Genre: FPS
Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Players: 1-18
Retail Price: $60
Availability: PC, Xbox 360, PC
The problem that a game like Modern Warfare 2 has is that it’s the sequel to Call of Duty 4, a game so insanely popular that it never actually stopped being played (and is still more popular on Xbox Live than anything but its own sequel). As such, there are some things that make it a Modern Warfare game, and Infinity Ward can’t change them lest the game bear little resemblance to its predecessor. Despite this, it has to innovate or else the verdict could be ’save your money and keep playing the original.’ Beyond the pool of money they no doubt have in their office to swim around in, Scrooge McDuck style, I don’t envy Infinity Ward.
I think they took their overwhelming popularity a little too much for granted at times during the campaign, though. As it starts you’re given short clips of the events that occurred during the first game, but these are really meant to evoke the memories you had while playing it — oh man, the end part with the pistol! etc — than to fill in a newcomer, because there’s no context or explanation for any of it. I vaguely remember what happened, but not enough to actually understand most of the motivations in the game. Many of the characters have returned, though, so if you were a fan then you’ll get some service now.
By now, you’ve probably heard of That Part, so I’ll avoid discussing it now. It’s obvious in many places that a list was made of things about CoD4 with a corresponding column next to it for how to one-up that in MW2. This was particularly evident at the end of the game, and shouldn’t be taken as a bad thing, necessarily, but the campaign is very consciously full of ‘holy crap’ moments. Some of the time I think that really works: finally, a high profile game brings the destruction of war to our soil. Other times, though, it felt a little forced. The gameplay was always fun, though, and there were more than enough memorable scenes (with one of my favorite being sneaking through an airfield with a sniper rifle, towards the end of the game).
Vroom vroom!
The ending left me confused and annoyed, however. I won’t get into details, but I simply don’t understand the motivations behind the big twist, unless the villain is using a tired stereotype that I simply refuse to believe is the case. I was properly shocked by the reveal, but the explanation for why never came. That or I’m dumb, which is also a distinct possibility.
Okay, okay, the story, whatever. Multiplayer is where it’s at, you say. Special Ops is a new cooperative mode that gives mini-missions, loosely related to events in the campaign, for you to complete with a friend. I say ‘with a friend’ here very deliberately, because there’s no matchmaking: you can go through it solo, locally or with someone on your friend list. Most of my friends press X to reload, not square, so I was wishing for matchmaking quite frequently. The mode is a nice break from traditional multiplayer with a very arcade-like setup, so assuming you’re more extroverted than I am you should have a good time with the missions.
I hadn’t played too much CoD4 multiplayer, so I was familiar with the principles but not intimately so. The basics are still there: unlockable weapons, kill streaks, customizable classes and so on. Improvements have been made all around, though, with the most notable to me being the death streak. Modern Warfare matches are very laden with positive reinforcement: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, thanks to benefits like attack helicopters and predator missiles. Death streaks change that a bit, helping out someone getting owned in a match with a little pick-me-up. The small bit of extra health I chose when I died three times in a row without a kill really only served to remind me how much I was sucking now that the people who weren’t high had woken up and logged in. (A small aside: what the hell is with the marijuana-focused Title options?)
I love the heartbeat sensor
Generally speaking, you upgrade what you use: I stuck with the FAMAS for the most part, and by switching out the attachments I unlocked I was able to get a steady stream of challenges completed and new stuff to play with. It’s a way to let you choose what you want to focus on while still rewarding trying new things: once I realized I could unlock the FAMAS shotgun by getting 20 kills with the grenade launcher attachment I began, with varying degrees of success, to try to clear out corners before I walked around them. Kill streaks can be unlocked however you’d like, but you can only choose three to bring into a match, so as awesome as the 25 kill Tactical Nuke would have been, I acknowledged my limitations and capped myself at the 7 kill Harrier Strike.
You’ll have to excuse the abundance of references to Call of Duty 4, but with a game like this it’s inevitable. Luckily, I think that in this case Infinity Ward hit the nail on the head, providing more of what worked with a dollop of improvements on top. I’ve seen complaints that the game isn’t competitive enough — ‘Modern Casual 2′ omg lol that’s clever dued — but I’m not the guy to comment on that, being a nighttime player looking to have a good time rather than a hyperserious competitor. Both are fine ways to play the game, and I guess time will tell if the multiplayer is good enough, but I say say with conviction that I, at least, had a good time.
It’s been quite a while since we’ve talked about our Pokemans on this site, which is odd considering that’s literally all I did while on paternity leave for two months.
