Hey, let’s review Modern Warfare 2!
Okay, so my history with Modern Warfare has a strange tangent in my gaming life. When Call of Duty 4 first came out I was like “Meh…” I mean, I loved what I was seeing – nukes and stuff – but I didn’t really care. I was still “Finishing the Fight.” Then on one relatively cloudy day, I was down at a Blockbuster browsing the game section. I was looking for something to take up a weekend of time, but be worth the money. I spotted a copy of Modern Warfare in the stands. I nabbed it and started playing the second I got home. Suffice it to say, I loved the experience! The characters, the locales and story all worked perfectly well, and the plot twist in the center regarding an unfortunate Sergeant tugged on a heartstring or too. The one qualm I had with it was its ending, but it was subject to interpretation which I liked.
Well, when it was announced, I rushed out and reserved a Prestige Edition copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. A fun fact to note here is that this copy is why I don’t have a Collector’s edition of Mass Effect 2; I felt like it was worth it regardless. I popped the disc in immediately and jumped into the world of Modern Warfare 2, five years after the first game. I loved how the campaign played. The combat seemed more intense, but still fun, and the scripted moments seemed to flow more. I loved how the Task Force missions were like an exciting spy movie, and the Rangers levels more like a streamlined war game with the help of warzone aimbot.
It was great fun up until I beat the game just six hours later that night. I glanced at my cell phone clock and back at the game, hoping for some additional content after the credits like the first game, but no. The party was over.
I decided the best way to fix my frustration was to try out the multiplayer. My time with the first game’s multiplayer lasted maybe four games full of swearing teens. I booted up and got right into a game – getting TAC-Nuked a few minutes later. But this was strange. Despite turning to nuclear ash moments after dropping in for the first time, I was actually having fun! I died a couple times in the next few games, but still got a bit of experience thanks to the “Death-streaks” which let me climb back from my defeats and making the game much more playable. I was actually enjoying a Call of Duty’s multiplayer!
Pros
Story time: I love video game campaigns that drive me to keep moving and keep trying, staying engaged and emotionally invested in the characters. I fell in love with Soap now that he had a voice. It seemed to me like he had grown up since Modern Warfare, like time had actually passed and he was now “of age” as I could say. The American soldiers in the Army Ranger missions were very likable as they were just soldiers. They weren’t badass super spies, just soldiers holding the line until someone (The Task Force 141.) could make an opening for the fight to either end or change directions.
Actually Fun Multiplayer: Yes, those swearing-homophobic-spamming-account selling- camping-teabagging-n00b tubing-kids are still there. And yes, not all playlists let you escape them in Party Chat. But the smooth and fun game play I was now experiencing, compared to the first Modern Warfare and World at War, was very enjoyable and keeps me playing it consistently, even now. Kill streaks are loads of fun to get now, being more varied than before, and fully customizable loadouts are even more fun. Nothing says win like winning the game with a siege of Stealth Bombers.
Stand by Me: The Special Operation missions were surprisingly fun. Despite being scripted bits of glory from the campaign, or somewhat familiar content, the missions mixed the chaotic fun of multiplayer with the fun moments of the story. Doing this with a friend ws very sweet with the only sour bit being that there can only be one friend with you at a time. Doing these missions as a duo really encouraged team work, whereas four players might have been more inclined to slack off.
Villains: Vladimir Makarov is a textbook villain to the very letter. But there was something about him after the first and last few missions that made me think of him not as a villain, but instead as a casual observer to the Hell he created. He single handedly instigated World War III and seemed to be content with just that. He wasn’t secretly guiding you. He wasn’t your father or even really seen again after “No Russian”. He didn’t want to conquer the world. To quote a wise man, “Some men just want to see the world burn”, and Makarov did just that. Furthermore, the game had one other looming shadow. I won’t say a damn thing, but when this character does what he does, you’ll be saying “What the frak!?” But then after he describes why he was doing what he was doing, and you actually realize what exactly he was doing, you must admit, it was a clever way to get revenge.
