Okay Geek Farm
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review
Nick Mahar
Easily the most anticipated game of the year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had much to live up to. And usually hype kills a product - under achieving the expectations of old and new fans could potentially derail the game. How could Modern Warfare 2 outdo its predecessor when the original was considered to be perfect; perfect in both campaign and multi-player. I’ll tell you how… by going so over-the-top that you would literally forget what even transpired in COD4. But does over-the-top translate into a good game?
Overview
FPS titles have certainly been the gaming fad of this generation. From Halo to Killzone, it’s all been about shooting everything in sight and leaving destruction in your wake - or save the world - one of those two. And Call of Duty has made itself known as a powerhouse franchise in just the past two years, with Modern Warfare becoming one of the most played games ever on Xbox live. This game took the fight out of the usual World War 2 scene and put it in our current date - giving the Call of Duty series the spark it needed to make it more than just a contender, but a heavy weight champion. I’m really happy to say that the sequel successfully defended its belt, and that it may be a long time until we see another game like this.
Plot
I’m going to go on record and say it was one of the most powerful stories and cinematic experiences I’ve ever seen in any type of medium. The message is intense and sometimes unbelievable - but not because of how over the top it is - no. It’s actually unbelievable because events like this are completely possible.
So where to begin? I’m sure that by now you’ve heard already about the “No Russian” mission, and how as a CIA operative you take part in a terrorist’s plot to massacre a civilian filled airport lobby. But do you know what comes next? Without spoiling too much I’ll try to explain; this is only the first quarter of the game.
Vladamir Makarov, an underling of Imran Zakhaev, starts a terrorist campaign across Russia in an attempt to cause chaos the world over. As a CIA double agent you are in Makarov’s group when the terrorist’s plans go down, but as luck would have it he knows who you are and kills you, leaving your body for the rest of Russia to blame, which starts a chain of events that escalates into a large scale invasion of the eastern USA, namely Washington DC, by the Russian military. From that point on it’s a race to defend the nation’s capitol and stop Makarov at all cost. But don’t be fooled - Makarov is just but one obstacle in your way to make sure the world, and history, is saved.
Gameplay
Now onto the actual gaming portion of the review. There are three modes to the full game: Campaign, Special Op’s, and Multiplayer. I’ll address each in that order.
First up is the single player campaign. Not much has changed in terms of running and gunning, but there will many opportunities for you to do much more; stuff like mountain climbing, rappelling, and snowmobiling, just to name a few. You’ll also see a couple of timed action sequences, which feel natural and surprising at times, but they never take you out of the game’s experience. In fact when you reach the end you’ll see just how integrated into the game they really are. All in all you will never be bored in the campaign. Although it can be quite short, only lasting about 5 to 6 hours, it’s best to think of it as a shot of a hard drink in the place of a whole bottle of beer. The game will offer you visuals and scenario’s that you won’t forget for a while, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Now, Special Op’s is a mode that’s unlocked after you’ve beaten the Campaign on any difficulty. What it is is basically a set of missions broken up into 5 groups, but only 3 are playable from the get go. In each group are a set of different mission types, each with their own objectives and goals. Some are to snipe and stay hidden, while others are about making a great time on a snowmobile run. Every mission has three difficulty settings, or goals to meet, which will nab you 1 through 3 stars. These stars will unlock more missions in this mode and more mission groups will become available to you. But the one fun thing about Special Op’s is that unlike the Campaign mode it allows Cooperative play for two players. And there are certain missions in which two players will be a necessity for you to even play.
And now finally onto multi-player, or otherwise known as the reason for why anyone even bought the game. The online multi-player is about 85% the same, but now better represented with shiny new visuals. Out of the box you’re given 16 maps to play on, with some old favorites returning. The experience point system that made the first game so popular is still present, but now is given more features to carry, such as new perks and accolades - which are pretty much the medal system from Halo. At the end of a match you’ll be shown how many accolades you’ve been awarded, which can be anything from being a prone position longer than anyone, or for having the longest killstreak in the match. And on the subject of killstreaks, there are now 11 possible rewards to keeping that streak going and going - you’ll have to ask your skill to see them all.
