Some Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 fans have begun to mock a recently introduced loading screen that seems to suggest that the game's developers have forgotten how bullets work. Though Modern Warfare 2's newly launched TMNT collaboration served as a reminder that a realistically immersive experience was never too high on the shooter's priority list, it would appear that some players don't find all creative liberties equally easy to overlook.
Released in October 2022, the latest Call of Duty game received predominantly positive reviews and a decent response from the fandom, although it also faced significant criticism for being rough around the edges. Apart from the usual complaints about bugs and glitches, some players also took issue with a number of gameplay mechanics, arguing that Modern Warfare 2 weapon unlocks are needlessly complicated and that the 2019 MW reboot had a much better UI, among other things.
The latest on this growing list of criticisms concerning Activision's hit shooter is aimed at the presentational aspect of Ashika Island, a map from the game's free-to-play battle royale mode, Warzone 2. Namely, one of the new loading screens introduced ahead of the Call of Duty: Warzone 2 Season 2 Reloaded update invited fan mockery for featuring entire bullet cartridges flying, primers and cases included. A post criticizing the artwork went viral on Reddit in mid-March, garnering hundreds of responses ranging from mild amusement to deep disappointment over this apparent lack of attention to detail.
Like all other types of entertainment, games have a tendency to sacrifice realism for fun, although over-the-top artwork can't really be hand-waved with such reasoning. It is also not surprising that a AAA military shooter like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 won't just appeal to casual fans, but also gun enthusiasts who are less likely to overlook this sort of overzealous commitment to the rule of cool.
A portion of the fandom used this public grilling of the new Ashika Island artwork as an opportunity to criticize the developer's decision to lock loading screens behind battle passes, like what happened with the illustration at hand, positing the move is a cheap ploy to pad out the underwhelming list of monthly activity rewards. This wasn't the first occasion on which the players took aim at Infinity Ward's monetization practices, with some fans recently arguing that the battle pass is ruining Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 matches.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.