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When it comes to the first-person shooter (FPS) genre, few games are as renowned as the Call of Duty (CoD) franchise. Many developers have tried their hand at creating the next great CoD title, but Infinity Ward is the one that found the best formula. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (CoD:MW2) is an exciting thrill ride with an intriguing storyline, exciting fast-paced action, and a multiplayer mode that will keep you coming back for more.

Unlike past CoD titles that take place around the World War II era, CoD:MW2 is set in the modern day era and uses very realistic and believable scenarios to advance an intriguing story that will keep you guessing what might happen next until the very end. No hero character is safe as anything can happen. Along with a compelling story and a cliffhanger ending, CoD:MW2 also supports fun multiplayer options with creative maps and a whole new set of features, perks, and achievements for players to earn and enjoy as they compete against other players online.

Cautions

CoD:MW2 is a fairly violent game and as such carries an M rating. There are many parts in the game that have a lot of graphic violence, but you won’t see the level of gore portrayed in Call of Duty: World at War (CoD:WaW) by Treyarch. CoD:MW2 doesn’t use dismemberment as part of the death mechanic, so while you can still die in a number of creative ways, the gore level seen in CoD:WaW isn’t there.

There is one controversial scene in the game and you’ll be asked at the very beginning if you want to skip it if you’re offended. In the scenario you portray an undercover agent infiltrating a terrorist group, but to do so you have to carry out an act of terrorism to earn your place.

Rating Mature (17+)
Blood
Drug Reference
Intense Violence
Language

The character controls are put together well, as you can sprint, jump, and aim much as you would expect in a standard FPS. The weapons are all from modern day design and you can carry two guns, grenades, specialty grenades, and you can also get certain specialty attacks, but in CoD:MW2 you also have Predator Drone missile strikes and a number of other fun options. There is no shortage of fun things to blow stuff up as Infinity Ward added a huge selection of weaponry and special attacks to the game.

The environments and characters of the game seem very alive. Rather than simply being stationary soldiers or outright fodder, NPC characters take on a lively existence in COD:MW2. At times you’ll pass a medic trying to revive a fallen comrade, or in more peaceful times you may see a couple of fellow soldiers enjoying a game of basketball. All together, the overall feel of the game is that you are part of a living breathing world with real people. NPCs that accompany you on missions will often keep your attentiion on them because it’s just so entertaining to just watch them beat the unholy hell out of some unsuspecting enemy that is unfortunate enough to let them get within melee range. Unfortunately, you can’t interact with most of these people and they’ll go about their assigned scripted task.

The campaign story picks up where the last Modern Warfare game left off. The story follows a number of key characters including a few returning from the last game, such as Soap MacTavish and Captain Price. You'll gain more of the story from multiple viewpoints as you'll be playing as several different characters. The story itself is very well done and draws the player into the conflict, but the story isn’t as cut and dry as you might think and it is kind of short. However, some deep plot development went into the script and there is one big twist and a cliffhanger ending that will leave you wanting more.

In many FPS war games, the fighting takes place overseas in foreign countries, but in CoD:MW2 the fighting comes to the United States. The enemy is quite literally at the gate and you’ll be tasked with pushing them back. You’ll also be going to a number of other locations like the Middle-east, Russia, and the snow covered mountains of Kazakhstan.

When it comes to scripted events, Infinity Ward does some of the best and most entertaining work around. There are a number of events throughout the game that will just have you on the edge of your seat. In one instance you have to run through the streets of a city while dodging falling aircraft. One wrong step and your game will come to a crushing end.

There is a controversial part of the plot which comes as an optional mission that you can choose to skip when you first install the game. In the mission, you play an undercover agent working to infiltrate a terrorist organization led by a Russian named Makarov. In order to earn their trust you have to join them in carrying out a terrorist strike against several innocent civilians. What follows is a graphic assault that you take part in, resulting in the death of many innocent people. The mission itself takes you out of the hero role and turns you into a villain, despite your overall intentions of putting an end to Makarov’s organization, the methods you have to go to in order to achieve that goal exemplifies just how nasty the business of intelligence work can get.

In last week's Loading..., Ethec expressed his feelings about the game’s lack of explanation of this scene. Although, the scene is rooted in lore from the first game as Makarov, the terrorist leading the group, formerly worked with Imran Zakhaev from the first game. Now that Imran Zakhaev is dead, Makarov has taken over and this is why General Shepherd is so obsessed with catching him. He lost over 30,000 troops in the first game when Imran Zakhaev set off a nuclear weapon in Al-Asad's capital city. The second game didn't bridge this story very well, so anyone who hasn't played the first game will likely be a little confused as to its purpose.

The video contained in the link below shows the controversial mission in its entirety, so if you don’t want it spoiled, or are easily offended by mindless slaughter please don’t watch it.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Controversial Mission Video

As you progress through the game the tension continues to build and each mission pushes the envelope a little further. The development team obviously drew from a number of inspirational sources when developing the game’s many excellent scenario missions and maps which include everything ranging from a prison battle that looks like a scene right out of Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage’s movie The Rock to carrying out a Navy Seal-style incursion against a captive oil rig. Each mission is creative and most have engaging and creatively scripted events that will keep you on your toes. One thing you’ll learn quickly is that no matter who the hero is in the game, no one is safe. Like real combat, anyone can die at any moment.

In an earlier review of Borderlands, Dalmarus explained the complications in the save mechanics of the game. CoD:MW2 uses a checkpoint save system as well, but you can also choose the save and exit option. Unfortunately, you will lose any advancement past the last checkpoint, so this option is really moot. Luckily, the checkpoints in the game are spaced at a good distance, so you don't have to fight huge battles only to die near the end and have to start over. Many big battles have checkpoints during its progression, so you aren't in too much danger of losing out on a hard fought battle.

You really couldn’t ask for the graphics to be any better than CoD:MW2 offers. The environment varies on each level, so the game never gets old to look at. Nothing seems recycled as each new area is just that, new. You have everything from suburban landscapes turned into battlegrounds to snow covered mountains, and underwater assault missions and each one are graphically impressive.

The character models come in a decent variety. In some cases the generic troops do look similar, but you can easily distinguish enemies from allies as the models differ enough that you can tell who is on your side.

Transition between the game’s scripted dialogues that occurs during many missions is very fluent and it transitions seamlessly from briefing to action. The game even has varying weather patterns as in some missions it will be raining, snowing, or be sunny.

CoD:MW2 has an excellent sound score with realistic sounding weapons and explosions. At moments of tension the music lends itself well to the atmosphere to give you the feeling you’re involved in a Hollywood-style action sequence. The game also receives some high quality voice over work from talented actors such as Lance Henriksen as the veteran General Shepherd and Keith David as the strong willed Sgt. Foley. The ambient sound effects of explosions and aircraft shrieking overhead combined with well directed voice work keep this game immersive and provide a great mix of strong voice work and sound.

There's more! Don't miss the second half of our review.