Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, arguably the greatest first-person shooter of all time. The game put together an epic (albeit short) campaign, and built the foundation of some of the greatest and most addiction competitive multiplayer ever. With MW2, which released on November 10^th, Infinity Ward looked to improve on the formula they created in COD4.

THE GOOD

• Multiplayer. Let’s just start with this since it’s the core piece of this game. Everything and I mean everything is better here. Maps are better, with more verticality added, there are less perks, but each has a “pro” upgrade you earn after completing a certain task with the perk, which makes up for the smaller list. Weapon challenges are much better this time around as well. The Marksman and Expert challenges earn you the basic attachments, as well as many more camo patterns, but each attachment can unlock basically an upgraded version. When used enough, the reflex sight unlocks the holo-sight and the ACOG sight unlocks a thermal scope for example. The online fighting also feels much more strategic. You can get away with running and gunning in Free for All or Team Deathmatch, but much to the dismay to some, camping will prove to work extremely well, especially if you are “ground pounding”. Ground Pounding is basically camping in a spot, taking out a couple guys and moving onto another spot, a combonation of running and gunning and standard camping. I’ve found this to work extremely well in all game modes, but some will think I’m a n00b for doing it anyways.
• The Campaign is still great fun, and is even more frantic this time around. You still bounce between multiple characters (4 to be exact) but Gary “Roach” Sanderson, the British soldier (Task Force 141 now) is the main playable character.
• Spec Ops Mode. Infinity Ward’s big addition to the game is the new co-operative Spec Ops mode. Some of these challenges can be played by yourself, but they are best enjoyed when playing with a friend. Some challenges are ripped right out of the campaign, while others are slightly modified. There are 5 tiers of challenges to work through, and this will likely be increased through DLC.
• Graphics. This game head and shoulders above COD4, maybe more. If it weren’t for some pixely textures, this could be up there in at least the top 10 of best looking videogames ever. It could be argued that even with the textures that it’s up there.

Welcome back to Modern Warfare gamers!

THE BAD

• 3^rd Person Modes. The new third-person playlists in online offer some new stuff for gamers to try out, and it’s not terrible, but it feels very, very awkward the first few attempts. Those who are hardcore FPS players and only that will not want to, but if you have any experience with over-the-shoulder shooters like Dead Space or Resident Evil 5, you will be able to adjust.
• The story. MW2’s story is so far out there, that it may be too crazy for even Hideo Kojima and the billion plot twists in every entry into the Metal Gear saga. The story is hard to follow and really only is told in the load times before each mission, and those who pay close enough attention will understand, but for the most part you will just run around and shoot stuff, complete objectives and witness the friggin’ awesome ending.

THE UGLY

• The campaign length. This game is really, really, REALLY, short. If you’re good enough you can beat it in under 4 hours on regular, if you don’t go looking for enemy intel without a guide. On hardened and veteran, it’s definitely stepped up and will take 6-7 hours, but that’s it.
• The airport massacre. This point does have spoilers. This level isn’t a bad thing, I actually give mad props to Infinity Ward for having the balls to put this in there, I’m putting this here because it is just some really grizzly sh*t you see in this level. If you are easily disturbed, this will definitely disturb you. And the twist at the end really wants you to get Makarov, at least it did for me. On another note, it’s a scary thought to know this kind of stuff happens in the real world, and that it’s not just some crazy idea someone game up with for a videogame. Once again, huge props to Infinity Ward for really bringing the campaign, albeit a short one, up to an entire new level.

Meet "Soap" MacTavish, the guy you played as in Call of Duty 4.

WHAT’S MISSING

• There will be some naysayer out there, but there is no successor to the Zombies mode from Call of Duty: World at War. Maybe that will just stay Treyarch’s thing, but there is no denying that was a whole lot of fun, and likely the main reason many people kept playing COD: WaW. I know it was for me, and that was before the monster that is COD4 (well, I guess by now I should say “it was”) reclaimed me.

SINGLE PLAYER SCORE: 8.5/10 – The Modern Warfare 2 campaign is very short, but it’s still a helluva right while it lasts.

MULTIPLAYER SCORE: 10/10 – Spec Ops is there, but there is no true successor to the widely popular Zombies mode. However, this game is miles ahead of any other online shooter right now (I know how much PC gamers are pissed over the whole dedicated server issue) and will reign supreme for another couple years until Modern Warfare 3 releases.

OVERALL SCORE: 9.5/10 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a superb game with a good, but short campaign, fun co-op and possibly the best competitive multiplayer in any game ever. This game is a must-buy for any gamer, but be warned, there is a sequence (that is skippable) that some gamers may find disturbing.

Game Under Review: Borderlands

Travelling the planet of Pandora in Borderlands is much more enjoyable with friends.

