"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4": awesome campaign, successful multiplayer, and exciting DMZ mode
This year, "Call of Duty" is good again. Really good, even. An exciting solo campaign, the new "DMZ" mode, and a solid multiplayer have me hooked to the controller for hours.
For two weeks, I have been blasting my way through every game mode of «Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4». This year's installment of Activision's blockbuster series is impressive. If you couldn't get into last year's soulless and confusing «Black Ops 7», you should definitely give this latest part of the «Modern Warfare» saga a chance.
Campaign: Chaos in Korea
Developer studio Infinity Ward brings the saga surrounding the iconic mustachioed Captain Price to an end in «Modern Warfare 4». As a reminder: Price killed General Shepherd at the end of «Modern Warfare 3» and has been on the run ever since. Now, he wants to take down his Russian nemesis Makarov and his allies – on his own terms.
To achieve his goal, the ex-captain even teams up with former enemies and fights against old team members like Gaz and Ghost. It gets wild. Fans of the series can look forward to a satisfying conclusion to the story that began in 2019 with the «Modern Warfare» reboot.
Parallel to Price's revenge campaign, «Modern Warfare 4» tells a chillingly realistic story about a North Korean attack on South Korea. I don't experience the invasion from the perspective of experienced super-soldiers. Instead, I step into the role of young recruits who are caught off guard during a patrol in the fictional city of Hajin.
I experience the first hours after the invasion and later take part in counter-attacks in the north. The game even lets me look behind enemy lines. In some missions, I see what it means to be a North Korean soldier. These dark moments are the ones that stick with me the most.
In the 16 missions in total, the game switches back and forth between Price's story and the North Korean invasion. I like the contrast between the two plotlines. On his James Bond-esque journey, Price travels around the world, leaving a trail of destruction in New York, Paris, and Mumbai, among other places. It's great action cinema for switching off your brain. The Korean missions, on the other hand, deliver a classic «Call of Duty» feeling and bring the cruelest sides of war to the forefront.
I am disappointed by the way the two plotlines come together – or rather, they don't. In the end, I feel like I've played two story campaigns with minimal connection to each other. Also a pity: the new Bond-villain «The Archer», played by Mads Mikkelsen, doesn't get enough screen time. His backstory, combined with Mikkelsen's incomparable way of playing villains, would have had so much potential.
I also feel clear differences in the mission design. Price is an experienced soldier who experiences many action-packed moments – and sometimes lets his fists do the talking instead of weapons. In the Korean missions, however, I have to be more careful. I sneak through enemy territory, take out enemies as a sniper, or collect resources in North Korea in an open-world mission to survive.
The range of missions is large, but it doesn't quite reach the brilliant campaign in «Black Ops 6» (2025). I miss big surprises that go beyond checking off mandatory points on the «Call of Duty» to-do list. In addition, some frustrating trial-and-error moments annoy me, where the game forces me to play a mission exactly as the developers intended. If I die five times in a row because an enemy discovers me in an inexplicable way during a stealth mission, I have to put the controller aside and take a deep breath.
Audiovisually, «Modern Warfare 4» is a powerhouse. The game is particularly impressive in action-packed scenarios with countless effects sweeping across the screen at the same time.
Explosions here, fire there, shots from everywhere. In the background, civilians are fleeing; above me, soldiers are jumping out of enemy planes. It all looks incredibly beautiful (if war can be «beautiful» at all) and runs smoothly on my PS5 Pro with a frame rate between 80 and 120 FPS.
Multiplayer: awesome
There isn't much to complain about in multiplayer either. «Modern Warfare 4» offers a solid selection of maps, modes, and content at launch. The direction in which this foundation develops will only become clear in the coming weeks and months.
For all multiplayer modes, Infinity Ward consistently relies on a skill-based matchmaking system – or SBMM for short. This means: I am consistently matched with players who roughly correspond to my skill level.
As with every new «Call of Duty», this circumstance causes a lot of resentment among experienced players because they have to give their all in every match. As an average soldier, that doesn't bother me at all. On the contrary – I will never understand how one can get so upset about a system that is advantageous for most players.
The matches feel slower than in the last two «Black Ops» games. Infinity Ward avoids gimmicks. No wall-running, no tac-sprint, no omnimovement. Translated, this means: no enemies flying around like John Wick or running across the maps like they're on speed. I like this more grounded approach.
Infinity Ward has also tweaked other aspects of the controls. Overall, the game gives me more control during animations. This allows me to chain actions like slides, jumps, and climbing sequences more seamlessly. In addition, the studio has abandoned the proven «Weapon Bloom» system. This means: when firing from the hip, it is no longer decided by chance where the bullet flies. The position of the weapon determines the flight direction of the cartridges. Always.
Speaking of weapons: they feel excellent as usual. Every shot satisfies my «CoD» dopamine center with powerful sounds, successful visual effects, and precise haptic feedback. Currently, I've fallen in love with the «FiNN LMG» – a rather slow weapon that makes up for its sluggish handling with a large magazine and even greater stopping power.
I adjust my arsenal again in the Gunsmith. A new digital assistant named «Gunny» suggests the best upgrades for a specific playstyle. Great for anyone who doesn't want to waste too much time tinkering.
Source: Activision
The selection of killstreaks and field upgrades disappoints me in the first few days. But as I play more, I discover some favorites that I look forward to in every match.
For example, after a kill streak, I use remote-controlled model airplanes with bombs and fly drones with machine guns. My favorite, however, is the massive «Wheelson» robot – a fully automatic vehicle that mows down everything in its path.
