Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360)
Genre: First-Person Shooter Publisher: Activision Developer: Infinity Ward Players: 1-18
Infinity Ward has done considerable work in creating a storyline that really kicks the US repeatedly in the swingers, leading to confronting a Russian invasion force and tracking the latest crazed Russian terrorist (story arcs that have seen the game banned in Russia). It’s a perspective that’s strangely engaging to play. The plight the well-equipped marines face, putting them under considerable pressure on home soil, is hammered home through set piece after set piece, all suitably grandiose. Attempts to bedazzle the player are everywhere, making it seem wonderfully over-the-top, like The Da Vinci Code of video games.
A now-optional mission, lambasted in the mainstream press, is a case in point. Many people will probably find that although a successful catalyst in driving the story forward, the simple act of blasting apart one civilian while they are trying to help another can’t but help feel a little tasteless. Including it as an interactive level rather than a cut scene must have been deployed as a shock tactic. The move has set Modern Warfare 2 as something to be lambasted in the mainstream press, the thing that the Jack Thompsons of this world will hold aloft as an example of how games are destroying the youth of today. The new GTA then.
On just about every other occasion in which an impact scene is presented – and that being the vast majority of them - the results are continually impressive. Players pick up the story after the events of Modern Warfare, again taking control of a selection of elite soldiers and mission hopping around the globe. The formula is tried and tested and works well in keeping the momentum up, and there are numerous twists to keep you interested. From stealth situations to massive, open air fire fights, a continual feeling of pressure is maintained, forcing the player on through the story.
Whether it be sneaking aboard an oil rig, breaking into the Gulag, or slipping through an enemy base under the cover of a snowstorm, Infinity Ward have delivered a sequence of thrilling events that moves across the globe as it plays out. It’s still as linear as hell, but the shininess of the visuals and the actions of your enemy help dispel that feeling. The way the enemy crumples, clutching parts of their body which you’ve raked by fire, doesn’t become old.
Multiplayer, though, is where it’s at. All the features from the previous games are here but they’ve been beefed up. Now players have Perks that develop and become better with use, a selection of support items that can be called in based on a killstreak (how about a tactical nuke, for 25 kills?) which really hands control of combat to the player. Combining items like a Perk that allows killstreak bonuses to be called in early, with rewards that accumulate kills quickly (like using a Predator missile to kill multiple enemies and thus granting access to the attack helicopter), are genuinely thrilling when they come off. Only serious hours on multiplayer will show if there are any balance issues, but this is a damned good place to start.
Initial play also suggests that some of the key concerns of the community have been unfounded. The death streak is only a minor addition and doesn’t actually reward poor players with inexcusable bonuses, and the riot shield can become a key piece of kit, although not game breaking on games of Headquarters.
A very smart addition to the package is the Special Forces group of missions, thrusting two players into a selection of set pieces from which they must escape. This easily becomes a key component of the multiplayer experience, because the high pressure environments and the absolute requirement to work with your partner offer a sense of urgency the general multiplayer doesn’t. From snowmobile races to protecting your ground-based ally from hordes of enemies while manning an AC-130 gunship, the variety and teamwork make it instantly appealing.
The Special Ops missions are my favourite component of Modern Warfare 2. Maybe it’s the fact that I only play with a select few people online when given the chance, or perhaps it’s because I often mute my headset when in public lobbies to prevent my ears being bombarded with the inane ranting of a 12 year old. Either way, being able to coordinate simultaneous snipers shots while in a blizzard with a mate is absolutely brilliant. Rumours already of more missions being made available are probably going to proven true, no doubt creating another revenue stream for the swelling coffers.
That’s not to say that I won’t be spending considerable hours on the general multiplayer, because I will. Larger maps, more weapons, and a whole plethora of perks and bonuses mean that there is depth here that should help keep the interest up for a larger group of people, over a longer period of time. A wave of new gadgets drags it straight into the 21st century and provides some devastating firepower along the way.
