There is no denying the success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and everything it has done for FPS genre. With great graphics, story elements, and a killer multiplayer mode, its no wonder it has become a staple of Next Gen gaming. When news of Modern Warfare 2 hit, well needless to say gamers around the world went through the roof, myself including. Call of Duty has been a staple in all of my gaming rotations for years, and being a proud member of the Modern Warfare multiplayer community, I was psyched to get my hands on a copy of the sequel. So, did Modern Warfare 2 live up to our expectations?

     I am happy to report, that yes, Modern Warfare 2 brought the proverbial A game. Well, at least for the most part, but we'll get into that in a bit. In true Call of Duty fashion, Modern Warfare 2 has all the elements of the franchise we've come to love. There is a story driven campaign mode which jumps between the perspectives of numerous characters, an extensive multiplayer mode, an all new Spec Ops mode, and some of the best looking graphics offered on the PC, Ps3, and Xbox 360 platforms. This makes for plenty of gunplay, and gamers will undoubtedly be spending hours of their lives playing Modern Warfare 2.

     Most players will jump right into the game via the campaign mode, which continues on with the story from Modern Warfare 2. I won't go into too much detail over the main plot, but the world is in a sad state of affairs. The United States and Russia are at war, and things are getting messy not only on the foreign front but the home front as well. That's right, the US has been invaded. While playing as the Army Ranger, Pvt. James Ramirez, you'll be fighting the war in our own backyard while making headway to the White House. During the other portions of the game, you will assume the role of Task Force 141 member, "Roach" under the command of Captain "Soap" McTavish from Modern Warfare 1. Roach's plot bring the players on the more traditional Call of Duty path, by trekking around the world and fighting in exotic locations. Overall, the campaign mode is filled with intense action worthy of the Call of Duty brand, but unfortunately is where the game takes a hit. For starters, Modern Warfare 2's plot is incredibly unrealistic. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but at times it seems like every clichéd action movie scenario plays out at one time or another. What truly great moments the campaign mode has, seems overshadowed by the lack of creativity, but there are some really awesome moments none the less. To make matters worse the campaign mode is very short, even by Call of Duty standards. In my experience, playing on the Hardened difficulty setting, I was able to complete the game in just about 4 hours first time through. Now take into consideration I am very experienced when it comes to playing Call of Duty, so your mileage my vary from mine. However, that still shouldn't excuse such a short campaign. Fortunately, improvements to the game's mechanics do make for a fun gaming experience. No longer will players be stuck firing at countless waves of respawning enemies until players advances forward, and the artificial intelligence is top notch as to be expected. Your fellow soldiers AI is worthy of their real life counter parts, and add a depth to the game that wasn't expected. The do their part in the battle, and are good to have around as their input actually has value. When they call out enemy locations, or warnings, heed their words. Enemies are tough this time around, and use the environment to their advantage. It isn't uncommon to see snipers trying to pick you off from 3^rd story windows, or trying to flank your position. Upon completing the campaign, players will unlock the all new Spec Ops mode.

     Spec Ops mode is a welcome addition to the Modern Warfare franchise. Spec Ops isn't just a simple mini game, but a full section of the game with its own unique sets of challenges. Spec Ops mode is down right fun to play, and there are plenty of scenarios to work through. These scenarios vary from completing a basic training mode, to evading enemy detection, or sniping waves of oncoming enemies just to name a few. Spec Ops can be played alone, or with friends. Although Spec Ops functions fine as a solo player experience there is no doubt that it will truly shine when having a friend back you up. There are many of hours of intense action in Spec Ops to be had, not to mention each scenario has tons of replay value.

     Last but not least, we come to the multiplayer mode. This is where the heart of Modern Warfare 2 is held, as undoubtedly this is where most fans of the franchise will be investing the majority of their time. Anyone who has ever played Call of Duty online knows what to expect from Modern Warfare 2. There are numerous game modes, including team death matches, free for alls, search and destroy, the list just goes on and on. As players progress through the online mode, they will level up, obtain custom class creations, which are all staples of previous Call of Duty installments. However, the biggest change comes in the form of how customizable Modern Warfare 2 online really is. As you progress through the new online mode, players will still have to obtain new weapons, and perks, but now will also be rewarded call signs and Emblems. These new Call signs and emblems are your new signature in the Modern Warfare universe. Every time you make a kill, or so something important like draw first blood in a match, your call sign and emblems are displayed with your name. These call signs and emblems are completely customizable, and are unlocked as you complete challenges and objectives while playing the game. Although they don't do anything other than look cool, they set each player apart as an individual which ultimately adds to the overall online experience. Players are no longer stuck between picking a long gun and hand gun combination. There are plenty of new weapon combos to fit each gamer's play style. For example, one player may prefer using a UMP45 sub machine gun and have their secondary weapon be a shotgun. Or a sniper my back up his long range assault with a machine pistol incase things start to get too close for comfort. Even kill streak rewards have become customizable, which causes players to never know what's coming next, just like on a real battle field. One area of Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer mode I did find lacking was the map designs. They are by no means bad, but their design feels much more constricting in terms of game play compared to other Call of Duty installments. Players seem to follow the same routines within these maps, whether it be sniping on cliff sides, camping out near stair ways, or simply using grenade launchers to clear out underground bunkers. The map designs have forced these predictable events, being maps are either too open, or too enclosed. Regardless of this flaw, Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer continues to set the bar on what a FPS online mode should be.

     When it is all said and done, Modern Warfare 2 is an outstanding game. There are no two ways about it, if you like Call of Duty you are going to love Modern Warfare 2. Despite coming up short in a few areas, its flaws are minor at best. Anyone who loves first person shooters needs to get their hands on a copy of this game. It looks and plays great no matter what platform it comes on. Modern Warfare 2 was easily one of the best releases of 2009.

Written by RB

Over and Out!

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