<a href="/node/"></a>
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 wont see the level of gore portrayed in Call of Duty: World at War (CoD:WaW) by Treyarch. CoD:MW2 doesnt 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 isnt there.
There is one controversial scene in the game and youll be asked at the very beginning if you want to skip it if youre 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
Gameplay - 97 / 100
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.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76745"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76745" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/71323"
title="">
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 youll 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 its 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 cant interact with most of these people and theyll go about their assigned scripted task.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76747"
title="Title of Your Image" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76747" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/71323"
title="Title of Your Image">
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 isnt 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.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76750"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76750" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/71323"
title="">
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 youll be tasked with pushing them back. Youll also be going to a number of other locations like the Middle-east, Russia, and the snow covered mountains of Kazakhstan.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76737"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76737" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
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 Makarovs 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 games 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 dont want it spoiled, or are easily offended by mindless slaughter please dont 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 games 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 Cages 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 youll 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.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76744"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76744" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/71323"
title="Title of Your Image">
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.
Graphics - 100 / 100
You really couldnt 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.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76740"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76740" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
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 games 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.
Sound - 100 / 100
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 youre 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.
Multiplayer - 97 / 100
The multiplayer experience for CoD:MW2 is played using Valve's Steam network. Some people were disappointed about this, but Steam offers a pretty stable online gaming experience, but the matchmaking system isnt quite as good as the Xbox 360 version.
The multiplayer experience has evolved a bit since the first game. In the original, you could compete against players online to gain levels and unlock additional weapons and perks to aid in combat. In CoD: MW2 those elements are still there, but they have received even more features and an additional game mode.
The campaign mode for CoD:MW2 is only playable in single player mode, but Infinity Ward added a new mode called Special Ops. This game mode is playable by two players online and is a fun cooperative gaming experience. Each campaign consists of five missions and each is creative in its design. There are times when you will be cooperating on the ground to take out waves of enemies advancing on your position and at other times youll be covering your partner from a helicopter or helping them reach a goal on the ground while you provide support from an attack plane. Anyone thats played the original CoD:MW will remember a similar mission like this where you operate the weapons on a C-130 and attack the enemies while your team on the ground makes their way to an evacuation point.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76746"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76746" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
These creative scenarios give this mode a strong replay value as things tend to unfold differently at times and your enemies may come from the back instead of the front. You always have to stay alert and work together if you want to make it through alive.
As for the competitive mode, new additions have been made that make this mode a lot more fun. For starters, the developers added the ability to earn titles and emblems through accomplishing certain things in multiplayer mode. These can be selected on your menu screen and they will be how others will see you in-game. For example, selecting your titles, which is an image, will display when you enter a game lobby or make a kill in the game. There are roughly 570 emblems to unlock as well as 297 titles. The two combine to make a signature of sorts that identifies you in the game. There are more than enough options to mix and match a wide variety of choices.
There are a number of competitive match types to choose from ranging from Team Deathmatch to Demolition and Capture the Flag. There are many other options to choose from, so there's no shortage of multiplayer challenges. If you want free-for-all combat you can have it, but if you prefer something that requires teamwork or is more tactical in nature, options are in place for those as well.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76752"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76752" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
As you rank up through multiplayer combat you will unlock a number of weapons and perks. One of the big changes to the game is that perks can also be ranked up now, so by completing challenges for each perk you can make them a bit stronger.
A new and popular feature thats been added is the ability to select your kill streak awards. This was not in the original CoD:MW, but it is a welcome addition and allows you to select from a number of benefits, but the better the option the more kills in a row you will need to get it. These go from the simple UAV recon drones to reveal your enemys location to ending the entire multiplayer game with one big nuclear missile strike. I havent seen that one for myself, as it requires a high level and a streak of 25 kills in a row, but Im guessing this is one way to end a game with a bang. You can also select from a number of death streak benefits that you gain by dying, but these are gained at certain levels and include things such as a temporary increase in health and the classic 'Last Stand' ability.
Despite the fact that the multiplayer option is well done and extremely fun, it still suffers from a few problems that have plagued its predecessor. The spawns which are suppose to pop you in near a friendly player in a safe area after death doesnt always work. Ive been shot in the back of the head before I have even had a chance to take a step more times than I can count. At times you might even find yourself spawning just as a Predator missile fires giving you a point-blank view of the fireworks. This may be my biggest gripe about the game as this little problem alone is enough to drive you to madness. Every CoD game that uses this sort of spawning system suffers from the same problem, so you would figure that they would have come up with a better solution by now.
Since Ive had the chance to play this on both the Xbox 360 and the PC I can say the matchmaking system on the Xbox is by far much better as it matches you with players around your level, while the PC just throws you into a room of random people. This might not sound like a big deal, but often times you will be in a room with players that have a much higher rank than you, and therefore will have access to much better equipment and perks. Unless you are a really skilled player and very elusive, you are pretty much screwed as the higher levels can get access to a device that can show them where enemies are located. You also cant get the perk to block it until much later, so you end up a sitting duck, waiting to get snuck up on.
Overall, the multiplayer experience is excellent and the maps are unique and a lot of fun. The maps are pretty decently sized for the amount of players they support, and many have buildings or small caves you can go in to take cover from missile strikes or sneak around on your enemies.
Value - 97 / 100
There are many FPS games to choose from in this vast genre, but in my opinion CoD:MW2 is by far one of the best that I have ever played. The realistic war theme makes a believable story that you could see in some cases as possibly being taken from real battle stories. The events in the game lead players through an adventure of both fiery combat and stealthy covert missions. Throw in excellent graphics and voice work from some talented actors, and great multiplayer options, and you have a game that will keep any fan of the shooter genre entertained for some time to come.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76736"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76736" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
Lasting Appeal - 97 / 100
The campaign mode of CoD:MW2 is something that you will want to play through more than once. There are many enjoyable missions that send you through some excellent content and even though you may have seen it once youll want to revisit it again. Sneaking onto an oil rig in true Navy Seal fashion or racing down a mountain on a snow mobile while being chased by enemies symbolic of a James Bond chase scene are the kind of epic gameplay events that will make you want to experience the game all over again.
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/76748"
title="" target="_blank">
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/76748" alt="" width="600" height="327"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 327px;" />
While the campaign mode is certainly well designed the real thing that will keep players coming back is the multiplayer content, both competitive and cooperative. The new features that have been added provide players with a lot to unlock and use against enemies. With the possibility of downloadable content in the future there is always the chance more scenarios or multiplayer maps can be added.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- The world is visually stunning.
- A great sound score adds to the environment and immersion.
- Excellent voice talent adds to the game's overall elements.
- New and fun multiplayer options.
- A compelling story with a surprising twist and a cliffhanger ending.
Cons:
- Multiplayer spawns still have some issues.
- Matchmaking system can be a headache for lower ranked players.
- Some story elements may not be clear to those who didn't play the first game.
Conclusion
CoD:MW2 is one of the most graphically impressive shooters Ive ever seen, and the games scripted events and story will keep you glued to events until the very end. The multiplayer combat offers a lot of new and fun options that will keep players entertained long after the enjoyment of the solo campaign mode has lost its glimmer. CoD:MW2 did not disappoint on its delivery, and Infinity Ward has developed one hell of a shooter game on many levels.
For more screenshots click here.
Overall 97/100 - Excellent
