Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered features the same core gameplay as the original version: it is a first-person shooter in which the player controls several characters. However, it includes a few modifications.[1] For example, while in the prone position, the player's equipped weapon is now visible. The game uses "dual render technology" for sniper rifle scopes when aiming, providing the player with a view of the scope and blurred surroundings, as opposed to a black screen representing the scope interior present in the original.[2] Throughout the single-player campaign, new predetermined first-person animations are present on a few occasions.[3][4] In multiplayer modes, if a weapon is equipped, players now have the ability to taunt their opponents, such as allowing the player to inspect the exterior of their gun.[3][5]

The campaign is almost identical to the original. It keeps the same collectibles and cheats as before, with the addition of several new cheats, such as exaggerated physics that fling enemies backwards as they are killed, and replacing the heads of non-player characters (NPCs) with watermelons.[6] The game offers full PlayStation Network trophy and Xbox Live achievement support (trophies of which had been absent from the PlayStation 3 version of Modern Warfare, due to the game releasing before they were introduced[7]), with the inclusion of several new challenges.[8]

Remastered features an updated version of the multiplayer that shares similarities with those featured in later Call of Duty games. It includes the same weapons, killstreaks, perks, and game modes from Modern Warfare, with existing modes present in other installments included such as "Kill Confirmed", "Gun Game", and "Hardpoint", as well as new modes like "Prop Hunt" (in which players hide as inanimate objects from the opposing team).[9][10] The multiplayer offers a greater variety of customization options for profile personalization, character skins, and weapon camouflage. A number of weapons not featured in Modern Warfare were also added.[11][12][13][14][15] All new content can be unlocked through completing challenges, crafting by consuming "Parts" that the player can earn, or by opening supply drops, while existing items from the original remain unlockable only through gaining in experience.[16] The online includes 20 Prestige levels, an increase from the 10 available in Modern Warfare. Entering each new Prestige level resets any unlockables that have been previously made available, but retains all customization items, in addition to any weapons, attachments, or perks that have been permanently unlocked.[17][18] A firing range is present in the online lobby, allowing the player to test out different weapon loadouts.[19]

Modern Warfare Remastered features the same plot as the original game. The player acts as a member of the United States Marine Corps and the Special Air Service (SAS) and takes on missions to fight against a separatist group in the Middle East as well as an ultranationalist group in Russia.

While the United States invades a small, oil rich Middle Eastern country following a coup d'état by the extremist Khaled Al-Asad, a British SAS squad infiltrates a cargo ship found to be carrying a nuclear device. The ship is sunk by enemy jets, but the SAS team escapes with its manifest, and then heads to Russia to rescue their informant, codenamed "Nikolai", from the Ultranationalist party. The intelligence from these operations indicate Al-Asad has a Russian nuclear device. The U.S. military launches an assault on Al-Asad's palace, but the nuclear device is detonated, wiping out most of the city along with everyone in it.

The SAS team tracks down Al-Asad in Azerbaijan, and discover that he was working with Imran Zakhaev, the leader of the Ultranationalist party. The mission then flashes back 15 years where Captain Price, who was a Lieutenant at the time, is sent alongside his commanding officer, Captain MacMillan, on a failed assassination attempt on Imran Zakhaev in Pripyat, Ukraine. After killing Al-Asad, the SAS team, with support from U.S. Marine Force Recon and Russian loyalists, attempt to capture Zakhaev's son and learn his whereabouts. They ambush him, but he commits suicide. In response, Zakhaev seizes control of a nuclear launch facility. A joint operation is launched to take back the site, but Zakhaev launches intercontinental ballistic missiles at the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. The joint teams are able to breach the facility and remotely destroy the missiles before fleeing the area.

Zakhaev's forces trap the escaping joint force on a bridge, and during the fight many are killed. Zakhaev arrives but is soon distracted by the arrival of a loyalist helicopter. The player uses their pistol to kill Zakhaev, before being tended to by loyalist forces.

A comparison of Modern Warfare (top) and Remastered (bottom). The latter features higher-resolution textures, remodeled assets, and other graphical enhancements.

