It was announced today that Modern Warfare Remastered is releasing standalone for the princely price of $69.99 locally. This, as we know, doesn’t even include all of the game’s maps. A map pack is required for the full experience. So, to play Call of Duty 4 as you did a decade ago, you’re basically required to fork out full price once more.
For a ten-year-old game.
Crash’s N.Sane Trilogy launches this week also for the same price point. The difference is that it’s rebuilt from the ground up and includes three full titles from the franchise. It’s a steal, whereas Modern Warfare’s price point just feels like a huge slap in the face for a title we were assured was exclusively bundled in with Infinite Warfare, the series’ most recent space opera.
But let’s talk about Infinite Warfare for a brief second.
In my humble opinion, Infinite Warfare is the single most well-rounded title the series has seen for a number of entries. Not since Black Ops II has a Call of Duty been so thoroughly engaging and worthy of the name once heralded as a mega force in gaming.
It’s got a riveting, expansive story that, while lacking any real, fleshed out villains, has a ragtag cast of lovable protagonists that you can’t help but fall in love with. It combines the classic Call of Duty firefighting with off-planet, edge of atmosphere dogfighting that is as ballistic and breakneck as it sounds. Admittedly, I’m not a huge multiplayer aficionado. Zombies was a neon dream, while the competitive scene was probably par for the course.
It currently holds a respectable Metacritic standing on both consoles at 77 and 78.
It was a damn good Call of Duty title that, perhaps, didn’t get the love it deserved. Blame franchise fatigue, blame poor messaging. Blame what you will. It didn’t resonate with longtime fans of the franchise for whatever reason, but that doesn’t alone make it a bad game.
The reason I’m going to bat for it is simple.
If nostalgia has you by the throat and you’re about to fork out $70 for Modern Warfare Remastered, I implore you to opt for the Infinite Warfare Legacy edition. It, as I write this, is the exact same price, at JB Hi-Fi, as the standalone Modern Warfare.
You can have your cake and eat it, too.