BORDERLANDS
2K Games
Gearbox Software
Role-Playing Shooter (RPG/FPS)
Released: October 20th 2009
ESRB: M for Mature

Single Player/Co-op Campaign (4/5)

Borderlands comes exactly as advertised. The FPS and the RPG had a baby. I call it the Role-Playing Shooter. If you want a game to compare Borderlands with, I’d say Fallout 3, but only in certain ways. Fallout 3 was 75% RPG and 25% FPS. Borderlands is the opposite. So if you did not enjoy Fallout 3 (like myself) but do enjoy RPGs, this may just be the game for you. Gameplay is going to be very familiar to another FPS, specifically any Call of Duty game. Knowing how popular that series is, I suggest that if you (90% of the world) enjoyed any COD game, at least rent Borderlands. The gunplay is fast-paced and over-the-top like mad. I mean, the jump button does launch you 10 feet in the air. Driving controls feel a little awkward, and you do get used to after a while, but they still never feel right. However, when you play Borderlands campaign by yourself, it’s much slower and can be very dreary since 99% of Pandora’s inhabitans are trying to kill you. That’s where the co-op comes in. You can have 2 people playing locally, or up to 4 online over the PlayStation Network. The pace of the game picks up when playing co-op, and the sense of comradery makes it more enjoyable overall.

Competitive Multiplayer (N/A)

Graphics (4.5/5)

The cel-shaded style looks very cool, but I was most disappointed with surfaces like rocks. They were flat with a cool looking drawing of rocks on it. Cel-shaded doesn’t mean you should make things flat. Regardless, character models look very cool as well as the guns, which look even cooler in this art style. However, texture pop-in is a huge issue. Whenever you load into a new area (and these load times are annoyingly long) it takes 5-10 seconds for everything to return to normal. It’s not even minimal pop-in you can ignore, it’s everything you see.

Sound (4/5)

The game sounds great. The voice acting isn’t amazing, but sound effects like your guns, which sound extremely powerful, and the splatter of a corpse hitting the ground are amazing. Hearing your enemies being squished as you run them over is good fun too.

Summary (Score: 4/5)

Borderlands feels like the negative that became Fallout 3. A complete opposite in the same style. Those who didn’t enjoy Fallout 3 and Call of Duty fans should definitely give Borderlands at least a rent to see if they like it, and if you have a group of friends that like to play it, you will find it that much more enjoyable.

Single Player/Co-op Campaign (4/5)
Borderlands comes exactly as advertised. The FPS and the RPG had a baby. I call it the Role-Playing Shooter. If you want a game to compare Borderlands with, I’d say Fallout 3, but only in certain ways. Fallout 3 was 75% RPG and 25% FPS. Borderlands is the opposite. So if you did not enjoy Fallout 3 (like myself) but do enjoy RPGs, this may just be the game for you. Gameplay is going to be very familiar to another FPS, specifically any Call of Duty game. Knowing how popular that series is, I suggest that if you (90% of the world) enjoyed any COD game, at least rent Borderlands. The gunplay is fast-paced and over-the-top like mad. I mean, the jump button does launch you 10 feet in the air. Driving controls feel a little awkward, and you do get used to after a while, but they still never feel right. However, when you play Borderlands campaign by yourself, it’s much slower and can be very dreary since 99% of Pandora’s inhabitans are trying to kill you. That’s where the co-op comes in. You can have 2 people playing locally, or up to 4 online over the PlayStation Network. The pace of the game picks up when playing co-op, and the sense of comradery makes it more enjoyable overall.

Competitive Multiplayer (N/A)

Graphics (4.5/5)
The cel-shaded style looks very cool, but I was most disappointed with surfaces like rocks. They were flat with a cool looking drawing of rocks on it. Cel-shaded doesn’t mean you should make things flat. Regardless, character models look very cool as well as the guns, which look even cooler in this art style. However, texture pop-in is a huge issue. Whenever you load into a new area (and these load times are annoyingly long) it takes 5-10 seconds for everything to return to normal. It’s not even minimal pop-in you can ignore, it’s everything you see.

Sound (4/5)
The game sounds great. The voice acting isn’t amazing, but sound effects like your guns, which sound extremely powerful, and the splatter of a corpse hitting the ground are amazing. Hearing your enemies being squished as you run them over is good fun too.

Summary (Score: 4/5)
Borderlands feels like the negative that became Fallout 3. A complete opposite in the same style. Those who didn’t enjoy Fallout 3 and Call of Duty fans should definitely give Borderlands at least a rent to see if they like it, and if you have a group of friends that like to play it, you will find it that much more enjoyable. The game constantly rewards you with new weapons and cash, so despite a noticeably lonelier single player game, Borderlands is still an enjoyable romp through a desert landscape for you, and your band of mercenaries, should you choose to bring them along.