Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review [PC, PlayStation 3, X360]

Posted November 19, 2009 by Benjamin Blank in Featured, Featured Home, PC, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360.

Reviewed on Xbox 360

It’s hard to remember a game that’s had so much surrounding it: the No Russian level, the sales records, the hype, the stories of theft, and the controversy over the price. Yes Modern Warfare 2 is certainly a game that, unless you do indeed live under a rock, has been impossible to miss. But at the end of it all, none of that matters. What does is that when you boot this game up, believe it or not, you’ll be welcomed by one of the most intense, well rounded packages in FPS history, outdone only by Valve’s Orange Box.

To start off with, Modern Warfare 2 is spread across three distinct modes: Single Player, Online, and the new co-op based Spec Ops. Single player sees you carrying on the story of the original Modern Warfare a few years down the line, and just like the previous effort, it’s a hugely cinematic experience from start to end.

Like gamers experienced before, you’re treated to some highly intense pieces of gameplay, with large sections coming off as set pieces seemingly ripped straight from any Rambo or Die Hard film. Infinity Ward is highly skilled at creating these kinds of levels that build through suspense and action, which ultimately keeps you gripped from start to end.

There are some great concepts here, and Infinity Ward has executed them with a remarkably high level of cinematic awe and intensity. Levels are layered with detail and multiple routes, while players are always perfectly guided towards triggered action set pieces.

The whole experience feels remarkably smooth and organic, while in the first outing many levels got bogged down with respawning enemies that you had to push through. This time around you’re constantly being pushed forward, and required to think shockingly fast to deal with the many obstacles being thrown at you.

However, this did leave Infinity Ward with an obvious issue, as the story here seems as if it was created for the sole reason of linking up these set pieces. And for that, the story doesn’t feel as organic as the gameplay. In fact it all becomes a little muddled towards the end, and although the conclusion is on par with the absolutely amazing original’s, the story isn’t nearly as thought out as it was before.

Another issue that most gamers will be split on is the length of the experience, which is far too short. Veteran, or at the very least, Hardened difficulty is highly recommended. Not only for the higher level of realism in the fights but the extended length they offer, which is only an extention due to the high number of times you’ll ultimately die. This makes it hard to feel like it fixes the issue, but it does offer a more intense experience.

However, the real reason people will be playing this for months to come, and possibly even years, is the online. Gamers coming to Modern Warfare 2 from a history in the franchise will know exactly what they’re getting — a ton of different modes and a huge array of unlockables. And of course the highly addictive, frantic online deathmatches. The original Modern Warfare always had the best online deathmatch for those who hated Halo’s floating and shield mechanics. But the refinements here only sealed that reputation, with much better levels and a huge list of unlockables and upgrades both new and old.

The levels themselves are based upon the single player sections, and Infinity Ward has done an absolutely great job of creating areas that just work perfectly for the job at hand. The vast majority of areas have multiple entrances and exits, as well as different levels of height and interactivity. This results in radically different matches each time, as you’ll rarely find yourself fighting the same hallways again and again, like you did in the original title.

Then there’s Spec Ops, which throws specialised co-op missions at you. Much like the airplane section from the end of the original title, most of these feel like they’re levels that Infinity Ward couldn’t work into the single player, while others are directly ripped from it. But this doesn’t mean they’re simply left over; in fact, they maintain the exact same level of detail and presentation that you’ll find in solo. And some of them are actually more fun than what you get in single player.

However, it is a shame that the co-op is restricted at only two players. While some, such as the simply superb Overwatch, couldn’t work with four players, most of them would’ve benefited from it. But overall Spec Ops is far from an afterthought, and in many ways co-op in Modern Warfare 2 works better as a mission based system than dumping it in with the single player.

Ultimately Modern Warfare 2 is simply a must own title; while the focus is more on multiplayer, gamers going solo or offline will find little here to argue with. While the single player may be short, it’s only because of how amazing it is that you can’t shake the feeling it could’ve been longer. Online is highly addictive, lag free and sublime, and Spec Ops has some of the most frantic co-op action outside of Left 4 Dead. Simply put, believe the hype.

Tagged as Activision, Call of Duty, Infinity Ward, Modern Warfare 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360