Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Review (X360, PS3, PC)
Modern Warfare 2 makes all the right moves needed to improve on its predecessor. The campaign has bigger set pieces, co-op missions were added, and competitive multiplayer has been tweaked to near perfection. The single player campaign is far too short, but the multiplayer options are second to none.
The story picks up where the last left off. A new terrorist leader, Vladimir Makarov, stepped in to take the place of Zakhaev who was killed in the end of the last game. Oddly, beyond the now infamous airport level, Makarov has very little to do with the game. He is only mentioned in passing and there is no attempt at giving him a purpose or cause for his actions. This lack of explanation carries into the rest of the game. There are the standard betrayals which have become commonplace in any military shooter, but these former allies never explain their reason for defecting either. By the end of the story, everyone is fighting everyone and no one explains why. What’s even worse is that there really is no conclusion. Right when you are expecting another level, the credits start to roll. Combined with the five hour length, this is almost insulting to the gamer. Infinity Ward is basically saying, “Our game is so short that we couldn’t even squeeze in an ending.”
While the story is lackluster, the action is still top notch. While most games rely on a string of generic levels with a couple of set-pieces, Modern Warfare 2 almost feels like one long set-piece battle that never lets up. Every level is completely different than the last and all are equally as impressive. I had just as much fun sweeping through a shanty town in South America as I had marching down the streets of a Virginia suburbs. Enemies are smart enough to flank you if the level design allows it and will retreat when you fire on their position too much. The game does a great job of building intensity to the end and I never felt like I was grinding through a level just to get to the good stuff. On a side note, the achievements and trophies are all earned from the campaign and Spec Ops mode, so anyone can get them. This is a welcome change from the annoying ones from the past where nearly half required super-human performances against other online players.
This would be a nice place to vacation if not for all the mosquitoes and armed militia. Mostly because of the mosquitoes.
Control is still the best in the business. The action is so easy to get used to that I never really felt like I had a controller in my hand and never had to think about which button did what. There is a reason why most shooters mimic the Call of Duty control scheme.
The new Special Ops mode is an incredibly welcome addition. While it can be played solo, it is truly meant as a co-op experience. Not only are they easier with another player just because you will have someone to watch your back, but they can also revive you if you are taken down in battle. If you die playing solo, it’s mission over and back to the start. There are even a handful of missions that actually require a second player. This mode takes maps from both this game and the first Modern Warfare and gives you different objective to achieve. The challenges are broken into five groups of which only the first is unlocked at the start. More levels are unlocked as you earn stars through performance in each challenge. In most cases, raising the difficulty level earns more stars, though a few levels give you a single difficulty and ask that you perform different objective or complete the mission faster in order to get extra stars. Although there are twenty three Spec Ops challenges, the maps are repeated from time to time, but not too often. While the opportunity to play the campaign co-op is missed, Spec Ops mode is a an excellent alternative.
There isn’t much to say about multiplayer, since it is mostly tweaks and improvements on the old formula. However, there wasn’t much that needed fixed, so Modern Warfare 2 has some of the best online options around. There is a constant stream of rewards that keep you wanting to play. At the start, you will only have three multiplayer modes open, but more become available as new ranks are achieved. New weapons and perks are also awarded at set ranks. If you aren’t particularly good at the game, not to worry. There are even perks that are awarded if you are killed so many times in a row. Anything from bonus health to the chance to use the weapon of the player that killed you. For those that are intimidated by the clans of players that seem to be professionally trained, there is a mercenary mode that doesn’t allow parties into the game, so this helps level the playing field. If you have even a passing interest in competitive multiplayer, Modern Warfare 2 delivers.
The graphics are an improvement on the last game, but the engine is starting to show it’s age a bit. The special effects are worth of a Michael Bay film. Entire buildings will crumble, walls collapse, and jets streak by at low altitudes. However, most of these events are scripted and the player has very little affect on the environment. Outside of bullet holes and the occasional weak wall that can be shot through, everything is as solid as a rock. There are also some clipping issues when it comes to dead bodies. While most games have advanced to the point where bodies will actually lay on top of each other, here they still fall inside of one another and occupy the same space. Honestly, these are minor gripes and the game is still one of the best looking shooters around. It’s not time to upgrade yet, but by the next game, they may want to consider looking into these problems.
Modern Warfare 2 contain arguably the best FPS action available, but the pointless plot and short length seriously hurt the experience. Competitive multiplayer doesn’t get much better than this and Spec Ops is a great place to go and play with friends. If you are any kind of online gamer, this is an easy choice. If you prefer sticking to single player games, this is worth no more than a rental.
The Bottom Line
| Pros |
|---|
| Best FPS action around, Plenty of multiplayer rewards, Solid co-op mode |
| Cons |
| Single player is far too short, minor outdated graphical oddities, confusing and pointless story |
| Verdict |
| Solo gamers may want to wait for a price drop or rent it, but online gamers need not look anywhere else. |
| Overall |
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