Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is a well-rounded first-person shooter that may appeal to players who have stepped away from the series. Tom’s Guide’s review praises its gunplay and campaign, while noting that none of its three main modes is without flaws.
The campaign drew the reviewer in despite a somewhat convoluted story, particularly in its effort to resolve threads from earlier Modern Warfare games. It switches between Captain Price’s missions and a storyline following Korean soldier Park Hyun Jun and his squad. The review says the two strands come together effectively and bring Price’s story to a satisfying close.
One mission, Stranded, stands apart from the campaign’s mostly linear structure by offering more freedom and drawing on the extraction-shooter format. The review describes it as tense and enjoyable, while also praising the more traditional missions and their high stakes.
DMZ combines Call of Duty’s shooting with extraction gameplay, but the review considers it the weakest of the three modes. Missions provide basic goals beyond collecting loot and escaping, and encounters with other players tended to turn hostile quickly. Squadmates, however, were often helpful, and successful extractions remained rewarding.
Multiplayer remains the main attraction for the reviewer. The familiar modes, including Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, Search and Destroy, and Hardpoint, return alongside Collateral, a round-based mode with plant-and-defuse objectives and buy stages. The review found the gunplay enjoyable and matchmaking generally well balanced, but flagged erratic spawns and a map lineup that rarely stands out. Frontline was also criticized for making it easy to trap the losing team in its base.
Overall, the review recommends Modern Warfare 4 to returning and dedicated Call of Duty players, citing its strong shooting, visuals and variety across the campaign, DMZ and multiplayer. It is less likely to change the minds of players who already dislike the series.
Sources: Tom's Guide.