MW4’s campaign early access dropped and the critics are actually saying nice things for once. Six hours, sixteen missions, and Infinity Ward finally remembered what a meat-and-potatoes COD story is supposed to feel like after the Black Ops 7 clown show. GameSpot, IGN, and PC Gamer all gave it props for tight pacing, solid gunplay, and a Korea-focused invasion plot that lands harder than the usual Price-wank.

The standout bits are the big set pieces — a beach landing called Korea’s answer to D-Day, dynamic character-switching airfield fights, and one open-world-ish mission that borrows from DMZ without turning into a slog. Mads Mikkelsen’s role got roasted for being undercooked, but the new South Korean marine crew and their American tag-along actually make people care about names this time. Steam’s sitting at Very Positive on the early user reviews too, which feels like a minor miracle.

Full game lands October 23, DMZ early access October 20. Infinity Ward might have just righted the ship on the single-player side, but the real test is whether the multiplayer can carry the same energy or if we’re back to the usual post-launch cope.