Modern Warfare 2. Need I say more? This game is huge, and the gaming world is captivated by the hype that has surrounded it. Midnight releases all around the country, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns, and seven million copies sold in less than a week. This game has taken the gaming community and brought it to it’s knees. Game have been delayed because of it, and right now chances are your friends list is filled with people playing it. The question is though if the game lives up to the hype….

Single Player:
The game is very well made for the single player experience. The team at Infinity Ward does a very good job at creating these exciting Hollywood blockbuster set pieces in the game. In most cases, you are rarely put into a great scene where you have zero control. The game is quite captivating and exciting.

In the game, you control multiple characters like it’s predecessor, but you will see familiar faces throughout including your commanding officer for most of the game, Soap Mactavish. You control these characters in multiple locations all over the world from Washington D.C. to Moscow to Brazil. You move all over the place, so if you are looking for some diversity in level design you have come to the right place.

You have a wide variety of weapons once again, and new tweaks to them like the thermal sensor in the snow level shown at E3. There is a very fun and interesting twist to vehicles in this game, but dont expect something like what we have seen in Battlefield in the past when it came to vehicles. The controls are the same and the level design is as well. This is for the most part a narrow game with waves of enemies coming at you, and that is fine because it is fun.

The graphics are a slight upgrade over the original which is fine considering that the original was beautiful for it’s release. The thing is that you shouldn’t expect this game to compete with a Uncharted 2 or Killzone 2. This game isn’t that high quality in the graphics department, but the graphics get the job done and the frame rate is smooth throughout. I will say though that the art direction in this game is so good that it helps in making you forget that this is just a tweaked out two year old engine.

The music by Hans Zimmer is fantastic. The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, etc. are all previous works of Zimmer and he puts the same effort and quality into this game. The game has the score of a high-budget action movie. The music fits the mood perfectly so when playing the game turn up the volume.

The story is exciting like a summer action flick, but nothing deep or astonishing. If you want action packed war with exciting twists and turns then you shouldn’t be disappointed in the story, but if you want a deep political thriller then you have picked up the wrong game. At times the story can be confusing and sometimes you don’t know why you are doing certain things. You just know you have a gun and enemies in front of you so you better start shooting.

I will say though that for overall entertainment value the game is exciting. There are twists and turns in the game that are exciting and emotional. There will be times where you will be happy and times where you want to kill someone really really bad. The game does a good job at making you feel a wide variety of emotions.

The game is short and sweet which is nice because they dont drag the story, but when the hell did games get the idea that 6 hours or less is the norm. Personally, I prefer short and sweet over long and dragged out but its still disappointing to know that I beat this great single player game in less than 6 hours. The game needs to be longer, but I guess they assumed they could keep it short because it will always play second fiddle to…..

Multiplayer:
Ah yes, the sweet multiplayer that Infinity Ward is known for is back. The leveling up, the perks, the classic guns, etc. are all back, but this isn’t your fathers Call of Duty.

Infinity Ward did not keep it safe when they made this multiplayer. They took chances and changed things around from a multiplayer component in COD4 that everyone loved. Personally, this does not feel all too much like Call of Duty 4. This is a brand new baby, and while it is a fine product it did shock me on how different it was.

The game has LOADS of options in it. Killstreaks, Deathstreaks, upgradable perks, new sidearm types, etc is just the tip of the iceberg. They even changed the point system, and I have no idea why? You get points for ending someones killing streak or snapping a death streak for you. You get points for killing someone who killed you. Basically, you get points for everything.

Deathstreaks are interesting and kinda disappointing in my opinion. Yeah, they are nice for beginners but seem to gimp the game to me. I don’t get why someone should get a bonus for dying a lot, and I understand its because they want to help casual players but I dont think it adds to the experience.

With killstreaks, you can customize your own list with over a dozen options. You have the classic ones from COD4 but also new ones like being able to control a AC-130, a harrier strike, and even a tactical nuke. When you come into games expect a lot of “UAV is online” or “Enemy Helicopter Inbound” because there is a lot more perk usage now in this game.

When I compare the maps to COD4, I think the maps in the original are better. These maps are nice, but it’s a campers paradise and they just aren’t as good to me from top to bottom. Granted they are still good maps, but they just don’t reach the original high standard. The maps seem a little bit bigger than the first, so if you thought all the maps in the original were too small then maybe you will enjoy these maps.

My main gripe with the game is the feel of the guns. They just don’t feel the same and it is every noticeable in multiplayer. They have cut down on the recoil when firing through the sights, and when you run with the gun it doesn’t even feel like you are carrying anything. I know COD4 wasn’t known for it’s realistic guns and weight, but they seemed to toss this all out in MW2. This is a twitch FPS fans dream game. It’s basically whoever sees the person first wins. Don’t even bother firing from the hip in most cases unless you are sneaking up on a enemy or very close because it seems to be very ineffective. You get used to the gunplay and move on to enjoy the game, but it doesnt feel like COD4 when it came to guns. It feels lighter and more toyish at times. This isn’t a knock on the game because you grow accustomed, but rather a personal tick.

Overall, the multiplayer is fun, but not mindblowing. This doesn’t have the same affect on you that COD4 had. It does expand the experience though and add a bunch of different options to the game. The question is if too much of a new thing is a good thing? Apart of me says that maybe too many options for everything isn’t the best, but I don’t want to see limited options for the masses. If you are in a clan or have a robust friends list then this game is great because you can each have different killstreaks and work as a team in a really fun way. I think the multiplayer is good, but I do think it tried to change the feel a little bit too much to be more casual friendly. Though we will all be playing it for the next six months because it is Call of Duty and it can still be very addictive.

Spec-Ops:

The new mode in Modern Warfare 2 is a very nice addition to the game. Two player co-op that is really well put together. In the missions, you can do a multitude of different tasks like taking out wave after wave of enemies with a sniper or trying to get across a bridge in a certain amount of time with enemies coming at you. They even recreate COD4 levels in this mode for you to replay through. If you are a fan of co-op then this a great experience and adds even more replayability to the game.

Overall:
Modern Warfare 2 is a fantastic product and fans of the original games should pick it up. The game is still Call of Duty but feels very different and introduces loads of new options. If you want a online game that can become addictive then you have it right here. If you want an exciting single player campaign then this game has it. If you want fun co-op then it has it too. The games only flaws are that the single player is too short, and that the game has become even more casual friendly. The game is worth checking out if you are a gamer anywhere. The thing is though that you shouldn’t expect game of the decade or something as revolutionary as the original Modern Warfare.

(4.5/5)