Three Reasons Why A Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Remaster Would Fail
Throughout 2021, there have been many rumours suggesting that a full-blown multiplayer remaster for Modern Warfare 2 will be releasing, as opposed to the 2021 instalment believed to be called “WWII: Vanguard”. Despite a number of fans calling for the multiplayer portion of the 2009 release to receive a remaster, publisher Activision has remained tight-lipped on the subject, having released a remastered version of the game’s single-player campaign back in 2020.
While the thought of running around Favela with a suppressed UMP45 submachine gun sounds very appealing for those wanting to take a trip down memory lane, Modern Warfare 2’s remastered multiplayer would be a far cry from the original title that led to so many players falling in love with the Call of Duty franchise.
With some players still holding out for just a crumb of hope regarding its potential release, there are several reasons as to why releasing the remaster would do more harm than good.
The Glitches
Click to enlargeModern Warfare 2 and its multiplayer map pool was arguably one of the most diverse that has ever been seen in the franchise's history. With battlefields set in the densely populated favelas along with a snowy submarine base and the rooftop of a skyscraper, almost every single map featured a number of glitches and exploits that enabled players to access areas of the map that were meant to be inaccessible.
Back in 2009, players discovering new areas to access was sometimes an elaborate process that involved strafe-jumping onto the thinnest of ledges in order to mantle on top of a roof, often taking a solid understanding of the mechanics in order to access such areas. While players were often left bamboozled by the new positions that gave huge advantages, the issue of bugs and exploits weren’t much of a big deal as they are in newer iterations of Call of Duty titles.
Nowadays, players that encounter an opponent that has managed to exploit the map to their advantage are often left frustrated rather than being left curious as to how the player managed to end up there in the first place. If Modern Warfare 2’s remastered multiplayer released with all of the glitch spots and exploits still in place, it wouldn’t be too long before players would request the developer to fix the problems in order to create a more level playing field.
The Demands Of The Player Have Changed
Click to enlargeOne of my fondest memories of Modern Warfare 2 is using the One Man Army Perk to fire a stupidly high number of propelled grenades over the top of the Wasteland map that frequently resulted in scoring a multitude of kills without even having to go anywhere near an enemy player. When the game first released, these sorts of techniques were considered normal, but if the same crafty tactics were able to be utilised in the remastered version, players would once again be left frustrated at being blown up by grenade launchers as soon as they spawn into the game.
The current generation of CoD player prefers to go on a huge killstreak, scoring an unimaginably high number of kills alongside a dominating scoreline against the opposing team rather than going for the insane 360 no-scopes and cross-map throwing knife kills that so many players attempted on the original multiplayer. Unorthodox techniques and the concept of going for those outrageous clips seems to be a thing of the past, and a Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer with every single player running around with a silenced ACR assault rifle all gunning for the coveted Tactical Nuke Killstreak doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.
Speaking of the ACR, the weapon balance in the early stages of Modern Warfare 2 was atrocious. Nearly every single weapon was capable of scoring kills in mid-range engagements, especially the Akimbo Model 1887 shotguns that dominated the game until Infinity Ward eventually implemented a nerf. Does the current crop of players really want a remaster where a shotgun dominates the meta just for a hit of nostalgia?
Nostalgia Only Carries So Far
Click to enlargeThe Call of Duty franchise has often relied on hits of nostalgia in recent releases, whether it's classic weapons returning or fan-favourite maps arriving to multiplayer. Although a short stroll down memory lane is often enough to satisfy players looking for their fix of old-school action, players will eventually get bored of a Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer remaster in the same way players quickly grew tired of the first Modern Warfare remaster that released alongside Infinite Warfare in 2016.
The remaster of the first Modern Warfare title provided that hit of nostalgia players were looking for, but after they realised a number of elements that had made the original game so good were no longer there, they quickly switched to another game.
In reality, the release of a remastered Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer sounds incredibly good on paper and in the heads of those that want to relive the memories, but it would have no chance living up to a triple-A blockbuster release that the Call of Duty franchise has become synonymous with.
Images via Activision