Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (with Exclusive Gamerpics) Xbox 360

Released on 10/11/2009

• CoD: Modern Warfare 2 Review

  I love it when you Call...

  Two years ago, one of gaming's most successful franchises took an unexpected turn. Call of Duty was always set against World War II, so when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (AKA CoD4), was announced, many had doubts. But that was two years ago, and since then CoD4 has become one of the most played titles of this generation; has won countless awards; and it's about to be succeeded by Modern Warfare 2.

  Infinity Ward have had a massive challenge to ensure that Modern Warfare 2 goes above and beyond what fans are expecting. With each teaser trailer and small nugget of information released the hype behind Modern Warfare 2 has increased. This is definitely the most anticipated game of 2009. But is the wait worth it? Has Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 really gone above and beyond the successful CoD4?

  Two sides to every story

  Modern Warfare 2 picks up 5 years after the events of the original, as explained in the opening credits. Zakhaev, the dead villain of the first game is being praised as the hero of New Russia. His right hand man Marakov has taken his place and is just as if not more dangerous than his predecessor. Like CoD4, you will play as multiple characters through Modern Warfare 2's campaign, so you'll see the same story from different viewpoints.

  Modern Warfare 2 opens with the traditional training level. Veterans to the CoD franchise will know it well. The controls haven't changed since CoD4, so you'll feel right at home when you get started. The training course is on an Army base, were you'll get to see how much detail Infinity Ward has put into in MW2. Off-duty soldiers shooting hoops, some mending a Humvee with rap music in the background and some just milling about talking. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, until you step out of the training facility.

  When you do, you'll discover that the combat in Modern Warfare 2 is outstanding. Clever level design means that running and gunning will not ensure victory in all cases; you will need to determine the best cause of action to complete your mission. Throughout Modern Warfare 2 you'll face the enemy in close quarters and long range combat; sometimes the two styles will even cross over in one level meaning a change in tactics will be needed.

  Most of the combat is explosive and action-packed, but occasionally this will slow down slightly. The slower missions tend to be about stealth, be it infiltrating a mountain top base or getting access to a submarine pen. One thing to bear in mind is that these missions, although slow to start, usually end in a big bang. So be prepared for hell to break loose at any time!

  There is one level in particular that may cause some distress to some gamers out there. Thankfully Infinity Ward do make you aware of this level at the beginning of the game, and (should you choose to keep the warning active) just before the level starts. If you do choose to skip this level it won't have any effect on your completion percentage or trophies and achievements.

  Visually, Modern Warfare 2 does look good. The detail is amazing. In a slum district the streets are littered with papers and other assorted rubbish that blow about in the wind. Soldiers are highly detailed right down to the patches on their clothes. The guns in MW2 have also been given refresh too. Some old favourites return along with all-new weapons for all looking as good as the next. There are a few weapons that you can dual wield, but you will need to pick up the pair of weapons to do this.

  Life eating!

  In addition to the single player there is Spec Ops and of Course, Multiplayer. Spec Ops is new for CoD: MW2. In this mode you and a friend (split screen or online) can tackle a variety of different mission types such as Elimination, Wave Defence, Assault and Stealth. These modes can be challenging on your own or a brilliant laugh with a friend. Multiplayer meanwhile will be familiar to CoD fans, and will almost literally eat your life with even more modes than before.

  Have Infinity Ward done the impossible and gone above the bar that CoD 4 raised so high? In short, yes. The story, although short, packs more drama and will keep you glued to the pad till you reach the stunning conclusion. The multiplayer will keep us gamers running and gunning for a long time as CoD4 did. And to top it all off, it looks stunning, with genuinely amazing levels of detail.

  So what are you waiting for, soldier? Get out there now!

  And remember, Rangers lead the way...

  

  Modern Warfare:
  - Multiplayer has been improved
  - Campaign is gripping
  - New Special Ops mode

  Modern Welfare:
  - The campaign mode is too short.
  - Some of the Spec Ops levels are brutally tough
  - When will DLC be available?

• Call of Duty to go sci-fi?

  Every year we get busy speculating about a futuristic instalment of Call of Duty. Now Treyarch, the team behind Call of Duty: Black Ops has got in on the act, with the game design director admitting he would be interested in a near-future update.

  "It would be pretty fantastic!" David Vonderhaar told Machinima (thanks, Eurogamer). "It would be kind of a unique opportunity but the way this works out is obviously more complicated than, 'Hey, me and Treyarch are going to make a near-future shooter.' It doesn't work out that way in practice. It's a tough question to answer. We have not announced any new Call of Duty games at this time but to answer his specific question I think, personally, it would be pretty fantastic to do near-future, you know? Not necessarily far-future."

  He was careful to that his answer was, "For me personally. I'm just talking for myself." Boo!

  Still, if he thinking about it, maybe there hope. If youe more interested in the past than the future, of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops concerns itself with all manner of Cold War shenanigans. It brilliant fun, and it available right now for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

• Call of Duty date leaked?

  Eurogamer has a doozy of a scoop today: the website posted a news story suggesting that the date for the new Call of Duty game will be 8th November 2011. According to the news story, the website has heard this rumour from numerous sources.

  The story also goes on to suggest that the game, widely thought to be Modern Warfare 3, is codenamed Project Collossus. That sounds about right to us, seeing as a new Call of Duty game will easily go down as one of the most anticipated titles in history.

