The mission seemed daunting: Survive the astronomical media hype and create one of the year's best games.
Fortunately for video game fans, developer Infinity Ward proved to be up to the challenge with the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, an exhiliarating military adventure.
Modern Warfare 2 is the follow-up to 2007's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which represents Infinity Ward's shift from the battlefields of World War II to modern combat.
The sequel reacquaints players with Soap MacTavish as he and his special forces squad attempt to hunt down terrorist Vladimir Makarov. Players will assume two roles during the single-player campaign, fighting as a soldier in Soap's squad and as a member of the Army Rangers. Much like Call of Duty 4, the campaign in Modern Warfare 2 is short and tight, wrapping up in about six hours. However, it is also packed with the same exciting, unpredictable action as the first.
With the Modern Warfare franchise, Infinity Ward hasn't been shy about portraying some potentially uncomfortable moments. The Middle East battlefields in COD4 conjured up images of the Iraq war. Modern Warfare 2 not only leaves players on edge with the heavily reported terror attack inside a Russian airport, but by bringing the war on U.S. soil.
It felt almost surreal watching soliders move through residential neighborhoods, clearing homes of foreign soldiers and finding shelter in a fast food restaurant as enemies pinned them down. The unease heightens as players venture inside a Washington D.C. consumed by fire.
Some of these unsettling feelings stem from just how incredibly realistic the game looks. The visuals are astounding, and each environment - from snowy mountains in eastern Europe to the favelas of Brazil and a wartorn Washington D.C. - is captured with intricate detail.
Players familiar with the first Modern Warfare should jump into the sequel pretty easily. The game kicks off with a training exercise and obstacle course to learn the controls. Once completed, the game determines the best difficulty settings and players move on to their first mission.
CAPTIONActivision/Infinity Ward
Infinity Ward expertly captures combat environments filled with intensity and chaos. Bullets whizz by players' heads as they search for a safe position and weave through obstacles dodging exploding grenades. The game always keeps you on edge.
A new Modern Warfare also means a few new weapons to tinker with. While the campaign passes on the AC-130 gunship experience (which appears in Spec Ops mode), players have use of the very cool Predator missile. To activate it during combat, a soldier whips out a laptop with an overhead view of the battle. With a pull of the trigger, the missile is launched, and guided using the left thumbstick. Players will also find new weapon attachments to alter their combat strategy, such as a thermal scope that spots enemies based on body temperature.
While the campaign is only a solo adventure, Modern Warfare 2 does introduce a simpler, cooperative mode called Spec-Ops, a solid complement to the main story. The feature consists of a series of separate missions involving an array of objective types. For example, one mission requires you to withstand waves of enemies using a sniper rifle, claymore mines and a Predator missile. In another mission, players must escort forces from inside a Black Hawk helicopter.
But the biggest draw of this franchise has been the multiplayer features. The infrastructure remains the same, but with a few tweaks. For those new to the experience, players earn experience points during each match, allowing them to unlock new weapons, create their own soldier classes or use special combat perks. Players can also notch rewards such as attachments for using weapons effectively.
New to Modern Warfare 2 are custom killstreaks and deathstreaks. For example, if a player kills four enemies in a row, they earn a supply drop. Custom killstreaks allow players to determine what incentives they earn based on the number of consecutive enemies killed. Players can access everything from a UAV for spotting enemies to the Predator missile and AC-130 gunship.
Deathstreaks aid newer players by providing incentives if they die too often. If a player gets killed three times before vanquishing a foe, they can copy an opponent's abilities. The feature comes in handy for novices, but doesn't seem to cheapen the experience for veteran players. Players can also earn badges, similar to Halo 3, for certain achievements such as breaking a player's killstreak or executing a long-distance shot.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 shows once again how impressive Infinity Ward is at creating a first-person shooter. Players won't see anything revolutionary, but they will experience a perfectly crafted video game.
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