The Modern Warfare series has always been a personal favorite, and this fourth installment effortlessly carries that legacy forward.
I haven’t felt this enthusiastic about a Call of Duty mode in years. DMZ easily consumed entire days and I simply couldn’t put it down.
The Hajin map, set along the border between North and South Korea, is packed with distinct locations, dense combat zones, and rewarding loot that kept every deployment exciting.
As a massive ARC Raiders fan, DMZ scratched that exact same itch with its risk-versus-reward looting, progressive missions, and dynamic sub-objectives and unique location.
After completing the short yet thrilling campaign, I immediately hopped back into DMZ, barely spending any time in standard Multiplayer.
The campaign delivers two intertwining storylines: Captain Price is on a relentless path of personal revenge, set against the backdrop of a full-scale regional conflict erupting on the Korean Peninsula.
Switching characters between missions kept the pacing fresh and the immersion intact, giving genuine weight to multiple perspectives.
A standout moment was the mission set in Mumbai, a fantastic surprise for Indian players, capturing the city’s unique contrast of lively streets and gleaming skyscrapers.
The face-off between Price and Ghost was absolute cinema, easily cementing this as one of the best campaigns in Call of Duty history.
Visually and mechanically, the game shines. Gunplay, character animations, and fidelity are top-notch.
While cutscenes occasionally suffer from noticeable motion blur, the voice acting and motion capture deliver a rock-solid cinematic experience.
Still, DMZ is the true star of the show. It effortlessly eats up hours, running just two or three deployments can easily swallow two hours of your evening.
Having crossed level 40, I’ve unlocked dozens of Ultra and Legendary weapons by hunting down hidden caches and completing contracts. I tackled almost all of this solo in PvE, which feels like the purest way to experience the mode.
High-risk zones like nuclear reactors and heavily fortified strongholds offer worthwhile rewards that respect your time and effort. Best of all, if you lean into PvE and avoid hostile player engagements, matchmaking tends to favour similarly minded lobbies which is a welcome design choice reminiscent of ARC Raiders.
I did dip into Multiplayer between extraction runs. While the core formula remains familiar, network ping and latency have noticeably improved compared to the previous installment.
With Season 1 and the upcoming Battle Pass just around the corner, I’m genuinely excited to see how DMZ and Multiplayer evolve.
Disclosure: I received the Vault Edition from the publisher as a review copy, which granted early access to DMZ. Huge thanks to them.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4
Conclusion
Modern Warfare 4 is easily the strongest Call of Duty title in years. The campaign delivers breathtaking cinematic storytelling across multiple viewpoints, while DMZ sets a new benchmark for progression and replayability. Highly recommended