If I was asked to sum this game up in 3 words, they would be: Epic. Essential. Incredible. Modern Warfare 2 has generated an incredible amount of anticipation and hype, and has proved itself to be a nuclear explosion of a game, quickening the heart and pushing your senses to the limit. The new Spec-Ops has “replaced” the irreplaceable Nazi Zombies, and in some ways, it is superior to the solo campaign. With a rather hefty price tag, lets see if the game lives up to its great expectations.

Infinity Ward have created a masterpiece, and no-one could have asked for more from this awesome sequel. Furthermore, everything that made COD4 the fantastic game that it was: the pacing, surprises, combat, addictive story and sublime level design, has returned. The most anticipated game of the year is everything you could possibly have wanted it to be!

The story picks up 5 years after Soap’s destructive bullets last left his pistol. Zakhaev died and the world was “saved” (for the moment) from nuclear destruction. However, Vladimir Makarov has had 5 years to form a larger, more powerful army. This sparks an unimaginably large war between Russia and the US. If that wasn’t enough, you helped him do it!

Four missions in and the most controversial scene hits us. Some say it is outrageous, while others say it adds to the games’ plausibility. You find yourself in a lift, with an astonishing belt-fed machine gun… ready for action. You are surrounded by 3 men wearing bullet proof vests. Makarov is with you. You hear the words, “No Russian” whispered into your ear as the lifts doors open out into an airport terminal… and it’s packed. Then all hell is let loose as you and your “companions” open fire on the innocent civilians: men, women and children; all screaming manically as you tear the crowd to pieces. It’s a bloody massacre - that you take part in. Rarely does a game deliver such a strong feeling of morality of the game is shown here, as you know you don’t want to and shouldn’t pull the trigger… but your conscience tells you otherwise. For those of you who don’t want to take these graphic images to the extreme, Infinity Ward have put a neat little feature in specially for you. The game warns you when the game is about to get nasty, allowing you the option to skip it and continue straight on after it. In these more gruesome dilemmas, you can choose whether to get involved with your trigger finger or simply sit back and watch.

 The basic shooting mechanics are as slick and precise as ever. The controls and general feel are identical, as little has changed since Call of Duty 4, but that is because there is no need to! The re-spawning enemies have vanished (or are better disguised), making the overall feel when storming through enemy lines feel more rewarding and far less predictable to take part in. Moreover, they have made each individual character, well, individual. This means that, unlike in Call of Duty 4, every in-game character acts differently every time you play a level, making it feel much more realistic.

But it is not all traditional level-by-level shooting. Occasionally you are given the responsibility of defending a given area, for example in the level, “Wolverines”. Waves of Russian soldiers, choppers and ATVs descend on your position, causing you to think tactically to avoid getting massacred! Of course you are helped by Al squad mates, mobile turrets (which can be picked up and dropped at any time), and Predator Drones (missiles that you guide towards the enemy using a thermal camera - and they are brutally destructive to say the least!). All of this adds up to what I think is Infinity Wards best level ever designed. The map is absolutely huge, the action is extraordinarily hectic, and the combat of set-pieces is masterfully created. All of this leaves you feeling a combination of overwhelmed and close to failure.

As a contrast to these more action packed moments, there are quieter areas of the game too, usually when you are playing as Roach (a new character who is a member of an elite squad of American and British soldiers - Task force 141). These calmer missions focus on stealth and infiltration. Between spots of regular combat, you have to perform highly enjoyable and tense breaches of rooms in which prisoners are being held. You blast the door open, at which point the game goes into slow-mo (a further addition to Modern Warfare 2). These precious extra seconds give you the opportunity to pick off guards through the smoke without harming any of the valuable hostages. On the other hand, if you fail… they are executed.

The single-player campaign takes about 7 hours to complete, depending on your skill level. If this is your first Call of Duty experience, expect longer! 7 hours may seem like a long time to sit in front of your television screen, but the time will fly, and you will be wishing that there was another 7 hours to play afterwards! But do not worry, as once you have completed single-player mode there are Spec-Ops still to do!

This new mode combines various aspects of gameplay. These range from rescuing hostages, skidoo races, to basic assault and defence objectives - all of which, needless to say, is astonishing. There are 6 tiers of missions, each offering a different challenge and level of difficulty. For every challenge that you complete, you get stars for them. 1 is awarded for regular difficulty, 2 for hardened, and 3 for veteran. The more you get, the more mission you unlock. You can play most of them alone, whilst some are only online, or split-screen, co-op action. Spec-Ops features several levels, most of which have been recycled from Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2’s single-player campaign, but Infinity Ward have kept it exciting by adding several new parts to them. Spec-Ops is equally good as single-player (if not better!)

The online play is as frantic, energetic, addictive, and amazing as before! There is a bigger focus on personality and customisation to keep you busy. The progression of ranks are much faster than previously. In 2 hours you can reach level 7 (average) but the level promotions get slower the higher the number gets - obviously. There are more ways than ever before to obtain XP points (experience points). Bonuses are given to you for ending peoples’ kill streaks, coming back after dying numerous times, destroying helicopters, throwing grenades back, and much much more, all making XP points far easier to get. A further addition to the online play is positive and negative “emblems” depending on how you are playing, with certain acts being displayed to your whole team, for instance if you shoot down a chopper.

So far, it seems like Modern Warfare 2 is faultless. Think again. Infinity Ward have added a new feature… Jam. The killcam that we were all thankful for in Call of Duty 4 has been sabotaged. When a player shoots you, what is supposed to look like blood smeared across the screen looks more like jam, which really makes it look tacky. This is useful if you are the killer, as the victim cannot see where you are lodged, preventing him/her to kill you as soon as they re-spawn, but becomes really irritating when all you can see is jam on your screen! All of this makes dying confusing and disorientating during exciting battles. Furthermore, on single-player several of the best and most exciting levels are over before you have barely got started.

But we can hardly complain, as Infinity Ward have done the impossible and topped Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, setting a high standard for other game designers to beat, and an incredible sequel to the record breaking first installment, possibly taking its place on the podium for the best shooter yet!

+ Best COD game to date

+ New vehicles, weapons and characters

+ Old characters

+ Incredible single, co-op and multiplayer gameplay

+ Full of unexpected and exciting moments

- Needs a longer single-player campaign

- Tacky new killcam feature

9.7/10

By Peter Baumann Posted Thursday, November 12th, 2009 8:35 pm