers what it set out to provide; a true next-generation experience.

The new combat and movement mechanics are a welcome addition. Players can utilize these to gain an advantage over their opponents in multiple scenarios. The weapons feel solid and realistic, adding to the whole ‘Realistic and Immersive’ theme Modern Warfare 2 carries.

Furthermore, the graphics are amazing and Modern Warfare 2’s world is beautifully designed. Developers have given quite a bit of attention to detail in various aspects of the game. This is reflected in water physics, ragdoll physics, weapons, and more. While the audio is fairly balanced at the moment, there’s a lot of work pending in this sector.

The new game modes are fun and play out pretty well with Modern Warfare 2’s tactical playstyle while retaining the arcade shooter experience, despite skill-based matchmaking ruining the multiplayer experience to a fair extent.

Modern Warfare 2 delivers all the entertainment you require from a Call of Duty title in a solid package. While it does have a few poorly designed maps, technical issues, and a terrible UI, the game excels in every other area. Infinity Ward has succeeded in creating the “most advanced” Call of Duty game to date.

Now, for those who are wondering if Modern Warfare 2 is worth playing, the answer is a resounding 'Yes.'