(Also, a quick fun fact is that in certain game types you can enable a 3rd person camera mode, which turns the game into something completely different. It’s definitely something to check out.)
One final thing to note on multi-player is that on Xbox live, not PS3 or PC, the party chat feature has been disabled, which sucks to be up front about it. Like every other gamer who’s played online I know of the thousands upon thousands of people who abuse the mic. Cussing on every other word and using racial slurs to address other players, the party chat was a way to escape the stupidity of those players, not to say that everyone playing does so, but sometimes you just want to get away from it. However, to encourage team work, Infinity Ward decided to take it out. Not a smart move fella’s.
Remember the first Modern Warfare? How about the epic story and the massive scale of its plot? And the huge battles and intense stealth missions, remember those? Well if you do, take that, make it ten times more awesome, and squash it down to 60% the size. Now dip that amazing recipe into boat chases, nukes, and insane snow mobile driving. Take a step back and you tell me, if that doesn’t make you want to get this game now what will?
I’ll start off by saying I am playing the PC version, and the controls feel the exact same as the original, which is good - no learning curve for experience players. The scale of the game is now bigger than ever, with 20+ enemies in your sights at all times. With so much going around you, you are forced to keep your trigger finger steady, and your concentration peaked. They have kept everything true to the first Modern Warfare, especially the way in which it unfolds. You are still given the sense of security and power as soldiers in two of the world’s most organized forces, but you soon find that blanket quickly ripped from beneath you as the people you trust, walk away and watch you burn.
So many times you find yourself sitting in-front of your screen watching the intro video to the next level, shaking, and letting the adrenaline leak out of you, because the level you just finished was completely and utterly epic.
Although they keep a lot of the guts of the old game, they also slap on a new finish, and we’re talkin’ about riot shields, thermal and heartbeat sensors, new vehicles, ice climbing, slow-mo up close encounters, and a whole lot of other things to blow your ‘effing mind!
The implementation of these new additions is nothing short of perfection; for instance, you and the “141st” are about to breach a doorway, so you and the guys sneak up to the door and blast it off. You then enter a slow-mo feature and have to carefully choose your targets, as enemies guard hostages at every corner of the room. Time goes to a stand still, and you’re supposed to pick them off one by one, but with every moment that passes you panic, because as you see another barrel aimed at you in the corner of your eye.
In a loss for words, this is by far better, if not on-par, with the first Modern Warfare - the same kick ass story twists and turns, tremendous gameplay, but now only with bigger battles and more stuff to do. Every mission you start in this game will end. The game itself, does not…
Without giving away too much, this game has one of, if not the best, FPS campaigns I’ve ever played. The single player is great and the difficulty feels very real, as the A.I. seem to be a lot more realistic and not so stupid. The only problem I have with it is trying to find out who the hell is on your team or not. The differences between you and your teammates are minimal and much like online, their name don’t always come up over their head right away.
I did like the way you shift from different people all over the world and different missions. The game comes really strong in the final 4 missions. These missions are different from many others and sadly seem quite short due to how much fun they are. I won’t give away the ending, but make sure you pay attention because just when you think one thing will happen, another thing completely changes it.
I was very disappointed that you can’t play online or campaign with a friend on the same Xbox. Anyone who plays FPS’s knows you can’t buy the game without having an online hook up. Just like the new PS3 commercials, you’d be crazy not to hook up your system to the internet. The online gameplay is very fast paced, and for some reason, that is hard to pin point, is different from other games. Something about it changes the way you play and sometimes your ability. The levels are pretty large, but personally I like the levels from the previous Modern Warfare. I find it hard to see people in most of the levels but i guess that’s how it would normally be. Very often though I have had an enemy on the red dot of my scope get shot and it didn’t do anything to my opponent. It’s not that I’m missing, the game just seems to think so.
Graphics
Lots of you are graphic whores, and this game will tickle that itch. The Graphic’s are just the beginning when it comes to this game. The environment and the overall feeling of the game drowns out that need to, check the wall to see if the texture looks real, or look at the water to see if they “did it right”. The game just feels really tight and pulled together, with nothing to complain about. Gone are the dingy, bland colors and grim/dark feeling we usually see in most shooters; i.e. Gears of War, and most recently, Halo 3 ODST. It has a bright and crisp look - like real life. What a concept!
