Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review
- Posted November 16th, 2009 at 11:11 EDT by Mike Harradence
- 21,144 views
- 68 Comments
Review Score
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- PSU Review Score
- 9.5
- Avg. user review score:
- 7.6
Summary
Modern Warfare 2 is an essential purchase regardless of your affiliation with the Call of Duty brand. In short, buy this game now. That is an order, soldier.
We like
- The stunning visuals
- The gripping narrative and action-packed campaign
- The utterly brilliant Special Ops and Multiplayer modes
We dislike
- The fact the main campaign mode is over too quickly
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
You would be hard pressed to find another franchise more firmly embedded on the public consciousness over the past few years than Call of Duty. Since the series’ emphatic leap from WWII-era first person combat to the more contemporary shenanigans faced in 2007’s Call of Duty 4, developer Infinity Ward has subjected the franchise to a much-needed shot in the arm, with Modern Warfare garnering universal acclaim, mountains of awards and racking up countless hours of play time on PSN and Xbox LIVE. Unsurprisingly, Modern Warfare 2’s unveiling earlier this year was met with prodigious applause among punters and industry folk alike, with launch celebrations falling on London’s swanky Leister Square this past Tuesday. Crammed full of salivating gamers, celebs and legions of blokes dressed in cameo gear, Modern Warfare 2’s premiere not only proved a fine bash in its own right, but, concurrently, offered a fine testament to the sheer impacting nature video games are starting to have on pop culture. Of course, this leads us, inexorably; to ponder the following– does it ultimately live up to the hype?
Opening up half a decade after the events of its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2 once again has players hopping between two distinct factions throughout the game– the U.S. Army Rangers and elite British forces, Task Force 141. Any fears that the constant switching between two forces puts a damper on an extremely compelling narrative can be put to rest immediately; Modern Warfare 2’s plot unfolds in a cohesive, gripping manner not unlike past iterations in the series, and the constant changing of factions actually compliments the proceedings immensely. After all, each time you change roles, you’re itching to find out what’s been going on across the other side of the globe.
Any preconceptions you may have on Modern Warfare 2 are justified in abundance upon your first mission – Infinity Ward has wisely plumped for the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ philosophy for its mammoth follow up, and we’re frankly chuffed they did. Sure, it’s as heavily scripted as it’s always been, but every explosion, ambush, twist, and turn has been conceived with such meticulous attention to detail, that you won’t give it a seconds thought. Locations remain just as satisfyingly diverse as always. One minute you’re sniping at enemies through a raging snow storm, the next you’re battling against overwhelming odds in the middle of a quaint Virginia suburb, USA, military aircraft flying incongruously over the rooftops and picket fences against a pitch black sky illuminated by the flicker of AA fire. Lengthy shootouts are punctuated by adrenaline-filled set pieces, pitting you on snowmobiles, jeeps and choppers in high-speed antics, while the regular on-foot missions rarely have a chance to descend in to monotony thanks to the brutal AI and varied mission parameters. Indeed, adaptability is paramount to survival, with some missions requiring the application of stealth, others focusing on a search and destroy mentality, methodically dispatching your foes alongside able squad members, while at the other end of the spectrum, you’re defusing bombs and extricating hapless hostages. Controversially, one particular episode has you assuming an undercover identity with a group of nefarious Russian folk embarking on a killing spree at a bustling airport. You, of course, are obliged to join in the massacre in a bid to keep you identity intact.
