Oscar Mike- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenNovember 13, 2009
83 1,343 3 minutes read

When franchises offer an annual iteration for five consecutive years, stagnancy is a near inevitability.  Few series can offer a continual improvement in gameplay, graphical richness, and depth over extended durations. While the Infinity Ward team has had the advantage of a two year development cycle (with Treyarch filling during even number years), many have approached Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 with a sneaking suspicion that the franchise may be on the wane.

A quick expedition into Modern Warfare 2’s new Special Ops mode would contradict any doubts with the title. While Activision stated that the stages would be heavily influenced by the ‘Mile High’ epilogue in Call of Duty 4, in execution these new scenarios are vastly superior, and offer some of the most visceral FPS action in recent memory. Each of Special Op’s 23 mission can be enjoyed either by a single player or as a tango killing duo, either locally or online. The amount of tasks is impressive- some variations have players defending a territory from waves of enemy attacks, others have player slaughtering a specific number of foes. The game’s Time Escort deviation requires vigilant collaboration as one player flies a C-130, eliminating forces for the second, ground-based player.

One of my favorite stages was Sniper Fi- which gives gamers an elevated position, a Barrett .50, a handful of SMGs and claymores, and a few Predator missiles. Players have a few seconds to place the antipersonnel mines in defense positions, before a cascade of ill-equipped enemies pepper the protagonists with gunfire. Using the advanced arsenal against foes is pure, unabashed war porn that will have FPS aficionados feeling euphoric. Most of these levels are expertly designed and offer enough playful mayhem to support multiple playthroughs.

Impressively, Modern Warfare 2’s single player game also has its share of visceral intensity. Although woefully short (the whole campaign can be completed in five hours on the game’s Regular setting, seven hours on Hardened), the pacing is deftly relentless, rarely giving players a chance to catch their breath.  Players move around the globe with the velocity of a James Bond film, as they eliminate hostiles in icy Kazakhstan, the labyrinthine favelas of Brazil, and on the home front in Washington D.C. Atypical of the genre, enemies are positioned in a variety of vertical positions- from guard towers and rooftops, requiring players to move with meticulous precision. Modern Warfare 2’s tension is also elevated by the aggressiveness of the enemy AI, which attacks players with a relentless fervor. The top difficultly levels can present an unrelenting and disorienting hail of gunfire against players, which is compounded by a screen-obscuring effect to represent damage to the player.

Building upon the already robust multiplayer framework that catapulted the first Modern Warfare and sequel World at War to success, the series continues to be one of the best competitive FPSs around. With fifteen new maps and two additional game types, there’s enough novelty to warrant Modern Warfare 2’s purchase, even for franchise veterans. Experience points, rank progression, and perks all make a welcome return, while new elements like customizable Kill Streaks, Death Streaks and custom ranks and call signs offer a dose of innovation. It’s a testament to MW2’s finesse and refinement that competitions rarely feel unfair; the title’s masterful balance is a product of a protracted evolution and a team dedicated exclusively to the game’s multiplayer component. 

Infinity Ward has skillfully tweaked their existing graphical engine to offer a nearly unhindered amount of visual splendor. The title’s 60 fps framerate is constant during the most furious firefights, and maintains its fluidity during successions of on-screen explosions. One of Modern Warfare 2’s most potent elements is its animation system; from the motion capture of ‘Soap’ MacTavish tackles, to the subtle movements of dying hostiles, the game feels incredibly dynamic and vivacious. Credit must also be given to Hans Zimmer’s brilliant score, which elevates the proceedings beyond the conventional military snare accompaniment.

The only first-person shooter enthusiasts that won’t be satisfied by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are those without broadband. With a brief single player component, and limited access to the game’s marvelous Special Ops mode, offline gamers may want to wait for a price drop on the title. For everyone else, the game comes highly recommended- Modern Warfare 2’s peerless level of polish and intensity make it one of this year’s must-play titles. With three different modes to captivate gamers, expect this disk to take residence in drive trays until next year’s inevitable iteration of the franchise.

