As every year, a new Call of Duty arrives, and this time it’s once again the Modern Warfare saga. My expectations, at least, weren’t particularly high, especially after a third chapter that I found terrible and, at times, almost cringey. The premises weren’t particularly encouraging, so I approached Modern Warfare 4 with low expectations, anticipating a campaign capable of entertaining, but without any major surprises. Modern Warfare 4 without high hopes, expecting a campaign capable of entertaining, but without any major surprises.
I quickly came around, however. After completing the adventure, I can say I found an experience significantly better than I’d imagined, convincing me both for the variety of missions and for how the narrative component is handled. There are some flaws I’d have preferred to avoid, but overall, the result satisfied me. Let’s see what works and what could have been improved.
A war that begins in Korea and involves the entire world
The campaign takes us into the middle of an international conflict sparked by North Korea’s invasion of South Korea. A large-scale attack that threatens global stability and pulls various protagonists into an increasingly difficult-to-control situation.
The story is told through different perspectives. On one side, we follow a group of young South Korean recruits, including the soldier Park, forced to face a war they were not yet ready for. Captain Price, embarking on an unofficial mission that takes him into the shadows, trying to anticipate the moves of those hunting him and confronting old acquaintances like Vladimir Makarov.
This alternating structure allows us to observe the events from different angles, showing both the direct consequences of the invasion and operations unfolding far from the front lines. As the events progress, the conflict expands well beyond the borders of Korea, taking the protagonists to various cities around the world, including New York, Paris and Mumbai. The stakes gradually increase and the personal storylines begin to intertwine with a much broader threat.
Without delving into details to avoid spoilers, I appreciated the way the campaign alternates between spectacular sequences and moments that give characters more space. The plot doesn’t aim to be more complex than necessary and we’re not facing a story intended to revolutionise the genre, but the events manage to keep curiosity alive until the end.
There are intense moments, some plot twists, and situations that allow you to better understand the protagonists' motivations. The cast also contributes to the story's success. Not everyone gets equal screen time, but some characters leave a mark even through relatively brief appearances. Personally, I grew attached to some of them more than I expected, and this made certain sequences even more engaging.
I particularly appreciated that the campaign doesn't simply link one mission to another through a succession of gunfights. During quieter moments, there's space to give context to what we're experiencing, while in more intense situations, the pace picks up without leaving much room to breathe. The ending, finally, caught me off guard and represents a conclusion I prefer not to dwell on further.
Gunfights, varied missions, and very few downtime moments
As we know, duration hasn't been a strong point of Call of Duty campaigns. This time, we're talking about around 5 or 6 hours to reach the credits, a relatively short amount of time, but one that's used effectively.
The game alternates between linear missions, more open sections, and particularly spectacular sequences. The variety doesn’t just concern the environments traversed, but also the way we’re called to tackle different situations. Some missions focus more on the pressure of combat, while others alter the pace and force us to engage with different dynamics.
It’s precisely this alternation that prevents the adventure from becoming monotonous. Even when we find ourselves back in the middle of a firefight, I rarely felt like I was facing a simple copy of what I’d just seen moments before. The arrangement of enemies, available space, and the context in which fights unfold all contribute to making the situations more interesting.
The gunplay remains one of the campaign’s strongest elements. The shooting delivers a good sense of impact and manages to support the most frenetic phases without completely sacrificing the tactical component. Advancing without paying attention to what’s happening around you can become risky, especially when enemies exploit cover and occupy favourable positions.
Not all the choices, however, convinced me quite the same. A mission stands out from the rest by virtue of a significantly wider map, featuring multiple objectives to complete in a relatively free manner. Personally, I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to replay it to explore the area more thoroughly and discover what other possibilities it offered.
The problem is that this structure differs considerably from that adopted in the other sections. I don’t consider the mission a mistake, but I believe it deserved a more natural connection with the rest of the adventure. The transition from a more guided structure to such a broad freedom inevitably breaks the rhythm slightly. Nevertheless, it remains an interesting interlude, and I wouldn’t mind seeing similar ideas developed in the future, even if, for now, it’s premature to speculate about the series’ direction.
Also worth mentioning are the close-quarters combat, which at times resemble the choreography of the most over-the-top action films. They’re spectacular and fun, but the animations sometimes feel too fast and frenetic. I’d have preferred slightly slower movements, with strikes that conveyed a stronger sense of weight. In this way, close-quarters combat could have felt even more satisfying.
Regarding artificial intelligence, the enemies behave quite well. At standard difficulty, they don't pose particularly challenging obstacles, but at least they don't stand still waiting to be eliminated. They seek cover, move across the battlefield, and make use of available spaces. We’re not facing a revolution, but the behaviour of the adversaries helps make the encounters feel more believable.