Still, despite its inherent familiarity, Modern Warfare 2 isn’t entirely devoid of surprises – there’s still a dose of welcome gameplay tweaks you’ll encounter. Among the most noticeable include the ability to scale snowy mountainsides, utilize riot shields for added protection, fresh weaponry, and other tweaks that help flesh out the proceedings and distinguish the game from its predecessor. However, these merely play second fiddle to the meaty Special Ops mode, which remains one of Modern Warfare 2’s most substantial efforts. Here, players tackle bite-sized missions either solo or with a friend (either online or split-screen) set in locations plucked straight from the main campaign – fundamentally, Special Ops is the closet you’re going to get to a full-fledged co-op experience. Fortunately, missions are richly diverse and in no short supply, ranging from sniping, search and destroy, racing snowmobiles, defusing bombs, quick kills and more – make it through alive and you earn yourself a gold star, ... (continued on next page)
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Comments
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edward_moffet
- 11:33am GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 5
I'd give it a high 8. Though there are some great set pieces in the single player IW did a poor job of fleshing the story out and explaining the antagonists motives, Also some of these moments could have been done better (like the helicopter crash in DC where it's basically just a spinning camera). I'm not saying it's bad but it lacks the depth necessary to meet the monumental hype. The MP is as good as ever though, and i love the dual wielding. And while the SP campaign is absolutely not what it could have been those set piece moments were awesome.
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tristan88888888
- 12:15pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 7
got it last night. have yet to play it. tonight is the night. i was beginning to buy in to all the hate so i decided i needed to get it so i dont miss a great experience just because of other people on the internet.
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Acid-Hippie2007
- 12:27pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 9
I just beat MW2 yesterday and started over on veteran, man talk about a good game !!!
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darthrazorback
- 1:08pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 11
The game is very well produced and it is good to see them not just toss in the same type of level every time. However, the campaign always has me feeling like I am following a strict script and that has not changed AT ALL from COD4, and therefor I get pulled out of the story most of the time. Where this game shines is in the two multiplayer modes... provided no one is cheating. I give it an 8.0 for production, multiplayer, but losing points for the lacking singleplayer campaign.
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rycexboi
- 1:16pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 13
Just got done with the campaign, it's a good game for a multiplat. Didn't really like how the screen would turn all red and your aiming being thrown off when shot. It made it really had to take care of the enemy that shot you and hard to find out where you got shot because of all the redness. Overall quality of the game decent for a multiplat, but felt like they rushed this more compared to the first one.
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Bazookajoe_83
- 2:42pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 16
The campaign is ok, short but pretty deacent. The mp is where the money is. So if u play mp games this is a must buy. If youre interested in the single player rent it.
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lordAlucard
- 3:21pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 18
Automatic 7 Call of Duty is just overated, if anyone wanted to play a real modern warfare then Bad Company is just about right!!
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Rengaw
- 3:31pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 19
I still have yet to buy another COD game as the last one i bought was COD3 for my XB360, I prefer the PS3 Battlefield series as it has more freedom like open sandbox style of play, 1943 Pacific is great and i'm looking forward to BC2, COD feels too linar to me but it does have good graphics, i played the COD WAW demo and it felt too repetitive with soldiers constantly respawning, in Battlefield when you kill the enemy they stay dead.
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MysticStrummer
- 3:38pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 20
It almost seems like it should be illegal for the words "Modern Warfare" to appear anywhere in connection with this game, much less the title. This game is an 8.5 at best. Less than five hours to complete the story... pathetic. They might as well go for full on target lock with the DS3's L1 button. I played the first few levels at a friend's house and I'm so glad I didn't buy this piece of good looking mediocrity. For my money, the only worthwhile thing here is the co-op. If MW2 was a PS3 exclusive, there would be thousands of articles online by now complaining about the short story, lack of innovation, and mindless online play. I'll pass and play Borderlands, an FPS with some creativity, and Demon's Souls, an action RPG with old school challenge and innovative online component. F*** IW and Activision.
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Hartia
- 4:28pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 23
This game does not deserve a high score, first of all the visuals are terrible, nowhere does it look any improved compared to previous titles, the whole game is just reskinned. And online is laggy as heck, even when you find a decent game its full of no skill campers, the whole game is such a wreck, i enjoyed cod4 a lot more because it was something fresh, playing this felt no more than a playing field lower than its predecessor.....
