Modern Warfare 2-Xbox 360, PS3, PC
So, the biggest game of 2009, in a review. That’s harder than it sounds.
Since you are on this site then it is a safe bet that you know how Modern Warfare 1 blasted onto the scene in 2007. Reviews were raving; here was a game that challenged the gaming juggernaut that was Halo 3. And with good reason for Modern Warfare was a spectacular game all around. While the single player was short, it was also relentless, interesting and just damn fun. But it was the multiplayer which really lit the bomb. Even to this day it is still one of the most played games on Live.
But enough about Modern Warfare, this review is about the fresh new beast. Modern Warfare 2 has arrived and it was well worth the wait. Veterans of MW will recognise the style of the campaign and the drip feed of multiplayer while marvelling at the new spec-ops mode.
Story/Campaign
Disappointed by the short story of MW? Sorry but MW2 wont rectify that. It generally clocks in at around 6 hours. However that being said, while the campaign lasts, it is tremendous fun. There are some missions that are absolutely gold such as “Cliffhanger” and “The Gulag.” Other missions feel similar to MW. There was a similar level to “All Ghillied Up” for instance. That doesn’t mean that Infinity Ward is recycling old levels though. It’s still fresh, unique and delivers a new experience. As for the actual story; it was brilliant. As in previous COD games, there are multiple characters you play as throughout the story. The problem with this is; I only really felt a connection with 2 of them. I won’t say who they are but the other 2 characters just didn’t hold that emotional connection. The story unfolds really nicely; there are twists and backstabs and the final scene in particular can really tug at your heartstrings. The ending I really enjoyed but I can confidently say that some will despise it. Let’s say that one of the two storylines tied up properly. But that’s enough griping. Seriously, the campaign is excellent, well presented and does the series proud.
Multiplayer
MW veterans will recognise this instantly. On the surface it is still the same game that you have been playing for 2 years. You begin at level 1 and start to work your way up to level 70 by playing in matches. As you level up you unlock more weapons and RPGish perks. Levelling up is much more satisfying this time around. Rather than just earning points for killing people there are also extra points for things like the first kill in the game and stopping an enemy short of a killstreak. This is a good addition as it adds more variety to the online play. And as for variety, there is a heck of a lot of it. On the surface there is a large amount of game types to play. Some are what you know and love from online gaming while others can be a bit different. And of course there is all the customisation for the various weapons. In MW 1 you could choose between a red dot sight, silencer or ACOG scope for each gun. In MW 2 thermal vision, rapid fire, holographic sight, FMJ and akimbo are added to the list along with a few other doozys. There are less perks this time round but they are more fleshed out. For example, stopping power gives you more damage against enemies; but if you earn a certain amount of kills with stopping power then it will be upgraded to stopping power pro which increases damage against vehicles. This all lets you mould your character into something you would rather play as. However, while all the additions to weapons and perks is extremely good maybe some customisation to your actual character would breathe even more into the game. However I am rather unsure about this as seeing 10 people run around in stupidly bright colours as seen in Vegas 2 would look awful for MW 2. The entire online side is just so much better balanced this time round. This begins with the secondary weapons. In MW 1, your secondary was a pistol. Now in MW 2, shotguns have been moved to a secondary position. Also added are the likes of machine pistols and javelins/stingers/big massive grenade launchers. This is excellent for snipers as they now no longer have to survive on just a pistol if someone gets too close. Kill streaks are more implemented this time round. In MW 1 there was a reward at 3,5 and 7. Now there are various rewards that go up to 15 and then 1 at 25. However you are still only allowed 3 of them. So now you have the option of choosing which ones to unlock and equip. I won’t spoil the surprise of what you can get at 25 but rest assured you will be blown away. Another new addition is the inclusion of death streaks. Obviously these are the opposite of kill streaks; die a certain number of times without killing and get a reward to help you recover. Martyrdom and Last Stand have been moved to this position along with newbies like Copycat and Painkiller. To top it off, all these features have been incorporated into the offline play for split screen and system link for the guys who don’t like to go online. Now there is one more thing I would like to mention. There is now a 3rd person mode for both online and offline play. This is available in certain playlists online and can be turned on in match settings offline. In short, it’s a lot of fun and makes me play in a new way compared to the 1st person mode. My issue with it is: it looks lazily done. The characters don’t really have a sense of urgency with their movements and leg movements look like something out of Fallout 3’s 3rd person. Compared to how the characters out of Gears of War move it looks rather rubbish. However, any problems are quickly forgotten as you actually start playing.
