The launch ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2has been an unprecedented success, accumulating more than $1 billion worldwide in sales faster than any other game in the series. Boasting a varied, action-packed campaign, and the usual depth of multiplayer options alongside a new third person mode, the game has proven that theCall of Dutyfranchise is still at the very top of its game. While there are many things that the series has excelled at over the years though, some things, such as boss encounters, it has struggled with. Unfortunately,Modern Warfare 2is no different in this regard.
Boss fights are a huge part of modern solo games, arguably more so than ever before. The popularity of titles likeDark Soulshas ensured that gripping, memorable boss encounters are usually at the forefront of a player’s mind when making decisions about what games to play. While the first-person shooter genre is obviously very different in terms of expectations, many titles such as theBorderlandsseries show it’s possible to create boss fightsin FPS games that are just as challenging and fun as their third-person equivalents. However, try as it might,Call of Dutyhas never quite been able to replicate this though.
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Boss Fights in Modern Warfare 2 are Unbalanced
Modern Warfare 2attempts to tackle the issue of boss fights by presenting two encounters at the opposite ends of the scale. Both of these, while innovative to a certain degree, come with their own problems, presenting unbalanced challenges that feel somewhat forced. Over the course of the campaign, the two main antagonists also serve as the game’s main boss fights. Hassan Zyani, a Major in Iran’s Quds Force, serves as the first of the primary antagonists. The character of Phillip Graves, who transitions from hero to villain rather dramatically, eventually settles into the position of the game’s other primary antagonist.
The first of these two encounters sees the protagonist Soap attempting to blow up a tank that Phillip Graves has commandeered. The player must frantically maneuver around a small map searching for and then planting C4, using derelict buildings for cover from the tank’s powerful shells. The difficulty spikes rather unfairly when various armored enemies also enter the fray at a couple of different points during the fight. The whole encounter feels unbalanced, and less skilled players will likely need to adjust the difficulty before emerging victorious. In any case,Graves' death is ultimately anticlimactic, and he deserves a far better climax to his villainous arc.
The final boss fight, if it can be categorized as one, takes place over a single derelict floor of a high-rise building. Stripped of all weaponry, the player must remotely disarm a missile from a safe location before attempting to craft weapons from items found scattered throughout several areas of the floor. Once appropriately armed, the player must then take down the villain Hassan’s guards before finally Hassan himself. Borrowing the crafting mechanics that were put to such good use bySoap in the mission Alone, the game’s climax feels a little unnecessary, if not forced. Players hoping for a final frantic gunfight with Hassan will be disappointed.
Irrespective of the questionable quality of these encounters,Modern Warfare 2has certainly lived up to its pre-launch expectations in the eyes of many, and gamers will be spending countless hours with the title over the coming months. Several improvements to the multiplayer modes are likely to be released as the game transitions from pre-launch to a post-launch period, but whether any DLC or updates to the campaign mode are imminent is not known yet. Barring any new boss encounters appearing inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s DLC, the powerhouse franchise will have to wait a little while longer before once again attempting to remedy its boss problem.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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