Foreshadowing: Yes, it seems inevitable that there will be a Modern Warfare 3, but players who pay attention for the whole game can see plenty of opportunities for the future of this series.
Cons
Shock Value: When I first heard about the infamous Airport level scene, I defended it saying it justified the story of the game and had a purpose. I played it and felt the same way. Then on a bit of a “Let’s Play” attitude, I went through the game to analyze it for this review and have determined that it only serves for shock. Oh sure, the part where you fight the Russian Anti-terrorist guys is fun, but that could have been the whole level, taking place after a cinematic cut scene that explained what just happened. Furthermore, if you skip the level, which you can do, there is no cut scene summarizing why the hell we’re now fighting Russians. This level makes perfect sense in concept, but really just seems like a sticker for FOX News to plaster for a few weeks so more people will buy the game.
Story Time (Cynical Edition): What the hell happened to whopping “Oh SHIT!” from COD 4 when players saw that Nuke go off? I mean, the “O.S” factor has certainly been ramped up, but there is never anything as slap in the face awesome as that moment. There are some plot twists but nothing that really feels like it makes the game change emotionally, at least for me. Things get tense and start to come together at first, but you soon realize that the intensity was just the climax rearing its ugly head. Furthermore, some parts make no sense what so ever. I’m pretty sure a country, angry as it is, would investigate a terrorist attack before going to war right away. We got this thing called the U.N for a reason. Also, this is Russia we’re talking about, who slaughtered millions to bring about a social change a good number of years ago. I think Russian leaders wouldn’t go to war over some pissed off civvies (I interject here to say I’m an American and may not understand, but still, it seems unlikely.).
Prison Changes a Man: This is a spoiler alert zone so tread lightly, but I have to say this. A certain character was once a hero. This hero practically saved the world one day. For some reason, the people he saved locked him away. When you eventually meet this person, they act somewhat as you’d expect, but occasionally act like insane and ranting morons who watched too many action-flicks. One particularly crazy decision they can make to seem logical at first, but if you look back at moments from earlier in the game, you just think “What the hell?” Suffice it to say, seeing this person was a disappointment after so much build up and I shed a single tear as did many of my fellow fans.
“Mind telling me what you’re doing on that [Helicopter]?”: The game feels as if it is building on what will be a very exciting four to six more hours of awesome, only for it to turn out to be maybe two or three. The game ends with a cliffhanger that basically slaps fans right across the face, and is nearly ten times as infuriating as the first games. About four levels or so from the end, one soldier turns to another and remarks “So when are we going to Moscow”? Another replies, and then a third saying “When the time is right”. Evidently the “right” time to continue with World War III is sometime in the next two years, but not now. The games developers seemed to focus on the multiplayer, and did not add as much as they could have to the story. It’s disappointing.
Bang for your Buck: I paid about one-hundred and fifty dollars for my Prestige Edition. I kinda regret it. Let’s see: sixty dollar game, check; thirty-something dollar night-vision goggles, check; art book that reveals next to nothing about the development process, let alone feature interesting concept art, well I’d pay maybe five bucks for that. The game all together felt worth it at first, but now that I look at my shelf and collector’s copy of the game on my stack of games, I wish I’d gotten Mass Effect 2 instead. The game is worth the money, no denying it, and the collectors stuff is well worth it for a memento, but it is far from the glory that was Fallout 3’s Collector edition.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a good game. In comparison to the first, it falls short. Infinity Ward is the father, Modern Warfare 2 is the prodigal son, and the fans are the other kids in school. The father is relatively proud, the son has some doubts but is doing well enough, but the other kids will judge it for some very justifiable reasons. It may be as simple as me being a nit-picky fan, but again, it’s a perfectly well-made game and should be on everyone’s shelf if it isn’t already. It’s just underwhelming when placed under a magnifying glass.
Modern Warfare 2 is available on Playstation 3, Xbox360, and PC.
AMMIH Score: 5 (Five is best)
SMS (Sicky’s Motion Sickness) Rating: 4/5 (Lower is Better)