The only real criticism I have about getting online is the lack of any way to refine your search for a game. World at War allowed you to search by broad criteria based on location/connection – (Default, Local, Locale), but that feature hasn’t been carried over here. Although the search screen tells me that it has located 20 possible games out of 50, it often sticks me in with a group of Americans, which is bad only because I live in Australia and have a connection icon with a paltry single red dot. It’s a poor oversight.
Modern Warfare 2 does, however, put Infinity Ward right at the top of the tree when it comes to delivering an intensive online experience. This is a leader in the genre and a must own for anyone who enjoys online combat, and although a longer solo campaign would always be welcome, you can’t accuse what does exist of being underwhelming.
By Keith B (17th Nov 2009)
The genre-defining, explosive multiplayer will help people ignore the minor issues with the single player campaign.
The pressure of expectation can so often lead to disappointment, when the relentless hype machine sets a bar that reality has a hard time reaching. You could take Too Human, or the Star Wars prequels, as a case in point. As many reviewers tore through Modern Warfare 2 in a bid to get their reviews up online and in their magazines, it has been easy to get sucked in by the momentum of it all, treating its arrival like the second coming of Christ. Only Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3 have generated quite this amount of interest, and both of those managed to escape the pit of mediocrity, as has the sequel to the insanely popular Modern Warfare.
If you asked gamers which Call of Duty games they preferred, I would imagine that a great many of them would line up behind Infinity Ward over Treyarch. It’s strange then that this new single player campaign feels so much like Treyarch’s World at War. I obviously don’t mean the look or sound, but the actual structure of the missions follows suit closely. Assaulting something like the Reichstag? Check. Clearing the streets of enemies while accompanied by tanks? Check. The list goes on. And then it’s still only six hours of play time. Not enough if you haven’t got access to the game’s multiplayer.
Infinity Ward has done considerable work in creating a storyline that really kicks the US repeatedly in the swingers, leading to confronting a Russian invasion force and tracking the latest crazed Russian terrorist (story arcs that have seen the game banned in Russia). It’s a perspective that’s strangely engaging to play. The plight the well-equipped marines face, putting them under considerable pressure on home soil, is hammered home through set piece after set piece, all suitably grandiose. Attempts to bedazzle the player are everywhere, making it seem wonderfully over-the-top, like The Da Vinci Code of video games.
A now-optional mission, lambasted in the mainstream press, is a case in point. Many people will probably find that although a successful catalyst in driving the story forward, the simple act of blasting apart one civilian while they are trying to help another can’t but help feel a little tasteless. Including it as an interactive level rather than a cut scene must have been deployed as a shock tactic. The move has set Modern Warfare 2 as something to be lambasted in the mainstream press, the thing that the Jack Thompsons of this world will hold aloft as an example of how games are destroying the youth of today. The new GTA then.
On just about every other occasion in which an impact scene is presented – and that being the vast majority of them - the results are continually impressive. Players pick up the story after the events of Modern Warfare, again taking control of a selection of elite soldiers and mission hopping around the globe. The formula is tried and tested and works well in keeping the momentum up, and there are numerous twists to keep you interested. From stealth situations to massive, open air fire fights, a continual feeling of pressure is maintained, forcing the player on through the story.
Whether it be sneaking aboard an oil rig, breaking into the Gulag, or slipping through an enemy base under the cover of a snowstorm, Infinity Ward have delivered a sequence of thrilling events that moves across the globe as it plays out. It’s still as linear as hell, but the shininess of the visuals and the actions of your enemy help dispel that feeling. The way the enemy crumples, clutching parts of their body which you’ve raked by fire, doesn’t become old.
