Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered

Modern Warfare Remastered launched in November 2016 bundled with Infinite Warfare's $80 Legacy Edition, a hostage situation that infuriated fans who just wanted COD 4 remastered without buying a game nobody asked for. Activision eventually released it standalone in June 2017 for $39.99, and the community response was relief mixed with resentment. This was Raven Software remastering Infinity Ward's 2007 masterpiece with updated textures, lighting, and audio while preserving the original gameplay. The campaign was pristine—"All Ghillied Up" and "One Shot, One Kill" still hit hard in 1080p/60fps. Multiplayer launched with 10 maps and slowly added the rest via updates and DLC, a monetization scheme that felt gross for a remaster. StreamerHouse's 637-viewer peak in 2016 came during the initial hype when players rediscovered why COD 4 revolutionized the genre: tight maps, balanced loadouts, killstreak rewards that didn't break the game. Reviews were positive but cynical—critics praised the remaster's quality while calling out Activision's greedy bundling and DLC strategy. MWR proved the original Modern Warfare's design was timeless, but it also exposed Activision's willingness to weaponize nostalgia for profit. The remaster was excellent. The business model was scummy. Both things can be true.