Of all the subtitles for Call of Duty chests over the past two decades, Modern Warfare 2 is perhaps the most legendary. The game came out in 2009, at a time when Infinity Ward managed to redefine many aspects of online multiplayer shooter games. The game is influenced by smooth and responsive controls. In addition, the game added several elements to Call of Duty that are still used in the series to this day, such as the ability to have a large number of attachments with weapons and the choice of Killstreak bonuses that you will take in combat. Modern Warfare 2 also relied on a powerful single-player campaign, which is probably the most popular and talked about mission ever: the ‘No Russian’ mission, in which the player can shoot innocent civilians, but he doesn’t have to. an act.

We are now thirteen years later and a lot has happened. The major developers behind the first Modern Warfare games left after a fight with publisher Activision and started Respawn Entertainment, which later accounted for Titanfall, among others. It caused Infinity Ward to lose out over the years the role of “main Call of Duty studio” to Treyarch, who had success with the Black Ops series in the intervening period. However, Infinity Ward showed in 2019 that it can still deliver solid Call of Duty games. Done with the remake of Call of Duty Modern Warfare. The recipe was simple: take the most successful ingredients from old Modern Warfare games and give them a more modern look.

Modern Warfare II is a suit in the same fabric. The game has very distinct elements in all branches of the game, but it introduces these elements in a new way and adds some other parts. This starts with the characters. In Modern Warfare (2019) she played with Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick, CIA agent Alex, and Arab hero Farah. In this second part, the well-known names of Task Force 141 appear, including Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley and John ‘Soap’ MacTavish. Along with Captain Price and Gas, they take care of the lion’s share of the campaign, which also includes CIA Director Kate Laswell and General Sheppard. The last role is played by Glenn Morschauer, who you can know as Agent Pierce from the TV series 24, or as an agent or soldier in many other films and series. It’s the most well-known name for the actors, who did a fairly good job in the Modern Warfare II campaign.

Searching for stolen missiles

This campaign is taking place all over the world. The reason for this is that the US government discovered that the terrorist Al-Qattalah Company managed to obtain three heavy missiles from the US Army. The terrorists are aided in transporting those missiles by a Mexican drug cartel. Finding and recovering those missiles is clearly a top priority; That is why Captain Price and his Task Force 141 were called in. Later, they get help from Mexico’s Special Ops and Shadow, a private military company used for jobs that the US government prefers not to answer.

The search for the missiles and people in their possession leads the task force to various countries, including the Netherlands. In the campaign, we see how Jazz and Price dive into the canals of Amsterdam, only to witness a meeting a few hours later between representatives of the terrorists and representatives of the Mexican cartel. This meeting will take place on the balcony next to the Oude Kerk. Those who want to shoot in this scene can do so, because in reality: you will not find full balconies and ramblers at eight in the morning, but you whine to notice them. It’s even more fun to look around at how accurately the makers of Oude Kerk’s immediate surroundings copy. In the multiplayer game, you can face another part of Amsterdam, one of the levels there is based on the Conservatorium Hotel. The hotel is not happy with this and is considering legal action. Nothing is known about this yet, and the map named Breenbergh Hotel is playable in the game.

Promotional materials?

Call of Duty is also launching critical tongues for another reason. Those who take a closer look at the action cannot deny that the game is in some sense promotional material for the US military and its traditional allies. Just think: for many years the biggest enemies of the games were Arabs or Russians, and the world is being saved by Americans and their friends from other countries. The developers’ defense is that the game does not tell true stories, but simply takes inspiration from reality. In order not to portray countries as rogue, Infinity Ward chooses generic names for Arab countries, such as Urzikistan in Modern Warfare II.

This seems acceptable and logical, but this approach has an important downside. By not naming a specific country, Urzykistan actually means all Arab countries. The Infinity Ward, as it were, brings all the existing stereotypes together and puts them in a self-created, generic name with an Arabic sound, without delving into the core culture or what would make the workplace beautiful or special. Amsterdam and Chicago and, for example, London in the previous game may be the scene of bad influences from abroad. When shooting in the Middle East, it’s almost always because the same evil party is there. Here you will not see any detailed churches, but mainly destroyed buildings and traces of war.

The question you can ask next: Is this bad? Or better: do you mind? The answer will depend on your personal opinion. Do you find it annoying to play a shooting game where the Americans are always the best, or do you not mind? Can you separate the shooting game from the Arab and Russian stereotypes that are repeated over and over again or not? The truth is that millions of players simply choose to play the campaign and share with friends online. It’s okay, just as if it’s okay to leave the game for the above reasons. We think it is especially important to raise awareness in this area. The story is told in a game owned by companies closely associated with the US military. The military uses Call of Duty for some recruitment, and Call of Duty has a fundraising program to financially support military veterans. So it makes sense not to expect a critical attitude towards the actions of the US military here, but it is important to know.