It could have been a fantastic moment for Activision. Announcing arguably the best game in the Call of Duty series – Modern Warfare, was getting remastered and released on current generation consoles. Unfortunately, it turned soured, and as such they have (understandably) received a lot of negativity for their decision to make it only available for those who buy a ‘Legacy’ edition of their new entry into the series Infinite Warfare. It screamed of desperation in the eyes of a lot of people, as it seemed like an acknowledgment that their latest effort wouldn’t shift the amount of copies they’d usually expect, so in an effort to combat that, they force fans who want to play Modern Warfare on their current consoles to pay an increased fee for both games. Well the dust has settled a little now since the release, and I’ve been debating as to how to review and score this collection. Whether I give the games separate scores, or combined. And I think it is only fair to do the latter, due to you being unable to play the one without the other. So the it’s time for the question ‘Is the Legacy Edition worth the money?’ let’s take a look.
Let’s start with the new game first – Infinite Warfare. Not quite sure what is infinite about it, they story certainly has an ending, but I suppose they need to call it something. As the trailers show, this is a game that ventures beyond Earth, with the campaign focused on a battle for the Solar System against Jon Snow’s Settlement Defence Front (SDF). Ok, so it isn’t actually Jon Snow but it’s hard to see Kit Harrington as anyone else at the moment. There are a few other recognisable face in the cast as well. Anyway, you are Nick Reyes, and soon into the story after the SDF attack Earth you are promoted to the rank of Commander on the ship Retribution. While this is a story about getting revenge and repelling the SDF, what is also present is Reyes’ personal battle with the decisions he needs to make in his new position. And the choices he needs to make between the needs of his people and the needs of the mission. It is nice to see a Call of Duty campaign explore narratives in different ways such as this.
A clear influence on the game is Mass Effect. You have your map of the Solar System and you are able to pick and choose your destination, from a handful of side ops along with the driving the main story forward. There are a fair few moments where you may even forget you’re playing a Call of Duty game. The aerial combat sections feel fresh, but do outstay their welcome. You’re given a freedom to control your fighter – The Jackal, but if these sections of the game were limited to one or two parts, they’d have had more impact. As it is, with a number of side missions solely revolving around the space fights, as well as a few other missions having these sections in, I found myself getting bored of their repetitive nature. I applaud Infinity Ward for trying new things with Call of Duty’s campaign, the optional side ops certainly give the player more of a knowledge over the story, but in reality, if you choose to not complete them all, it is quite a short campaign, even if it is one of the enjoyable I’ve played in Call of Duty for a long while.
As has become the norm now, Call of Duty is split into 3 sections. The Campaign, Multiplayer and Zombies. I’ll move onto the very fun Zombies mode shortly, but first I’ll take a quick look at multiplayer. I’m going to make an assumption (rightly or wrongly) that if you’re looking at buying this game, you’ve likely played a COD game in the past. So will know what the multiplayer is all about. There isn’t a huge amount I can tell you that you won’t already know. It’s fast paced Call of Duty action as expected, with the jet packs and wall running still present. For me, it isn’t all that enjoyable, and it has been a long time since I have been able to invest in a multiplayer mode on COD. And having recently played Titanfall 2, this just doesn’t live up to it. The same multiplayer frustrations from many a previous iteration are still intact. While there are new kill streaks, inclusion of new classes etc. I just think it is time for Call of Duty to take a step back and really try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to its multiplayer suite. It is clear that the games popularity (while still very high) is waning, and the games’ rivals in Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 are outperforming it.
Zombies in Spaceland is the most fun mode of the lot. And I really want to spend more time with it. While this mode doesn’t really change much from the classic zombie formula, it certainly feels like a bit of an evolution. The setting of an 80’s theme park with its cartoony neon-ness is such a fun setting when you’re running around discovering things for the first time. As usual, this is more than a simple survival move, you’re able to find secret areas, craft items (coming in the form of sticker packs), interact with vending machines and solve small puzzles to find things such as the famous pack-a-punch machine. And the cast of characters are a delight, varying from the dweeb of the class to a stereotypical jock. There is a lot to discover in the theme park, and lots to come back to every time. If you find a good group of player there is hours of fun to be had. The area is expansive, and you are unlikely to see it all during any one play through.
Now onto what has piqued most people’s interest – Modern Warfare Remastered. Rarely will a game that is almost 10 years old be able to have its graphics spruced up and play like it could have been released new yesterday. It goes to show just how good this game was when it was released. And while there is an argument that it does feel a little dated in terms of manoeuvrability around the battlefield when we now have games full of jet packs and parkour abilities, it still fully holds its own. Campaign wise it is still as strong now as it was then. The hard hitting levels such as your involvement in the Al-Fulani assassination, the nuclear detonation and the superb All Ghillied Up are still powerful pieces of gaming. This is, in my personal opinion the high point of Call of Duty campaigns in terms of the story itself and the journey you take to get to the end. And it is a high point that the series, and many others like it haven’t been able to hit since.
And talking about being able to hold its own, the multiplayer suite is present here in the remaster. With 10 maps released, and a further 6 coming out, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the higher percentage of people picking up the legacy edition of Infinite Warfare will be spending their multiplayer times with Modern Warfare. While it hasn’t quite captured my attention the same way as it did back in 2007 (may be due to me not being as interested in multiplayer experiences anymore) it is easy to see that this is still a great piece of multiplayer gaming.
Now the big question, is this package worth it? If you are wanting to just play Modern Warfare then I would say no. I can’t see how anyone can justify paying over and above the price of a brand new game for a remastered version of an old one. Try to hold off and hope that Activision see sense to release it on its own in the coming months. If you’re a fan of how Call of Duty has developed over the years then I would say that yes this is a good package for you. Infinite Warfare has a very solid campaign, multiplayer that if you’ve enjoyed the last few I’m sure you’ll enjoy here, and a fantastic zombies mode. And with the best game in the series remastered for a few quid more, it is hard to argue the value. It must be a struggle for fans of Modern Warfare to decide what to do here, but I must implore you to vote with your wallets. If you have no interest in Infinite Warfare DO NOT buy the legacy edition of the game. Just keep your fingers crossed that Activision see sense.
**Thank you to Activision and XCN for providing review copies of the game**