Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. Nov 2, 2022
    70
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 complies without taking risks. Its multiplayer mode is very fun, one of the most polished of recent times, although I miss some more experimentation.
  2. Nov 4, 2022
    60
    The campaign part of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is a mixed bag. On one hand it's easy to see how the team behind the game tried to break new ground with gameplay scenarios, but on the other hand a lot of those ideas feels undercooked.
  3. Nov 2, 2022
    60
    Modern Warfare 2 cherry-picks gameplay mechanics from other genres and incorporates them into the game under the guise of innovation. The enjoyable moments of the campaign are tarnished by unnecessary limitations, technical problems, and pacing issues. While its solid gunplay, movie-quality visuals, and exceptionally acted characters are among its most redeeming qualities, the campaign relies heavily on the nostalgia of its predecessors without creating any truly iconic moments of its own. I still recall what it was like to experience the original 2009 Modern Warfare 2’s satisfying gut-punch of a finale. Unfortunately, this year’s campaign did not end on nearly as satisfying or memorable a note.
  4. Nov 10, 2022
    55
    As a fan of FPS games and a casual fan of the CoD franchise, it pains me to say Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is one of my most disliked entries in the series. The campaign is a huge step down from its original namesake, and the multiplayer has disappointed me on many levels. I know Activision loves to get a slice of the CoD pie every single year, but I still think we’d be better off with fewer titles, bigger innovations.
  5. Oct 31, 2022
    50
    Eventually, Modern Warfare 2 should get to a point where it becomes an easy recommendation for shooter fans, but it's undercooked and underwhelming in its current state.
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  1. Nov 6, 2022
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer is filled with mindless fun and lots of ways to grind, and it serves as a solid evolution and refinement of its predecessor. Although it's fun, the tried and true PvP is bogged down by some confounding design choices, lackluster maps with zero staying power, and missing features. It's a fine game. I've enjoyed my time with it, and it's a game I will continue to play which is something that couldn't be said about last year's game. However, just fine probably isn't what you want when invoking the name of one of the most iconic and defining modern military shooters of all time. [Multiplayer Review score = 70; Campaign score = 60]
  2. Nov 1, 2022
    This year's Modern Warfare 2 has some good moments, some beautiful cinematics and some typically moreish multiplayer - but it's a cowardly retconning of the original's story.
  3. As a sequel to the Modern Warfare reboot, Modern Warfare 2 feels like both a celebration of the series’ original trilogy as well as “the team” at its core. The party is spoiled somewhat by inconsistent pacing, technical issues, and incongruous mechanics, shoehorned in from what will ultimately be the game’s multiplayer suite. Through it all, the referential nods to Call of Duty of old stitched the experience together for me. [Campaign Review = 70]
  4. Oct 27, 2022
    It isn’t as innovative as past Modern Warfare games, nor does it have as many iconic moments. But for the most part, it’s a unified campaign that nails what Modern Warfare should be. Fans of Call of Duty campaigns won’t be able to put their controller down. [Campaign Review = 80]
  5. Oct 30, 2022
    If Vanguard was seen as a disappointing misstep by fans (and even Activision’s own expectations), Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2’s attempts to bring the franchise away from its Second World War setting will likely be met with relief. But though it still continues to offer some decent first-person shooting, its campaign offers a lacklustre experience that is ultimately hard to shake...Plenty of Call of Duty fans may well forgo the campaign in its entirety to focus on its multiplayer and Warzone 2 content, but don’t expect the single-player to be the sole worth of this instalment. [Campaign Review score = 60]
  6. Oct 25, 2022
    Modern Warfare 2’s campaign is a cocktail of modern mechanics, updated characters, and callbacks to classic missions and villains. By the end of it, the campaign ends up saying little of substance. And though that is certainly true of its predecessor, it at least had the gall to try. Despite that, it’s Call of Duty’s most interesting campaign on a purely mechanical level, and bodes well for a future beyond annualised six-hour campaigns. There are far greater heights this could reach if it was allowed to exist as a new STALKER or Fallout – and I hope we get some form of that from Infinity Ward. [Campaign Review = 80]
  7. Oct 26, 2022
    It’s been a long time since a Call of Duty campaign has really impressed me to this level, honestly, probably since 2007’s original Modern Warfare. While I’ve played the vast majority of each since for the most part, none have been really all that memorable as a whole. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II may not have the shock value that Modern Warfare 2 (2009) had with news outlets talking about its infamous “No Russian” airport mission, but it doesn’t need to with its movie quality campaign that was not only satisfying in almost every way, but left me craving a direct sequel for its campaign. A first for me. [Campaign Review Score = 93]
  8. Oct 23, 2022
    As finer an example of “AAA” Hollywood gaming spectacle as ever there was – full of incredible visuals and set-pieces with a tonne of gameplay variety and only a few moments that fall flat. It can’t help but occasionally feel to be a greatest hits collection of previous Call of Duty moments at times, despite the earnest and well intentioned efforts to mix things up a bit, and that’s okay. For fans of the series, they’ll be more than satisfied. [Campaign Score = 85]
  9. Nov 2, 2022
    The 2019 Modern Warfare saga reboot had given a fresh coat of paint to the Call of Duty license thanks to a convincing multiplayer and solo campaign. Three years later, Infinity Ward has come up with an even more accomplished version. The campaign is enjoyable and benefits from a great deal of work on its staging to keep us on our toes. However, some bits and pieces tend to make us sigh. As regards the multiplayer, the 2019 base remains more or less the same with some welcome new features on the camouflage system. Yet, the unlocking of attachments is questionable. All in all, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II turns out to be a great vintage and will undoubtedly be successful.
