Info about Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®:

Official game description:
Includes:  
\- Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®  
\- In-game XRK Weapons Pack  
\- In-game Tactical Knife  
Experience a visceral Campaign or assemble your team in the ultimate online playground with multiple Special Ops challenges and a mix of Multiplayer maps and modes.

Release date: 8 Mar, 2023

Categories: First-Person Shooter, Single-player Story, Cooperative Multiplayer, Competitive Multiplayer, Weapon Customization, Tactical Shooter


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Exceptional Game Quality (weight 0.89): Players overwhelmingly praise the game's overall quality, considering it a standout title within the Call of Duty franchise and often superior to newer entries. It's frequently cited as one of the best, if not the best, Call of Duty game in recent years, and a strong contender for the best FPS game overall.
- Outstanding Campaign Experience (weight 0.48): The campaign mode receives extensive acclaim for its compelling, immersive, and emotionally impactful storytelling. Reviewers highlight its cinematic quality, realistic depiction of warfare, and memorable missions and characters, particularly praising its mature and morally ambiguous narrative.
- Engaging Multiplayer & Customization (weight 0.24): The multiplayer component is highly regarded for its engaging gameplay, diverse modes, and robust weapon customization system (Gunsmith). Players find it active, well-balanced, and offering significant replayability, with many considering it one of the best multiplayer experiences in the franchise.
- Realistic Gunplay & Immersion (weight 0.21): The game is highly praised for its realistic and immersive gunplay, sound design, and overall military simulation (mil-sim) atmosphere. Players appreciate the detailed weapon mechanics, realistic ballistics, and the game's gritty, grounded approach to modern conflict, which enhances the feeling of being in a real warzone.
- Successful Franchise Reboot (weight 0.09): The game is widely seen as a successful reboot that revitalized the Call of Duty franchise, balancing nostalgia for the original Modern Warfare series with innovative gameplay and a more mature narrative. It's considered a benchmark for modern military shooters and a return to the series' roots.
- Improved Anti-Cheat & Online Play (weight 0.05): Many players reported a positive online experience with fewer encounters with hackers compared to older Call of Duty titles. The anti-cheat system is noted for improving the online environment, making multiplayer more playable and enjoyable.
- Iconic Captain Price Portrayal (weight 0.05): The return and portrayal of Captain Price are a significant highlight for many players. His updated characterization as ruthless, charismatic, and embodying gray morality is particularly well-received, anchoring the story and satisfying long-time fans.

Common complaints:
- Rampant Cheating and Hacking (weight 0.29): A significant number of players report widespread issues with cheaters and hackers in multiplayer modes, frequently encountering aimbots, wallhacks, and other exploits. This severely impacts the game's playability and fairness, with many feeling the anti-cheat system is ineffective and developers are not addressing the problem.
- Severe Technical Instability (weight 0.22): Many players experience critical technical issues, including frequent game crashes, freezing, and inability to launch the game or connect to servers. These problems often render the game unplayable, preventing access to both multiplayer and single-player content.
- Poor Multiplayer Map Design (weight 0.21): Multiplayer map design is widely criticized for being poor, repetitive, and unbalanced, often leading to frustrating gameplay experiences like spawn deaths and excessive camping. Players also express disappointment with the overall quality and variety of maps compared to previous titles.
- Overpriced and Poor Value (weight 0.15): Players consistently criticize the game's high price, especially given its age and the perceived short length of the campaign. Many feel the content offered does not justify the cost, even with discounts, and also note poor optimization and large file sizes as contributing factors to poor value.
- Unfair Matchmaking for New Players (weight 0.15): New players face a significant disadvantage due to unfair matchmaking that frequently pits them against high-level, veteran players with superior gear. This creates a frustrating and unrewarding experience for beginners, making it difficult to progress or enjoy the game.
- Short and Weak Campaign (weight 0.15): The single-player campaign is widely considered too short, often completable in under 10 hours, and lacks depth or memorable moments. Players feel the narrative is bland, poorly written, and does not justify the game's price or large file size.
- Inactive Co-op Mode (weight 0.15): The cooperative 'Spec Ops' mode is largely inactive and difficult to play due to a severe lack of players, leading to extremely long matchmaking times or inability to find matches at all. Players also find the mode underdeveloped, repetitive, and overly difficult without proper team coordination.
- Bloated File Size (weight 0.11): The game is criticized for its excessively large file size, often exceeding 200GB, which is exacerbated by forced installations of unwanted content like Warzone. This leads to significant storage consumption and long download/installation times, frustrating players.
- Excessive Camping in Multiplayer (weight 0.08): Multiplayer is heavily criticized for an abundance of campers who exploit map layouts and game mechanics, making matches frustrating and unplayable for many. This playstyle is perceived as encouraged by game design choices like the lack of red dots on the minimap.
- Tedious Progression Grind (weight 0.06): The progression system for unlocking weapons and attachments is described as an excessive and tedious grind. Players feel it takes too long to acquire desired loadouts and upgrades, making the initial multiplayer experience unrewarding.
- Declining Player Count (weight 0.05): The game suffers from a significantly reduced player base, leading to difficulties finding matches in various modes and frequent encounters with the same players. This impacts the overall multiplayer experience and game longevity.
- Franchise Decline Post-Release (weight 0.05): Many players view this game and subsequent Call of Duty titles as a decline for the franchise, criticizing them as repetitive 'reskins' that lack substance, identity, and the quality of older entries. This reflects a broader dissatisfaction with the direction of the series.
- Negative Warzone Integration Impact (weight 0.04): The integration and subsequent removal of Warzone content are seen as detrimental to the game, causing bloat, missing features, and a perceived decline in overall quality. Players resent being forced to download unwanted Warzone assets.

