Now in 2020, Modern Warfare has since seen a remaster as well as a soft-rebooted new entry in the sub-series. Fans are wondering if Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will follow suit, and recent rumors seem to state a new remaster is coming. Likely following a similar design model to the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered, here’s what fans can expect from a Modern Warfare 2 remaster.
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Untouched Gameplay
The beautiful thing about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered was that it didn’t fundamentally change the gameplay. Other than several graphical facelifts and other quality-of-life updates to the UI, the campaign and multiplayer remained very true to the original. There were some camera updates, a specific example of which is sniper scopes actually showing the environment outside the scope instead of just a black background. There were also some minor updates to animations, like when moving in prone actually shows the player’s weapon instead of it simply disappearing off screen until the player stops moving.
Expect similar minimal changes to a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remaster’s gameplay. Since Modern Warfare and MW2 are so closely related, a lot of the same camera and animation adjustments will almost certainly carry over. Aside from that, the biggest updates from the remaster will, similar to Modern Warfare Remastered’s improved environments.
Environment Quality Improvements
The biggest change with any remaster, not just Modern Warfare, is the improved texture and graphical fidelity. Generally the centerpiece of a remaster is what the players are going to see, so of course, Modern Warfare 2 remastered would look great given a makeover. The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered graphical updates, especially in comparison with the original game, made some seriously great improvements to the original game’s aesthetics. Several environmental textures were updated in both the campaign and multiplayer with much higher levels of detail and fidelity.
Likely Modern Warfare 2 will receive similar treatments to its campaign and multiplayer, while aiming for a stable 60 FPS and capability of true 4K resolutions. Especially with the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles coming later this year, frame rate and resolution shouldn’t be an issue. Even though MW2 had a lot of improvements to Call of Duty’s overall attention to detail and design in 2009, a new facelift would make the added details even better.
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Continual Multiplayer Support
A surprising focus for Modern Warfare Remastered was the addition of operators and character customization, new weapons, and some additional modes. Many assumed that the remaster would simply “port over” the original game to the new consoles, but the developer went above and beyond when remastering the classic Call of Duty title. New additions to a game from 2007 was something very unexpected, and Modern Warfare Remastered received a lot of love compared to other remastered titles.
Modern Warfare Remastered’s multiplayer featured several brand new weapons, the option to customize individual character skins, as well as bring in fan favorite modes like “Kill Confirmed” and “Gun Game.” It even ended up having the massively popular “Prop Hunt” mode added to the game, where players take on the form of inanimate objects and have to hide from seekers. Setting a precedent for what could be coming later, Modern Warfare 2 being remastered should receive similar care, with a slew of new weapons and modes made available in later games that could be added.
Likely Standalone Release
Perhaps the biggest stumble that came out with Call of Duty 4’s remaster was the way it was sold, which was less than ideal. Players who wanted to get their hands on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Remastered initially had to purchase and install Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s deluxe edition in order to get the remaster.
This led to a lot of backlash from fans, considering the two Call of Duty games had diametrically opposing concepts that made no sense to be bundled together. Eventually the game was sold standalone, but it still couldn’t shake the sting it received from the initial backlash. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was a futuristic game with tons of science-fictional elements like space travel and interplanetary travel, whereas the original Modern Warfare was designed to be heavily grounded in realistic 21st century warfare. Activision will almost certainly not make that mistake again. Assuming a MW2 remaster is on it way for 2020 or beyond, fans will likely be given the option to purchase it separately or can acquire it through a bundle with 2020’s mainline Call of Duty release.
Fans of Call of Duty should already be excited for a possible Modern Warfare 2 remaster, considering it was one of the most popular and successful titles in the franchise to date. As long as the game receives the same care that Modern Warfare Remastered received during and after launch, minus some caveats, it’ll be great to revisit Call of Duty’s early golden days one more time.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered is rumored to be in development.
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