Gameplay Impressions
Gameplay ImpressionsModern Warfare 2 offers the complete entertainment package for fans of the first-person shooter genre. Not only has Infinity Ward created a visual master-piece that captures the intensity of war, with an impressive multi-million pound production that boasts a haunting soundtrack, a solid storyline with engaging plot twists and turns, and stunning attention to detail in the animation of the soldiers and the design of the locations, but it's added a brilliant new co-op game mode that further helps to expand its appeal and longevity, even beyond its feature-heavy online multiplayer component.
Modern Warfare 2 offers a playground of destruction, a variety of well-designed and highly-detailed location that afford you with a broad range of options for tactical play, including plenty of cover-spots and elevated areas so that you can gain an advantage over the enemy. Such is the attention to detail that every object in the game shows sign of damage if you interact with it, including trash cans that spill litter if you shoot at them, fire hydrants that burst with water, or car windows that shatter into a hundred pieces. Throw a grenade at a car and it will blow up realistically, while the impact of the explosion affects everything around it, making scorch marks on the ground and causing enemies to frantically dive for cover. From beginning to end, Modern Warfare 2 is explosive, over-the-top and in your face! Such is the magnitude of the production that it not only makes for an immersive, movie-like experience, but the powerful visuals have the ability to stir your emotions as you crawl past the decapitated bodies of your teammates, or slaughter innocent victims with a machine-gun in the much-publicised airport scene.
While its true that this particular scene, which puts you in the guise of a Russian terrorist as you brazenly walk around Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow mowing down dozens of innocent members of the public, has obviously been added for emotional effect - and maybe even to cause controversy - it's not a particularly brilliant scene in terms of gameplay (you do very little apart from point your gun and shoot people who cant shoot back), but it does show that Infinity Ward has tried to push the boundaries and give us a different emotional experience to past games in the series. It works in that respect, though some may find it disturbing (you can skip this level!)
The airport scene, however, is just one small part of a game that is littered with great moments and impressive set-pieces. While Modern Warfare 2 doesn't quite have as many epic stand-out moments as Call of Duty 4, nor does it quite have the impressive shifts of pace and intensity of that game, it does constantly keep you on your toes, requiring you to adjust your tactics and switch your weapons depending on the type of terrain or location you find yourself in. Things can change very quickly and there's a nice variety of locations that require you to adopt your tactics accordingly, from sniping on the Himalayas, or navigating the tricky narrow streets of an Afghan village, to engaging in a street shoot-out in a Virginia suburb, or partaking in an intense siege on Gulag prison. Alongside the traditional COD gameplay, there are tons of impressive set-pieces that show off the powerful game engine, the outstanding animation and gorgeous graphics that we've become accustomed to from the series.
Weapons feel meaty and really pack a punch and gameplay is enhanced by the outstanding A.I. Enemy A.I. will pin you down, flank you and throw grenades with extreme precision, creating a difficult and enjoyable challenge on the harder levels, but your allies also react superbly throughout the entire campaign, backing you up exactly when you need them. As you move up the battlefield they press forward alongside you, taking up strategic positions on route, changing their behaviour and focus in direct response to the action around you. If you find yourself under heavy gunfire, for example, the friendly A.I. is so in tune with the action that you can keep your head down and weather the storm as they provide cover fire and effectively attack the opposition and draw their fire away from you. They always work with you effectively and thus it feels like you're part of a team.
Though the single player campaign doesn't quite capture the same intensity as Call of Duty 4, it's still a thrill-ride from beginning to end, and despite it only clocking in at around 5-6 hours worth of gameplay on normal difficulty, we found it to be one of those rare games that we just have to complete in one sitting. Thankfully, you can then dive into the multiplayer mode which has tons of game modes, great map and customisation options and a few new features that make it bigger and better than ever. Special Ops mode is a welcome new addition that is brilliant as a co-op experience as you tackle various objectives, sometimes competing against each other, earning stars along the way. There's three levels of difficulty and 23 missions and we understand that there may even more missions on the way in the form of downlodable content.
While Modern Warfare 2 doesn’t quite surpass the greatness of ‘Modern Warfare’ in terms of epic moments, it still offers a roller-coaster ride full of thrills, and a top notch production that Hollywood movie bosses would be proud of. Beyond the enjoyable single-player campaign there's a wealth of quality content both in Special Ops and online multiplayer, more than enough to keep you busy until the next iteration in this brilliant series.
Final Score - 9/10
