Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Xbox 360 review

Now here’s a game that needs no introduction, the first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was one of the top selling games of 2007 and with Modern Warfare 2 already selling like really hot cakes it looks like this Call of Duty sequel will be an even bigger hit than its predecessor. I was new to the Call of Duty series when I recently played the first Modern Warfare and was highly impressed by not only the online, but single player experience. Modern Warfare 2 continues the successful formula and improves upon it with one of the most exhilarating single player campaigns I’ve experienced in a war game.

The story picks up five years after the original Modern Warfare and in the first mission (after the obligatory training session) you play as a soon to be recruited member of Task Force 141. As the plot unfolds America becomes embroiled in a war with Russia, after one member of Task Force 141 is framed for a terrorist attack by Makarov in the third mission. The story is intense and offers a frightening glimpse of what it might actually be like to be involved in a world war between the U.S. and Russia. At times the game feels like a cross between War of the Worlds (and the part of Half Life 2 that was inspired by War of the Worlds) and a decent Bond film, which is not a bad thing.

The first three missions really set up the plot and give you a good sense of what the rest of the game is going to be like. For those who haven’t played the first Modern Warfare, or maybe even haven’t played a Call of Duty game before, the game has its own unique story so it isn’t essential to have played the first one. Of course it does help but the story is self contained enough that it doesn’t make much difference, apart from understanding certain characters motivations. The first mission is set in Afghanistan, which basically involves a bit of ducking and diving, manning a minigun on top of an armoured vehicle, and then trying to stay alive when your vehicle is destroyed. This for me was one of the most intense parts of the game and left me with a sense of what it was like to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder even before the game had properly started. The second mission sees the player take on the role of Sergeant Gary Sanderson also known as “Roach”. He and Captain “Soap” MacTavish infiltrate a Russian airbase to retrieve some piece of tech which contains important intelligence and then after a bloody battle proceed to escape on snowmobiles which is just one of the insanely fun action sequences of the game. The third mission is where the story really kicks off, you take on the role of the soldier in the first mission, but this time he is working undercover and is by the side of Makarov (who is aware of his true identity) as he commits a terrorist act which he has set up to frame the Americans. It’s worth mentioning at this point that this is one of the more disturbing parts of the game as Makarov’s plan involves walking through an airport and gunning down innocent people (the 18 certificate on the front is well earned) so this isn’t a game for impressionable children, the certificate on this one really does mean something.

Control wise, everything is where it should be and as a gamer who tends to play more first person shooters on their PC than their console (I played the original Modern Warfare on my PC) this wasn’t too much of a culture shock and I soon got used to where all the buttons were. There is the occasional action sequence which involves controlling a vehicle but this is very easy to do, and also a hell of a lot of fun. As usual there’s intelligence hidden around the levels as bonuses for players to find, but I was so wrapped up in the story and the frenetic pace of the game that I missed all but one of these. Mission objectives come up on the HUD so there’s never a question of what to do or who to kill next and a checkpoint saving system saves your progress at key moments during the game, which only got me into trouble once (on a heart stomping level where you’re dodging many many bullets in the narrow alleyways of Rio De Janeiro) which was short lived. Graphically it goes without saying this game is stunning, the locations are immersive and one level in particular set is Washington D.C. looks particularly epic. One noticeable feature of the graphics is the realistic blood splatter (now there’s something that would look good in 3D) when you’re dying or about to die, this is suitably gruesome and if you get to cover quick enough the blood slowly gets cleared from in front of your eyes and you know you’re ok. The multiplayer mode (for the console version at least) remains largely unchanged and comes with a few extra perks and kill streak rewards. There are of course new weapons and equipment as well, as there are in the main game. The other game mode is Special-ops which features missions from the game with specific goals to reach, the more difficult the goal completed the more stars you earn. These can be played on your own, with a friend in split screen mode or with someone over the internet.

Anyone who has played Call of Duty before, will undoubtedly love this game (with the exception of the PC gamers who are still pissed about what’s been done to the online multiplayer), anyone who hasn’t and is curious then this is as good a place as any to start with the series, and if you like action movies, Bond movies, war movies, any movies that involve guns (but not girls, this game is a bit of a sausagefest) then this is for you. It’s better than Modern Warfare, and the best first person shooter, by far, that I’ve played for a long while.