Gameplay feedback:
- Diverse Game Modes & Features (weight 0.15): The game offers a wide array of modes including a campaign, co-op Spec Ops, and diverse multiplayer options like Deathmatch, Domination, Ground War, and the popular Warzone. Players can also practice against bots in private matches.
- Modern Warfare Reboot & Story (weight 0.07): The game serves as a gritty reboot and reimagining of the Modern Warfare sub-series, featuring a new story with familiar characters like Captain Price. It aims for a more realistic depiction of modern warfare, diverging from previous entries.
- Tactical & Realistic Gameplay (weight 0.06): Gameplay is described as more tactical and slower-paced than recent Call of Duty titles, emphasizing strategic play over mindless rushing. It introduces new movement mechanics and sets high standards for military FPS gunplay and handling.
- Short Campaign Length (weight 0.06): The single-player campaign is generally short, taking around 5-7 hours to complete on various difficulties. While some found it average, it can be finished in an evening or two.
- Challenging Difficulty Curve (weight 0.05): The game is considered easy to learn but difficult to master, requiring good aim and strategic thinking. The 'Realism' difficulty setting is particularly challenging, leading to frequent player deaths.
- Extensive Weapon Customization (weight 0.03): The game features an in-depth Gunsmith system allowing extensive weapon customization with various attachments and bullet types. It also includes field upgrades and cosmetic unlocks like the Damascus camo.
- Prevalence of Hackers (weight 0.02): Players report a significant issue with hackers and cheaters in multiplayer modes, particularly in Search and Destroy, which negatively impacts the online experience.
- Well-Designed Maps (weight 0.01): The game is praised for its well-designed and visually appealing maps, contributing to a positive overall gameplay experience.
- Appeals to Diverse Players (weight 0.01): Player feedback indicates a mix of veteran Call of Duty players and newcomers, suggesting the game appeals to a broad audience.

Performance notes:
- Generally good performance and optimization (weight 0.08): Many players report excellent performance, with high frame rates even on older or mid-range hardware, suggesting good optimization. However, some compare it unfavorably to newer titles like MW3 2023, indicating varied experiences.
- Frequent crashes and stability issues (weight 0.06): A significant number of players experience frequent crashes, freezing, and stuttering, often occurring on startup or randomly during gameplay, even on high-end systems. Some specific fixes like disabling cache settings or granting full control to the executable have been reported to resolve these issues.
- Large file size and demanding graphics (weight 0.05): The game is noted for its large file size, consuming a significant portion of hard drive space. Players also describe it as graphically demanding, requiring a decent PC, though some find its requirements normal.
- Minor visual and audio details (weight 0.01): Minor visual artifacts like annoying textures on metal surfaces and visible empty magazine parts are noted. Positive details include realistic footprints in mud and operator dialogues.
- Clear visuals without forced TAA (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the absence of forced TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing), which prevents the game from appearing blurry, and some believe its visuals surpass newer Call of Duty titles.
- Problematic servers (weight 0): One player reported problematic servers, indicating potential connectivity or online play issues.

