Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

November 10, 2009 - Over the years the Call of Duty series has set the bar for immersive, action-packed, cinematic FPS gaming, and no matter what camp you're from there's no denying the franchise's influence on the industry. When Infinity Ward moved from the classic World War II setting and blazed new ground with Modern Warfare we saw the first obvious split within the world of Call of Duty. The series dropped its historic focus, created a new cast of characters, and began treading on new ground by taking the first-person shooter genre to new locales, and pushing the boundaries of what military games are willing to show. With Modern Warfare 2, the sheer amount of hype has been practically inescapable, with preorders alone setting it up as one of the biggest selling games of all time, the addition of even more multiplayer modes and features, and the game's new Special Operations mode has set Infinity Ward's lastest up as the game to beat this year.

The real question: has it been worth the wait, and can Modern Warfare 2 live up to the precedent set by over half a decade of Call of Duty tradition?

Modern Warfare 2 is by far the least traditional of the series, with the core package broken up into three main pillars of gameplay. Single-player fans have their main campaign, if you're down for more co-op gameplay either locally or via online connection you've got the new Spec Ops mode, and Modern Warfare's groundbreaking multiplayer is back, and truly better than ever. There's an overwhelming amount of content to experience, but with each mode being 100% standalone in nature, you're getting three completely different experiences all in one. That, however, also plays a huge factor into how your final opinion of Modern Warfare 2 as a whole turns out.

First and foremost is the single-player experience. As the anchor of the Call of Duty world, campaign mode is back, and it's intense. You'll instantly get a sense of just how far the improved engine has come when you're thrown into the bustling streets of Rio de Janeiro's favela, the ice-capped mountains of Russia, the dusty roads of Afghanistan, and other unexpected locales. On the visual side of things, Modern Warfare 2 is an obvious step up over Call of Duty 4 and World at War, with a stronger emphasis on complex terrain in the environments, weather effects, destructible objects, and the overall sense of action and chaos that comes with so many visual improvements. This is only complemented further by the increased attention to sound design, with the effects of many returning weapons being re-recorded,even more in-level chatter amongst your allies, and a truly captivating score by Hans Zimmer which builds based on specific in-game moments. Modern Warfare 2 feels like an action movie through and through, with the production values alone dating Infinity Ward's last game, Call of Duty 4, quite a bit.At the same time, the single-player campaign has its issues. For starters, it's short. I've been playing Call of Duty 4 steadily since its release, and my first completion of the Modern Warfare 2 campaign came in at just under five hours on regular difficulty. Playing through on hardened will add another hour and a half onto that. Modern Warfare 2 is definitely more chaotic this time around – partially due to the new visual effects and upped production values – and with the improved enemy AI and tough scenario design you'll be fighting for every checkpoint. One of the larger visual changes to the game's heads-up display this time around is the blood splatter system. In previous Call of Duty offerings you'd get damaged, the screen would start to shade red, and you'd be required to seek cover before your vision returned to normal. Modern Warfare 2 employs a new system, actually having a thicker blood layer added to up the realism. There's been some discussion on whether the splatter is too distracting, and in my experience with the game it's far from an issue. You'll be able to take more hits on easier difficulty settings, so while a few well-placed shots will drop players on hardened or veteran modes the added splatter is an acceptable trade-off for more overall health

And then there's the competitive multiplayer. While there's a near-endless amount that could be said about the final and largest pillar of the Modern Warfare 2 experience, it really boils down to a few key aspects. First off, the visual overhaul. Multiplayer looks beautiful this time around, with the visuals trumping that of the single-player offering in the original Modern Warfare, and much more epic locales. There's a huge level of smoke and effects to be seen, electrical equipment and cars explode, and nearly every item in the levels are physics enabled, all amounting to an experience that feels like a true extension of single player, rather than some stripped down visual offering. There was a full team dedicated to multiplayer for Modern Warfare 2 and it shows.

Infinity Ward also made a point to focus on both user feedback from the first Modern Warfare, as well as overall balance across multiplayer modes. The class system returns with a set of both new and returning weapons, perks, and the new customizable killstreaks, but despite having well over double the amount of total content this time around Modern Warfare 2 retains its strategic feel across the board. In fact, this is easily one of the most balanced multiplayer games I've ever played, as every strategy has its counter, and players at every skill level can contribute to their team in some unique way. The entire experience is extremely rewarding, and the sheer amount of content will have you coming back again and again.

In fact, the killstreaks themselves are evidence that the game's balance is truly there. Killstreaks have been expanded from the original Modern Warfare, now allowing players to unlock rewards such as stealth bombers, AC-130 strikes, EMP blasts, and even a devastating 25 killstreak nuke that ends the game with a big bang, automatically handing your team the win if you can pull it off. With such devastating power at your fingertips though, balance was crucial, and Infinity Ward pulled it off. Many of the more annoying tactics in the original Modern Warfare have been removed, so you'll no longer have players throwing three frag grenades every life, martyrdom has been removed from the main set of perks, and with plenty of airborne attacks and a wide variety of equipment and weapons camping is far less of an issue. In fact, even the multiplayer maps themselves solve many of the common issues of COD4's multiplayer, and in turn make for a better experience. You'll find more height, more alternate routes to areas, and more diversity all around. There's an insane level of depth and strategy in Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer, and this is far from just an upgrade from COD4.
For those of us looking to pick up the game on PC, a few more things need to be noted about Modern Warfare 2. Infinity Ward has worked to make sure the experience on PC is identical to that of 360 and PS3, and while I'd say the team has succeeded overall, that's so a good and bad thing for various players. On the plus side, you're getting the same amazing experience as the other versions, and those that want a game that's easy to jump into online and connect with other players will find it with the PC version of Modern Warfare 2. What that also means, however, is that the PC version is also locked to the same restrictions as the other versions, so 32 person matches are a thing of the past, you can't create dedicated servers for match hosting, and that also will result in a lack of future mod support and PC-specific expansion. While this is definitely a downside for those familiar with the expandability of PC gaming and freedom that comes with a more open source platform, IW is essentially forcing the PC version to play by the same rules as the console offerings, and thus making sure anyone that wants to jump in and get the intended Modern Warfare 2 experience can do so across any system. It'll hurt the hardcore PC community, and but it's a decision IW made.

Should Infinity Ward have included more expandability across PC – be it in more players online, dedicated servers, or through other avenues – the PC version would have been reviewed as such, and the added features would have (we can only assume) helped the version go above and beyond its console counterparts. Seeing as it's the same core experience, however, we are reviewing it as such, and the game should be looked at as the same value and overall package as any other console.

Closing Comments
When you look at the total package, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is hands-down one of the best first-person shooters out there, and a truly amazing offering across any system. With that being said, our score comes with a disclaimer. For those planning to check out everything Modern Warefare 2 has to offer – online competition, full co-op Spec Ops mode, as well as the campaign – you’re looking at a no-brainer purchase. For the strictly single player crowd, however, Modern Warfare 2 is surprisingly short, and doesn’t live up to the standard set by previous Call of Duty games. The campaign can be completed in as little as four and a half hours, and the missions make better scenarios and moment-to-moment adrenaline rushes than they do a cohesive, well-told story. If you’re going solo, you’ve officially been warned. Look at the complete Modern Warfare 2 experience though, and there’s no denying its rightful place at the top.