“More emotion and flash, no new-headaches, shinier sexy appeal, very little advancement, but overall improved version of the first Modern Warfare.”

WARNING: This product carries a lot of hype. A LOT of hype. I want to say this really bad… “It feels like an expansion pack to an awesome PC game“. That’s right, an expansion to Call of Duty 4, and you can quote me on that.

The “modern warfare” feel is fresh. No futuristic sci-fi looking aliens, no historic battlefield to traipse, no puzzle solving skills required. These are good “features” in this light, because it makes the game feel more realistic and your game play plausible. It’s available for Windows PC, Xbox360, and PS3. The game offers 3 modes of play. Campaign, special-ops, and multiplayer. Campaign mode continues the story from Call of Duty 4. Campaign mode was originally supposed to include a co-op mode, but it was removed and only introduced in the special-ops mode because it “ruined the experience”. Veteran mode is insanely difficult and you find yourself dieing every second. Veteran forces you to memorize where you can and can’t go and where every enemy is. Special-ops mode offers independent missions to hone your skills by yourself or with a friend in co-op. Finally, the multiplayer mode has a bevy of different match styles that allow you to play with 2-18 people.

The Great Stuff

Multi-player is still an awesome experience, just like Call of Duty 4. Comparatively, there is only one thing lost in this sequel; dedicated servers (but that goes in the bad stuff). You can jump right in to multiplayer without skipping a beat.

The Good Stuff

• Lots of violence and adult content.
• New missions with pretty cut scenes.
• New weapons and enhancements.
• New perks and unlock-able streak rewards.
• More titles and emblems to display your personal flavor.

The Ok Stuff

• It feels like an expansion to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The Not So Good Stuff

There is also a gross storyline in the single player. The story is set 5 years after the  after the conclusion of Call of Duty 4. You don’t need to play the first one to catch up on the characters, but it would help a great deal. Immediately, you’re immersed in the story line from the first game (and will probably get confused). The actions you take through the story can get very emotional and intense, but the plot is stale. You won’t be remembering the story as much as the actions you took watching the story unfold.

The Bad Stuff

Infinity Ward dropped the ball for the PC community. They removed the ability to host your own dedicated servers. That’s not cool. How could you schedule a match and control how it’s played out?! By an in-game GUI that sets up random matches? WRONG! To bad so sad, no “real” competitive Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Who would practice for a defunct multiplayer competition anyway?

Final Comment

All my friends were ready for this game to come out and everyone knew what it was. The publishers added different editions and perks to help you purchase it. There is an edition that includes working night-vision goggles. I had a really bad feeling they over-hyped it to hide how bad the game would be.

But, that was not entirely the case. The Xbox 360 version was the game I purchased and I was able to pick it up and play without any frustration. I enjoyed the new graphics, they were very pleasing and did an excelent job at setting a tone for the game. I didn’t notice any lag in learning the game. I urge you not to get depressed because if you liked the first one you will love this sequel.

Video Game Overall Satisfaction – Rating: – 7/10