Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is here, and yes, it's packed with (almost) as many surprises as explosions.
Published: December 1, 2009
It's when you hop online that things feel decidedly more... static. Oh, there are changes and additions, certainly, but the overall experience is essentially the same: log in (which can be done in a matter of a few taps, something that's godsend for those ADD-addled masses that just want to get into a multiplayer game in a few seconds), pick your gametype (or types if you want to play in just deathmatch or objective/based games) and then start gunning down people left and right. Perks will now gain experience too, eventually upgrading to "pro" variants with extra effects like blocking enemy radar or allowing more clips. These actually make the create-a-class options that much more varied because the perks often carry secondary upgrades that aren't specifically tied to a boost you'd get from just attaching, say, the ability to reload faster.
The biggest change is probably in feeding players that can rack up monster kill streaks more powerful and potentially game-changing events (get 25 in a row, for instance and you can unleash a nuke that ends the round with authority). As you rank up, you're able to purchase new ones and though you still only have three equipped, the killstreak rewards (and new deathstreak bonuses that, among other things, give you a little more health upon spawning after being gunned down over and over again) let you do everything from drop in a supply crate that if picked up and used by another teammate actually gets you more experience. Throw in all the usual per-weapon challenges and you have a bazillion things to chase.
In a blending of the online and offline modes, Infinity Ward cooked up a series of one-off challenges based around the single-player levels called Special Ops. Embracing the idea of lifting chunks of single-player maps a la Uncharted 2 or Resistance 2 isn't new, but being able to play these games solo or with other people online is. Given that there are Trophies (and a decent number of 'em) attached to Special Ops -- some of which require some serious teamwork -- it's pretty clear that Infinity Ward sees this as a sort of third, middle option for the regular online and offline modes.
Regardless of mode, the visuals are damned impressive. Little effects like jetwash causing arcs in a smoke trail or the return of the same gorgeous water effects seen in the first game (there's even an entire section of the game that takes place under water as SEALs raid an oil rig in a fantastic bit of stealth infiltration) do plenty, but it's in the game's normally rock-solid 60 frames a second smoothness (yes, there are some hiccups, but the vast majority of the game absolutely hums) and some very careful texture work help to make even a aired desert boot camp to look fantastic. That same starting level is peppered with soldiers playing basketball in a rather lengthy animation loop that shows a fantastic attention to detail.
Things are just as impressive for your ears as they are your peepers. Great use of the back surrounds adds some much-needed 360 degree awareness during heated firefights, and everything from footfalls across multiple types of terrain to the rapid-fire sputter of weapons (and their resulting impacts) delivers a sense that these weapons might sound a bit like pea shooters, but that they smack into the targets with a lethal kind of speed and frequency. The sheer variety in weapon types, attachments (some of which are unlocked only after completing weapon-specific challenges) and bits of environmental ambience are outstanding. That goes double for the sountrack, with a main theme produced by Hans Zimmer and complemented by Lorne Balfe's even handed weaves between driving, testosterone driven rock crunches and swelling orchestral movements during key scenes.
It's hard not to get caught up in the hype of a big game's release leading up to the street date, but when a game actually pulls it off, it's impossible not to feel a rush as every one of your expectations are met and then, a few key points, exceeded. Modern Warfare 2 isn't Citizen Kane, but it hits hard in every one of the areas it should: a boisterous, adrenaline-injected single-player campaign that does some things from a first-person perspective that other games still haven't been able to match and delivers an online component that's still every bit as unique and seriously long-legged as the original despite not feeling all that new. Add in some new side missions and co-op-lite bits and you have one of the best values for your $60 you're going to get this year.
No, it's not an entirely new experience and doesn't raise the bar in quite the same fashion as the original debut, but in delivering a shooter that's literally meant to make it as fun as possible to point and shoot at stuff while shit blows up all around you, Modern Warfare 2 delivers in a way few, if any, games can.
