Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2 – Review – Xbox 360

Modern Warfare 2 is the first direct sequel the CoD series has thrown our way.  With the departure from the WWII  era that MW gave us many saw it as a breath of fresh air.  Yes, we have been playing games that take place during more recent years for a long time but none of them had that Call of Duty feel.  While Infinity Ward could have easily just gave us another game set in current times, they choose to actually follow along the storyline set in the first game.  This comes with mixed results and my thoughts are below.

Story

Modern Warfare 2 picks up roughly 5 years after the events of Call of Duty 4.  Russia has gone to shit and it is now up to you to try and fix it.  We work from the perspectives of several characters throughout the game as is typical CoD but we are rotating mainly between characters in the U.S. Army Rangers.  You start off in the usual fashion which is a rundown on the controls of the game which has not changed in years and unless you have not touched a video game in the past 10 years you may want to pay attention.  After completing your training mission you are off on a wild ride with a few twists and turns for you to pine over but nothing to surprising.  The game really is your typical terrorist vs. America cliche that we have all come to love but this time things hit closer to home.  There is all out war going on on U.S soil and part of your job will be to defend your home land.

Gameplay

Shortly after the start mission you are off to do your Army Ranger thing.  There is nothing really new to see in MW2 it has a very been there done that feel to it.  CoD4 had some very unique missions souch as the sniper level that set it apart and gave it a depth that just doesn’t appear in the second MW.  Instead Infinity Ward decided to move off into the tried and true method we all know from the past CoD games.  Intense gunfights(dying plenty of times will more then likely happen), an awesome array of weapons and a what is something that is not a usual staple of the franchise a little bit of controversy.  Everyone I am sure has heard about and most of you have played the “No Russian” level so I am not going to go into details.  I don’t understand where everyone gets the idea that is is wrong to show something like that in a game especially one rated mature, GET OVER IT!  With that said I will admit it was rather shocking and there are plenty of moments throughout the campaign that you will get a very surreal feeling. War in the White House, seeing the Washington Monument in disrepair and the feeling of fighting on suburban streets.

Graphics:

MW 2 is a hard pill to swallow for some.  It doesn’t really innovate in graphics,  it is using a supposed next generation engine one step beyond the one in CoD 4, but you are really hard pressed to see a big difference.  A few missions suffer from framerate drops when there is a lot going on but the game stays solid in the framerate department 98 percent of the time.  The environment is something to behold on some levels and bland on others.  Seeing the skyline of Washington DC with red skies and smoke pluming up in the background is an awesome site to behold and one that will really leave you speechless at times.  Just don’t expect revolutionary looks and you will be pleased.  It is good looking and solid and overall a treat for your eyes to behold.

Multiplayer

When MW2 was announce I am sure what most people were hoping for was an awesome MP experience and while some parts of this game may be lacking the MP is all there.  Plenty of great maps to compliment a long list of different playmodes.  Standards like Free-For-All, Search & Destroy, Demolition, Domination, Team Deathmatch, and Capture The Flag are all here but we have some inew features to check out as well.  Weapons are customizable with unlockable upgrades and kill streak rewards.  Getting a certain amount of kills allows for different abilities in match such as drones, missile strikes, sentry guns and more.  IW even added a 3rd person view for some playlists.  It is easy to tell it was tacked on last minute as it has the same gameplay and controls as normal 1st person and really suffers from what could have offered a lot more.  A cover system would have been great for the 3rd person mode as without it I really felt like I was playing a last generation game.

Another great MP addition and probably one of the funnest aspects of MW2 is the new Spec-Ops mode.  Here you can grab a friend either online or locally via split screen and tear up some bad guys.  While it isn’t straight up co-op campaign it does feel great to play.  On some missions you are forced to disarm some bombs while a clock ticks down and some you friend is stationed in a chopper helping clear the way while you run through a Russian infested neighborhood trying to get to a new landing zone.  Spec-ops is far and away one of my favorite aspects of the game and makes me want to beg IW for some DLC for it as well as the usual MP DLC fair.

Overall

Luckily when you add all the aspects of the game together you have a very well packaged and fun investment that will have most people playing for a few weeks at least.  While the Campaign is a little on the short side and leaves you craving more you can easily jump on to the MP modes to get you fill.  I like what IW has done with the game but still miss a few aspects that made the original a real innovator in FPS.  Definately give Modern Warfare 2 a shot for all it’s misses it still hit’s the target on so many grounds.

Pros

• Fun co-op and Mp lends plenty of replay value
• Game looks very solid and provides plenty of eye candy
• Nothing like the feeling is sniping someone from 300 yards away and watching as the recoil back form the impact

Cons

• Short Campaign makes you crave more and wondering what happens next.
• No Party Chat on some MP modes on XBL is a NO NO
• Some controversy that I don’t feel is deserved

Score: 8.5/10

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