Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Acclaimed developer Infinity Ward brings you Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to the best-selling shooter of all-time, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
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Product Features
Product Description
Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games. This modern approach brings with it new weapons, action and options. Coupled with a variety of gameplay modes including single player, multiplayer and the co-op Special Ops Mode, it is destined to be one of the most popular games of 2009 and a worthy addition to the Call of Duty series.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Reviews
I’ve been hammering through the game for two days straight so right off the bat… Don’t bother with the single player campaign, it is a waste of time. The dated and shallow play mechanics are right out of the late 90s and you can run through it in about 4 or 5 hours. After mammoth games like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Uncharted 2, the main game just does not cut the mustard in this day and age. But if you bought this game to play as Soap McTavish, you don’t really care. For me, just like its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2 is all about multiplayer.
You are going to read rave after rave review of Modern Warfare 2 from anywhere you look. Much like what happened with COD4, the reviews hardly take a broad, measured look at the full experience. Let’s avoid the temptation to fan the flames of hype and take a good look at some of the shortcomings in the game.
A friend of mine asked about the “No Russian” mission on SP. There really isn’t much to say. You can skip it or just watch, or you can participate. The level feels like an experiment they left in. When their single player game lasts only about 4 and a half hours, with lame trophies (or Achievements on XBL), throwing in a shock level for attention makes some sense. The content is maybe over the line a little. But in my feeling, “No Russians” is a poster boy for Infinity Ward’s Virtua Cop rails gameplay. Stick to the “Bling” in MP. Spec Ops does add some replay value, but you are still fighting the same SP enemies that stand in one place and fire bullets like a fire hose without reloading. Uncharted 2’s co-op and survival modes I believe play better.
Sound effects are great. The game runs mostly smooth. There are some frame drops when there is a lot of smoke on screen. Overall, the graphics get the job done on the strength of the consistent frame rate, but not on beauty. The engine looked dated in COD4 and though it looks better now, Modern Warfare 2 is not up to par with the best of 2009.
Maps are hit and miss. Some are well done with some verticality to them. Others look like they were designed in 10 minutes. Though most of the maps seem large, they feel a little on the small side. Besides the “Rust” map, which for some reason never comes up to play, there isn’t a good equal to “Shipment” from COD4 (either you love it or hate it) and that is a little disappointing, but there are expansions coming.
On the PS3 you still can’t listen to your local music collection when playing. However, thankfully, there is now vibration for muzzle feedback when firing weapons.
Lag is still a problem from time to time. I would hope in future updates, Infinity Ward can pull out a better ping filter. Host migration is implemented, but that doesn’t mean it always works. I have a solid 10meg connection and games still end from “lost host connection” errors.
There are tons of kill streak bonuses and perks. In fact there are so many, it doesn’t feel that special to get a kill streak anymore. Calling in an airstrike and then following it with a devastating chopper strafing run always felt good. Even if you got them over and over again in COD4.
Sure there are lots of new perks and upgrades, but one annoyance I have with MW2 is sometimes it just feels like you are playing a pinball machine. There is so much XP, rings and points popping up, you can get points from anything you do. BAM! WAP! Its like watching an old Batman tv show sometimes. Which is…well…kinda lame. I think the simplified old system was probably better.
Ok so the game is far from perfect and somebody had to say it after all the near perfect reviews. Modern Warfare 2 is a lot of fun, but feels a bit dated. The game play is fast and furious online, but there are more than a few rough edges to be found. Nevertheless, its a good time sink online.
You can Buy It! or See Complete Specs and Reviews
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