Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (COD4) was expected to sell well- but no one in their sane mind would expect the game to be the best selling title of this console generation. The money whores over at Activision immediately gave developer Infinity Ward the green light for a second call of duty which is set in the present day, despite disliking the idea before COD 4 came out.
The marketing budget and hype of this game can only be matched by halo 3- costing much more then $10 million. Halo fell short because of the extremely high expectations- will Modern Warfare 2 do the same thing?
Modern Warfare 2 takes place 5 years after COD4, and “Soap” Mactavish (you play as him in COD 4) is now part of a Task Force 141, a elite multi-national unit. Vladimir Makarov, an ally of Imran Zakhaev (the main antagonist of COD 4), has been carrying out brutal terrorist attacks in Russia. The situation is so serious that TF141 is sent in to stop him. However, something goes terribly wrong and the United States gets invaded.
You play a number of different characters- but most of the time you will be in the boots of Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson, which is under the command of Soap. The game even include gruesome scene which is NOT for the faint heart. But the scene leads to a huge plot twist- you will be crying “OH SHIT NONONONONONONONO” as it is revealed.
The story is solid and it ties up all the loose end before you finish it. You will finish it in 7 hours, but the story is unpredictable and the ending is satisfying- but not perfect.
You will play in a variety of locations- from the icy mountains of Kazakhstan to the invaded wasteland of Washington DC. Each different location adds a unique twist to the battle. An example would be fighting in a civilian filled city which makes you more cautious of where you shoot- even when more then 10 people are attacking you at the same time.
Multiplayer have received huge improvements. Now instead of always holding a pistol as your secondary weapon, you now have the choice of complementing your main gun with a machine pistol, shotgun, launcher or a handgun. There are many awards for kill streaks now- you get to unlock them in your liking, but you can only select three to bring along for a battle.
The multiplayer hadn’t changed much, but COD4’s multiplayer is still one of the best in the world. Think of it as the sweetest cupcake you can buy- but this has frosting on it. Its little, but it makes the cupcake so much more yummy.
To top the already amazing deal off, there is a brand new cooperative mode- Spec Ops. Making up for the lack of co-op in campaign, this have you performing many different tasks- which can categorized into different sections- Wave Defense, Elimination, Stealth, Assault and Timed Escort.
Wave defense is about holding off a few waves of enemies, while Elimination requires you to clear a map of enemies- but there may be twists like civilians which you can’t kill, or multiple tanks suppressing you while you do your jobs. Stealth is simple- there is a hundred enemies between you and your destination, and you have a sniper to take out patrols. Assault tasks you with attacking an enemy position- it may range from defusing multiple time bombs in a market to fighting a elite battalion to retrieve a intel package. Timed Escort puts a player in a AC-130 gunship or Black Hawk helicopter to assist the player on the ground through massive amount of enemies to get to the finishing point.
It is fun- call a buddy on Xbox Live to join you- and you could easily waste an entire afternoon. It will take longer then the campaign to finish, depending on the amount of skill you and your friend have. This certainly adds a new twist to Call of Duty, as you need to plan your attack before you start and try to follow it. Plans can get really complicated- especially in the later missions where your enemies (which wears heavy amour) are invulnerable to standard gun fire.
This game is easily one of the best game I ever played. Ask the other writers of Techxav- most will agree. The game has great hype and it lived up to it. It is a must-buy for action games fanatic.