Maps
Now I am making a special paragraph for the maps because they fully deserve it. They are all brilliantly designed and each work for specific playing styles. From the tiny map of Rust to the massive open map of Favela which encourages being on the roofs, there is sure to be a map which you will love.
Special Ops
Another new addition to the COD series. In World at War, the Nazi zombie mode was a nice new feature, but that was all it was, a feature. This is a fully realised and separate game mode that kicks Nazi zombies on its ass. There are 22 separate missions in here with 3 stars that can be earnt on each. What’s more is that all of these missions have been designed with co-op in mind. And co-op is where it is truly at. Pushing through with a friend in tow is just so much fun compared to going it alone. All of these missions truly feel unique even though a couple use the same locations. I you loved the AC-130 from MW 1 then you will be delighted to know there is a mission dedicated to it while you protect your friend on the ground. Other missions have you shooting from a helicopter, creeping past enemy patrols in the snow, an arcade style shootout and racing snowmobiles. This mode certainly does not take a secondary role compared to the campaign and multiplayer. It is just as much a proper mode as they are. My only complaint is that 4 player co-op would be incredible rather than just 2.
Modern-Warfare-2.jpg
I’m reminded of a time about 6 months ago now. My friend and I were walking and discussing what improvements could be made to MW 1 to make MW 2 even better. In truth we had an extremely short list. Basically more customisation for guns, more maps and co-op was all we could come up with. We really couldn’t come up with more. What Infinity Ward has done is such an improvement over what was an amazing game to start with. The multiplayer has about a million little refinements, the campaign is cinematic and awesome and spec-ops is incredible. The graphics of course are gorgeous, voices are believable and sound is spot on. This all makes the game incredibly hard to score. In my opinion, this is the best shooter currently available. I have never given a 10 before to any game I have ever reviewed over the years. Some see the 10 as indicating a flawless game. I don’t see it this way. I see a 10 as a game which has been finished to an incredible level which most don’t achieve.
So for the first time in my reviewing history I score this game >
Gamerscore - 10/10
Written by - Urban Darkfire
So, the biggest game of 2009, in a review. That’s harder than it sounds.
Since you are on this site then it is a safe bet that you know how Modern Warfare 1 blasted onto the scene in 2007. Reviews were raving; here was a game that challenged the gaming juggernaut that was Halo 3. And with good reason for Modern Warfare was a spectacular game all around. While the single player was short, it was also relentless, interesting and just damn fun. But it was the multiplayer which really lit the bomb. Even to this day it is still one of the most played games on Live.
But enough about Modern Warfare, this review is about the fresh new beast. Modern Warfare 2 has arrived and it was well worth the wait. Veterans of MW will recognise the style of the campaign and the drip feed of multiplayer while marvelling at the new spec-ops mode.
Story/Campaign
Disappointed by the short story of MW? Sorry but MW2 wont rectify that. It generally clocks in at around 6 hours. However that being said, while the campaign lasts, it is tremendous fun. There are some missions that are absolutely gold such as “Cliffhanger” and “The Gulag.” Other missions feel similar to MW. There was a similar level to “All Ghillied Up” for instance. That doesn’t mean that Infinity Ward is recycling old levels though. It’s still fresh, unique and delivers a new experience. As for the actual story; it was brilliant. As in previous COD games, there are multiple characters you play as throughout the story. The problem with this is; I only really felt a connection with 2 of them. I won’t say who they are but the other 2 characters just didn’t hold that emotional connection. The story unfolds really nicely; there are twists and backstabs and the final scene in particular can really tug at your heartstrings. The ending I really enjoyed but I can confidently say that some will despise it. Let’s say that one of the two storylines tied up properly. But that’s enough griping. Seriously, the campaign is excellent, well presented and does the series proud.
