Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by Jon Seddon on 11.16.2009

Was there ever any doubt that this was going to be worth the wait?

Title: Modern Warfare 2
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Genre: FPS
Players: 1-18
Rated: M for Mature



How do you write a review of a game that depends on its jaw dropping moments without writing about and spoiling those events? That's the issue that presents itself with Infinity Ward's latest game. This review contains a few minor spoilers, but at this point, almost everyone will have seen more whether they have been tuning in to You Tube or just watching television adverts.

This game carries with it the expectation of many millions of gamers, journalists and publishers as not only was the the first Modern Warfare a critical hit that sold better than other proper current gen game, but it is also still one of the most popular multiplayer experiences on Live and PSN. Whatever we could have or should have expected, Infinity Ward have done their best to challenge those expectations in terms of game play, content and spectacle.

Gameplay

Modern Warfare 2 gives you three distinct gaming experiences: a single player campaign, a collection of competitive multi-player modes and the Spec Ops missions, which can be played single player or 2 player co-op, either split screen or online.



Single Player campaign
The first Modern Warfare's short single player campaign was not short of standout moments, whether it was the execution of your character or the nuke going up and the second subsequent death of the player. In the second game, it feels like the developers have tried to increase the frequency of the shocking turns, but perhaps not quite gone for the scale of nuclear fire.

In terms of how the game plays, the controls and presentation are exactly the same as the first game, but during the course of the game you do get a few toys to play with like placeable sentry guns and the Aliens inspired heart rate monitor equipped gun.

You begin the game in a similar way to just about every Call of Duty game with a stint at a firing range and assault course, but you soon get to control a mini-gun aboard a Humvee and whilst it's not quite such a dramatic start as storming a cargo ship in a raging sea, there's still plenty of smoke and pyrotechnics to let you know that the FPS masters are back.



You are then taken from the dustiness of the deserts of Afghanistan to the snowy mountains of Russia and this jumping between global locations continues throughout the rest of the game and some of the locales are literally out of this world. The style of gameplay is also similarly varied with combinations of standard Call of Duty FPS action and the snowcat racing that you will have seen in the trailers.

Almost every chapter of the game contains either something unexpected whether its a shocking twist or an amazing set piece, but sometimes this just makes it feel just a bit too dramatic. Modern Warfare had it's moments but sometimes the sequel strays too close to a Hollywood blockbuster rather than a gritty and "realistic" shooter.

Unlike previous Call of Duty games, there are no constantly spawning enemies, or if there are, they are hidden so well as to not be noticeable. If you sit tight and pick off enemies, eventually the battlefield will be empty, but there are usually enough of them and they are good enough at flushing you out that you just keep moving, running and gunning. Your squad mates also seem to have been paying attention at target practice and so if you don't shoot that goon, then they very well might.



The other major addition this time around are the larger areas for the pitch battles with less corridors and more open spaces. It's certainly not an open world game, but several times, you're fighting on maps that feel more like large multi-player areas with multiple routes. The problem for you here is that you can easily find yourself with enemies all around you as you and they try and flank and counter flank. This is a genuine step forward, letting you try different ways to get to your objectives, but it's only in hindsight that you even realize what's just gone down.

Spec Ops
This is Infinity Wards approach to allowing you to play Modern Warfare co-op, which when announced was a major blow to all those that have been enjoying the online co-op this difference this generation. Spec Ops provides you and optionally one other the opportunity to take part in 23 short scenarios that don't form part of any ongoing narrative.

In some ways it is a shame that these gameplay snippets aren't part of the story, but once tried, you may just find yourself forgiving IW. Spec Ops provides an extremely varied set of missions that include scenarios taken from both Call of Duty games stories and original set pieces that were either specially created or cut from the game.



Each mission awards 1 to 3 stars, which depends on the difficulty level selected or on some occasions on how quickly you completed it. It should be noted though that each of them feels as if the difficulty level has been cranked up, so normal feels like hardened etc.

The killer for Spec Ops is the variation and the sense of satisfaction you feel when you make it to the finish and some of them will have you restarting a dozen times. Favorites are the snowmobile race, the infamous AC130 level and anything that involves holding out and sniping.

