Infinity Ward has long been the Call of Duty studio to rely on for single-player campaigns. The original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 are still the best in the whole series, and the reboot got off to a strong start with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2019. Despite a slightly underwhelming runtime, Modern Warfare 4, the latest, is up there with the very best of them.
There are two stories happening simultaneously in Modern Warfare 4. One follows the trials and tribulations endured by Sierra-1, a unit made up of both South Korean and United States soldiers, as they fight back against an invasion by the North Korean military. Over the course of several missions, you'll battle through the streets of the fictional Hajin City, explore a snow-covered wasteland in North Korea, and fight through trenches to prevent a nuclear reactor from exploding.
Then there's the more traditional Modern Warfare storyline, which puts you in the shoes of the legendary Captain John Price, who is on the run after assassinating the traitorous General Shepherd at the end of Modern Warfare 3. His hunt for the Russian defense minister, known only as the Archer (Mads Mikkelsen), takes Price and his unlikely allies in the form of the cartel to New York, Paris, Mumbai, and, eventually, North Korea. As you can tell from that brief rundown, Modern Warfare 4 is plucked straight from the headlines.
It doesn't feel out of the realm of possibility that one day, North Korea, with the help of Russia, decides to invade its southern neighbor. This realism is where the game thrives, and it's even more impactful when you're part of a squad where everyone is just fighting for survival and taking the war at face value. Park Hyun-Jun, the soldier you'll mostly be in the shoes of, and the rest of Sierra-1 have an entirely different experience than Price and Ghost, for example, who are embroiled in the politics and manipulation behind the war itself.
Call of Duty campaigns can be split into two categories: those that have memorable moments and stick with you long after the credits have rolled, and those that are so forgettable you wonder why you bothered playing. Last year's entry, Black Ops 7, was strictly the latter, with its nonsensical hallucinatory sections and ridiculous, over-the-top boss fights. It hardly felt like a Call of Duty game.
Modern Warfare 4, on the other hand, is the former. From the moment the EMP hits Hajin City in the very first mission, leading you to battle in darkness before plucking paratroopers out of the sky from inside a sports stadium, you know you're in for one hell of a ride. Almost every single mission has notable peaks that will have you going, "holy shit, now that was cool." It's a game that isn't afraid to wear its inspiration on its sleeve, and to excellent effect.
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