User Score
6.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 215 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 74 out of 215
  1. Oct 29, 2022
    1
    Forced crossplay with pc. Huge mistake. Going back to Black Ops cold war instead.
  2. Nov 3, 2022
    3
    The amount of sheep giving this game a 10/10 is truly mind boggling. If you TRULY believe this game which is clearly broken and missing ofThe amount of sheep giving this game a 10/10 is truly mind boggling. If you TRULY believe this game which is clearly broken and missing of content deserves a perfect score, I suggest you open up your game library outside of the FPS genre for a change. And “JUST WAIT FOR THE PATCH” is a classic line from the excuse patrol trying to rationalize a game that is broken from day 1 and a line I fundamentally reject ay every turn. This game feels like in every single capacity, has taken several steps backwards. The main campaign is as generic as they come. It very much feels like the plot to this game was written in an hour. Just did NOT feel memorable at all even though it pretends to be this massive epic that it simply is not. The villain is throw away and forgettable. Everyone in the game in regards to character just feel all the same. Generic military archetypes spitting out stereotype military jargon 24/7. If I heard the word “ROG” one more time, I’ll scream. There are missions in this game that are so frustrating and annoying that I almost quit playing. There are some levels I completed in under 7 minutes and I wasn’t trying that hard to beat it. Feels VERY disjointed at times and so I can never get behind the narrative they are trying to tell. Just feels like an empty campaign that simply serves as a trailer for a better game down the road. The multiplayer is border-lining on being completely broken. My character model, title cards and emblem has not saved since I bought the game. The forcing of players to play cross play with PC is inexcusable, as the PS5 has the ability to switch this off day one. The menus for this game looks like they somehow thought people would be playing this game on a touch screen and are all over the place, making navigating through the game a test in mental endurance. And the 10 maps….yes……the whole TEN maps at launch are as boring and forgettable as I’ve ever seen. Outside of the cutscenes, the graphics are Good…Not Great. In multiplayer, it at times looks like they have even taken a step backwards. I am playing it on a Series-X and the multiplayer’s graphics are nothing special and are far away from what could ever be called, “next gen”. Even the voice acting in the multiplayer sounds like the lines are being read from someone sitting on the toilet and don’t evoke a fraction of a fraction of the heart and soul that the original MW2 had in spades. The weapon progression that requires you to use other guns just to unlock other attachments for the gun you really want to use is absolutely mind boggling. Who in God’s name WANTS to spend hours using a gun you’re not good or simply do not want to use to get to an attachment or gun you actually want to use???? All in all this feels like an absolute misfire from Activision. I can’t be the only one who just feels like Modern Warfare 2019 and this game are just……Missing the IT factor that the original games had. The little things. The charm, heart and soul those games just seem to have. This game just feels like a hollowed, empty shell and a rather poorly constructed generic one at that. Full Review »
  3. Nov 13, 2022
    3
    Really good campaign but absolutly awful multiplayer. The maps are terrible and the whole game punishes an aggressive fast playstyle with evenReally good campaign but absolutly awful multiplayer. The maps are terrible and the whole game punishes an aggressive fast playstyle with even more benefit given to a camping playstyle. Most disappointing game of the year for me. Full Review »