Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on November 30, 2009

Review: Shooter of the year.

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You might complain about the short campaign but that is just a third of what the game has to offer. New to the franchise is Special Ops, a series of short mini-campaigns that can be played solo or with a friend locally or online (in fact, some Spec Ops missions can only be played co-operatively). The missions vary from clearing out a map, surviving increasingly tougher waves of enemies, retrieving intel, and even snowmobile races. You will also have to provide air support for your teammate on the ground as you man the guns of a helicopter or an AC-130. Spec Ops is a great way to share the intensity of the single player campaign with a buddy, though I still think that the entire campaign should have been playable co-operatively in the first place. Still, Spec Ops is great co-op fun, though could have benefited from opening it up to more players.

But for most fans, the real meat of the game is online multiplayer, and this is where Infinity Ward devoted much of their attention. They listened to their customers and made some significant changes that improve upon what was already an incredible multiplayer shooter.



For example, you can only carry a maximum of one frag grenade Ц yay, no more frag spamming! Killstreaks return but now you can unlock a variety of new attacks and customize your own personal Killstreak rewards. These include the new Predator missile, helicopter gunship or AC-130, all of which allow you to control and direct your fire. Other new unlockables include an automated mounted chaingun, a Harrier that first drops bombs and then hovers to mow down any hapless enemies with its cannon, an EMP burst that disables all enemy electronics (including radar and red-dot sights) and my personal favorite, the nuke. Yup, if you can manage a 25-kill streak, you can activate a nuke that wipes out everything and ends the game with an automatic win.

For those who prefer to play in a more supporting role, the new Riot Shield is a perfect addition with its ability to take a ton of damage. You can protect teammates behind you from both bullets and grenades, and can even beat down enemies who get too close. The Shield is great for Domination and similar capture-and-defend objective gametypes.

New as well is the Throwing Knife, which gives you a silent kill. Best of all, you can retrieve your knife (if you can find it) and go off on a ninja killing spree if you like.

The Perk system returns but now you can upgrade your Perks to unlock bonus abilities. And naturally, you can unlock new weapons and attachments, customize your load-out and earn XP by completing dozens of fun challenges.

In addition to the challenges, you can unlock hundreds of new emblems, titles and backgrounds to create a customized УnametagФ that pops up in killcams. It's a small thing but adds to the overall experience by further enhancing your personal customization options.

There are a wide variety of maps (some taken straight from the campaign and some familiar maps from previous games) that are all very well designed, ranging from wide open maps that snipers drool for, to tight alleyways that are perfect for some good ol' CQC.

Multiplayer is just as addictively fun as the original Ц heck, maybe even more so. The XP system will have you coming back for more as you try to unlock everything, with many more tiers of Prestige mode for those hardcore players who want to show off their skills. The XP system does make things a bit tough for new players since they are stuck with the base weapons and Perks, but fortunately you can level up fairly quickly. Trust me, the rewards are worth the initial moments of frustration while your under-equipped butt gets kicked at first. You simply can't get more multiplayer shooter fun than this.