  Previous Call of Duty games tend to launch in the first half of November, so the rumour has a fair amount of credibility to it. It worth mentioning, though, that we still haven had an official announcement or a title for the game, although it pretty clear that Infinity Ward, the developer of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, is back in the saddle.

  Whatever the launch date and whatever the title this is one game that we can get out of our heads. If you own a PC, PS3, or Xbox 360, you should be very excited about the prospect of a new Call of Duty to blast your way through and you should check with us during E3 to see whether the rumours add up.

• Treyarch bringing Modern Warfare 3 to the Wii

  Wii owners won't be left out of the action when Modern Warfare 3 hits the shelves this November. Black Ops developer Treyarch has revealed that it is currently working on a Wii version of the sure-to-be-blockbuster shooter.

  Infinity Ward is working on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, of course, but Activision executive Eric Hirshberg announced the Wii version this week, while talking grown up money stuff to investors. The decision to squeeze the game into the Wii's smaller system came because the publisher didn't want to leave any of the community out of the excitement. How sweet.

  Treyarch certainly has good form where Call of Duty and Nintendo hardware is concerned. It turned out the Wii versions of Black Ops and World At War, and also tackled the Wii port of the original Modern Warfare.

  Modern Warfare 3 shoots your face off on November 8th on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and now Wii as well.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Review

  
  

  

  I love it when you Call...

  Two years ago, one of gaming's most successful franchises took an unexpected turn. Call of Duty was always set against World War II, so when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (AKA CoD4), was announced, many had doubts. But that was two years ago, and since then CoD4 has become one of the most played titles of this generation; has won countless awards; and it's about to be succeeded by Modern Warfare 2.

  Infinity Ward have had a massive challenge to ensure that Modern Warfare 2 goes above and beyond what fans are expecting. With each teaser trailer and small nugget of information released the hype behind Modern Warfare 2 has increased. This is definitely the most anticipated game of 2009. But is the wait worth it? Has Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 really gone above and beyond the successful CoD4?

  Two Sides To Every Story

  Modern Warfare 2 picks up 5 years after the events of the original, as explained in the opening credits. Zakhaev, the dead villain of the first game is being praised as the hero of New Russia. His right hand man Marakov has taken his place and is just as if not more dangerous than his predecessor. Like CoD4, you will play as multiple characters through Modern Warfare 2's campaign, so you'll see the same story from different viewpoints.

  

  Modern Warfare 2 opens with the traditional training level. Veterans to the CoD franchise will know it well. The controls haven't changed since CoD4, so you'll feel right at home when you get started. The training course is on an Army base, were you'll get to see how much detail Infinity Ward has put into in MW2. Off-duty soldiers shooting hoops, some mending a Humvee with rap music in the background and some just milling about talking. The atmosphere is pretty laid back, until you step out of the training facility.

  When you do, you'll discover that the combat in Modern Warfare 2 is outstanding. Clever level design means that running and gunning will not ensure victory in all cases; you will need to determine the best cause of action to complete your mission. Throughout Modern Warfare 2 you'll face the enemy in close quarters and long range combat; sometimes the two styles will even cross over in one level meaning a change in tactics will be needed.

  Most of the combat is explosive and action-packed, but occasionally this will slow down slightly. The slower missions tend to be about stealth, be it infiltrating a mountain top base or getting access to a submarine pen. One thing to bear in mind is that these missions, although slow to start, usually end in a big bang. So be prepared for hell to break loose at any time!

  There is one level in particular that may cause some distress to some gamers out there. Thankfully Infinity Ward do make you aware of this level at the beginning of the game, and (should you choose to keep the warning active) just before the level starts. If you do choose to skip this level it won't have any effect on your completion percentage or trophies and achievements.

  

  Visually, Modern Warfare 2 does look good. The detail is amazing. In a slum district the streets are littered with papers and other assorted rubbish that blow about in the wind. Soldiers are highly detailed right down to the patches on their clothes. The guns in MW2 have also been given refresh too. Some old favourites return along with all-new weapons for all looking as good as the next. There are a few weapons that you can dual wield, but you will need to pick up the pair of weapons to do this.

  Life Eating!

  In addition to the single player there is Spec Ops and, of course, Multiplayer. Spec Ops is new for CoD: MW2. In this mode you and a friend (split screen or online) can tackle a variety of different mission types such as Elimination, Wave Defence, Assault and Stealth. These modes can be challenging on your own or a brilliant laugh with a friend. Multiplayer meanwhile will be familiar to CoD fans, and will almost literally eat your life with even more modes than before.

  Have Infinity Ward done the impossible and gone above the bar that CoD 4 raised so high? In short, yes. The story, although short, packs more drama and will keep you glued to the pad till you reach the stunning conclusion. The multiplayer will keep us gamers running and gunning for a long time as CoD4 did. And to top it all off, it looks stunning, with genuinely amazing levels of detail.

  So what are you waiting for, soldier? Get out there now!

  GAME's Verdict

  The Good:

  • Multiplayer has been improved
  • Campaign is gripping
  • New Special Ops mode

  The Bad:

  • The campaign mode is too short.
  • Some of the Spec Ops levels are brutally tough
  • When will DLC be available?

  Published: 11/11/2009

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