Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the sixth entry in the Call of Duty series, is in many ways a gamer’s conundrum. Possibly the most hotly anticipated title of the year, Activision and Infinity Ward’s darling title has landed but the magnitude of the crater largely depends on where you are standing. Arriving a mere 18 months behind the heels of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare blockbuster, we’ll take a look and see how the sequel measures up, and how the same title can appear vastly different simply by who’s buying. Reviewing Modern
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the sixth entry in the Call of Duty series, is in many ways a gamer’s conundrum. Possibly the most hotly anticipated title of the year, Activision and Infinity Ward’s darling title has landed but the magnitude of the crater largely depends on where you are standing. Arriving a mere 18 months behind the heels of Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare blockbuster, we’ll take a look and see how the sequel measures up, and how the same title can appear vastly different simply by who’s buying. Reviewing Modern Warfare 2 is a challenging prospect. On the surface it seems to be just another cross-platform shooter but some decisions were made during the development cycle that leaves one version the odd-one-out, unfortunately those decisions primarily affected the PC version.
Very little has changed to elevate Modern Warfare 2 from it’s predecessors on a mechanics level. Using an updated version of the IW engine, players will find the gameplay and controls largely the same experience found in Modern Warfare and World at War with improved physics and effects. Scenes and events have been added to the single player campaign to add variety. Most of these scenes involve either controlling a vehicle from one point to another, or firing from a vehicle on a set route. One notable change is the addition of a vast array of weapons and variants thereof. There are new weapons of almost every type, available at times during the campaign but primarily for the sake of the multiplayer experience.
Additionally, Modern Warfare 2’s campaign mode is much shorter and more action-oriented than previous entries. Veteran shooter players should be able to bullhorn their way through the campaign in 6 to 8 hours depending on difficulty setting. While on the short and somewhat repetitive side, the story is packed with action and intrigue, with a slough of “Woah!” moments, sure to leave the player agape. However, once those moments have passed the value of the single player component has been betrayed to little more than a simulator to hone one’s multiplayer skills at escalating difficulties. While most will purchase the game for it’s richer multiplayer offerings, those that enjoy the campaign experience will be disappointed by the brevity and lack of replay value.
Multiplayer in Modern Warfare and World at War was a great experience on both PC and Consoles. Xbox Live, PSN, and the PC dedicated server network were widely available and well-maintained. Modern Warfare 2 offers mostly the same – for consoles anyway. Some time before the game’s launch, Activision announced that dedicated server support – a key feature in current-generation online multiplayer – would be absent from the PC version of the game. Understandably the PC community was outraged at this news, especially considering that Activision had announced that the PC version would cost the same as the console versions – a full $10USD more than the average PC title. While Xbox360 and Playstation 3 gamers would have matchmaking and hosting services supported by their respective online services, PC players would be limited to player-hosted lobbies, ripe for hacking and exploiting by unscrupulous players. Post-launch support has been mostly positive, with many weapon, perk, and environment exploits being patched with varying speed by Infinity Ward. However, multiplayer on PC has remained a lackluster experience compared to the support and availability of Xbox Live and PSN. There are simply more players on the console networks.
Modern Warfare 2 includes the normal, expected team and free for all multiplayer game types on a selection of maps mostly based on environments from the campaign. In addition to standard player-vs-player, Infinity Ward included “Spec Ops”, designed for solo or cooperative play these are a series of challenges again based on maps and events from the campaign. The inclusion of Spec Ops mode is curious. It is unclear whether it is intended to add multiplayer value through cooperative play, or if it is a substitute for added campaign content. Online multiplayer remains similar to previous entries, retaining the experience-based reward unlock system, where the player gains experience points for their participation in multiplayer games which leads to unlocking new weapons, accessories, or perks at higher levels. Some perks, which can be equipped to add varying boons to your abilities are unlocked through player level while others require certain conditions to be met for unlock, such as destroying enemy killstreak rewards, or killing an enemy player in a certain way. The Call of Duty multiplayer experience remains an excellent one on Xbox Live and PSN. Games are plentiful and matchmaking and servers are stable and readily available. The PC multiplayer experience, however, seems like an afterthought without dedicated servers.
In conclusion, for many gamers Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will pick up where it’s predecessor left off as one of the best-selling and most-played games of all time. A captivating if brief campaign and expansive multiplayer component have propelled Modern Warfare 2 into history as one of the fastest-selling games of all time. Critical acclaim may speak to the initial quality of the product, but its lasting appeal will likely depend largely on your choice of gaming platform. With an overwhelming percentage of sales in the console market and lack of official online multiplayer support for PC, some gamers may find the price of entry a little too steep.