Multiplayer
MW veterans will recognise this instantly. On the surface it is still the same game that you have been playing for 2 years. You begin at level 1 and start to work your way up to level 70 by playing in matches. As you level up you unlock more weapons and RPGish perks. Levelling up is much more satisfying this time around. Rather than just earning points for killing people there are also extra points for things like the first kill in the game and stopping an enemy short of a killstreak. This is a good addition as it adds more variety to the online play. And as for variety, there is a heck of a lot of it. On the surface there is a large amount of game types to play. Some are what you know and love from online gaming while others can be a bit different. And of course there is all the customisation for the various weapons. In MW 1 you could choose between a red dot sight, silencer or ACOG scope for each gun. In MW 2 thermal vision, rapid fire, holographic sight, FMJ and akimbo are added to the list along with a few other doozys. There are less perks this time round but they are more fleshed out. For example, stopping power gives you more damage against enemies; but if you earn a certain amount of kills with stopping power then it will be upgraded to stopping power pro which increases damage against vehicles. This all lets you mould your character into something you would rather play as. However, while all the additions to weapons and perks is extremely good maybe some customisation to your actual character would breathe even more into the game. However I am rather unsure about this as seeing 10 people run around in stupidly bright colours as seen in Vegas 2 would look awful for MW 2. The entire online side is just so much better balanced this time round. This begins with the secondary weapons. In MW 1, your secondary was a pistol. Now in MW 2, shotguns have been moved to a secondary position. Also added are the likes of machine pistols and javelins/stingers/big massive grenade launchers. This is excellent for snipers as they now no longer have to survive on just a pistol if someone gets too close. Kill streaks are more implemented this time round. In MW 1 there was a reward at 3,5 and 7. Now there are various rewards that go up to 15 and then 1 at 25. However you are still only allowed 3 of them. So now you have the option of choosing which ones to unlock and equip. I won’t spoil the surprise of what you can get at 25 but rest assured you will be blown away. Another new addition is the inclusion of death streaks. Obviously these are the opposite of kill streaks; die a certain number of times without killing and get a reward to help you recover. Martyrdom and Last Stand have been moved to this position along with newbies like Copycat and Painkiller. To top it off, all these features have been incorporated into the offline play for split screen and system link for the guys who don’t like to go online. Now there is one more thing I would like to mention. There is now a 3rd person mode for both online and offline play. This is available in certain playlists online and can be turned on in match settings offline. In short, it’s a lot of fun and makes me play in a new way compared to the 1st person mode. My issue with it is: it looks lazily done. The characters don’t really have a sense of urgency with their movements and leg movements look like something out of Fallout 3’s 3rd person. Compared to how the characters out of Gears of War move it looks rather rubbish. However, any problems are quickly forgotten as you actually start playing.
Maps
Now I am making a special paragraph for the maps because they fully deserve it. They are all brilliantly designed and each work for specific playing styles. From the tiny map of Rust to the massive open map of Favela which encourages being on the roofs, there is sure to be a map which you will love.
Special Ops
Another new addition to the COD series. In World at War, the Nazi zombie mode was a nice new feature, but that was all it was, a feature. This is a fully realised and separate game mode that kicks Nazi zombies on its ass. There are 22 separate missions in here with 3 stars that can be earnt on each. What’s more is that all of these missions have been designed with co-op in mind. And co-op is where it is truly at. Pushing through with a friend in tow is just so much fun compared to going it alone. All of these missions truly feel unique even though a couple use the same locations. I you loved the AC-130 from MW 1 then you will be delighted to know there is a mission dedicated to it while you protect your friend on the ground. Other missions have you shooting from a helicopter, creeping past enemy patrols in the snow, an arcade style shootout and racing snowmobiles. This mode certainly does not take a secondary role compared to the campaign and multiplayer. It is just as much a proper mode as they are. My only complaint is that 4 player co-op would be incredible rather than just 2.
Modern-Warfare-2.jpg
I’m reminded of a time about 6 months ago now. My friend and I were walking and discussing what improvements could be made to MW 1 to make MW 2 even better. In truth we had an extremely short list. Basically more customisation for guns, more maps and co-op was all we could come up with. We really couldn’t come up with more. What Infinity Ward has done is such an improvement over what was an amazing game to start with. The multiplayer has about a million little refinements, the campaign is cinematic and awesome and spec-ops is incredible. The graphics of course are gorgeous, voices are believable and sound is spot on. This all makes the game incredibly hard to score. In my opinion, this is the best shooter currently available. I have never given a 10 before to any game I have ever reviewed over the years. Some see the 10 as indicating a flawless game. I don’t see it this way. I see a 10 as a game which has been finished to an incredible level which most don’t achieve.
So for the first time in my reviewing history I score this game >
Gamerscore - 10/10
Written by - Urban Darkfire
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“Showing off is the fool's idea of glory” - Bruce Lee
“Showing off is the fool's idea of glory” - Bruce Lee
