Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

By Tuesday the 10th of November the temperature of the gaming world had risen to fever pitch with the release of the eagerly anticipated Modern Warfare 2. Reports that it would in every way surpass its stunningly successful, 2007 predecessor, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ensured stratospheric pre-orders and long queues. Amazingly there was also a celebrity-laden West End launch. Was all the hype and excitement justified? Undoubtedly yes! The basis of the game maybe similar to Call of Duty 4 but all features have been greatly enhanced and there are more options. Modern Warfare 2 is an awesome, thrilling and adrenalin-pumping assault on the senses. It is simply the best ever first person shooter game. Developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision, it is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The storyline picks up where Call of Duty 4 left off. A mere five years later ultra-nationalist are a resurgent force in Russia, with Vladimir Makarov initiating a series of terror attacks across Europe and further afield. The story opens, rather topically, in Afghanistan, where a US force has just wrested a city from militant control. General Shepherded selects one of the heroes of the operation to go undercover in Makarov’s organisation. Makarov, however, is smart: he kills the agent and blames him and hence the US for a terrorist attack at a Russian airport (much controversy here, see later).

The Russian response is much exaggerated – it invades America! With Washington DC under attack, the hunt is on for Makarov. To this end Task Force 141 frees Price, Makarov’s enemy, from a Russian prison. Price has a plan to end the war, but things don’t go as planned, and at one point the US Air Force, wrongly assuming that all is lost, set out to carpet-bomb Washington. This disaster is averted.

With the conflict over the hunt for Makarov continues. General Shepherd, however, uses the situation to become a global super hero. To achieve this end he must kill Price, together with Ghost, Roach and Soap, all members of Task Force 141. He is not totally successful, and pays the ultimate ‘price’.

The action is thrilling, high tension and at one point rather disturbing. Stealth missions and the frenetic fire-fights are equally exciting. The range of weaponry on offer will satisfy even the most demanding first-person-shooter fan. Best of all is the intervention, an accurate and stupendously powerful American super rifle. There is a cornucopia of assault rifles, shot guns (automatic and the sawn-off variety much favoured by criminals), a machine pistol and loads more. The shooting mechanics are smooth and accurate, just as you would expect from top quality developers. There are also high-tech, mega-destructive missiles as well as new, but tricky to master, throwing knives.

In the single player campaign mode you get to play Sergeant Gary Sanderson, aka Roach, who is part of the elite Task Force 141. Returning as a non playable character and head of the task force is Soap MacTavish. In the task force we also have Ghost, so called because his face is obscured by a balaclava. Missions are scattered around the globe, and will take up to seven hours to complete.

MW2 also offers Special Ops, a co-operative mode, where two can partake in missions, either online or split-screen locally. You can also play most of the missions alone, if you so prefer. Although the missions are set in locations taken from the campaign mode, they are completely independent. The Special Ops on offer are: Alpha (short stealth missions), Bravo (Vehicle missions, including Skidoo), Charley (reaction-testing hostage breaches), Delta (missions are getting tougher, airport assaults), Echo (pin-point accuracy is needed for these most challenging missions). Each mission has three levels of difficulty: regular, hardened and veteran. There are rewards, for finishing each challenge, in the form of stars (one star for regular, two for hardened and three for veteran). Collect enough stars, and you unlock more challenges.

And now we come to perhaps the most awesome aspect of this epic game – the online multiplayer mode. Everything good about Call of Duty 4 has been retained, but much more has been added. The new features include new weapons, new equipment, more attention to customisation and fifteen unlockable kill streak rewards. If you manage to get a 25 kill streak, you can launch a Nuke, you and your team wins, in the most explosive way! Some of the multiplayer game types have now introduced a third-person mode. Another new feature of MW2 is that a short ‘host migration delay’ enables the introduction of a new host without stopping.
The visuals and soundtrack are of the highest order. Kevin McKidd, of Trainspotting fame, is the voice of Soap, and listen out for Rapper 50 Cent as an anonymous marine.

Earlier in this review I mentioned controversy and disturbing action. This refers to the airport massacre of innocent civilians by a terrorist group, which includes an undercover CIA agent. Although MP Keith Vaz wanted MW2 banned, Tom Watson, a previous minister for digital engagement, disagrees and calls for a more balanced perspective. To be fair to the developers, gamers are warned early on of possible offence, and can skip the mission if they want.

Modern Warfare 2 is the complete first-person-shooter game: single, coop and multiplayer are all superb. Three editions of the game are available: Prestige Edition, Hardened Edition and GAME Exclusive Veteran Package. This epic game is a must buy for all fans of the genre.