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Welcome to Al Mazrah - Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 review

22K View2022-11-20
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is finally here! I’ve been anticipating this game for weeks, and so far, this testosterone-laden, chest-beating bombshell has got me feeling all types of ways. In short: Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is da bomb (get it?).
Whether you were a fan of the original Warzone or you’re just a COD head generally, you'll find the upgrade that Warzone 2.0 provides worth your time. Like any newly released game, though, especially one dealing with up to 150 players on the battlefield at any given time, there are some kinks to be worked out.
Developed by Infinity Ward and Raven Software, Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 is a battle royale where players compete across a continuously shrinking map to be the last player (or team) remaining. The more I’ve played this follow-up to the immensely successful original Warzone, the more I appreciate it. And a huge part of that appreciation comes from the gorgeous new map of Al Mazrah, easily the biggest addition to the sequel.
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Al Mazrah is huge and looks amazing. Just because it’s one large map doesn’t mean everything is the same either; different areas have their own distinct feel. For example, the downtown district of Al Mazrah is filled with skyscrapers that players can maneuver through by helicopter in order to get onto rooftops. The outskirts of the city are also filled with points of interest, like observation towers and waterways that allow players to utilize Warzone 2.0’s new swimming mechanics. Sometimes I found myself just driving around in an off-road vehicle, exploring the terrain, and the map was large enough to allow for that. It really was just a joy exploring this realistic region.
I’ve talked about campers in Call of Duty before, and Al Mazrah can certainly be camper-friendly, with all of its buildings, crawl spaces, and debris to hide behind. But Call Of Duty: Warzone 2.0 does a great job of providing multiple ways to get into any location. In one memorable round, I literally crashed my off-road vehicle into the side of a building to reach the second-floor window, hopped out, and quickly popped a round or two into my opponent.
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And when I say round or two, I literally mean one or two shots. I’m not the best Battle Royale player, I’ll admit; the highest I managed to place in all the matches I played was eighteenth. But that means I spent a lot of time in spectator mode, and even when just watching other players, I noticed folks were dying really quickly. The time-to-kill (TTK) seems really high in Warzone 2.0, which is sure to be a controversial topic among fans.
For my part, I’m definitely on the side of the TTK being a little too high here. No matter which gun I chose, I could kill someone in three or four shots. Maybe this is intended to make for more realistic encounters—not like realism has ever been a huge focus in Call of Duty games—but I prefer players getting more of a chance to react.
Ironically, even with a high TTK and the Al Mazrah map constantly shrinking, I still experienced quite a bit of downtime during these battle royales. At times, I thought the game was moving slower than necessary, and I wouldn’t mind the match time getting cut down. Maybe that’s especially noteworthy for players like myself who find themselves dying plenty.
Not that dying is the worst fate in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. That’s because this game carries over the first Warzone’s much-loved gulag mechanic. After my first death in each match, I was transported to the gulag, an area that fills with prisoners and slots them into 2v2 deathmatches in a large weapon-filled arena. If the match goes on too long, the warden, a minigun-wielding behemoth, will take things into his own hands. This system provides some really cool options for players; you can try to take down the opposing team and win your respawn back into the match, or you could team up and try to take down the jailer and escape as a group.
So if dying wasn’t the worst thing about my time in Warzone 2.0, what was? Let’s talk about proximity chat, a new feature which allows you to hear the voices of players outside of your party when they’re within a certain range. The idea sounds compelling in theory. Strategizing with teammates is a core part of the Call of Duty experience, and this forces you to think carefully about how you do so.. Half the time, I wanted to act like the Saviors in The Walking Dead and only communicate via whistles.
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So yeah, cool in theory. In practice, though? It was sheer chaos. I was bombarded with the sound of babies yelling in the background of an opponent’s home, and one enemy complaning, “This gun weak as fuck!” And of course...there was a racial slur, which I won't repeat. On the bright side, voice chat also allowed for a scenario where I was thanked after reviving a teammate who literally parachuted into an oncoming train, so not a total loss. Nevertheless, Activision will need to clean up this feature and remove players who violate the code of conduct if they don’t want games to become a complete mess. 
I could go on forever about Warzone 2.0. The excellent recoil effect in the weapons, the flawed looting system, the battle shops, and freaking assault drones! But the best thing is to play it yourself and enjoy the ride. There's a lot of good and a lot of things that need work, but I really feel like the developers have put their attention in the right spots. With a few changes, this experience is only going to get better.
SCORE: 3 STARS OUT OF 5
PLAY IF YOU LIKE:
The Call of Duty series. If you’ve played past Call of Duty games, and especially if you played the recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, you've got to give this one a try. Grab your gun and join in on the fun.
First-person shooters. There's a reason why Call of Duty has lasted this long: When it comes to FPS, they’re slaying the competition. Warzone 2.0 isn’t perfect, but it’s damn fun to play. Jump in and enjoy the ride.
💬 What’s your favorite battle royale game? Let me know in the comment section, and we can continue the conversation.
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Comments
Kishor Diu
Kishor Diu
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2

how to play this game

2022-11-22

StaggerLee
StaggerLee Author
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You should be able to download it via PlayStation or Xbox or through steam or battle.net.

2022-11-23

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ravi Talawar
ravi Talawar
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3

how to download it

2022-11-22

StaggerLee
StaggerLee Author
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You should be able to download it via PlayStation or Xbox or through steam or battle.net.

2022-11-23

Open TapTap to view 1 more reply
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4

good day

2022-11-21

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