Ultimately, the campaign manages to maintain a good pace from start to finish. I’d have liked a bit more time, perhaps with additional missions that delve deeper into certain characters, but I prefer a compact duration accompanied by a good variety rather than an artificially stretched adventure.
Korea comes alive through detail and visual effects
From a graphical standpoint, Modern Warfare 4 delivers a high-quality visual presentation. Characters are rich in detail, facial expressions are carefully rendered, and environments feature a good variety of elements. Lighting and visual effects also enhance the different situations, especially during the most intense phases.
What strikes is not only the spectacle of the scenes, but also the overall care with which the environments have been crafted. Throughout the campaign, you traverse different settings, each with its own characteristics, and the visual department succeeds in enhancing them without frequently giving the impression of recycling what has already been seen.
The most dynamic sequences are those in which the game manages to deliver its best, thanks to the combination of effects, animations, and detailed environments. The character models also contribute to the result, especially during dialogue and narrative scenes, where expressions help convey emotions and reactions.
It’s not merely about having a pleasing visual presentation. The visual quality also helps make the recounted situations more believable and lends greater weight to certain moments of the campaign. Overall, I found this aspect convincing and one that significantly contributes to the experience’s quality.
Italian voice acting and a more balanced audio
Another positive element is the Italian voice acting, which effectively accompanies the story and allows you to follow the dialogue without difficulty. The voices integrate well into the context and help maintain engagement even during the most intense sequences.
I also appreciated the musical component, particularly some licensed tracks that fit well with certain situations. The music manages to accompany key moments without becoming constantly intrusive, though I’d have liked a bit more consistency across the different tracks.
The main issue, however, concerns volume balancing. In some narrative sequences, voices come through significantly quieter than gunfire and action sound effects. The difference becomes noticeable especially when quickly switching from a calm scene to a fight, forcing you to adjust the volume to follow everything without difficulty.
I tried adjusting the audio settings before recording, but I wasn’t able to fully resolve the issue. It’s not a flaw that ruins the campaign, but a bit more attention to mixing would have made the experience more consistent and enjoyable.
Optimisation PC, lots of FPS but watch the settings
We finally reach my favourite part: optimisation. Overall, Modern Warfare 4 runs very well on PC, though some settings warrant attention, especially if you want to achieve the maximum possible FPS without completely sacrificing visual quality.
One of the heaviest options is the Ray Tracing Reflections, which can significantly impact performance. Enabling it may cause substantial frame rate drops, potentially halving FPS in certain setups. The actual effect depends naturally on the graphics card used, resolution, and other graphical settings, but it’s certainly one of the first options to consider if you’re seeking smoother performance.
Another parameter to monitor is the Enhanced FOV, i.e. the advanced field of view setting. Reports have indicated potential fluidity issues with this option active, so disabling it might help achieve a more stable experience in certain configurations.
Also, the quality of shadows and lighting can make a difference. Reducing some heavier settings can help regain performance, an aspect not to be underestimated, especially if you’re playing at higher resolutions or targeting a higher frame rate. The advice is to tackle the settings that have the greatest performance impact first, then check whether the improvement justifies the visual quality loss.
Of course, there’s no perfect setup for everyone. A high-end graphics card can handle certain settings without issue, while a less powerful system might require some compromises. For this reason, it’s worth spending a few minutes tuning the initial settings rather than automatically selecting the highest preset.
Overall, the technical side has convinced me. Performance can vary depending on hardware and settings used, but with a bit of care, a good balance between graphical quality and smoothness can be found. It remains important to check how individual options affect your own system, avoiding the assumption that results obtained with different configurations are universally applicable.
A campaign worth playing
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 has convinced me most of all thanks to the quality of its campaign. The story manages to keep attention alive, while the gameplay represents the real strength, with varied missions, carefully crafted battles, and a pace that rarely loses its impact.
The duration is short, but the 5 or 6 hours needed to complete it are well spent. I’d have liked a few more missions, but overall I prefer a short, well-structured adventure over a longer one that ends up losing its edge.
The flaws are plentiful. Some close-quarters animations are too frenetic, one more open mission clashes with some difficulty in the rest of the adventure, and the audio balance needs further tweaking. Even on PC, it's worth paying attention to graphics settings to get the best performance. PC PC, it's worth paying attention to graphics settings to get the best performance.
But these are aspects that can't overshadow the campaign's strengths. Modern Warfare 4 is a solid, spectacular, and well-paced action adventure,capable of keeping you entertained from start to finish without relying solely on its visual presentation.
If you're looking for a single-player experience that knows how to balance gunfights, tense moments and an engaging story, this chapter definitely deserves your attention. Personally, I entered with fairly low expectations and left satisfied, with the feeling that I'd played a campaign that genuinely had something to offer.