Recommendations:
- Recommended, but on sale (weight 0.4): The game is widely recommended, especially for its single-player campaign, but a strong consensus advises purchasing it only when on sale or at a significant discount. Many players feel it is not worth its full price.
- Best Modern Call of Duty (weight 0.15): Many players consider this game to be one of the best Call of Duty titles in recent years, often preferring it over newer installments like MWII, MWIII, or the upcoming Black Ops 6. It's seen as a return to the series' roots.
- Multiplayer Not Recommended (weight 0.13): Despite positive feedback for the campaign, many players do not recommend the game's multiplayer due to issues like cheaters, lack of active players, and general unenjoyability, especially for newcomers.
- Strong Campaign Recommended (weight 0.05): The single-player campaign is highly praised and frequently recommended as the primary reason to buy the game. Players highlight its cinematic, intense, and realistic military tone.
- Requires Powerful PC (weight 0.01): Some players note that a powerful PC with sufficient memory is required to run the game optimally, suggesting it might not be suitable for all hardware configurations.
- Co-op Special Operations (weight 0.01): The Special Operations mode is recommended, but players suggest playing it with friends for the best experience, indicating it's designed for cooperative play.

Other player notes:
- Frequent Sale Purchases (weight 0.12): Many players purchased the game on sale, often for around $20, indicating price sensitivity. Some bought it specifically for the campaign or due to streamer influence, even years after its initial release.
- Large Game Size (weight 0.05): The game has a very large installation size, often exceeding 200 GB, which is a significant concern for players. While there's an option to selectively download content, the overall footprint remains substantial.
- Strong Narrative & Realism (weight 0.04): The game is seen by some as a peak for the newer Call of Duty series, praised for its cinematic quality, updated mechanics, and more serious, grounded narrative ambition. It aims for realism and narrative depth.
- Mixed Multiplayer Experience (weight 0.03): Player experiences with multiplayer vary; some avoid it entirely, while others report not encountering many hackers. There's a concern about the long-term viability of multiplayer lobbies.
- Lack of Developer Support (weight 0.03): Players note that the game, released in 2019, no longer receives significant updates or developer support, including for its anti-cheat system. While bugs aren't always game-breaking, the lack of ongoing maintenance is a concern.
- Broad Audience Appeal (weight 0.02): The game is widely considered suitable for a broad audience, including adolescents, adults, and even seniors, suggesting its content and themes are accessible across different age groups.
- Perceived Propaganda/Wokeness (weight 0.02): Some players perceive the game as containing American propaganda, particularly noting the portrayal of Russians as antagonists and the inclusion of what they consider 'wokeness' through the representation of female military leaders.
- Aging Technology (weight 0.01): As a 6-year-old title, some players feel the game is technologically outdated and could benefit from a remaster, despite its overall quality.
- Language Display Issues (weight 0.01): A specific issue noted is that the game may default to Traditional Chinese after updates, with players suggesting switching to English for a complete experience.
- Franchise Disappointment (weight 0.01): Some players express a general loss of hope for the franchise, feeling that the series is currently unsuccessful, which can lead to negative personal feelings after gameplay.
- Launch Issue Workarounds (weight 0.01): Specific technical workarounds, such as adjusting Windows disk download levels or moving the Steam folder, were needed by some players to resolve game launch issues.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.36): Players expressed high satisfaction primarily due to the game's excellent campaign, which was frequently praised for its gripping story, cinematic quality, and realistic elements. The overall game quality, including graphics, gunplay, and optimization, also contributed significantly to positive experiences. Many found the multiplayer engaging and well-balanced, often preferring it over newer titles in the series.
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Frustration stemmed overwhelmingly from technical issues such as frequent crashes, inability to launch the game, and server connectivity problems. A major cause of frustration was the rampant presence of cheaters and hackers in multiplayer, which severely impacted the gameplay experience. Other factors included skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), large file sizes, and map design issues that encouraged camping.
- Disappointment (weight 0.16): Disappointment was largely driven by the short length of the single-player campaign, which many felt did not justify the game's price. The prevalence of cheaters and hackers in multiplayer also led to significant disappointment, as it ruined the online experience. Some players expressed dissatisfaction with the game's overall direction, perceived decline in quality compared to older titles, and Activision's post-launch decisions.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Excitement was generated by the game's incredible and immersive campaign, often cited as one of the best in the series, featuring action-packed missions and compelling plot twists. Players also found the gunplay, movement, and overall gameplay experience thrilling and engaging. The game's high quality, realism, and status as a top-tier FPS contributed to a sense of enthusiasm.
