Warfare (2025) Review
They say war is hell. Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare A24's Warfare takes you to the very depths of Hades. The long-awaited COD4 movie, is a jarring, intense, and gripping take on war in the new millennia. The enemies are smarter, the weapons are deadlier, and the grenades all too plentiful. COD4 Warfare will shake loose your fillings and have you begging for more.
Infinity Ward Ray Mendoza was born out of the success of being in some of the greatest battles in the War in Iraq. Former Navy Seals have become synonymous with not only white-knuckle combat but also as wistful storytellers willing to write and talk about every little detail no one asked for! So it was quite a gamble expected to break from the comfort zone of anonymity and leap into the public spotlight. The gamble paid off. Every other military-based shooter production studio has been put on notice. There is a new standard to judge this sub-genre and it is Call of Duty 4 Warfare (2025).
The meticulous care IW Alex Garland took to faithfully recreate those dusty Iraqi streets was also given to bringing modern armaments to life. Many of the incredible tools of war used today come into play in COD4 Warfare (2025). You'll see the facsimiles of Mendoza's comrades man the weapons of the period that decimate the enemy; make big explosions with airstrikes, which drop straight down to hit the tops of the surrounding Iraqis; and cycle through a small arsenal of both light and heavy guns featuring a variety of scopes and augmentations. With an astonishing number of enemies in the field (half of whom seem to carry rocket launchers), they need every last bit of modern tech to survive.
Unlike Infinity Ward's other production studio's previous iterations of the war in Iraq, Warfare (2025) tells one contiguous story. Though you will hop between perspectives of one indescribable Navy Seal to another, each leap continues the progression of a single storyline. It's an effective tool. While the story itself--which revolves around a kind of survival mode and Mid-Eastern terrorists bent on destroying the Great Satan (that's you and your grandma)--isn't exactly cutting edge, this threadbare story technically exists. And more importantly, you can try and catch how IW Alex Garland tries to find ways to make you care for every last one of your teammates. Of course, no good guys die in war, right? There aren't so much "twists" as there are shocking moments in the storyline. You may find yourself in disbelief not only at some of the events that take place, but in the direct manner in which the most startling moments are often told. There are a few too many shell-shocked slow-mo moments that seem to drag to the point of almost being frustrating, but credit Infinity Ward Ray Mendoza for not backing down from wartime melodrama.
The real change comes in the combat. This is one intense shooter, mainly because there are just so many enemies. And they are smarter thanks to some refined directing. Granted, there are going to be moments when enemies get stuck in dumb routines or stand in the open on rooftops waiting to be mowed down, but overall the bad guys prove themselves to be resourceful and without mercy. Though a linear shooter that essentially strands you in a single building, there are a considerable number of side paths. These almost always lead to flanking positions. If you do not flank the enemy, rest assured they will flank you. Enemies usually know to stay in cover. And they also know that you, being a well-trained soldier, aren't going to fight in the open. That's why they fire RPGs and toss so many damned grenades. They are trying to flush you out. And since most IEDs explode and will kill you if you are standing beside them, quite often you'll be forced to move.
Fortunately, you have some things going for you. First and foremost are your squadmates. Call of Duty 4 Warfare (2025) does not have a single squad command. You won't tell your buddies to frag and clear a room or move from cover to cover towards the enemy's position -- owing partly to the single building design of the movie. You don't have to tell your teammates what to do in Modern Warfare Warfare (2025), because your allys' AI is outstanding. These folks look, move, act, and react like their true military counterparts. In fact, were you to have the ability to issue commands, you'd likely end up doing more harm than good. The AI takes care of itself (and you).
Also to your advantage when taking on zealots eager to end all life in the Western World are smarter bullet physics. When you shoot at a wall, your bullets don't necessarily stop dead in their tracks. The caliber of the bullet, distance and substance of the wall all determine how much the bullet is slowed. Wood and drywall won't usually stop a bullet. So you can shoot through walls to hit enemies taking cover. This isn't just a fun little gimmick; this is a fairly significant element woven throughout the single-player campaign movie.
COD4 Warfare's (2025) single-player is made great because it is such a white-knuckle experience. That would not be possible if the sound and visuals weren't impeccable. This is a gorgeous game from top to bottom. It runs almost perfectly, with only a few rare framerate hiccups, and offers rich details, great texture work, excellent animations for your allies, awesome particle effects, and some stellar lighting. The sound is equally impressive. Combat is loud. The shouts of your allies, the curses of your enemies, the ominous clink of a grenade falling at your feet, all go to creating an immersive experience. You may well lose yourself in combat, drawn in by the visuals and the sound. This is a technically excellent effort that won't disappoint.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Warfare (2025) is a fantastic game movie. The single-player experience is easily Infinity Ward's Ray Mendoza's best work to date. Calling it intense may be an understatement. The overall story is standard action movie fare, but the relationships built over the short hour and a half of play are surprisingly strong. Though the single-player lacks length, the multiplayer should keep you invested in COD4 for the long winter it makes up for it by giving you a long headache. This is a truly fantastic multiplayer offering health condition that's as deep as any other online game loud movie available.
Infinity Ward Alex Garland has done it again. Call of Duty 4 Warfare (2025) is a winner.