Infinity Ward have hinted that new Spec Ops levels might be released as DLC and this would extend the game for those that find competitive just too difficult.

Multi-player
On the face of it the multi-player has been pretty much left alone, which isn't too surprising as it certainly wasn't broken in COD4. Obviously, you do get some new maps, some new guns and some new perks, but it's only once you get into the swing of it that you realise how much as changed with the new kill streaks. This time round there are so many ways to rain death on your opponents that sometimes the only safe place seems to be deep underground. If controlling an AC130 gunship isn't quite devastating enough for you, then there's the tactical nuke.

They have also added death streaks this time for those of us that have a serial death wish or just aren't very good. You now get the opportunity to use the same load-out as the person that just killed you if you've just died for the umpteenth time.

As far as the perks go they have changed a few, but how they affect the balance of play will be played out over the next few weeks and months.

Graphics
Modern Warfare games are a bit odd when it comes to graphics. Scrutinise any in game object and you'll find low resolution textures and overall a bit of an average looking game, but that isn't something noticeable when playing. Infinity Ward focuses on high frame rates, beautiful lighting and spectacle, which it does better than most and probably achieves more than those that focus on higher polygon counts.

The particle effects are also really nicely done with the smoke grenades achieving believable results and the night vision as impressive as it was last time. It seems that there are more nighttime environments this time round, but with all the fire and flares, you rarely have to use night vision, which is a shame.



One effect that looks very nice is the blood splatter you'll see across your screen when you get hit, which is just what you'd expect to see if you threw blood across a camera lens. Not realistic, but certainly effective.

Water is an area where the engine struggles though with very angular and flat looking running rivers, which is disappointing as its a major element to one of the later levels. You are usually moving so fast though that this is merely a distraction.

Sound

As you would expect the sound is all around you, but in an action movie sense rather than realistic battlefield kind of way. Certainly not as impressive as the positional sound from Operation Flashpoint, but combined with the rousing score and joypad rumble, it brings you close in to the action.

Lasting Appeal

If you bought this game for the single player experience then you should play it on at least the hardened difficulty as you will otherwise be through it in 5-6 hours, whereas Hardened might stretch that to 7-8. It's certainly not all over though once you've played through the campaign with a lot of the Spec Ops missions available in single player.



If you do venture online then getting 3 stars in every Spec Ops mission could take some serious play as conquering them on veteran is no easy task even with a friend.

Expect the the multi-player to hold some peoples attention for the next 2 years whilst they wait for Modern Warfare 3, especially if Infinity Ward publish more map packs this time round. For eveyone else there's weeks worth of play if you're willing to die a lot to begin with.

Fun Factor
Regardless of whether this is the best single player experience this year or not, you'll be hard pressed to not keep playing the campaign to the end. Each chapter ends on a cliff hanger and the next one is set up in such a way as to encourage you to continue to story. Some of what you'll do in this game will amaze you, some of it will surprise you and one level may even upset you, but it's never less than amazingly put together. At times the story bewildered me, but the objectives are always clear and it's up to you how you get to them.

The multi player is as much fun as you remember and now is the best time to get into it before everyone is level 50.

The 411:
I think Infinity Ward have achieved what they set out to do with this game. It improves the overall experience, with more content and tweaks the multi player in a way to keep it interesting to series veterans and give newbies at least a fighting chance. Spec Ops is a genuinely brilliant addition that adds hours to the game. The single player experience is brilliant and in many ways better than the first game, but in other ways it doesn't quite achieve the impact. A very impressive package.

One of the best shooters ever made, one of the best games released this year and probably soon to become the highest selling game of all time.

Graphics	9.0	Extremely well crafted environments, even if you only see them for seconds
Gameplay	10.0	Brilliantly presented shooter at the top of its class
Sound	8.0	Stirring music that enhances the experiences
Lasting Appeal	10.0	For those partaking in multiplayer, you will get a lot out of this
Fun Factor	9.0	Total fun
Overall	9.0   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 13 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Screenshots