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

I feel like I’m in the spirit of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 To try to be as cool and diagrammatic as possible, let me first outline that there are 17 missions in this campaign. 6 of them are good. His five of them are things that can be described as “OK” in conversation. 3 of them are bad. And his other three are the worst the Call of Duty creators have ever made, including Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games.

According to this forensic assessment, Modern Warfare 2’s campaign is generally verifiably fine in the sense that it’s neutral. If this were a set of Bluetooth headphones or an 18-button mouse advising you on how to invest in a widely capable new electronic device, Modern Warfare 2 would be a “buy” recommendation. This confirms that the product you received from Activision is worth the $70 (if you slice Modern Warfare almost in thirds and only use the campaign as its own product).

but write in that spirit modern warfare 2 —schematically, coolly, edgelessly—also means writing about it through many of the aforementioned 17 missions (at a rate of about $4.11 per mission, excluding multiplayer). To play ball with Infinity Ward, the developer repeatedly tries to convince the game that the game is cool, unconvincing, and doesn’t try to do anything provocative. I swear it.

The writer deploys a technique in which all playable characters, protagonists, or in-game companions repeatedly congratulate, praise, and encourage each other.

“How are you going to get him back?”

“by breaking in”

“That’s why I love ghosts.”

Or in the same cutscene, about 60 seconds later:

“While Rudy finds Al, I’ll use Cam to help the Ghost charge into key locations.”

“Distraction and sabotage. Nice work, Johnny.”

“I learned from the best, LT”

“Alejandro is the toughest guy in the regiment,” says Rudy during a rescue mission. Then Price appears and blows up the helicopter, allowing Rudy, Alejandro, Ghost, and Thorpe to escape. “Friends,” Ghost replies. “I already like him,” says Alejandro. All teasers combined with his trailer tagline, “The final weapon is the team,” modern warfare 2 They belong to some sort of modern human emotional support group, pledging to always strengthen each other’s trust and offer positive affirmations at the beginning of each meeting. , I think it’s actually a very clever technique on behalf of Infinity Ward. Mitigate game behavior that may be considered controversial or offensive, making it appear acceptable and harmless.

Image: Infinity Ward/Activision

look, modern warfare 2 Do all this hilarious, kind teamwork stuff, but then it seems to go in the opposite direction and kind of tread on these pedals labeled Meaning and Theme and Image. Beyond the Wall: The US-Mexico border, or its role as the actual missile that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. But then a reversal or refraction occurs. Everything you think you’ve just experienced that could be meaningful, thematic, or related to any kind of real-world imagery is transformed and undermined.

The general, an Iranian with white hair and a white beard, was killed in a missile attack, but he is not Soleimani but Golbrani. A mission in which each character has just bombed a town in Mexico, followed by a mission in which if you accidentally shoot a civilian, you will be reprimanded by the game and forced to reboot. The biggest example is this awesome trick of making you think you’ve seen something and claiming you didn’t see it without actually removing what you thought you saw. You travel to the United States as a Mexican Special Forces unit and are eventually arrested by American police as people yell to get out of your yard. Tell the boys apart from the cartels.and for a moment it was like modern warfare 2 It takes a long time to explain clearly, but it does say something about race and prejudice. But when I go to another house, there are people yelling at me to get out of the yard and they are Hispanic.

I mean, can you see the genius there?how do you see modern warfare 2 After saying something, don’t say it, you may not realize it, but it leaves the writers, developers, and entities of Call of Duty with an escape route from accusations of intentional or subjective belief. In a post-modern world of the end of alternative facts and metanarratives, I think that nothing seems to be the answer, the truth, or anything that can be fully believed or trusted, and that everything is constantly changing. modern warfare 2 A masterpiece of sorts. And now imagine they’re using the words “Modern Warfare 2 is some kind of masterpiece” on a poster or something.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on October 28th. This game was reviewed on his PS4. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.