Multiplayer, though, is where it’s at. All the features from the previous games are here but they’ve been beefed up. Now players have Perks that develop and become better with use, a selection of support items that can be called in based on a killstreak (how about a tactical nuke, for 25 kills?) which really hands control of combat to the player. Combining items like a Perk that allows killstreak bonuses to be called in early, with rewards that accumulate kills quickly (like using a Predator missile to kill multiple enemies and thus granting access to the attack helicopter), are genuinely thrilling when they come off. Only serious hours on multiplayer will show if there are any balance issues, but this is a damned good place to start.
Initial play also suggests that some of the key concerns of the community have been unfounded. The death streak is only a minor addition and doesn’t actually reward poor players with inexcusable bonuses, and the riot shield can become a key piece of kit, although not game breaking on games of Headquarters.
A very smart addition to the package is the Special Forces group of missions, thrusting two players into a selection of set pieces from which they must escape. This easily becomes a key component of the multiplayer experience, because the high pressure environments and the absolute requirement to work with your partner offer a sense of urgency the general multiplayer doesn’t. From snowmobile races to protecting your ground-based ally from hordes of enemies while manning an AC-130 gunship, the variety and teamwork make it instantly appealing.
The Special Ops missions are my favourite component of Modern Warfare 2. Maybe it’s the fact that I only play with a select few people online when given the chance, or perhaps it’s because I often mute my headset when in public lobbies to prevent my ears being bombarded with the inane ranting of a 12 year old. Either way, being able to coordinate simultaneous snipers shots while in a blizzard with a mate is absolutely brilliant. Rumours already of more missions being made available are probably going to proven true, no doubt creating another revenue stream for the swelling coffers.
That’s not to say that I won’t be spending considerable hours on the general multiplayer, because I will. Larger maps, more weapons, and a whole plethora of perks and bonuses mean that there is depth here that should help keep the interest up for a larger group of people, over a longer period of time. A wave of new gadgets drags it straight into the 21st century and provides some devastating firepower along the way.
The only real criticism I have about getting online is the lack of any way to refine your search for a game. World at War allowed you to search by broad criteria based on location/connection – (Default, Local, Locale), but that feature hasn’t been carried over here. Although the search screen tells me that it has located 20 possible games out of 50, it often sticks me in with a group of Americans, which is bad only because I live in Australia and have a connection icon with a paltry single red dot. It’s a poor oversight.
Modern Warfare 2 does, however, put Infinity Ward right at the top of the tree when it comes to delivering an intensive online experience. This is a leader in the genre and a must own for anyone who enjoys online combat, and although a longer solo campaign would always be welcome, you can’t accuse what does exist of being underwhelming.
9.3
Single Play
9.0
Friend Play
9.2
Multi Play
9.5
Graphics
8.9
Sound
8.8
Challenge
8.2
Entertainment
9.3
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Modern Warfare 2
Vital stats
Modern Warfare 2 (X360)
-
we say:
9.3 - you say: 7.8
- scores: 4 your score: 0/10
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Yeah we're the third world country of gaming, curse you Atkinson!
I think the gaming world in general is against Aussies. Lag on games is only an issue if the games actually get released.
It might sound a bit far-fetched but a couple of my mates and there mates and so on were trying to get an all Australian game of ground war we had 16 players (max is 18) and for whatever reason the game wouldn't start it said balancing teams, none of us went in as a god damn party! I'm convinced MW2 hates Australians.
Daniel if we search over here for a game on your own you find them qucik enough but if your in a party it could take 5 or 6 goes to merge lobbies.
Excellent points there Keith ;-)
Lachlan few of my PC friends also gone back to COD4 i must ask them can you create your own maps on COD4 with the PC like the guy did with the halloween version of overgrown? Becasue wild horses drinking Guinness couldent drag me back to MW2 :-)
I absolutely agree with Another Society on just about all of his points, and the guy know his games so if there's someone out there who deserves to have his opinions heard then he's the man. But I do have something to say that might be another perspective.
