Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Review: Too Short, Too Sweet

Written by DW | December 8, 2009

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”Modern Warfare 2″ tries to be the best offering from Infinity Ward (IW), and with having to deliver a sequel to the first “Modern Warfare, it’s hard not to imagine the developers sweating bullets. Yet, gamers are critical, and rightly so when you consider the other “Call of Duty” games by Treyarch, and the fact that this is such an over-saturated genre. You would probably have to blame “World at War” for the lack of a challenge since every gamer I spoke to about “Modern Warfare 2″ said it was too easy … on Veteran. Surprisingly, these days it seems that I’m not the only gamer looking to play my games on their hardest difficulty setting.

…does a

lack in

challenge

mean

that

the game

is bad?

Playing games on the hardest setting has been a long time passion for any gamer seeking bragging rights, and with rewards systems like platinum trophies and achievement points, these lofty goals are now, more commonly, at the center of every gamers’ cross hairs. Can you imagine if “Call of Duty World at War” was so hard that some gamers told me they had nightmares about the grenade indicator? The only other game with as insane of a difficulty setting as that, that comes into mind is “Killzone 2.” Then again, does a lack in challenge mean that the game is bad? Hardly, it’s just too short, and too easy. Perhaps when you consider why gamers are playing games these days, you start to realize that we are no longer focusing on the artistic intricacies, and instead on the accolades, and bragging rights associated with clearing a title. At the same time, games of this calibur shouldn’t be gangling and drawn out; they should leave you wanting more with time leftover.

As you globe trot from one location to another using varying members of the 142, it builds a striking sense of exigency for the situation at hand. The main villain aims to to lay waist to everything we know and love while making untolds amounts of money out of it. Your squad is up to topple him and all the people connected to him. Well, that is how the story starts off at least and then does a complete 180, focusing on a not so obvious villain. The twist itself doesn’t hinder the plot, but epic battle cries of a lost favorite from the 142 squad must have been heard throughout gamedom. The thing is, it’s hard to get attached to anyone because you don’t spend enough time with each character. The amount of time you spend with them is akin to a movie where everyone is the lead character. So perhaps they fail in this department to leave a lasting impression.

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Strong presentation is another a sure-fire way to leave the masses thirsty for an obligatory sequel. It’s true, ”Modern Warfare 2″ does not have the graphical sheen of “Uncharted 2,” and it may not have the bleak outlook of a desolute future for mankind ruled by a clandestine underground alien horde like “Gears of War.” Still, it’s not too bad on the eyes, and, at times the in-game scripted events are delivered so well that you end up doing a double-take. ”Call of Duty” has long focused on warfare and re-used characters across iterations of the franchise, which is the one way that anyone can tie the games together, or at least say that such and such character is a favorite. Still, you would do yourself a disservice to not play the first “Modern Warfare.” The weapons are fun to use, and are not so far tied up in reality; meaning that IW toyed with them enough to make them fun. You can feel a difference in re-coil, balance, and power with each weapon but none of that is new with First Person Shooters so I can’t give them points for that. It’s an expectations issue really, and it would be more of a concern if these things weren’t part of the game. Still, the subtle difference in each weapon works well. I know it works, because even in online multiplayer, I may pick up a random gun without looking at the name and instinctually know which one I am using.

I can’t help but think that the visual brio of “Modern Warfare 2″ is starting to look a little old. There are obvious depurations when comparing the previous “Modern Warfare” to this one. It is also great to see that characters now change their outfits to suit their needs, but IW should have done even more things like this. The point is, if you can go through the game without realizing that Soap has a different outfit for each locale, then that’s a good thing. There are times though you wished that the graphics were bumped up a little more especially after playing games like “Crysis.” This becomes even more obvious when you get really close to objects in the game; especially those that should be greenery, leaf, etc.

The game’s audio fits its setting perfectly as well. It’s easy to get your neighbors pissed about the sound in this game when you consider the bursting sound of cannon fire and exploding grenades at -25 decibels, but that is something to be expected when you’re in the middle of a war.

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SPEC Ops is ~~fun~~ a lot of fun. In some ways, this one mode stole the spotlight, and saved the game for me. SPEC Ops is everything that could have been if a co-op option was included. In SPEC Ops you re-play scenes from the regular game, with a twist. There are also entirely new missions that will test your patience, and, in some cases, are down-right unfair. The twitch like reactions you may have had in “World at War” will return in this Mode, and it is perhaps this one mode, in my mind, that makes the purchase worth it.

The introduction of the Juggernaut class enemy will become a frightening thing for you, and in one stage you are forced to fight off 10 of these enemies in a closed off area. SPEC Ops is straight-forward, pick a mission across varying level of resistance, and then pick the difficulty setting. Using a higher setting rewards you with points, but also rewards you with a larger roster of forces to deal with. The points go towards your trophies/achievements but you can’t use them any further. It seems like that would be the natural evolution of this mode in the next game, but in its current state, it’s just right. The idea of playing with a friend in a two-man squad offline, or online, comes across very well as you both work towards single objective; making it a little bit of the old, and a little bit of the new. Overall SPEC Ops shines.

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The great thing about the Online Multiplayer is that it is just like it was before, but has a refined perk system. The addition of customizable kill streaks is also a major plus. With kill streak customizations you can determine the rewards you get. That’s great because you can opt out of getting an overhead UAV for something else; like a care package. Care packages are also interesting because they are random kill streak rewards. With that, you could potentially get a nuclear device to end the entire round. If you happen to be skilled enough, you can also get this by killing 25 opponents in row without dying; which is obviously easier said than done. There are other interesting rewards, like an EMP Blast which takes out all electronics on the stage. Just the idea of adjusting what rewards you get for kill streaks helps to keep things fresh. Also, previous perks, like Deep Impact are now default.

Like before, you will spend a lot of time focusing on mastering one weapon class, and since there are no trophies/achievement points tied to these, you can opt out of doing so. Never the less, the feeling is still rewarding if you are able to perform all the tasks set out for a weapon. What this amounts to is another fun multiplayer experience for anyone who enjoys the series, or the genre. After you’ve cleared SPEC Ops and the Single Player campaign, whether or not you play online multiplayer for the next two years is totally up to you.

“Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2″ is too short of an experience, when you consider the single player campaign. However, where the game lacks in delivering a longer single player experience, it more than makes up for it in it’s two other modes; SPEC Ops and Online Multiplayer. The single player campaign may be lacking the visual panache of “Uncharted 2,” but it brings things like an assortment of environments that helps keeps things fresh, while at the same time, other things take the back burner. From a competitive standpoint, the Veteran difficulty setting is nowhere near as hard as Veteran in its predecessor, and SPEC Ops takes a unique approach to online assisted wave attacks, providing some serious challenge for any seasoned “Call of Duty” fan. Regardless of the lack of challenge in the single player campaign, and unless you have a strong aversion to first person shooters, I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t enjoy this.

Rating:

“Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2″ was developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, on November 10, 2009. This review is based on the PS3 version.