Activision is at the PR game drumming up Modern Warefare 2 as one of the most anticipated games of the decade. Whether you agree or disagree, you have to admit that Modern Warfare 2 has eclipsed all other games about to be released and ranks with Halo 3, GTA 4 etc.

Having played the last three installments of Call of Duty including Modern Warfare extensively, I was more then a little excited to check out Modern Warfare 2. So how does the game stack up? Read below to find out.

CONCEPT:

The second installment of the Modern Warfare series takes place 5 years after the original installment. A montage at the beginning of the game recaps the events between the five year gap. Some of the characters from the original game are back such as MacTavish who is now a captain, Nikolai and Captain Price. The majority of the game, you play as Sergeant “Roach” Sanderson, but during the game you play as a total of five different characters and such locations as Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Washington DC, Virginia etc. are all visited.

The game centers on a worldwide conflict and during the storyline you are transported to different places around the globe. This causes many parts of the story to be sped up which might be a little too fast paced for those who would like to take in the game at a slower pace, but the story is vast and within five minutes of playing the game you will realize that.

SPOILER: Probably the most controversial part of the game is a short scene during the opening part of the game that involves an airport. During the mission you shoot dozens of innocent civilians and believe me, the scenes are very realistic. The major controversy is that you take part in the terrorist act instead of watching it. You do have the option to skip the mission, but your take on this scene will totally depend on your moral values. Personally, I believe it was unnecessary.

Just like in the first game, there is another post game mission that takes place “mile-high.” I won’t say much more about that but it is a nice extra.

CONTROLS/LAYOUT:

The controls remain basically the same as COD4, however the HUD has been streamlined. With most of the information in one location on the screen, it makes it a lot easier to find the information you need and less time searching the screen for it.

MULTIPLAYER:

Probably the biggest multiplayer console game in recent times has been COD4. Infinity Ward knew this and so they built on the good of the previous game. Things such as airstrikes are back, but there are also things like guided Predator missiles, call in airdrops and the ability to jam enemy radar not to mention the ability to summon multiple airborne vehicles at once.

Infinity Ward did remove some of the bad such as the grenade spamming. You still get access to throw grenades but grenade spamming is out. Players who used to spam the “spawn” areas are now out of luck as that feature has been removed. Killstreaks and Deathstreaks are back and you get bonuses for taking out the player who last killed you. Kill bonuses go up to 25.

SPECIAL OPS:

Previously called Arcade mode, Special Ops allows you to play with a friend via split-screen, online or by yourself. Variety is immense here and there are many different types of equipment, including vehicles that can be used in a total of 23 different missions.

Difficulty increases as you progress here, and communication is key as many of the missions rely on one player guiding another player through certain parts of the mission. You will find yourself having a lot of fun or headaches depending on the level you play.

CONCLUSION:

So is this the game for you? We’ll be honest; COD MW2 is not for the faint of heart. If you played COD4 you can expect the realism to be five times as good. That said the game does live up to its claim and thanks to multiplayer mode, you will have more then a few hours of fun beating the crap out of friends at home or other players around the world.

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