Photo of Robert Allen Robert AllenNovember 13, 2009
83 1,343 3 minutes read
Photo of Robert Allen

Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

83 Comments

  3. These mention of Barretts, and Claymores have me aroused 😉

    Knock it of man!

    Great review, BTW. One of the best I’ve read.

  6. I gotta admit, this is much better than expected. I surprised you didn’t mention the civilian killing scene. What’s your thoughts on this?

  8. Sniper Fi is so much fun! I have to agree with you man! I played that shit 15 times trying to get that third star.

  15. good review, but a bit too ‘gung-ho’ for me. I can tell you like some military games, though.

  20. Awesome review. I feel like I’m one of the few gamers in the US who haven’t bought the game.

  23. You lucky guys who are playing this! I just get to read and watch the videos until leave. Man, I’m jealous!

  24. Can someone explain what a Berrett. 50 and claymore is? I don’t want to give four years and my life to find out.

  27. I heard the MP is still full of glitches. I cant play because my 360 has red ringed. I hope everyone else is having fun, while I can’t level up.

  28. Sucks that the single player is so short. It could have been the best game of the year if they fixed that.

  29. Bought it on Tuesday at 12:01. Midnight launch was a a fail from early release. Only 8 people showed up.

  32. The reports have been saying it moved over 4 million units in the first day – the largest media launch ever (that includes movies and music!) To put it in perspective, Gears of War 2 sold “phenomenally well,” and it took a month to sell 2 million units!

  42. Ever notice how all The EA and Activision games get ‘A’ grades, but indie stuff gets a ‘B-‘ (like Mytran Wars)

  44. You’re comparing Modern Warfare 2 to Mytran Wars?!? I never even heard of Mytran Wars till I read the review.

  50. If you picked up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, then you probably have experienced some technical issues with it. Users of both the Xbox 360 and PS3 have complained about severe online multiplayer issues, as well as problems with unlockables. many 360 users have complained about the matchmaking function not working, as well as achievements also not unlocking.
    Beware the game is PLAGUED with issues:

    Infinity Ward has addressed the issue on PS3 and Robert Bowling posted on his twitter that a patch is being worked on and should be up by Friday.

    [Update] The servers for MP are down.

    Source: http://mw2talk.com/2009/11/11/modern-warfare-2-plagued-w-issues/

  52. Plagued with issues? That’s way over the top. Yes, their might be a few problems, but what game doesn’t have some bugs?

  67. Some places are offering a $20 GC with purchase, which sweetens the deals bit. I think TRU is doing this Sunday.

  69. actually, they say things in code like that so if enemies are listening in, they have no idea what we are talking about.

  70. True man…finished it on veteren less then in about 10 hours I think…Didn’t took to the intels tough…that I’m going to do on easy mode:p

  71. Great Review. I can’t believe I have COD:MW2 as one of my backlogs. I should open and start playing it.

  74. While I really want to play the single-player, it is the multiplayer that I am really looking forward to. It looks so smooth in the videos I have seen.

  75. The single player in this game was amazing. Although there were some plot holes, the pacing was like that of a movie.

  79. Great review of the game, but I feel that that the multiplayer is very unbalanced. Assault rifles have little to no recoil making them the most dominant class in the game, undermining all of the other categories.

  81. This is definitely one of the best games that I have played. The story line was not all too good, but it was enjoyable. What is fun for me… is definitely the multiplayer action.

  82. I’ve got to say, MW2 is definitely a solid game. Maybe not the second coming it was made out to be due largely in part by the hype machine that preceded it, but it is definitely solid.

    Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to play much of it since my 360 has recently crapped out (RRoD). I’ve really only played online MP and what I’ve played was pretty good. With that said, I’ve heard of some crazy stuff going on online lately related to glitching/hacking or whatever. Anyhow, it’s a game I’d definitely like to get back to once I can play games in general.

  83. I love the addition of the co-op mode on this game, but that you can’t randomly hookup with other people and must have a friend handy is really irritating.

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