After Wolfenstein, I decided to go back to the Call of Duty series and try to binge through the entries in that group of games.  I started COD: Modern Warfare on 5/2/25 and finished the single-player campaign on 5/11/2025.

The campaign of MWII was quite a lot of fun.  I ended up getting fragged...a lot...in the beginning because I kept running ahead and getting hit by grenade shrapnel.  I guess I learned my lesson at some point because in this game I wasn't Masterchief but rather just a regular Joe in the current universe military shooter 😅

Plot Summary from Wikipedia:

In October 2019, during a covert operation in Verdansk, Kastovia to recover shipments of chemical weapons headed for Urzikstan, CIA SAC/SOG agent Alex is intercepted by unknown hostiles who kill the Marine Raiders accompanying him, and escape with the gas. Alex's handler, CIA Station Chief Kate Laswell, requests the assistance of British SAS Captain John Price in recovering the chemicals and de-escalating the situation with Russia. A day later, suicide bombers, affiliated with the Urzik terrorist organization Al-Qatala, attack Piccadilly Circus in London. SAS Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, alongside a unit of Metropolitan Police CTSFO officers, is dispatched to contain the situation with Price's assistance. Afterwards, Alex is sent to Urzikstan to meet up with Urzikstan Liberation Force leader Farah Karim. She agrees to join forces in tracking down the gas, in exchange for his aid in overthrowing the occupying Russian forces led by General Roman Barkov.

SAS forces led by Price and Gaz raid an Al-Qatala-occupied townhouse in London, where they learn the location of their leader, Omar "The Wolf" Sulaman. Alex, accompanied by Sergeant Marcus Griggs and the Demon Dogs, move on Ramaza Hospital in Urzikstan and capture Sulaman. Later, Sulaman's lieutenant, Jamal "The Butcher" Rahar, launches an attack on the United States Embassy in Urzikstan in an attempt to free the terrorist. Price, Garrick, Alex, and Farah work together to secure Sulaman, but ultimately fail. Farah then plans to ambush Sulaman's men along the "Highway of Death" in Urzikstan, but fails when Barkov's soldiers arrive and attack both the ULF and Al-Qatala. Farah's brother and lieutenant, Hadir, is revealed to be responsible for stealing the chemical shipment in Verdansk. In an attempt to drive off the Russians, Hadir sets off the chemicals in the area, killing all of Barkov's men and Al-Qatala militants, with Farah and Alex barely surviving.

Hadir's motivations for using the gas are revealed—in 1999, Farah and Hadir were orphaned during Barkov's invasion of Urzikstan. The two attempted to escape the country, but were captured by Barkov and imprisoned for the next ten years. While in captivity, Farah assumed leadership of the ULF, and executed a breakout from Barkov's prison camp with Price's help. In the present day, Hadir has joined forces with Al-Qatala, forcing Farah and Price's team to act. They infiltrate Sulaman's hidden base and kill him, though fail to locate Hadir. With the gas still at large, the US government declares Farah's army a terrorist threat. Outraged, Alex defects from the CIA and joins the ULF.

Following intel on a possible attack in Russia orchestrated by Hadir, Price and Garrick travel to Saint Petersburg and meet up with Price's old contact, Nikolai. They intercept an Al-Qatala meeting and apprehend Rahar. When he refuses to comply with interrogation, Price kidnaps his family and threatens them, forcing Rahar to reveal that Hadir plans to attack Barkov at his estate in Baurci. The player, as Gaz, is then given the choice to execute Rahar or leave him for the police.

At the estate, Price and Gaz rescue Barkov's family and capture Hadir, learning the location of Barkov's gas factory in Borjomi. Laswell arrives and informs Price that Russia demands Hadir be handed over to them. Price begrudgingly complies, on the condition that they retain the intelligence on the gas factory. Price and Garrick then meet up with Farah and Alex in Urzikstan and plan an attack on the factory, knowing that an extra-territorial attack will more than likely be viewed as being perpetrated by Al-Qatala rather than ULF forces.

With Laswell's assistance, the team advances on the factory, and attempts to use explosives provided by Nikolai to demolish it. The detonator is damaged in the fight, and Alex volunteers to detonate the explosives manually, seemingly sacrificing himself. As Barkov attempts to escape the facility by helicopter, Farah ambushes and kills him. Farah's forces and Price's team evacuate as the factory is destroyed.

With Barkov dead and disowned by the Russian government, Price meets with Laswell to discuss the creation of Task Force 141 to stop a Russian terrorist named Victor Zakhaev. Price reviews the files of potential recruits with Laswell: Gaz, John "Soap" MacTavish, and Simon "Ghost" Riley.

Overall Thoughts:

The campaign was pretty good. The story was good, the environment was good, and the progression was good.  The game had some real 24/Back Bauer vibes.  It's a game I'd play again.  Learning how to snipe in the desert was an interesting experience, and something I don't think I've done in other games. My only criticism has to do with installation.  I think I chose the default settings when installing this game, and what I got was the multiplayer only, not the campaign. So, when I wanted to play this game, I had to wait for the "real" game to actually download and install (and then delete multiplayer).  I realize that I am most likely in the minority of players, but at installation time, I really wish it would prompt you for which version of the game you'd like to install.

Stats

Hours Played: 7h 54m

Achievements: 2/27

Gamer Points: 150/1050

Overal grade: A-