Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 isn't officially available yet, but the players who paid extra for early access to the solo campaign have already started handing down their verdict on Steam. And the early feedback is particularly encouraging for Activision, as the game quickly passed 89.31% positive reviews (across more than 4,000 ratings), a score that makes it the best-rated Call of Duty on Valve's platform since the first Call of Duty Black Ops, released back in 2010. That performance will need confirming over the coming days, though, as early buyers only represent a slice of the audience and the worldwide launch could change things.
All thanks to Korea
Either way, these early figures must be putting a smile on Activision's face, and the contrast with recent instalments is striking, several of which got a far frostier reception from PC players. Call of Duty Black Ops 7, for instance, tops out at 38.71% positive reviews, ahead of Black Ops 6 and Modern Warfare 3, which also sit below the 50% mark. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 fares barely better at 47.10%, while Cold War and the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot posted much healthier results, at 77.95% and 77.86% respectively.
These first reviews do suggest that the teams at Activision have managed to meet at least some of the expectations, with a campaign that seems to have brought together the best ingredients for a memorable solo experience. Among the plus points raised in the reviews is the visual side, described as a success and even photorealistic by some, while others praise the spectacular staging, with some genuinely memorable action sequences. Obviously, as everyone knows, a Call of Duty isn't just its story mode: multiplayer, the DMZ modes and the competitive scene will weigh heavily on the final judgement, and their arrival could shift the general perception of the game. For now, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 has made a particularly solid start on Steam, but we'll need more feedback before we know whether Activision finally has the instalment capable of reconciling the series with its audience for good.
