From start to finish, this shooter is an adrenaline rush that will have you on the edge of your seat
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 takes place a few years after the first one and the rookies who had taken up arms against terrorists in the middle east are now seasoned veterans helping to break in the new recruits. Familiar names and faces like Soap McTavish, Nicolai, and Captain Price return to the mix with different roles to fill this time around with plot twists that will constantly keep you wondering what’s next.
What I found refreshing about the Call of Duty series is that it revives the franchise with a focus on modern times; while I enjoyed World at War, Modern Warfare excels in weaving together a great storyline, intense combat, and addictive multiplayer campaigns that younger gamers can relate to and appreciate to a greater degree than in the WWII setting.
The story splits between two main campaigns between Ramirez, a private in the US army and Roach Sanderson, a member of a special task force headed by Soap MacTavish. As Ramirez, you fight along side your commander Sergeant Foley in Virginia against the invasion of the Russians. As Sanderson, you and the tast force look for the man responsible for the invasion, Makarov. Graphically speaking, the game is just as impressive as it’s predecessor, the guns and characters are highly textured and the environments are detailed to a degree that makes it much more challenging to see enemies, so it’s much more realistic. The lighting is also impressive, especially in the Washington DC levels, where fire and rain take the realism to another level; I wouldn’t be surprised if the military used this game as part of they’re combat training.
The gameplay is very much the same as before, and is just as chaotic and fast pased, though there are some sniping levels that slow things down and require a little finesse. One thing I came to appreciate was the difficulty of the game and how the hardened and expert levels are unforgiving to those who may make careless mistakes; running into the open will usually result in immediate death and enemies usually see you long before you see them.
Where I think COD excels is in the storyline and how they kept some of the same characters from the last game. When war gets taken to someone’s home country, it becomes a personal matter and it’s interesting to run through American neighborhoods and clear out Burgertown from invading Russian forces, it’s something I’ve rarely seen in a game that’s a unique change of pace from the usual war games set in the middle east or Europe. The sequel is a little more cruel this time around, so be prepared to see some people you’ve come be familiar with get killed, but that’s another aspect of the game that keeps it exciting and interesting, not to mention the ending of the game keeps it wide open for a sequel.
Anyone who played the first Modern Warfare is going to enjoy this, it definitely warrants a couple play throughs and the one-player story is short enough to beat in a day or two. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is an excellently crafted modern shooting game that exposes the player to so many situations and scenarios, it’s a great game that shouldn’t be missed.
Buy Modern Warfare 2 on the PS3, XBOX360, or PC today!
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