Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is undeniably a high-quality game, albeit the use of 2.0 rather than the traditional “two” says a lot. This is not a new installment, but rather an updated version of Activision’s immensely popular battle royale, which might still surprise you. We have a new map, certain features have been drastically updated, and there is a successful DMZ mode.
The shooting here is just superb, owing to the excellent foundations laid down by Infinity Ward for Modern Warfare 2 and prior, as well as Modern Warfare 2019. The combination of weapon handling animations, complex models, sound effects, and the appropriate “kick” while shooting is ideal. In this regard, no other shooter, and certainly no battle royale, can compete with the Call of Duty franchise. It is unrivaled in the globe, significantly outperforming the competition. The looting mechanism, or the process of acquiring stuff, is one of the most significant differences between the first and second games. Some objects are scattered on the ground or on shelves, while others may be located in “containers” that, when opened, present us with a specifically designed menu in which we must pick the icons of certain products to transfer them to the bag. I must admit that things did not go well.
At first, I was overjoyed since it gives the game a somewhat more realistic sense of struggling for survival, especially since certain goods are put logically, such as medications in first-aid kits hung on the walls. It seems intriguing, but it is extremely exhausting in the long run. Object recognition takes a long time, in part because they are always displayed as white, symbolic images. There are no obvious forms or colors that might make plundering more straightforward. Furthermore, such a “combined” system appears unnatural. Why is it that when I open the chest, its contents flow out on the ground and I have to pick it up as in the original Warzone, but when I open the sports bag, its contents immediately show on the screen in the form of a menu? At the very least, the money is automatically collected. On the bright side, I incorporate the inventory management system in the bag. It allows you to flexibly allocate the available space, hypothetically allowing you to load the whole inventory with armor plates or only ammo – which is obviously not a good idea.
Money is no longer the sole method to obtain your own gear, which I believe is a wise option because it provides variation to the action. Every match in the first Warzone looked the same – we got the first weapon from the map, we sought for money, we went to buy our own equipment in the shop, and we worked until the finish with this set of weapons. The primary weapon is now available for purchase in the shop, although there are at least two more methods to completely equip it. For example, we may travel to one of the Strongholds dispersed across the battlefield and gain access to the set as a reward for clearing it of AI-led warriors. You may simply take the simplest route and wait for a random supply drop that all players can use. Yellow boxes, on the other hand, attract everyone in the vicinity, so be cautious. This is what the initial edition of Warzone lacked: alternative paths to the objective and more variation on the map. This is the road Fortnite has followed, and if Warzone 2.0 falls short of Epic Games in terms of freedom of action, it is unquestionably superior than “single.” AI-guided soldiers are also a welcome feature, allowing somewhat less experienced players to swiftly grab their own weapons without having to deal with other “living” people.
The new map is fantastic. Set in the Middle East, the fictitious Al-Mazrah has surpassed Verdansk and Caldera as my current favorite. The knowledge acquired from working on battle royale for many years certainly paid off – there is something to please the eye, and the design of the site is well thought out, since there is virtually always a spot to hide in the case of sudden fire. Warzone 2.0 includes a new DMZ mode in addition to battle royale. It’s inspired by Escape from Tarkov, but it’s a much speedier game in which we visit a huge map and complete faction tasks as well as a variety of other side activities. We battle not just AI, but also groups of players, but we only have access to objects that we successfully remove from the map, and death means losing progress and carrying equipment. It sounds like something you’d just do once or twice, but I was shocked by how much substance and surprises there are in this mode.
Rescuing captives, monitoring crucial targets, seeking for keys to various locations, and using big drills to unlock safes – it seemed like a single-player game at times, and the excitement was boosted by the continual fear of losing the gained stuff. It’s also worth noting the other battle royale mode, which features a TPP camera. Even those who dislike first-person gaming may now enjoy Warzone. Unfortunately, Warzone 2.0 is akin to Frankenstein’s monster in its current condition. It works, but I get the sensation that its parts are held together using a stapler and sewing thread. Worst of all is the network infrastructure. Lags are unfortunately widespread, and we’re not just talking about little “hiccups,” but also about significant hangs that entirely prevent the game from being played, such as by freezing the display for a few seconds. I’ve been fortunate enough to conduct most of my matches without incident, but other folks have difficulty simply joining in on the fun. Furthermore, certain menu items may not appear correctly, the invitation menu may not operate at all, the so-called tokens do not always work, and once the character just refused to put on armor.
I really dislike the new weapon acquisition mechanism that Warzone 2.0 adopted from Modern Warfare 2. It’s an odd and counterintuitive method in which, in order to unlock your fantasy weapon, you frequently have to “grind” the levels of two others from other categories. Fortunately, the weapons are separated into “families” so that accessories – scopes, silencers, etc. – may be acquired in bulk within these families, making the procedure speedier. When the creators address the flaws of Warzone 2.0 – which is practically probable given the brand’s popularity – I will be able to label it an almost flawless game with confidence. It’s difficult to find any product that gives so much excitement in a team game while maintaining such great gameplay quality. Furthermore, this is not the end, as the authors are most likely already planning surprises for the future years.