Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0

Every popular multiplayer game must get a sequel. More so, every popular franchise needs to jump on every trending genre to ensure that series fans get rinsed. Such is Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, the sequel to one of the most famous battle-royale titles ever to grace our consoles. Who couldn't love the high-octane modern war action with the survivalist mechanics?

Historically, battle-royale games of this caliber tend to get improved rather than released as a sequel. However, there's a growing trend of rebranding for various leading game franchises. Why would they do this? You can guess if you know how the corporate mind works. But at this point, it's more important to see whether Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is good.

Life is a Shrinking Combat Zone

So you'd probably jump into Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 with little expectation that much has changed. After all, most significant franchises tend to live by the mantra, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Why would publishers and developers sink money into a battle-royale game that already has captured a significant market share in the genre? The entire point of this release is to reignite interest in the series. And that's OK as long as it's free to play.

The core points of interest about the title are what has changed and what's been added, if anything. Well, not a whole lot. There are a couple of new game modes, a new map, tweaks to the AI enemies, and cross-platform play. Essentially, that's all you're getting, retaining the core battle royale mechanics from the predecessor based on the modern warfare theme.

The additions and tweaks are welcome to the game, especially where the AI is concerned. However, most of Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0's changes don't merit the title of a sequel, more so a straight rerelease of the first series of the iteration. But the more pressing question is whether this ever-popular battle royale is worth playing or returning to had you left.

The most straightforward answer is, sure, why not? It's undeniable that Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is a good game, albeit without significant changes. Despite it being part of a commercial release, you aren't effectively paying for the title outside of those dreaded microtransactions. You can't complain, and the title is solid enough to get some entertainment.

More Circles, Less Changes

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is doing what Overwatch 2 did. Not making any major overhaul, but adding a few features to pique existing player interest and possibly target a new audience. The added PvE modes, maps, and more scoped combat scenarios are enough that both new and old players could return to the game with a vengeance.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• New scoped game modes allow more intimate gameplay with friends
• The PvE modes are a welcome addition
• AI enemies are much better than before

Cons:

• No major overhaul of the game; essentially, the same thing
• Hard to get started, with a significant portion of good players ruling the game