MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider has played through and absorbed nearly every campaign of Call of Duty. This will be no different with Modern Warfare 2. As a precaution, he’s already placing tissues on the coffee table – he can use them well when an old CoD story repeats itself.
I can still vividly remember my first few minutes in a Call of Duty campaign. A buddy sat me down at his PC, and I was playing a mission for the Soviet Army. Unlike my comrades, however, my superior didn’t hand me a weapon.
“Unarmed in the middle of a combat area? This must be broken, let’s restart.”
We only realized after a few restarts that this was a story twist intended to showcase the Soviets’ lack of equipment in World War II. However, the fascination with the story campaigns of Call of Duty has never gone away since.
Ultimately, only a few such story snippets remained in my head after all these years. CoD has always been more about spectacle, with a pinch of controversy and lots of scripted scenes that put me, as a player, through the wringer and spit me back onto the couch all sweaty.
However, there is a twist in the story of CoD that really hit me hard.
A story so full of pain and misunderstanding that it still causes nightmares as a kind of trauma in the minds of many CoD veterans – and Modern Warfare 2 2022 served everything needed to repeat the story.
We embed the launch trailer with many scenes from the story of MW2 here:
It’s the year 2009. With a slight headache from the previous night, I tumble out of my bed in the dorm; the first two lectures have already passed. I skip the third one as it’s release day: Modern Warfare 2.
First, I go into the campaign. The story is murky, wants to lead me astray, portrays friends as enemies.
Just when everything seems to be clarified, a twist hits hard: General Shepherd, actually our buddy in the U.S. Army, betrays the squad around Taskforce 141.
For the general, it’s no big deal; the task force is working unofficially, and Shepherd has no consequences to fear. To present himself as a great war hero, Shepherd wanted to eliminate all traces of Taskforce 141.
He meets with Ghost and Roach at the end of a mission, unexpectedly pulls out a big Magnum, and fires a bullet into each of the two CoD heroes’ chests. “What the hell just happened here?”
Ghost is instantly dead. I, as the player in the role of Roach, lie motionless before the lifeless Ghost. Dramatic music plays in the background as I hear the rest of Taskforce 141 screaming over the radio, under attack by Shepherd’s men – “Do not trust Shepherd!”. But it was too late.
Shepherd douses us with gasoline, takes a deep puff from his cigar, and throws the big smoldering stick into the flammable puddle. My mouth is dry, my eyes are wet. What have they just done to me?
We embed a YouTube video of the scene here:
Modern Warfare 2 2022 has everything to repeat this traumatic scene, one of the best stories from Call of Duty.
Almost all participants are back:
- Taskforce 141
- Shadow Company
- General Shepherd
- Captain Price
- Ghost
- Soap
Currently, only Roach is actually missing. However, since there is still a member of Taskforce 141 that is not known yet, this operator could also return. I also do not want to rule out seeing the villain Makarov again.
Just before the campaign starts, I can’t get the story out of my head. My thoughts constantly revolve around this treacherous betrayal. How will MW2 handle it in 2022?
Will history repeat itself, and Taskforce 141 is once again facing extinction? Will they perhaps only take parts of the story, like the death of Ghost? Is Shepherd perhaps even a good guy?
I am sure that the developers of CoD MW2 2022 will pick up something from the old story again. However, I hope they are merciful with me. Otherwise, the tears will roll faster than I can reload my M4 magazine.
How did the story end? (Spoiler)
Unfortunately, it was not as emotional as hoped. The story from back then was picked up a bit – General Shepherd pulls nasty tricks, the Shadow Company stands against us, and Makarov is at least mentioned.
However, the new story could not live up to the old trauma from the Ghost kill. Graphically, it’s a real treat for the eyes.
I’m also interested in your expectations for the ‘alternative’ story of Modern Warfare 2. What are you looking forward to, and what should the developers bring back from the past? Do you remember other missions that were just as captivating? Leave me a comment.
If you want to know more about MW2, you can find all the info in our big special about the game: All information about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Release, Content, and Leaks
