In 2019, Activision and developer Infinity Ward took the Call of Duty game series back to its modern roots with a reimagining of the series’ iconic Modern Warfare story. In the seven years since, the series has had some serious highs and a few lows. Now, the epic campaign story wraps up in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and the series goes out on the highest of highs, with some strong emotional beats, brutal action, and a satisfying conclusion that wraps up most of the loose threads — and leaves one or two for future visits. Perhaps the best part of this year’s release is that, for the first time since Call of Duty: Ghosts, a full-featured Call of Duty game is now available on a Nintendo system.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 launched on October 23 and includes three game modes: campaign, multiplayer, and the return of DMZ. The 16-chapter campaign story picks up after the events of Modern Warfare III with John Price working with Kate Laswell behind the scenes to hunt down Vladimir Makarov after the events of the previous game. While that hunt is going on in the shadows, North Korea, under the command of a new Supreme Leader, launches a full-scale invasion of South Korea, backed by Russia and a new weapon that Makarov had a hand in acquiring. This connection brings Price and Laswell into the conflict, and ultimately forces Price to cross the line and become hunted by his former allies in Task Force 141.
The other campaign story focuses on a Marine battalion called Mayhem-1, who were patrolling Haijin City when the invasion began and their boots-on-the-ground proximity to the fighting is the meat of MW4’s campaign. The story switches between the two perspectives, one in present, the other five days prior, leading up to the conclusion where all threads meet. Through all of this, players get a taste of CIA shadow warfare, tons of hand-to-hand fighting, fun gunplay, crazy-intense large-scale battles, and more.
Call of Duty campaigns have always served as a way to introduce context to the multiplayer game mode, explaining the maps and the weapon load outs and all that. In Modern Warfare 4, the campaign also takes a breather midway through to introduce a chapter called Stranded, where Mayhem-1 is shot down over North Korea and working with a special forces operator are tasked with avoiding the enemy and escaping. This chapter serves as a trainer for the DMZ game mode, as players control Park, who alone has to stealthily run around a defined open-world map procuring weapons and supplies, all while crippling NK forces. It was a little jarring to go from intense action chapters to a chapter that felt more like the first few hours of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. That said, it was also a blast to play and did its job, as I went into the DMZ game mode fully prepared for what was to come.
The campaign’s stories finally merge in the last chapter, as forces come together to storm the palace of North Korea’s Supreme Leader, and the result is a fine ending to one of the better Call of Duty stories. I want to give a special shoutout to Price voice actor Barry Sloane for his exceptional work bringing this character to life. The four-game series hinges on John Price, and Sloane delivered each and every time, saving his best for last.
Multiplayer in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 takes a large step back from last year’s disappointing Black Ops 7 and it is so much better for it. Omni-directional movement and the sci-fi elements are gone, as Infinity Ward and the other studios opted to get back to a solid boots-on-the-ground game mode, with smaller teams and a variety of small-to-midsize maps. Multiplayer still has all the hallmarks of a CoD game, including killstreaks, perks, camos and more, and the player still gets to fully customize their weapons and loadouts. The Prestige format now offers a choice of classic or “regular.” One resets you back to level one and forces you to unlock everything again, while “regular” drops you back at one and you retain all of your unlocks.
DMZ returns for the first time since 2023, this time centered on Haijin. Players drop into the DMZ and complete missions and scavenge for weapons and supplies before exfilling back to base camp just to do it all over again. The DMZ game mode offers story elements and even bosses, as each incursion allows the player to satisfy conditions to move story chapters along. It can be a solo experience or you can squad up with other players to go as a team. Much like ARC Raiders, this mode also has some opportunities for shenanigans, as while players should all be working together to accomplish tasks, there are certain people out there who just love to be dicks, and these exfil campers will stake out an exfil site and kill players for their loot as they try to leave the map. What’s worse, the campers will call truces with one another so a squad of three players just trying to complete the story can be wiped out by teams of up to nine campers.
DMZ is a great mode and was one of my favorite parts of Modern Warfare III in 2023. But this version needs some tweaking. It takes the fun out of it when your hard work is stolen from you by a bunch of A-holes, and the cost to resurrect a downed operator is exceptionally high, meaning if you get murdered at the chopper, you can’t even use that operator skin again without a severe cost. The MWIII DMZ mode was a nice change of pace from the absolute carnage of multiplayer, but in this game, it’s just as sweaty, if not more. The developers definitely need to explore separating the game into PvE and PvP for the enjoyment of everyone.
Perhaps the best thing about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is the fact that it’s available on the Nintendo Switch 2. This is the first time a full-featured CoD game has graced a Nintendo system since Ghosts on the WiiU. The Switch 2 handles the game exceptionally well for an underpowered console/handheld, with the campaign running smoothly with just a slight loss of graphical fidelity. The upscaling doesn’t miss a beat, and it is just as fun to play on the Switch 2 as it is on the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S.
I’ve actually enjoyed multiplayer more on the Switch 2, and I can’t really explain why. To me, in full side-by-side comparison with the PS5, it just seems to play better. The matches are more competitive — even with cross-platform turned on. I was worried that S2 players would just be murdered left and right by players on the other, more powerful consoles and PCs, but I hold my own and I’ve seen others do so as well. The Switch 2 community is also a robust group, and I’ve seen squads form for all-Switch 2 MP games where technical limitations don’t matter and a player’s skill is what decides the matches.
Gamers who only have access to a Switch 2 can now play an outstanding military shooter without having to buy oddly named shovelware like Call of Warfare: Modern Duty or Call of Glory: Critical Warfare. I’m excited to say that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is the first full-scale military-based FPS on the Switch 2 and it delivers the true CoD experience, docked or on the go. Oorah.
Call of Duty fans are a fickle bunch. I don’t think there is a group of players that hates the game they continue to play annually like CoD players, and each year seems to bring out the best and worst — and the most vocal — of that group. CoD players are never happy, never satisfied, and yet they continue to play the series year in and year out. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 doesn’t change that, and the same people complaining about Vanguard, Cold War, MWII or Black Ops 7 are now complaining here, threatening to go back to the game they previously swore they hated. This seems to be the one constant in the Call of Duty game series and each year all I can do is laugh.
One last thing to mention: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 this year offers a new Call of Duty Endowment (C.O.D.E) Valor pack for $19.99. For the first time ever, the Valor pack honors a real life hero in Marine Corps veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter. Players who purchase the pack get access to two Carpenter skins as well as plenty of the other goodies, and the net proceeds from the sales of the Valor pack go to help veterans find jobs in the US and UK. I’m a strong proponent of the Call of Duty Endowment, and encourage anyone who plays the game to pick up the pack and to read up on a real hero in Kyle Carpenter.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 closes the chapter on John Price and his team, but leaves the door open for future stories told with a modern take. The campaign is one of the strongest in the Call of Duty game series’ history, and delivers a full 15-20 hour game experience. Multiplayer goes back to its roots for the better and the DMZ game mode, while strong out of the gate, has plenty of room for improvement in future updates. This game is a complete package and offers hundreds of hours of intense fun and excitement, and now brings that experience to the Nintendo Switch 2.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is available now on the Nintendo Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. This review is from the PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 versions of the game and codes provided by the publisher.
