Probably the biggest problem when trying create a sequel to CoD4 – it’s a tough act to follow. Often, sequels have been overshadowed by their past predecessors, yet, amidst the anticipation and expectation, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has done it. The campaign has an exhilarating moment every other turn. Spec-Ops is an absolute blast, and really allows the creative team to flex their creative muscles through campaign-inspired multi-player missions. Finally, the competitive online multi-player that took the gaming world by storm is back, while at its core, it is the same experience. There is enough new additions to keep it fresh and exciting.
The game takes place five years after the events of Call of Duty 4. You pick up exactly where you left off at the concluding scene of Call of Duty 4, although this time, a new threat has arisen from the heart of Russia – Vladimir Makarov. Similar to Call of Duty 4, you begin as a new recruit to the covert operations squad, Taskforce 141. Though, that is as much as I am going to reveal, as the campaign is one which should be experienced entirely for yourself – though I can assure you, it is an action packed adventure which takes you from the heart of Afghanistan to Rio de Janeiro, from the glaciers of Siberia to Washington D.C. You will travel the globe, going from one beautifully crafted extreme to the other – the only place you will not find yourself is a trench.
From the glaciers of Siberia to Washington D.C - It shouldn't look this good
If you remember back to the concluding moments of Call of Duty 4. If you remember that feeling of your heart pumping alongside Soap’s, the anxiety to find out what is about to happen. This is no unfamiliar feeling in Modern Warfare 2. As you will find in more or less every level, there are dramatic sequences that rivals Call of Duty 4’s ending. Keeping you at the edge of your seat, whilst keeping the story unpredictable and unforgettable. Though at times you may wish they had have calmed it down – emotional overkill is hard to digest in large doses. It doesn’t take anything away from the story, it’s just not as shocking the tenth time around.
Unfortunately, much like Call of Duty 4, the story is short – very short. You will not have much problems blasting through the story on regular difficulty in one sitting, while logging in around 5-6 hours game time. If you are a perfectionist, or familiar with the series, it will be no surprise to you that Veteran may take a little while longer to complete – scratch that, it will take exceptionally longer than it did on Regular. Whilst being a lot more forgiving than previous Call of Duty games were on Veteran, you can still expect to die from precise snipers or one-or-two flesh wounds at moments notice. As always attaining completion on Veteran is quite the endeavour.
To make up for the short story, Infinity Ward have left us with a game mode entitled “Special Operations”. They are a variety of stand-alone missions that stray away from the storyline and let the creators flex their creative muscles and deliver us a welcome addition to the fray. If you cast your mind back to the bonus aeroplane mission after the credits, this is a similar experience to what Special-Ops delivers. You can play solo or co-operatively with a friend, with a goal of completing the assigned objectives. These objectives range from neutralizing all hostiles, to sneaking passed unseen. You are awarded stars for the completion of each operation, but to achieve maximum stars, you must complete the assigned goals on Veteran, which, in turn, quickly makes the game pretty sinister. With an operation slogan such as “This probably isn’t even possible”, do not expect to pass on your first attempt.
Spec-Ops will leave you in a meadow, alone, with nothing but a sniper and the will to survive
You cannot criticize Modern Warfare 2 for being a game that rides the multi-player bandwagon while abandoning us gamers who still care for the single-player elements, but it is widely acknowledged that Modern Warfare 2 will ride the success its predecessor created. With Call of Duty 4 still being one of the most played games online, it’s to be expected Modern Warfare 2 will focus heavily on the online – and retain that success. Infinity Ward can now take a slow bow, as they have topped their predecessor in almost every way possible.
The only problem with the online functionality in Call of Duty 4 was after a substantial amount of game play has been put into the online, the classes, weapons, perks, tactics. become somewhat stale, urging the player to change their weapon set-up, or even prestige just to have something else to aim for. While not being a game altering tick, Infinity Ward have addressed this and have brought more customization and variety to almost every aspect of the game – keeping you satisfied with a steady change of pace and unlockable equipment.
The first thing you will notice when going online is the level cap has been raised to level 70, higher than the previous level 55 cap. Even with this, you will be unlocking equipment left, right and centre. It seems customization was a prime objective this time around – you will find yourself unlocking a new piece of equipment every time you rank up. Leaving it hard to keep up with the constant weapons, perks, attachments and symbols coming your way. While it is good in the sense that you will have so many toys in your arsenal it will be hard for the online to become stale easy, but with the same token, it may seem a little overwhelming for players who aren’t as familiar with the Modern Warfare franchise.
The perk system has had a complete overhaul this time around. Through extensive use they now become upgradable, giving them greater power, and eventually grant a secondary ability. These secondary abilities are often just as potent as the primary, although they aren’t necessarily a linear extension of the primary ability. Upgrading the perk that grants increased melee distance, for example, will cause you to take no fall damage – which allows you to perfect your drop-and-stab manoeuvre.
Another welcome perk change is the new addition of “Death Perks”, which play as an aid for new players – greatly reducing the daunting learning curve. These perks kick-in after you have died a certain number of times consecutively. The Painkiller perk grants you increased health for a limited time upon re-spawning, making it easier to resist getting spawn killed. Copycat allows you to mimic the class of the last person that killed you, potentially granting you the guns, equipment, and perks of a much higher ranked opponent. As a result to these changes you now cannot count out that level 12 underdog on the opposing team – as they might just be the difference maker.
Taking control of an AC-130 in online multiplayer can be the difference maker
Possibly the biggest addition to online multi-player seems to be the customizable kill-streaks, which adds an all new tactical dimension to the game. In Call of Duty 4, kill streaks of certain lengths would earn you rewards like air-strike and attack helicopters. In Modern Warfare 2, you can customize what reward will be granted when a certain kill streak is attained. Rewards vary from unmanned turrets, supply drops, or even a new tactical nuke, which will obliterate every living thing on the map. Long story short, if your team gets this, you have won. Take into consideration though, you can only equip any three rewards at a time. So choose carefully, which will benefit your style better. Would be a waste equipping the Tactical Nuke (25 kill streak) if you cannot get above a seven kill streak.
When you add all these new tweaks and additions to an already acclaimed game, you get a much richer, action-packed game that takes you from one extreme to the other. Fortunately, it usually places you on the right side of hectic chaos. Leaving you turning your console (or PC, if you are OK with the whole “no dedicated servers” business) off after each session feeling satisfied and entertained for months, if not years to come.
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