After an online petition signed by fans of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released requesting that a remaster of the game be developed, series publisher Activision became interested in carrying out such a project.[3] The company approached Raven Software, who had developed multiplayer modes for several previous Call of Duty titles, to be the primary developer, overseen by Infinity Ward, who would act as executive producer.[20] Raven's studio director, David Pellas, recalled that "not a single person at Raven turned away and said no. It was a universal, 'yeah, we're there.'" Development of Modern Warfare Remastered began in early 2015.[21]

The developers had pledged to focus on four key areas throughout development: respecting the original game, modernizing the visuals and audio, improving the overall experience with new technology, and redefining what the term "remaster" meant.[4] Much of Modern Warfare was consequently "rebuilt from the ground up" for Remastered[22] through the revitalisation of the original's source codes, materials, layouts, and effects that Raven were given access to from Infinity Ward. The game runs in full 1080p resolution (increased to 4K for the PlayStation 4 Pro version) at 60 frames per second and uses the at the time latest iteration of the series' game engine.[23][24][25]

Raven wanted the remaster to provide a nostalgic experience for fans of Modern Warfare,[4] while introducing it to newcomers by connecting them to a world that they were used to in recent Call of Duty games, albeit one that mirrored reality.[21] Pellas noted that the risk of negative fan reactions resulting from any small changes made to the original and the desire to meet high expectations was daunting for Raven, saying "There was a realization that this is freaking terrifying, because it's not just important to us". To assist in their decision-making, they reviewed pages from various social media websites where active players of Modern Warfare could be found in order to understand what they would want from a re-release of the game. Raven were encouraged by their principle of keeping the core gameplay unchanged, a decision that remained consistent throughout the process as respecting the experience of the original was essential. Subtle improvements were made to both the controls and timing of existing animations, such as the transition between aiming a sniper rifle and the scope overlay appearing, but were designed to be as close to identical as possible.[1]

In order to bring Modern Warfare's visuals up to modern standards, enhancements of the environments and vistas were achieved using a procedure called "paint-over", with a larger number of onscreen objects and effects being integrated into them. Raven also wanted to give the environments a sense of place and history to avoid feeling generic.[3] The vast majority of objects were remodeled, with the game using improved texture depth, physically-based rendering, and light-reflection; additional features such as realistic physics and joints were employed for movable objects like character models. The developers focused on improving every gun in the game, explaining "We needed to take the weapons up to the same level of personality as the characters"; each received better dynamics, alterations made to their firing mechanisms, and a new feature in the series that allowed each type to eject shell casings unique to that weapon.[3][4] Raven faced some issues during the remastering of the game's graphics as the remaster used a heavily upgraded version of the series' engine. As a result, this meant that several of Modern Warfare's visual assets were not compatible with the new technology, so the developers were necessitated to remake them.[1] Most of the existing motion capture animation was redone for the same reason, as well as to provide further story exposition.[26][27] The single-player campaign saw a number of new first-person animations similarly added for further immersion and emotional responses from players, and to improve how the camera made use of the player character's body, enhancing the "body sense". Pellas said, "I think that for [the single-player] campaign, we were definitely more liberal with our animations and additions, as long as they enhanced the true intent of the moment." The artificial intelligence of non-player characters was also improved to respond more realistically with the environment, and vice versa, such as long grass reacting to the player character's presence.[3][1]

The existing audio was remastered using reverberation, depth, and spatial effects to enhance the overall ambiance of the game;[26] one example a developer from Raven made note of is that "Layering out multiple sounds now makes a big difference".[3] A range of other examples of sound encompassing both effects and dialogue that were not present in Modern Warfare were also used, including audio channels that had been created for the original but due to restraints had not been included during its development;[4] one example was training dialogue during the game's introductory level which is only heard in Modern Warfare through the use of a mod.[28][29] The original music and voice performances were retained, with the exception of the campaign dialogue spoken by Al-Asad in Arabic which was amended and re-recorded,[28] and a slight alteration in the voice acting for Zakhaev during part of a speech.[30] Initially, the original voices of the multiplayer announcers from Modern Warfare were also changed, but this was reverted for Remastered's release following fan complaints expressed at the Call of Duty: XP 2016 where its multiplayer was first made playable. Similarly, a number of weapon sounds in the multiplayer that been altered were again revised to more accurately represent those found in the original game.[31][32]

In addition to these updates, the game received an array of new features. A few new cheats were incorporated into the game's campaign, while keeping the same cheats and intel file collectibles from the original.[6] The multiplayer initially remained largely unchanged in terms of content from Modern Warfare. Ten of the original sixteen maps were featured at launch, while the remaining six were released as a free update several weeks later,[33][9] due to the developers being unable to meet the proposed deadline.[23] The multiplayer began to receive support over the following months, during which a wide range of new items was released to bring it more in line with recent Call of Duty installments: from December 2016, a supply drop and crafting system was introduced along with an expanded array of customization items such as emblems, calling cards, character skins, and new varieties of weapon camouflage.[16] Further guns and melee weapons were also incorporated in the time since release.[11][12][13][14][15] The game also published various temporary playlists and seasonal events, which introduced further new multiplayer modes, character skins, and variants of existing maps.[34][35][36]

