Modern Warfare 2: The second-coming of Cyber Christ
Welcome to the first-ever Forum M column of 2010. Here is hoping you all had a great New Year and are looking forward to a fantastic year in terms of technology and video games. And what better way to kick off the new year but with a review of one of the best-selling games of last year: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2!
Firstly, I have a confession to make. The reason I didn’t review this game sooner was because I had not renewed by Xbox Live Gold account and could not play the game online. Now that I have my Xbox Live Gold again, a lot more games can and will be reviewed! And believe me, I was waiting for this one…
Alright, so, the game. It’s a first-person shooter and one of the best of its kind. Out for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, Modem Warfare 2 is a blast to play for n00bs of first-person shooters and veterans alike.
The story takes place after the events of the first Modern Warfare and a sets the stage for an epic war between Russia and the USA. Without giving away too much of the story, you’ll be fighting all over the world: right in your own backyard (okay, so I guess here in Canada, that will be our neighbour’s backyard), to snowy plains, to the middle-east… this is a global conflict.
The story, however, is a clusterfuck to understand and I can’t see anyone really growing on the characters and their actions. Well, all except for one mission.
Early in the game, you’ll be asked to skip levels that are ultra violent and controversial. You’ve probably heard of it: the infamous “No Russian” level where you play as an undercover terrorist and attack an airport in Moscow.
Having played this level, I have to say that although bloody, it isn’t really that much more hardcore compared to the over the top carnage you can unleash in a game like Grand Theft Auto. You just might feel a little bad playing it. I didn’t, but then again, I’m Mike Gwilliam, the guy who wrote a story about a brother and sister eating their incest babies in a cellar. Take that as you will.
Sadly, the single-player campaign is over within about four to five hours depending on the difficulty you’re playing it on. For what it’s worth, although fun, there is no reason for you to buy this game if you’re not going to play it online. Give it a rent if you don’t play games online, but if you do like to play your games online… oh baby…
Multiplayer is a drug. It’s a hardcore, addictive drug. This is the first game I remember playing for a long time that has a level-up system for weapons in the game that is a first-person shooter.
Basically, you get rewarded for killing your opponents with your weapon of choice (there are a lot) and the more kills you get, the more attachments you get, such as a sniper scope or heart-beat monitor. It takes awhile to fully upgrade a weapon, so there is lots of fun to be had.
There are a decent amount of maps for different types of games such as team death match, domination, sabotage, capture the flag, free for all and a lot more. The result is a lot of variety, and something which will keep you busy for a long time.
The game does lag from time-to-time and that’s my major problem with online play. Far too often when I have someone in my crosshairs, the server lags, causing my opponent to be about five feet away from me. When the game resumes, I’m normally in perfect position to be shot. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when you’re racking up a massive killstreak and this happens, it’s annoying.
Regardless, the game is an amazing online experience and really makes the price worth it. Leveling up time and time again and unlocking perks and weapons is a blast. It even makes the lack of a single-player campaign forgettable.
As for the graphics, well, they’re nice and pretty to look at, but it didn’t win any awards due to the fact they’re only slightly above the first Modern Warfare. The sound, although making the levels feel that much more epic, is not as memorable as the sound from a game like Halo.
In the end, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is a must buy for online gamers and a rent for those who like to play by themselves (don’t forget to change your sheets). If I were to only grade this game for its online, it probably would have gotten a 9.7, but since not everyone will be playing this game online (believe it or not, some people don’t), here is my score:
9.2/10
I feel that a deduction of .5 is fair as long as those who only play the single player rent it and beat it, because the campaign is still worth a $10 play-through. For everyone else, buy the game and keep in mind that this is probably the best online experience for any game I have ever played.
That’s all for this week, folks. Have a good one.