I think that the problem with having larger maps is that it can lead to camping - sniper rifles are more effective, there are more places to hide. But the thing is, is that you're given tools to help find them. Heartbeat sensors, never-ending streams of UAVs, yada yada yada. Often there are simply too many crates landing meaning there is always a damn chopper hovering, but from the outset you can equip an anti-air rocket launcher and pop them out of the sky. So I think that it is - and was meant to be - a far more action packed game than CoD4, for better or worse. The camping (particularly on Pro games with limited HUD and so on) can be a real pain in the ass. The issues with meleeing through a shield I haven't come across as I don't use it, but I think there is a place for the SMGs - when you get the Akimbo perk it can make you almost unstoppable at close range - Increased rate of fire, increased bullet damage, and 2X P90s is simply staggeringly powerful. YEah, not much good outdoors but move around through buildings and you can decimate other players.
Whether or not that will keep CoD4 players happy remains to be seen, but I think that there's a lot to the new multiplayer and given a chance (and sort of like a Die Hard flick, you check your brain at the door) then it can be enjoyed. Considering most things have been beefed up in some regard I think it's too early to call the multiplayer a failure, but I think Another Society has made some very valid points (and having played for over 2 days online, he should know). I'm coming up on my first 24 hours online and I'm still digging it somewhat.
Hey AnotherSociety, I know here in Aus we have a very hard time finding Aussie games, what's it like over in Ireland?
Yeah, that's mostly pretty fair crticism - a lot of my PC gaming buddies have already gone back to COD 4.
AnotherSociety, don't hold back, tell us what you really think ;P
I approached this game like every other game i buy with an open mind and really wanted to like every minute of it lets face it after 2days online play its still shit! I loved the large maps in Battlefield Bad Company the thing is either have massive maps and a way around them or nice tidy maps like cod 4 problem here is they went in between which dosent work? As for Tactics dude there is only one tactic i see people using and thats spawn camping.. Like.. lets run over here and place claymores /turrets /tactical respawn/on the other spawn lets face it its not hard on this game because the spawn points are useless and exactly same place every time. You can just force spawns around the map just like World at War.
Merging Lobbys ? Dosent merge if you have anymore than 3.... half of the time.
Air drops pants..... I called in the 8 kill air drop Got AC130/Attack harrier/ Uav jammer/ and a pavelow thats a little too much fire power for one dude???
No hardcore HQ what the f--k is HQ pro load of B-----s
The single shot guns like the fal are brilliant but with everyone using automatic rifles and seconday automatic pistols you can forget about single shot gun in this game.
Handguns like the USP are useless in MW2 they may as well have left them out.
Whats the story with using a shield you can block bullets and some grenades but a guy can knife you straight through it from the front?
I could go on here all day I really cant see people playing this for as long as Call of Duty 4. Hope this dosent put you off playing it Frank20..
COD4 will keep us going until Battlefield bad company 2 comes out ; )
The larger maps certainly make it easier for people to camp, but I think the addition of heartbeat sensors and so on meant that it was always intended to move that way. Another Society said he didn't like the larger maps, among a whole list of other things.
The group I play with normally have just decided that they are not playing this anymore, sick of the multiplayer, and going back to CoD4. I have to disagree with them, but one thing I have found is that if you approach this game the same as CoD4 you will die repeatedly. You have to approach the tactics of MW2 as being a new game unto itself.
You want to know about temptation? I bought this game but not playing it till my Xmas hoildays. fingernails and hair are just about gone.
I'm with you on that point Lachlan.
I don't normally get nerdrage about features being left out of video games, but dedicated servers are one of the few things that justify the added expense and hassle of being a PC gamer.
Oh sweet Jesus, suddenly noob tube EVERYWHERE. I'll give a brief opinion on the game once I've finished the campaign. And Lachlan so many of PC friends have ditched and raged so hard about the servers, I feel for them.
I saw screens online today of dedicated servers running unofficially with some form of online workaround.
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2009/11/modern-warfare-2-gets-dedicated-pc-servers-well-sort-of/
Oh hey, no dedicated servers for the PC? Yeah. No.