Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign review: a work of empty genius - Polygon

Reversals and refractions

I consciousness similar it’s successful the tone of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to effort to beryllium arsenic dispassionate and schematic arsenic possible, truthful to statesman with, fto maine outline that determination are 17 missions successful this campaign. Six of them are good. Five of them are what we mightiness conversationally picture arsenic “OK.” Three of them are bad. And the different 3 are immoderate of the worst that the creators of Call of Duty, beryllium they Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games, oregon others, person ever produced.

By this forensic appraisal, Modern Warfare 2’s run is generally, verifiably OK, successful the consciousness of being neutral. If this were a acceptable of Bluetooth headphones oregon an 18-button mouse, and I were advising you however to put successful a caller and broadly competent physics device, Modern Warfare 2 would beryllium a “buy” recommendation. I could hereby corroborate the merchandise you person from Activision is worthy the speech of your $70 — oregon $23, if you astir portion Modern Warfare into thirds, and instrumentality the run solely arsenic its ain product.

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

But penning successful the tone of Modern Warfare 2 — arsenic in, schematically, dispassionately, edgelessly — means besides penning astir it successful a mode that, passim galore of its aforementioned 17 missions (at a complaint of astir $4.11 per mission, again excluding multiplayer) is to beryllium hoodwinked oregon fooled; to play shot with developer Infinity Ward, which repeatedly tries to person you its crippled is anodyne and convictionless and not trying to bash thing provocative. It swears.

Its writers deploy a method whereby each playable character, protagonist, oregon in-game comrade repetitively congratulates, praises, and encourages 1 another:

“How bash we get him back?”

“By breaking in.”

“And that’s wherefore I emotion the Ghost.”

Or, successful the aforesaid cutscene, immoderate 60 seconds later:

“While Rudy finds Al, I’ll usage the cams to assistance Ghost works charges successful cardinal areas.”

“Diversions and sabotage. Nice, Johnny.”

“I learned from the best, L.T.”

“Alejandro is the toughest dude successful the regiment,” says Rudy during the rescue mission. And past Price appears and blows up a chopper truthful Rudy, Alejandro, Ghost, and Soap tin escape. “Who’s that?” Alejandro asks. “A friend,” replies Ghost. “I similar him already,” says Alejandro. Combined with that tagline from each the teaser trailers — “The eventual limb is team” — it’s similar each the characters successful Modern Warfare 2 beryllium to immoderate benignant of modern man’s affectional enactment group, wherever they vow astatine the opening of each gathering to ever reenforce 1 another’s assurance and connection affirmative affirmations. It seems silly and facile and conscionable similar atrocious writing, but I deliberation it’s really a truly shrewd method connected behalf of Infinity Ward: The shining airy of the protagonists’ teamwork and comradeship becomes this benignant of beard oregon fume grenade to hide, oregon astatine slightest mitigate and marque acceptable and innocent-seeming, thing the crippled does that mightiness beryllium considered arguable oregon distasteful.

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

See, Modern Warfare 2 volition bash each this sportive, kindly teamwork stuff, but past it’ll spell the different way, and look to, arsenic it were, stamp connected these pedals labeled Meaning and Theme and Imagery, and abruptly you’re crossing the Trump partition implicit the U.S.-Mexico border, oregon playing arsenic the existent rocket that kills Iranian wide Qasem Soleimani. But past there’s a reversal oregon a refraction, wherever everything you deliberation you conscionable experienced that whitethorn person been meaningful oregon thematic oregon pertaining to immoderate benignant of real-world representation gets transfigured and undermined. It’s benignant of genius.

The general, though he’s Iranian and has achromatic hair, a achromatic beard, and a decease by rocket strike, is not Soleimani but “Ghorbrani.” The ngo wherever you conscionable bombed a Mexican town, which each of the characters remark was afloat of civilians, is followed by a ngo wherever if you accidentally sprout a civilian, you’re disciplined by the crippled and forced to restart. The top illustration of this benignant of communicative sleight of hand, this fantastic instrumentality of making you deliberation you person seen thing and past insisting that you haven’t, someway without really removing the happening you thought had seen, comes successful that aforementioned borderline mission. As Mexican peculiar forces, you transverse into a U.S. successful which radical outcry astatine you to get retired of their yard, and you’re yet apprehended by the American police, who past recognize who you are and fto you go, saying, “It’s hard to archer you boys isolated from the cartel.” And for a moment, it’s arsenic if Modern Warfare 2 is saying thing — it would instrumentality a agelong clip to articulate, but thing — astir contention and prejudice. But past you spell into different house, and determination are radical shouting and screaming astatine you to get retired of their yard, and they’re Hispanic.

I mean, bash you spot the genius successful that? Do you spot however Modern Warfare 2 says something, and past unsays it, but successful a mode you mightiness not notice, but besides leaves the writers, developers, and the entity of Call of Duty an flight way from immoderate accusations of intent oregon subjective belief? In a postmodern satellite of alternate facts and the extremity of the metanarrative, wherever it seems similar determination are nary answers, truth, oregon thing you tin afloat judge successful oregon trust, and everything shifts each the time, I deliberation Modern Warfare 2 is simply a benignant of masterpiece. And present I ideate them utilizing that quote, “Modern Warfare 2 is simply a benignant of masterpiece,” connected a poster oregon thing aboriginal on, and everything astir it won’t matter.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released connected Oct. 28 connected PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The crippled was reviewed connected PS4. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These bash not power editorial content, though Vox Media whitethorn gain commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You tin find additional accusation astir Polygon’s morals argumentation here.