XboxInsider

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

By Jason - November 19, 2009 - 03:40 UTC

Call of Duty is another series that has been special to my heart.  Multiplayer-wise, they are close to the top of the game (if not the top), and there’s not many people who don’t have their own little Call of Duty 4 kill/death story to share with their friends.  In short, all of the Call of Duty games have a wonderful multiplayer that can be a massive time-sink.  So, how does the newest addition to the highly acclaimed series live up to the hype that’s been thrust upon it?

Quite well indeed, actually.  Quite simply, the game is a lot of fun.   For starters, it looks amazing.  Infinity Ward have really pulled out all the stops on the visuals, and it shows.  It’s crisp, looks realistic (for a game), and you’ll often spend time just having a look around the map instead of doing the objective.  Well, at least I did.  My gripe here, however, is foliage.  Would it have killed them not to make the trees look so blocky up close?  Or actually move when you move into them?  I have no idea what the reasons are for this, but every time I go for a great sniper shot from within some bushes, it annoys me.  Quite a bit.

Story-wise the game plays out like an action movie.  There’s plenty of “wow!” sequences that will take your breath, and more often than not the game will go into slow-motion to show it off.  There’s no problem with that, I actually applaud it.  It makes the action feel more…action-ey.  The story is often confused in it’s presentation however; it’s a good story, just not told very well I believe.  You’ll find yourself moving between a lot of places in the world and whilst this is interesting and varied, it also comes across like the game is just trying to throw you into as many “cool moments” as it possibly can.  It’s only a small complaint though, as they are damned cool.

The game isn’t terribly long or difficult though; single player on Veteran difficulty (which is a lot easier than Call of Duty 4) took me around ten hours, with a recruit run-through taking me around five.  You will spend more time in the campaign looking for Intel for achievements or fiddling around in the Museum, which opens up after the main campaign is finished.  The Museum is a nice little addition; it’s a collection of most of the characters from the game and all the weaponry.  It’s fun to tool around with the weapons you didn’t see in the main game, just be advised that the red “DO NOT PRESS” button says that for a reason (you might have fun with the Easter egg for a while though).

One of the new additions to the game is Spec Ops mode, which can be played solo or with a friend.  This new mode is a challenge mode built of bite-size chunks from the game itself, new missions and missions adapted from Call of Duty 4. These are varied in difficulty, with more stars being awarded for the quicker you do it or the higher difficulty you play it on.  The missions are varied from snowmobile slalom, sniping, point defense or kill all foes.  There’s 23 missions total, and they ramp up in difficulty quite quickly, so don’t expect an easy ride, because you will regret it.  I played through some of these alone and it was quite difficult, but I imagine that an extra player would take some of that strain off.

Multiplayer adds is a tried and true formula.  Not much new has been added, and hell, it doesn’t need to be.  Call of Duty 4 is a multiplayer utopia and this is no different.  All the classics like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Search & Destroy, they’re all here.  Unlike Call of Duty 4though, kill streaks go higher and higher in rewards, including an AC130 gunships until finally you get to the “I WIN” button: a nuke.  Also new is the ability to ‘level’ perks.  Get X many kills with a perk on, and you’ll find yourself with a slice of extra goodness from it, making it that little bit more usable.

Overview:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is ridiculously fun to play.  Single player, co-op in Spec Ops or online in multiplayer, you can rest assured that you’re going to have fun.  Infinity Ward have stayed true to their previous formula in Call of Duty 4, and it’s a formula that has done them proud.  A short (and easy) single player campaign and a jumpy story is about all that brings this game down.  Prepare yourself to waste a lot of time online though; take some Red Bull, ’cause you’re in for the long haul.

Score: 9.5 – Amazing