CoD: Modern Warfare 2 – Review (X360)

By Clinton “dreddsix6six” O’Shea

Overview

This game sucks.  It’s awful…  It’s…

Oops, sorry, this game has kept me so absorbed, a Leprechaun started to write the review.  Contrary to the little sprites comments, go buy this milestone in First Person, High Definition gaming goodness.  NOW!

More?  Oh damn, this is stealing my valuable time that could be better spent playing through a rather engrossing Single Player campaign, a thrilling Multiplayer component or an truly inspiring new addition, Spec Ops.

Ok, I’ll let the Leprechaun play for a while, while I do this review.

Features and Game play

Let me get straight to the point.  Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a truly amazing game.  It does everything you expected it too – and then some.

It may, in essence, be a First Person Shooter, but it’s (in the Single Player) how you are pulled into the world that should be greatly applauded and embraced.  I will not touch on the storyline other than to say that it is capable of taking you on one of the wildest (albeit rather short) rides of your life.  There are guns.  Terrorists.  Special Forces.  Explosions.  Guns.  Settings.  More guns.  And, err, more guns.  However, if you loved the ride in Call of Duty 4, this one takes it even further.  My major disappointment with the Single Player component was the lack of an awesome opening sequence similar to the one employed for CoD4.  However, once you get to ‘Cliffhanger’, ‘All Ghillied Up’ (the awesome sniper/sleath mission from CoD4) will seem like something from another era and you will forgive the lack of opening sequence.  Cliffhanger is an utterly engrossing mission – worth the asking price alone.  The Single Player campaign cannot be applauded enough, although it is a little too short.

The component of CoD4 that survived longest (even through the release of CoD: World at War) was the Multiplayer component.  For most, it remained, up until last week Tuesday (10^th November 2009), the defacto standard for online First Person Shooters – although some might suggest Halo 3, but let’s agree that that opinion is highly subjective.  Modern Warfare 2 does not disappoint, and is, in all likelihood going to be around for a very long time still – with very good reason.  The netcode seems utterly amazing with the experience being almost totally lag free.  The change in the killstreaks is rewarding, although there is already controversy regarding the ‘care package’ after 4 kills.  To steal or not to steal…that is the question.  Personally, if you aren’t there or it belongs to the enemy, I’m going to take it.  Ultimately, all the modes are present and accounted for and anyone who loved CoD4 should love the new and improved version in MW2.

But, and this is the most important change to the overall experience in my opinion…the game is absolutely glorious in the new, co-op designed Special Ops mode.  Think of Gears 2′s Horde and ODST’s Firefight and imagine it 10 times better.  Its only failure is that it is restricted to 2 player co-op, but where the other two games threw wave after wave of enemies at you, Special Ops is objective based.  Some are as simple as kill wave after wave of enemies, but there are stealth modes, racing modes and time limit based, defuse the bomb modes, along with others.  In some levels there are civilians added to make things a little more challenging.  If this game mode doesn’t have you addicted, check your vital signs…this is actually good enough to have been a game in its own right.  It really is that good.

Over all the modes, the graphics are some of the best to be seen.  Although, to be honest, everything is moving along at such break neck speed that poor textures won’t even be noticed.  If the environments could have been more destructive though, I suspect it would’ve added a greater dynamic to all the modes…campers beware if this gets added for CoD7, or whatever it’ll be called.  The weapons have a good feel to them (no I haven’t actually fired an AK47 before, but I suspect it does suffer from serious recoil if fired continuously, just like the game), and they are beautifully detailed.

Bits I Loved

• Absolutely thrilling campaign.
• Fantastic MP.
• SPECIAL OPS MODE!

Bits I Hated

• Campaign is too short and ends.

Conclusion

This game is superb.  Buy it now.

Link to site for more info, screen shots and videos: Modern Warfare 2