General Video Game Review of Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a game that has had a heavy, accumulative amount of hype. If you are unfamiliar with the Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare 2 is a M for mature, first-person shooter that has you take on the role of various characters throughout the progression of the single-player campaign. The multiplayer experience shines brightest though, as it has expanded upon the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer mode while retaining appeal. A third pillar of game-play, dubbed SpecOps mode, further breaks up the package and increases your options. Overall, Modern Warfare 2 does rise up to meet high expectations but can hardly be crowned a masterpiece.

With regard to presentation, the game is beautiful. The world is charmingly detailed with an emphasis on height and terrain variation and the cinematic action is intense. Generally, the visual effects are nice on the eyes. Once wounded, blood splays across your screen in clumsy patterns, forcing you to either hide behind cover or aim through the bloodied views. Although I support promoting careful playing and evading enemy fire, the screen jelly obscuring your vision often boils down to an annoyance. The actual firing of your weapon initiates so smoothly that any qualms you may have are forgivable.

The campaign is noticeably brief, being around five hours long, and the plot that accompanies it is a bit over-the-top. Modern Warfare 2 flops when it comes to storytelling and character development, often packing plot into loading screens and NPC chatter amidst a barrage of warring ambiance, but that aside the missions are interesting and action-packed. Potentially noteworthy is the mission that throws a disclaimer at you and offers you an option to skip over the ordeal. Dealing with killing innocent civilians in such a context, it is an understandable warning. For the most part, the engaging campaign hosts a better experience than the first Modern Warfare game.

There is a deep level of depth to be delved into regarding strategy in Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer and many of the common issues in Call of Duty 4 have been resolved in a balanced fashion. Kill streaks have been aggrandized and showcase many rewards such as AC-130 strikes, stealth bombers, EMP blasts, and even a devastating 25 kill-streak nuke that automatically seizes the win for your team. Camping, or hiding in wait, has been reduced and is less of a concern with the expanse in equipment and air strikes. The online multiplayer sets the bar for shooters of it's type and sets it high.

The Special Ops mode is a challenge mode with an arcade feel to it. Single-player missions compose the majority of it but there are a few co-op specific challenges. For instance, the co-op only AC-130 mission where one player mans the gunship and the other infiltrates enemy lines on foot. You will encounter a lot of reoccurring maps from the campaign but the objectives and layouts of the level are new. All in all, it's longer than the single player campaign and surprisingly entertaining.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. It is a phenomenal game that can be enjoyed by any first-person shooter fan. I would not suggest it merely for the single player mode, however. Whether or not the game is your ideal cup of tea, I would recommend a sip.