The implementation of gore is nothing less than perfect. I know this may sound a bit strange, but they took something horrific, and added a bit of subtlety, so it stands out (like it should), but does not look so over-the-top. Also, I noticed the “No Russian” level had hundreds of NPC’s, which had not been dumbed down in terms of looks. They all appeared just as detailed as the other characters, with tons of them on the screen at a time. I don’t know how Infinity Ward did it, but I like it.
Audio
If at a point in the game you start humming the Pirates of the Caribbean theme there’s a reason for that - Hans Zimmer, the composer for the Pirates film series did the game’s music. It was his first ever attempt at a video game’s soundtrack, and boy did he deliver.
Another thing that delivers is the voice acting. Similar to its predecessor, the voice work is top notch. And hearing Keith David as Sergeant Foley is always a pleasure. The audio in this game demands either headphones or surround sound to fully be appreciated. From the sound of bullets whistling around you to the tragic music that plays when you see suburban DC in flames - everything just meshes together in a way that can only be described as perfect.
Difficulty
Easy to Brutal. Playing on Recruit makes the game accessible to anyone who’s never played COD before, so any newcomer can feel right at home and not be punished too severely for making a mistake. Veteran on the other hand is right down torture. Make one false move and be prepared to do it again multiple times. However, just to point out the Vet mode on this game is a notch down from what you’ve been used to in COD4.
Estimated time to finish
About 5 to 6 hours for the campaign. The Special Op’s could take another 2 to 3, depending on your skill. The multi-player is endless - you’ll never grow bored. It’s a short game to say the least, but definitely worth every moment you spend with it.
Final thoughts
A game that stirs up controversy usually only gets even more press if it hadn’t gotten it. If you want an example just look at what happened to GTA. But in this case the controversy is good. The people at Infinity Ward brought up topics of ethics, politics, and tragedy in a game that seemingly was just made for the violence, or so the mainstream media likes to portray it as such. To get on a more deeper level, gamer’s who are of the age 16 - 30, which seem to be the generation of today, have never truly experienced war or violence on the scale that older ones might have - with the exception of those who have served in the military.
(Mind you, I’m speaking about those who live in the US only - born and raised.)
In this peaceful society we live in we aren’t used to much violence, which may be the reason for why we are so drawn to the excess of it in video games, even as kids. You could easily say it’s a curiosity because it’s so foreign to us. And especially as Americans we tend to believe that nothing could ever happen to us, here in our own homeland. The people of the USA feel as if the nation is impenetrable, and our way life will always be the same. News from across the world doesn’t really affect us because we feel it’s outside our worry zone. When Hurricane Katrina happened, however, the country was in shock as we stood by and watched our own fellow Americans die, because of lack of action from our own government. Yet, even though we like to criticize much of the government, we don’t stop and give much thought to the brave men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to protect the freedoms we so enjoy. But when you think about it, these people who enlist, for the most part, don’t join to become heroes, or to save the world. To be realistic they usually do so because of opportunity; money for school, career advancement, or skills learned are what drive them to become a solider in the US military.
So it struck me pretty hard when in Modern Warfare, these same soldiers, who are used to being in another country, were assigned to not protect and patrol the homeland of another, but instead were commanded to fight and defend the place they called home. The crumbled houses of hard working families and deserted neighborhoods, as flags burned, were the sights they saw as they marched toward the enemy, and voluntarily. They stood as the last line of defense between their family, their way of life, and everything they’ve ever known… freedom.
A game that brings up these deep and insightful conversations of appreciation, ethics, and politics shouldn’t be seen as controversial, but should be rather required reading, or in this case, required playing.
Rent/Buy/Pass
With a great, albeit short, campaign, skill testing missions in Special Op’s, and a never-ending source of enjoyment in the multi-player, this game warrants a buy. It is the must have game of the year, but only if you’re a fan of shooters. The games difficulty doesn’t make it impossible for newcomers to give it a go, and it also isn’t necessary to have played the first game to understand its sequel. But if you’re not sure, or just want to see what all the talk is about then go ahead and rent it. It may be the smartest gaming choice you’ll make this year.
