Graphic Nature – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Two years ago the gaming world was turned upside down when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released. The game took both single player and multiplayer to new levels and continued to do so till this Tuesday. The release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has once again turned the gaming world is upside down.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Xbox 360, Playstation 3, & PC
1 Player/ Online Play
Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Price: $59.99 (Regular), $79.99 (Harden Edition), $149.99 (Prestige Edition)

Set 5 years after the events of the first Modern Warfare game, you are thrown into a world that is in even more turmoil. The events of the first game have caused a major fight for power and revenge and it’s your mission to stop these terrorist at all cost from destroying the world.  

Pros

Did That Really Just Happen? – The story of Modern Warfare 2 is filled with so many WTF moments that you are left speechless most of the time. Just like the first game you are given the story through multiple perspectives (Army Rangers and British Special Air Service (SAS). You are introduced to some new characters and have some old ones brought back into the fold which adds volume to the game. They also made it that if you didn’t finish the first game you might be a little lost in understanding the whole plot of what is going on which is extremely smart in making people go back and finish the first game so they can understand. Movie buffs will love the single player story because some of the chapters have a certain feel to them and will remind you of some classic movies.

Man Look At The Flower Over There It’s Beautiful – With an improved version of the IW engine the graphics within Modern Warfare 2 are stunning. The improvements to scenery, character models, and everything in-between honestly make this one of the best games to ever grace my eyes. I love the detail of the weapons and the inclusion of tracers so now if you are running through a fire fight you know where to go. However, I want to go back to the topic of scenery because it is rival to that of Uncharted 2. The folk’s over at Infinity Ward made it pretty hard to concentrate on surviving a fire fight because you are two busy staring at the world around you.

I Want My Kill Streak – Infinity Ward stated that they gave the Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer a shot of heroin and holy sh!t did they. You have two options with this. You can either play Spec Ops which is specially crafted missions you and three other teammates play to complete tasks or regular online play. Both give the game a long lasting appeal. I like the Spec Ops addition because it forces you to play along with others and work as a team to achieve star ratings.

However, the regular multiplayer was a staple for the first Modern Warfare and is what kept it in the top 5 games played online (PS3 & Xbox 360) for the past two years. Infinity Ward earned major points for the improvements they made with the multiplayer system. Players are now allowed to boost up perks, mix and match weapon attachments, and even create custom kill streaks. These additions put you more in control of the game then before and will keep you playing to unlock more. Plus, boosting the leveling cap to 70 will keep people playing to achieve the ability to prestige.

I’ll Take One Of Everything – You have some new toys to play with in this game, but it is mostly the attachments that steal the show. Some of the best are the heartbeat sensor and thermal scoop. Now when you don’t have a UAV to give you the enemies position you can just peak at the heartbeat sensor attached to your gun and see where they are. The thermal scoop will let you see the enemy through any smoke screen they might throw in front of you, but it won’t let you see through walls. Going back to the kill streaks in the multiplayer you will want to stay alive to try and achieve some of these. Having the ability to drop a nuke after 25 consecutive kills and end the game is a feat worth fighting for.

Cons

It Leaves You Wanting More– The single player campaign is short and leaves you wanting a little more. It will still take you 8+ hours to complete, but some of the missions seem a little to quick.

Overall, Modern Warfare 2 lived up to all the hype it built around it and then surpassed it. The game is stunning graphically and the story will leave you wanting more and thinking did that really just happen. Of course, just like its predecessor the game is built around its multiplayer experience. The new additions make it that much more fun to play. I know most people aren’t that big of fans of First Person Shooters or even war games, but honestly the single player story is amazing and has a movie-esk feel to it. Modern Warfare 2 will certainly be up there for Game of the Year if not win it.

5 out of 5