You’ve surely heard the news by now. Activision has released (or will release depending on your platform of choice) a surprise remaster of ‘s campaign. The 2009 shooter was a seminal game for a lot of us who grew up during the Xbox 360/PS3 era.

While the multiplayer aspect was the undeniable highlight of the title thanks to some truly outstanding maps, the single-player experience is still very much up there with the best Call Of Duty has to offer. Tense set pieces! Twists and turns! Betrayal! Shocking and unexpected deaths! ‘s campaign had everything you could want from an epic action story.

With this in mind, it seems like the perfect time to head back into the Gulag and revisit some of the most memorable moments from this iconic title. Just remember: no Russian to the end of the article. Take your time and enjoy.

Cliffhanger

The original was a phenomenal game, but there sure were a lot of dusty streets and muddy, grey locations. It all started to look kind of dull after a while. Thank goodness changed it up with Cliffhanger then, one of the franchise’s most visually striking missions.

This is an utterly gripping mission that really does have it all. Tense stealth, lots of opportunities for sick headshots, stunning scenery, and some banter from the GOAT himself; Captain Soap MacTavish. Oh, and the whole thing is capped off with an awesome snowmobile escape, just in case all the mountain climbing, high-stakes action before that didn’t make you feel cool enough.

The Hornet’s Nest

At a certain point you have to wonder if Infinity Ward had been eyeing up Naughty Dog’s while developing . This daring rooftop escape through the Favela is exactly the kind of thing I could see Nathan Drake doing in one of his many adventures.

Not that I’m complaining, mind. The Hornet’s Nest is a great mission that throws in some properly intense firefights (especially on higher difficulties) with an escape that feels all the more exciting and immersive for being in first-person.

The moment Roach misses that jump and you think he’s done for, only to come roaring back moments later still gives me chills. A testament to the great characters the Modern Warfare series was able to produce, making it that much harder when infamous moment finally arrives… but we’ll get to that.

Escaping The Gulag

A lot of fans have suggested that The Gulag is by far the best mission in . While I’m not putting these moments in any particular order myself, I have to admit that there’s plenty of compelling evidence to suggest that this particular level deserves the top spot.

I mean, what this epic level have? One minute you’re soaring through the sky in a helicopter sniping enemies below. The next, you’re storming the heart of the complex, navigating tight tunnels and dealing with unexpected surprises round every corner. The whole thing is complemented by an outstanding score, and the return of fan-favourite Captain Price himself. Unforgettable stuff.

Loose Ends

Hoo boy, I need a stiff drink before I can really talk about this one. Loose Ends hits different, and it hits hard. The mission itself is pretty excellent, as Roach and Ghost manage to narrowly survive a brutal ambush and repel their attackers. It’s another close call in a game that’s essentially been nothing a series of close calls… and then they reach the extraction point.

In one of the most shocking moments in Call Of Duty history, your ally Sheperd meets you at the extraction point. But instead of helping the injured Roach and Ghost onto the gunship and to safety, he reveals himself as a traitor, murdering the beloved heroes in the process.

Hearing Price desperately attempting to warn the pair of Sherperd’s betrayal over Ghost’s radio as the two lay dead in the dirt still haunts Call Of Duty fans everywhere to this day.

Endgame/Taking Down Sheperd

Of course, the fact Loose Ends had such a depressing air to it helps to make Endgame all the more satisfying. After watching that snake Sheperd cruelly cut down two characters you’ve gotten to know over the course of an entire game, there’s only one thing any of us wanted to do. Find the bastard, and end him.

Fortunately, Endgame provides us with just the closure we need. The final mission of a great campaign reunites the dream team of Soap and Price as they chase down Sheperd before he can escape to Afghanistan. What follows is yet another incredible chase sequence with plenty of action, though the stakes are higher than ever before because we, as players, now have a genuinely vested interest in getting Sheperd.

The whole thing culminates in a final, desperate fight between Sheperd, Price, and Soap. That first time playing it, not knowing was gonna come out alive, was painfully tense stuff. It’s still pretty hard to watch even with the benefit of hindsight, but the moment Soap grabs his knife and nails it right into Sheperd’s eye has to be one of the most satisfying endings to a character in the Call Of Duty series.