With Modern Warfare 3 fast approaching, and the 20th Anniversary of Call of Duty just behind us, there’s plenty for nostalgic Call of Duty fans to be excited about. It seems the COD community has its fondest memories of the original MW2. Activision knows this, opting to have all 16 MW2 (2009) launch maps remastered in the new MW3.
While having all these classic maps back in incredible, it’s not quite enough to fully recreate the authentic MW2 experience. If you want operator skins, weapon blueprints, and classic sound effects, it’s gonna cost you; literally. Luckily, these bundles are currently available in MW2 (2022). They carry-forward into MW3, so they can be combined with the remastered maps for a blast from the past. There are 4 Bundles total that include throwback items in MW2. In this list, we’ll rank them from least to most essential so you can decide which ones to buy for yourself.
4. Hans Zimmer MW2 Music Pack
The Hans Zimmer MW2 Music Pack costs 1400 COD Points; equal to ~$14 USD
The Hans Zimmer MW2 Music Pack would be an essential purchase for OG Call of Duty fans if it wasn’t so expensive. This bundle replaces nearly all of the score in Menus, Multiplayer, Warzone, and DMZ with music from the iconic score from 2009.
This bundle definitely is a must for nostalgic hardcore fans, but at $14 for just the music – which you can stream for free on YouTube or included with Apple Music or Spotify subscriptions – the bundle is asking a lot of your money for little reward.
3. Classic Ghost Pack
The Classic Ghost Pack costs 2400 COD Points; equal to ~$20 USD
The Classic Ghost Pack is a great value and includes and iconic skin for many Call of Duty players’ favorite operator. The bundle includes a non-hooded and hooded variant of the Classic Ghost Skin, and 2 Weapon Blueprints. The Blueprints are modeled after the iconic ACR and M14 EBR from MW2 (2009). The ACR Blueprint is reactive and has the Call of Duty: Ghosts skull logo on it, which does detract from the aesthetic a bit for me, but the M14 EBR Blueprint is fairly faithful. There also some fun charms, emblems, and a loading screen to decorate your weapons or player profile around Ghost.
This bundle’s arrival was met with some backlash, as it added several Pay-to-Win bonuses for DMZ. This started an unpleasant trend which would follow for the rest of the extraction mode’s life cycle. with DMZ being sunset in favor of Modern Warfare Zombies, hopefully these Pay-to-Win aspects will also be left behind.
2. The Throwback Audio Pack
The Throwback Audio Pack costs 1800 COD Points; equal to ~$17 USD
For what you get for the asking price, this is probably the best value. The headlining operator skin is the Classic Soap operator skin. This gives Johnny MacTavish his iconic wetsuit from the Gulag mission in the original MW2 ; a location newer players will recognize from Warzone and the MW3 Campaign.
The real star of the show however are the two Weapon Blueprints, inspired by the MW2 (2009) ACR and the Call of Duty 4 MP5. The models on these are really cool and faithful to the older games, but they really shine with their unique sound effects. The default sound effects are replaced with ones meant to be more faithful to these classic games, and when you wield them you will get other iconic sound effects from MW2 as well. This bundle is one of my favorites in the whole game, as it allows you to be hit with a wave of nostalgia when firing the guns. You also get other iconic sound effects like the Semtex’s beeping countdown to detonation, or the notification that your Killstreaks are ready to use.
1. Throwback Audio Pack 2
Image from codmwstore.com
The Throwback Audio Pack 2 Bundle costs 1200 COD Points; equal to ~$12 USD
The Throwback Audio Pack 2 is the least expensive bundle on this list, but you may get the most use out of it. This bundle includes Weapon Blueprints for the FJX Imperium and the .50 GS to make them look and sound like the Intervention and Desert Eagle from the OG MW2. Hearing that iconic, metallic Intervention sound effect when sniping is sure to make any Old-School Call Of Duty fan smile.
Better yet, these blueprints also have all the other additional sound effects that the first Throwback Audio Pack does when equipped. Since the .50 GS is a secondary, you can equip it to your Loadout for those iconic sound effects, without having to sacrifice your favorite primary weapon.
Those are our favorite Throwback Bundles so far. Here’s hoping they add more into MW3. For more nostalgic Call of Duty weapons, check out our Strangely Smithed series on YouTube and Tiktok, where we show you how to build classic weapons in MW3 such as the AN-94 and the ACR.
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