- Anger (weight 0.03): Anger was primarily directed at the pervasive issue of hackers and cheaters in multiplayer, which many felt Activision failed to address adequately. Technical problems like constant crashes and inability to play the game also provoked strong anger, leading to demands for refunds. Players expressed frustration with perceived poor game design choices, including SBMM and map layouts that encouraged camping.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.03): Players found enjoyment in the game's core gameplay mechanics, particularly the fun and chaotic multiplayer experience. The single-player campaign was also a significant source of enjoyment due to its engaging missions and immersive qualities. The overall quality of graphics, sound design, and the ability to play with friends further enhanced the enjoyment.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Admiration was expressed for the game's exceptional campaign, often hailed as a masterpiece and one of the best in the series. Players admired the game's high technical realization, including stunning graphics, realistic animations, and impressive sound design. The game's overall quality, its impact on the franchise, and its ability to set new benchmarks also garnered significant praise.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy stemmed from the overall fun and engaging gameplay experience, particularly for new players to the Call of Duty series. The multiplayer experience, especially in 'clean' matches free of cheaters, brought happiness. Players also found joy in the game's core mechanics, the ability to play with friends, and a renewed love for gaming and the franchise.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciated the game's perceived quality as a 'passion project' and its ambition in reinventing the franchise while honoring its roots. The realistic depiction of war, the narrative effort, and emotional scenes in the campaign were highly valued. The game's accessibility, technical aspects, and its status as one of the 'last good' Call of Duty titles also garnered appreciation.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia was evoked by the game's resemblance to classic Modern Warfare titles, bringing back memories of older Call of Duty experiences. Players felt a return of the 'CoD spirit' and appreciated the familiar characters and multiplayer maps. The game's ability to reunite clans and its perceived status as the 'last good CoD' also contributed to nostalgic feelings.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arose from inconsistent game behavior, such as sudden changes in stability or unclear save system mechanics. Players were also confused by the game's excessive file size, particularly due to unwanted Warzone integration. Technical issues like being stuck connecting to servers or unexpected performance problems also led to confusion.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance was caused by various minor irritations, including the large installation size and specific player tactics in multiplayer. Some players expressed annoyance with 'woke' content or the cost of console subscriptions. UI elements and persistent notification bugs also contributed to a general sense of annoyance.
- Caution (weight 0.01): Caution was advised regarding the game's price point and overall value, especially given its age and declining player count. Players warned about the game's PC performance requirements and its difficulty for newcomers, suggesting it might be too 'hardcore' for some. Concerns about potential negative consequences of the game's naming policy were also noted.
- Recommendation (weight 0.01): The game received recommendations primarily when purchased on sale, indicating good value for money at a discounted price. Overall positive experiences, particularly with the campaign and multiplayer, led players to recommend the game to others. It was often recommended for those looking to play the series or seeking a solid FPS experience.
- Desire (weight 0.01): Players expressed a desire for a longer story campaign and more active multiplayer lobbies. There was a strong wish for the return of specific popular maps like Shipment and Terminal. A general desire for more players in co-op modes and a higher FOV option also emerged.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise was felt when the game exceeded expectations, particularly for players who were not typically fans of shooter games or had been disappointed by previous reboots. The high quality of the campaign and unexpected engine improvements also led to pleasant surprise. Some were surprised by the revival of survival mode or by liking the game despite initial concerns.
- Amusement (weight 0): Amusement was found in specific in-game elements like Price's appearance or campaign drama. Some players found humor in the matchmaking experience or their girlfriend's reactions to missions. The high skill level of other players and the perceived lack of toxic behavior in the game also provided amusement for some.
- Approval (weight 0): Approval was given for the game's mature and realistic reinterpretation of the series, its visual quality, and its distinct identity compared to newer titles. Players approved of the absence of skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) and 'Fortnite skins,' indicating a preference for a more classic Call of Duty experience. The game was often described as 'mega cool' and 'goated'.
- Hope (weight 0): Hope was expressed for future installments of the Call of Duty series to maintain or improve the quality seen in this game. Players hoped for continued maintenance of the game's servers and active multiplayer lobbies. There was also a desire for the return of specific game features and for developers to explore new narrative perspectives in future plots.
- Concern (weight 0): Concerns revolved around the game's future playability if servers were to close, highlighting worries about longevity. Players also expressed concern about the game's price, the need for new players to adapt to its style, and the prevalence of hackers. Broader concerns about the future direction of the Call of Duty series and the strain on graphics cards were also noted.}