At launch, there are many classic game modes that I can play endlessly. A round of «Hardpoint», «Domination», «Kill Confirmed», or even good old «Team Deathmatch» always works.
In addition, Infinity Ward has given the game four new modes – but not all of them are convincing.
- «Inflation»: Like «Team Deathmatch», only with money. Every kill gives cash. Once I've collected enough, I become a «High Value Target» (HVT), which is visible to everyone on the map. My team decides whether to defend me or attack the enemy HVT for even more cash. A fun dynamic, but overall not a contender for my all-time favorites list.
- «Hijack»: My favorite among the new modes. A «data spike» appears on the map, which my team must transport to an enemy communication station to steal data. The enemy team tries to do the same to us. This creates a constant back-and-forth between attack and defense. Depending on the lobby, there are super-exciting matches or boring encounters that put you to sleep – «Call of Duty» players are unfortunately not known for playing for mission objectives.
- «Collateral»: Like «Counter-Strike», only in «Call of Duty». My team must either plant or defuse bombs. Between rounds, we buy weapons and equipment with earned cash. Again: depending on the lobby, a super-cool mode or just tedious because people prefer to shoot mindlessly instead of pursuing the objective.
- «Combat Outpost»: Based on the large 32v32 «Ground War» modes with large maps. My huge team must capture and hold outposts. The twist: the longer we defend a position, the more rewards we receive – such as tanks or additional equipment. Between the intense smaller multiplayer modes, this is a welcome breather.
Source: Activision
The map selection at launch is okay. Nothing more. I'm missing a few truly outstanding locations that I would recommend to every fellow player. Maps that immediately burn themselves into my gaming memory and stay there forever.
My current favorite is «Silkworm» – a winding, futuristic district in South Korea. Anyone who knows the shortcuts and alleys has a clear advantage. Also great: the colorful slums in Mumbai and the open firefights on the rooftops of New York.
My absolute hate-map is «Transit 213» – a mini-map full of stripped-down buses. In most game modes, it leads to mindless shooting where luck counts more than strategy and skill. I swear, if I spawn directly in front of an enemy again, I'm throwing my Dualsense at the TV.
Wuuuuussaaaa.
Other maps also don't fit every mode – such as the much too large «Munition» map. In a classic «Team Deathmatch», I feel like I'm running through deserted sections for minutes after strange respawns. Boring. With modes that lure teams to specific locations («Hardpoint», «Domination»), the XXL map works better.
DMZ: unpredictable
The third major pillar in the «Modern Warfare 4» package is the DMZ mode, which is based on extraction shooters. Even after two weeks of blasting, I'm still unsure what to make of it.
The game principle is quickly explained. On a huge map, I have half an hour with two other players to loot as many valuable resources as possible, complete missions, and collect rewards. Numerous computer-controlled and human enemy teams stand in our way. Before the 30 minutes are up, my three-man team must escape from the demilitarized zone by helicopter. If I die, I lose my collected loot and all items I brought with me on the mission.
In story missions, I follow rigid, predefined objectives and learn more about the background of the zone with every excursion. Much more exciting is the mode with dynamic missions. I am infiltrated into the DMZ and receive a randomly selected mission, which usually consists of several objectives. For example, I have to search for bomb parts, then assemble a bomb, and finally attach the bomb to a military target and detonate it.
During a dynamic mission, my team can also accept side objectives. For example, while searching for bomb parts, we hunt down powerful boss enemies who carry even more valuable loot, or capture towers to shoot down enemy planes. We can also swap the current mission for another quest at any time if we find more exciting clues along the way. Combined with the chaos that results from fights with NPCs and human enemies, every round in the DMZ becomes absolutely unpredictable.
This unpredictability is both the greatest strength and the greatest weakness of the mode. Some excursions send my adrenaline levels through the roof, others are unspectacular and boring. How much fun I have also depends a lot on my team. Sometimes I'm matched with absolute idiots who mindlessly attack everything they see instead of pursuing an objective. This is problematic because the more corpses we leave behind, the harder the world hits back with more heavily armored enemies.
Between excursions, I can tinker with my equipment in my headquarters and craft items in the 3D printer. Unfortunately, the crafting system is associated with too much grinding in places. To craft helpful equipment parts, I first have to find the right recipes and then collect the required resources in laborious manual work. For the really cool items, the effort is so great that I don't even feel like starting.
It is particularly annoying that I only unlock items like the parachute after hours of gameplay – and can lose them again. Several times I jumped from high-rises because my muscle memory was still set to «Warzone». There, I can open the parachute at any time.
Wusaaaa.
At the end of the day, the DMZ mode is a matter of taste. If the wild multiplayer matches are too much for you, you get the opportunity here to play at your own pace – provided you play with the right teammates and bring a portion of frustration resistance.
«Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4» is available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC. Activision provided me with the game for the PS5 (Pro) for testing purposes.
Would you like to learn more about the background of the campaign? I spoke with the actors about the brilliant finale and gained exciting insights into the development:
Do you want to know how «Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4» performs on the Switch 2? You can find out in this article:
In a nutshell
A successful shooter package with minor flaws
Pro
- exciting campaign with strong story moments and missions
- an audiovisual feast for the senses
- DMZ mode lays a solid foundation for the future
- Multiplayer is as fun as ever
- revised controls slow the pace down a bit
Contra
- Storytelling and mission design in the campaign have room for improvement
- DMZ is too unpredictable and grindy
- not all multiplayer content is convincing
My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
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