Developed by: Infinity Ward
Published by: Activision
Score:85

I think back to the day when I first got Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. At first I was apprehensive at the thought of playing through a WW2 style FPS with M16s instead of Thompsons. However I was surprised to see all the advancements that were made simply by changing the locale. The same thrills and overall experience was still there in the single player. However, what kept me coming back to the game habitually was the multiplayer. So now let’s get back to the present where I am playing the PS3 version of Modern Warfare 2 (sans the Call of Duty apparently). What may have been the most hotly anticpated game of 2009 is now here and I’ve decided to review it…in a timely manner of course. So let me start out by saying…

I don’t care about the single player.

I really don’t.

So now you ask me why? Well it’s pretty simple, it’s nothing new. The Call of Duty explosions and Jerry Bruckheimerisms have gotten a bit stale. I’m bored just thinking about playing the single player mode again. Now is it bad? Of course not, it’s just not new. The story is supposed to pick up from the story of MW1

…wait what? I was supposed to pay attention to that? I mean I remember when that nuke went off and I had to crawl around a bit and all the Scottish novelties, but outside of that I didn’t give 2 shits about the story. But apparently this time around more shit in the international terrorism network is going down. This time it affects countries on a much larger scale. Rather than going the route of having the international community hold hands and hunt down scary people in the Middle East, there’s actually a fully fledged war between 2 countries. I think what makes this unique is that no one has really done this recently especially in the era of diplomacy we live in…also there’s a chance you might alienate the people of 1 or both, but IW won’t give 2 shits because they know this game will sell gangbusters without effort.

That’s enough about the story, so how’s the actually single player? It’s a good ride filled with sensationalistic gimmicks like killing off the person you’re playing as constantly. Many of the locales give you a chance to kill enemies of all sorts using a variety of weaponry. In essence the single player gives you target practice for the multiplayer. Of course if you’re entirely new to the game then it might be a more entertaining ride and you’ll probably get a lot more out of it. It can get a bit stale after a while, as you’ll be killing wave after wave of enemies, however all the new weapons and vehicles do add some new thrills to the ride.

Spec Ops is a new addition. It combines co-op and arcade elements for sections of the single player. You can go online or do a split screen and go on a rampage. It basically cuts off the story element and provides a direct route to the action.

The multiplayer is deeper than ever, but doesn’t have the same pitfalls that so many big time sequels with online modes do. Weapon balance issues are gone, especially when compared to MW1. One of my major kudos comes from IW being able to incorporate a slew of new weapons and gadgets but still not break the game or have the vast majority of them useless (I’m looking at you Halo 3). However, the only exception might be the sub-machine guns (SMGs). Whereas in MW1, there were some close up situations which called for the guns or you could make yourself a nice speedy stealth class. However, the assault rifles, LMGs and even pistols/knives can out do them. I think it’s simply because their damage has been turn down so much and the accuracy is so piss poor in comparison to a few shots off an assault rifle. Needless to say, few people use it as a regular class.

MW2 also features a slew of new weapons and arrangements. Akimbo basically allows you to dual wield SMGs, shotguns and other secondary weapons. One of the cheaper setups, dual shotguns, uses Akimbo. Guns also have a variety of attachments you can choose from such as classics like the Red dot sight and newcomers like the FMJ, which have increased bullet penetration. To be honest there are so many new things to the game that this review could go on forever talking about them and their application in the game. As I expressed earlier, they’re new and they all have their place and their uses. It’s truly a feat which more developers have to follow suit.

The gametypes are pretty much the same. The scoring is slightly different, but for the most part the staples are still there like team deathmatch, domination and headquarters. I won’t go into great detail as to what each encompasses because if you’ve ever played an online FPS before, then none of this is particularly ground breaking stuff. The maps are fairly well done. What’s new are the number of places you can hide behind and have only your gun and head sticking out. In addition the number of buildings and structures with more than 1 floor has increased leading to a significant increase in camping [bastards].

As for the lateness of the review, well, I’ve been a bit busy plus I wanted to get a better handle on the multiplayer since it is probably the integral part of the game and gives it its longevity. In summation, I want to say MW2 is a top notch FPS, but it does feel a bit overdone. I understand IW doesn’t want to fix what’s not broken, and to be honest I’m not sure what could be added on to this series, but that doesn’t change what it is. Multiplayer is refreshingly new and old at the same time and it truly well done. I guess in the end I wasn’t blown away by anything, but at the same time I wasn’t disappointed. Therefore we have a well done game which does its “lineage” proud.