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered received "generally favorable reviews", according to review aggregator Metacritic.[57][58][59] Push Square called it "a ridiculously faithful remake" that "celebrates this legacy with updated visuals and sound that really go above and beyond the call of duty, sprucing up an old care package for a more modern age to near-perfection."[62] The game was awarded the accolade for "Best Remaster" of 2016 from IGN.[64]

The revised graphics, sound, and other improvements received unanimous praise, especially when compared to other examples of video game remasters. Push Square wrote that "Modern Warfare Remastered looks and sounds like a fresh game on par with today's graphical and aural standards",[62] while Hardcore Gamer called it "a stunning overhaul," and "the most extensive visual upgrade any remaster has ever received yet, being more in line with a remake than an actual remaster."[63] Destructoid complimented the "subtle differences" made to the original, such as "zones [feeling] more alive, and ... atmospheric changes like adding in more details in first-person cinematics."[60] IGN found that the range of visual and technical improvements were greater than that of most other remasters, although criticized some minor shortcomings with regards to both graphical and design elements.[61]

Critics felt that Modern Warfare's single-player campaign had become somewhat dated over nine years, but otherwise praised the modern-day setting and core gameplay for Remastered. IGN remarked how the remaster was not as revolutionary a game compared with the original, but complimented the gameplay as having held up remarkably well and was more gratifying as a result of being unaltered, stating how it left them "feeling relatively weighed down, encumbered, and more desperate in the fray."[61] Destructoid was positive of all the changes made to Modern Warfare, but stated that Remastered was still at its core the original game from 2007; the story was used as an example, writing that it was still worth playing despite having been topped by its competition, with the crux of the narrative and the relationship between Soap and Price "worth the price of admission".[60] Push Square wrote how playing through the campaign from Modern Warfare reminded them of its sheer memorability and how it had long endured with fans compared with other games in the series, saying "there's tension and gravity shot through the experience, as if the world is on your shoulders to push past every enemy line with explosive bravado or exacting stealth".[62] Hardcore Gamer opined that the plot was much more grounded and realistic than other recent Call of Duty titles, writing "You're not a super soldier stuck in the middle of out-of-this-world set piece, but rather a regular soldier working with a squad to complete objectives."[63] Some aspects were singled out by critics for having aged poorly or needing improvement. Both Push Square and IGN found the story to suffer from pacing issues and noted problems with the artificial intelligence,[62] with IGN additionally highlighting the dated level design.[61] Hardcore Gamer also criticized the decision to retain the infinitely-spawning enemies from Modern Warfare, calling them "a hassle", and that weapons found on the battlefield were "barebones" compared to those the player starts the level with.[63]

Divided opinions were similarly given towards the game's multiplayer. Destructoid had no specific criticisms with the online, which they found to be timeless, and that the design of each map held up well and felt justified. They compared the mode to those offered by other first-person shooter games, stating "There's a nice, comfortable balance between the two philosophies, to the point where it's not too alienating for folks who didn't grow up with twichy FPSes or feel like dedicating the time to learning the ins and outs of breaching and clearing each and every room, knocking on permadeath's door on every match."[60] Hardcore Gamer complimented the online as feeling fresh, saying "After years of over-the-top killstreaks, wall-running, and other crazy antics, it's nice to get back to the basics". However, as with the single-player, they found the preserving of several features from the original game a hindrance, specifically infamous perks and a lack of killstreak-countering, finding it "extremely outdated" that they had not been removed or fixed.[63] IGN praised the multiplayer as holding up against more recent Call of Duty games, writing that "its refreshingly old-school pace is fun and explosive in its own right [...] it feels urgent, and it's still really satisfying even next to a contemporary, faster CoD". Despite this, they felt that most of the map designs deterred players from attempting strategic gameplay, with some examples containing "arbitrarily open spaces and buildings that serve only as unnecessary clutter".[61] Push Square praised the remastered multiplayer as being faithful to the original, regardless of its faults, and felt the simplicity of the mode compared with that of the newly-released Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare showed that "less can be more".[62]

• Official website

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