Having just returned to Oz from a review trip at Infinity Ward, I was in a pretty good position to judge how authentic (and fun) a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Pop-Up Experience could be. As luck would have it, Sydney recently hosted just such a shenanigan for press, content creators, lucky Xbox Fan Fest attendees and there were some limited slots open to the public via registrations. I infiltrated it fully.
Let me bust out my Tac-map and give you a sitrep on how the organisers decided to… well, run DMZ (as in a recreation of a real Korean demilitarised zone). The result was a limited-time, MW4-themed mini-extravaganza built around a series of virtual and physical challenges. In next to no time, my objectives list was overflowing with around a dozen POIs to visit across the Carriageworks event space.
Think interactive games, hands-on MW4 Campaign gameplay, photo opps and prizes for the exceptionally skilled.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would be among the exceptionally skilled. Working in my favour: I was one of only a handful of folks who’d already finished MW4 (and on its unlockable Realism difficulty, no less). Working against that massive headstart: 15 hours of jetlag and severe sleep deprivation.
It was a 50/50, comrades. I’d blitz this event or pass out mid military-themed Squid Game.
When about sixty of us were marched into the event, I was mighty impressed with the dank, smoke-machine-assisted scene that greeted me. The organisers had nailed the DMZ duality aesthetic of two vastly different Koreas fighting over the one peninsula. Entry required picking a side, North or South, and a razor wire fence bisected the space as a roving spotlight made sure nobody defected.
Better yet, upon selecting which Korea to go with, a decision facilitated by uniform-and attitude-appropriate personnel, I was issued a passport with tasks to complete. Call me a communist, but I chose the NK and, at the risk of being hunted down as a traitor later, I can detail my time spent in the North.
I’ll let my issued Military Passport give you the gist of what was expected of me:
“Congratulations. You have been selected to serve the Northern Command, an honour granted to very few and refused by NONE.
Across this territory you will find operations. All participation, success or failure, will be stamped in this permit. Every stamp is yours to keep. Every victory, however, belongs to the North.”
Being proactive, I elbowed through a small sea of comrades to skip past the minigames, ascend centre stage and smash out a COD MW4 Campaign mission. Easy stamp, right there, folks. Side bonus: I even got some of my exploits replayed up on a screen the size of Kim Jong Il’s home cinema setup (he was quite the movie buff).
With early dominance secured, not only for myself, but for the glorious North entire, I descended back down into the other activities.
Honestly, there were some pretty nifty things to do. Operation Crossfire had me donning some NVGs and disappearing into a pitch-black shipping container to “acquire a target”. Once the traitor had been found and dispensed with, I moseyed over to Contraband Sweep and located anti-government items under threat of a time limit (and possible firing squad execution).
Glowing from my victory, I went and got an official State Portrait, where I was informed that the North does not photograph happiness, only my resolve. I adjusted my smile accordingly.
The fun continued with me snooping around the space to find and secure Daily Truth propaganda documents. I also hunted down and confronted a (not-so) Covert Operative who was skulking about with a smug, democratic way about them that disgusted me to my very core. Upon confronting this Task Force 141 agitator, I seized their permit and uttered the codeword hidden within. His shame at discovery was palpable. The glorious North earned another stamp.
Before making my way to the Armoury to secure my booty, I infiltrated the South side to witness how life was for Capitalist hooligans. On account of the bile repeatedly rising up my throat while in their presence, I didn’t see everything these bourgeois delinquents got up to. I did, however, notice that they were earning their own stamps for defusing bombs with aid provided by troops in full kit.
What overwhelmingly was worth it, however, was attending this wonderful, MW4-themed side diversion. In case you haven’t read our review-in-progress yet, the general consensus (which includes me) is that the Campaign is quite a return to form for Infinity Ward.
Or, to put that more succinctly, the solo pillar of this sequel, and the pop-up event inspired by it, are stamp-worthy. And you can put that in your permit with confidence, comrade.