Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

Call of Duty established itself as my favorite video game series the moment Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and I came to know each other. I’d fallen in love with Call of Duty 2 and how well that game simulated the World War II experience that called back the stories my late grandfather would tell me. He’d have been proud of the job Infinity Ward did with their first two entries into the series, much like I was when I’d experienced Call of Duty 4 for the first time. Much like Call of Duty 1 and 2, the game meshed good storytelling, intense action, and perfect gameplay that created arguably the best video game ever made.

Modern Warfare 2 takes that, and creates a better experience in just about every way.

I say just about because Modern Warfare still reigns supreme when it comes to the story of campaign. Now, that’s not to say Modern Warfare 2’s story is in any way, shape or form terrible nor does Infinity Ward drop the ball with it. Everything we’ve come to expect from the company still reigns true with this installment, but at times the storytelling itself is a little sloppy. Modern Warfare was terrific at delivering it’s story in a nice, tight, cohesive package. Modern Warfare 2 is about getting one from set-piece to set-piece, which is by no means bad. In fact, this would be what a Michael Bay movie would be like if the guy could tell a story.

It’s just a shame that Infinity Ward decided not to tighten up a couple of elements. As mentioned, you’re still getting a good story that will have you involved, but it’s not the best of the series (yet still better than anything Treyarch has contributed to this franchise.) What’s missing are the smaller moments that made Modern Warfare’s story flow a little bit better. We do get one in the form of an awesomely tense space sequence, but the game never delivers more of these moments that were so prominent in the first. This time around, Infinity Ward is more concerned with getting from big set piece to big set piece. While this works fine for this story, a few more of the smaller moments would have helped to make it more cohesive.

But that’s where the list of nitpicks end, and thankfully unlike films, games don’t hinge on how well told a story is. The deal breaker comes with how well the game plays, and Modern Warfare 2 perfects what it is to be a first-person shooter. You want intense battles? Every level in this game makes you believe you’re in the fight of your life, with bullets, debris and rockets zipping over your head. The level design is also stunning, as no one mission ever feels like it’s repeating itself while all of the maps have a certain variety to them most shooters fail to acknowledge by the end of the game.

Like their previous installments, Infinity Ward continues their flawless control scheme that’s worked so well over the four games they’ve created in this series. What was improved upon for this game is both friendly and enemy AI. The friendly AI rarely is a bother which is really only led to getting in your way, whereas the enemy AI is ruthless. Thankfully, there’s no more enemy spawn but the game doesn’t need it. These guys are out to murder you, and they don’t care how it gets done as long as your screen becomes red. Like a chameleon, it changes it’s attack to you every time, forcing you to think on the fly much like you would in battle.

Many complain that the campaign mode wasn’t the focus of this game, and while story wise it’s not as good as previous entries, I have to disagree. The game certainly doesn’t feel or play like it was a sleepwalk for the developers. They were able to throw things at us that really haven’t been seen before in a game (i.e. – going through a war torn neighborhood on U.S. soil) and the care that went into to making the package as a whole all it could be is definitely felt. It also doesn’t hurt that the graphics are undeniably the best looking video game to date, rivaled only by Uncharted 2. Yes, the game looks that good and often times blurs the line between reality and virtual. Character animation is smooth, crisp, and above all natural. Explosions and gunfire also appear superb, and the same could be said for the sound effects. Bullets will zip by you, things will go boom, and the sound just furthers the immersion inherit in this game.

Then of course, we have multiplayer which is what many are going to be stuck on for years to come. First is a new mode Spec Ops which is a series of twenty-three missions where the player has objectives to complete and must earn three-stars on each level (69 total.) It’s a mode that plays like a series of arcade challenges with some of the missions being pulled from the campaign, while having you do different tasks. While you go and it solo or with another person, Spec Ops is a mode that’s addictive and surprisingly deep, considering all you have to do and how challenging it is. At the end of the day, it’s fun, new and adds a new layer of depth to the game. It’s also a tad longer than the campaign which if you ask me, is a fair trade.

Now time to cover the big kahuna, the competitive multiplayer aspect. Remember when Halo 3 came out and everyone proclaimed that was the end all, be all of online play? Modern Warfare 2 is the Stanford to Halo 3’s pre-school (both in terms of multiplayer and campaign.) Infinity Ward upped the graphics here, and it’s arguable that it looks just as amazing as the main game. It doesn’t feel nor look like a stripped down version of single player with buildings having a higher detail as do vehicles and character models. Infinity Ward dedicated themselves to making this look the best it could, and it really shows.

They also dedicated time to making this one of (if not, the) most balanced multiplayer experiences there is. The class system, along with five slots for customizing returns, and this time even perks can be leveled up. Like before, all the weapons can be upgraded and in doing so, offer you different attachments and perks that you may use for the multiplayer. Yet now, you’re not limited to carrying a pistol as your secondary weapon. Instead, you can switch for an explosive weapon or even a shotgun. Then again, you may want to keep your pistol considering you can now use a magnum and a G18. Also upgradable are the killstreaks were you can unlock an AC-130 attack, EMP blasts, and the mother of them all if you get 25 kills, a nuclear bomb that ends the match and wins the game for your team.

The biggest success here though is the level of strategy. Modern Warfare was terrific at creating an intense multiplayer, but there were some pretty cheap tactics (i.e. martyrdom perk.) Thankfully, Modern Warfare 2 corrects almost all of these and offers up a rich, more rewarding experience. The maps have a broader scope, the game runs quicker, and you even get extra experience for nailing a headshot or avenging a teammate. You can also unlock a third-person mode for both multiplayer and single-player which is an interesting novelty added. It’s pretty safe to say, Infinity Ward took what worked so well with Call of Duty 4 and rewrote the entire book on what it is to be a multiplayer experience.

Despite the two minor flaws with the campaign mode, I’m still going to give Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 a perfect rating simply because the entire package is nothing short of phenomenal. It’s an intense game that will leave you on the edge of your seat and offers a truly unique experience in terms of campaign. It doesn’t hurt that Spec Ops is a mode that’s going to have gamers coming back for more, and might even have us replaying levels well after all the stars have been earned. Much else needs to be said about the competitive aspect of the game, as it’s online perfection. It’s deep, strategic, and really puts everything that came before it to pasture. Looking at the whole package, Modern Warfare 2 lived up to and exceeded the hype that surrounded it. Even if you decide to go solo, there’s enough here that will keep you playing for months on end. This is a crowning achievement in video games, end of story.

For this, I picked up the “Hardened Edition” for PS3 (yes, that’s right) and I can honestly say I feel like the extra twenty was worth it. Inside is a steelbook that houses the game and a download voucher for Call of Duty: Classic (which is the first game in the series) as well as an artbook that shows off characters, levels, and weapons in the game with commentary from Infinity Ward. While the night vision goggles certainly would be nice to have, I do feel this is a better value and will provide the most bang for your buck. If you can, try to grab this edition. If not, you’re really doing no wrong getting the regular copy of the game.

10/10