XBOX 360 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

Playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an eye opening experience. I could hardly wait to pop the disc into my Xbox 360 and get my game on. As one of the most anticipated sequels in gaming history; Modern Warfare 2 has some mighty shoes to fill. A true sequel in the classical sense of the word, Modern Warfare 2 lives up to its pedigree. The team over at Infinity Ward took everything great about the first game and made it better while adding some new features to round out the overall game. Here is my "spoiler" free review.

Single Player
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 single player campaign is phenomenal. It continues the story from the first game with plenty of familiar faces and some new ones also. The superb level designs backed by ultra-realistic graphics make for one of the best looking games to date. The flow of the game transitions well from level to level and character to character. There is a ton of mission variety and great set piece battles. You find yourself driving a speeding vehicle one minute and scrambling across rooftops the next. While playing on Veteran difficulty I find myself dying enough to keep it interesting, but not so bad I find myself wanting to throw the controller. The story mode really shines and is worth the sixty bucks by itself.

Multiplayer
There are two main segments of multiplayer available in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. There is the expected online experience that pits the player online versus other gameheads in a variety of kill the other guy scenarios. There is also a cooperative element known as Special-Ops.

Multiplayer Versus
Multiplayer versus is about what you would expect as far as gameplay types. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Headquarters, Domination and others are all present. The well known unlocks for guns, gun mods, and perks make an expanded return also. The new game expands on the Modern Warfare formula by adding unlockable customizable call signs and insignias. Literally hundreds of things to work at unlocking. The option to set your kill spree rewards and the addition of death spree "rewards" is a nice touch. I did run into the usual game balancing issues where I was killed over and over again by a far superior team. I didn't see any attempts by the game to fix the mismatch and was forced to leave the lobby for another go. There is also a steep learning curve expounded by forcing a player to unlock better equipment. Be prepared to have it handed to you for a while as you level up.

Special-Ops
Special-Ops is a great addition to help alleviate some of the woes of competitive multiplayer. Although I wish it allowed for more than two players via online or split screen; this is an excellent game mode. Basically one or two player mini missions that you can tune to your favorite difficulty. You can even play on two different difficulties to accommodate less skillful players. The same polish present in the single player campaign is present here. You may find one person in the skies protecting the other or both of you creeping through the snow trying not to be detected by the enemy. It makes for a great time with lots of chances to help each other out.

Although I can't give Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 a perfect 10 out of 10, no game is ever going to be the "perfect" game, I will give it a strong 9.8 out of 10. It blends beautiful graphics, well crafted single player, and reliable multiplayer into a must play experience. There are plenty of "Whoa" moments to be had in this superb game.

p.s.
If you haven't played Modern Warfare "1" yet, consider picking it up for a run-thru. If you love it you'll love Modern Warfare 2. If you don't enjoy it you will save some cash on 2.