Heads-up, Call of Duty fans: You have a massive new Modern Warfare Remastered update to download and install. The good news? It delivers the final six multiplayer maps for the game, plus a bonus holiday-themed version of a classic MW map.
Awesome.
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“The six remaining original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare maps are now available in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, bringing the total to 16 multiplayer maps,” Activision’s Kevin Kelly announced today. “Not only that, but Gun Game and Hardpoint are also being added to the playlists, giving players even more action this holiday.”
As you may recall, Modern Warfare Remastered is only available with the purchase of certain, more expensive versions of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which is the latest version of Activision’s hit shooter.
The original version of the game shipped for Xbox 360 and other platforms in 2007, and took Call of Duty down a new path that many fans still regard as the high point for the series. And Modern Warfare: Remastered is exactly what many of us were looking for: A way to revisit this wonderful past on more modern consoles like the Xbox One, in a version of the game that offers superior graphics and sound to the original.
And it is all that and more. I was so excited to relive Modern Warfare that I purchased Infinite Warfare on the PlayStation 4 so I could play the single player game early. It remains an astonishingly polished game, and is one of the best single-player shooters I’ve ever played.
But multiplayer is even better. I have played this game virtually every single day since its release in early November, and find it superior to any more recent game releases by a wide margin.
The release of the six remaining multiplayer maps from the original Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare comes exactly as Activision said it would, but there’s a bonus surprise: One map from the initial release, Crash, has been restyled as a “dark and snowy holiday-themed” new level called Dark Crash that includes some nice Easter eggs. (This map apparently debuted on the PC previously, but it’s new to consoles.)
As good, the remaining levels are among the best that ever shipped. They include classics like Bloc, Countdown, Pipeline, Showdown, Strike, and Wet Work, and I can’t wait to play them.
But wait I shall. After taking hours to download this massive update—it’s over 22 GB big—I’m getting the following error when I try to play.
Sigh. I’ll get in there. And no doubt, I’ll waste many hours of free time over the next few months playing them eagerly. When I do get in, I’ll find other new content, too, including special holiday weapon camos you can unlock by completing challenges on Winter Crash, those new game type playlists, and new weapon camos, reticles, combat uniforms, emblems, calling cards, and more, including brand-new characters, which will also bring women in uniform to the fight in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for the first time, Activision says.
Maybe I should get updated on the PS4 too…