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Tomthegreat
- 4:37pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 24
The game is good , but i expected something better, thats why i would give this game 9- , and if u ask me U2 is better
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Chaozhoutiger
- 5:28pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 26
I would have given it a 8.5, can't bought it but it didn't really impress me that much......... Uncharted on the other hand, was simple amazing. It is the best game I played in a while.
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Xelrahc_Yrreve
- 5:30pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 27
GAME SUCKS deserves a 8 or 7 game is the same CR@P has MW1 bought it on November 10 sold it on November 15 for 50 dollars i hate the game
but im gald some ppl like it
UC2,R2,KZ2,BC,and UT3 FTW!
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FonFahbre
- 6:41pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 30
Story could of been more elaborate, I hardly know anything about the antagonist, but I guess that's just to make him look more mysterious.
The campaign was great though, I admit I enjoyed it a lot more then any shooter I've played despite its 5 to 6 hours longevity. Multi though was a let down. A downgrade from COD4, maps were bleh and it also played the same. Spec Ops is fun though. If it wasn't for that, the game wouldn't be worth getting for the current price it has.
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bracomadar
- 7:45pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 34
I dislike the fact that my PS3 broke while I was playing it :(
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bigCman123
- 8:59pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 35
An awesome game, there is occasional lag, but it's because of terrible hosts. The single player is better than I expected, and the multiplayer is extremely fun and addictive (better than CoD4 for sure because I didn't play it much online).
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pionata
- 9:18pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 36
I did not like this game. The single player is filled with pro terror-war propaganda, rascism toward Middle East and Russian Culture and incitation to regard genocide as something "fun".
The multiplayer is just more of the same, a few god maps but much are so small. Everyone just try to go around the map to attack from behind and it throws all strategy in the garbage; specially when your always killed by someone that has respawned behind you.
The Kill Streak are unbalanced. The game modes are uninspiring. Too few maps.
Some good stuff but overall far from what I expected.
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headstrong24
- 10:06pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 39
I love this game! The single player story isn't explained as well as it should be and it is too short but it is still pretty good. Also, the multiplayer in the game is the absolute best hands down.
I still like Uncharted 2 better though. The story in that game is just amazing!!!
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Centurion-Legion777
- 10:07pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 40
this game deserves an 8.5/10 and Uncharted 2 an 11/10
MW2 + 5 hours of really good but
Uncharted 2 = 10 hours of PURE AWESOMENESS and GREATNESS
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Centurion-Legion777
- 10:16pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 42
for those who say MW2 is the greatest game ever: it's not, ok? the single players was short, the graphics are good but cant beat MGS4's graphics (one of the greatest games ever and its from 2008)
the story is almost the same as CoD4 with some twists and turns. they ruined the online as they made it more noob friendly with all those perks and points you get. you get points for everything, they almost gave points for running.
if you compare this with Uncharted 2, MW2 almost ends up looking like a ps1 game
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PRFEZ
- 11:40pm GMT - November 16th, 2009
- 44
I love the gameplay, it is by far superb. The multiplayer is great-if the host happens to leave, the game will paused and find the next best host instead of ending the game. Special-Ops is way to fun to the point my friends start fighting on who gets to be the heli or ac 130 gunner.
Overall I give this game a 9/10 ! It is a must have to every gamer PS3 collection!
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FEARLESSMODE
- 12:04am GMT - November 17th, 2009
- 46
Come on people you know they made the game for online play not for the story part of the game
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airhead190
- 12:25am GMT - November 17th, 2009
- 48
no fuc*ing way. the single player SUCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no way it should get over an 8.5
i mean i have already spent 20 hours playing this game and the MP is AMAZING and so fun... but campaign mode sucked. i first beat it on regular and then veteran so theres no way you can say i played the wrong mode. i mean it started off good but there was sooooo much that couldve been told way better.
i vented *sigh*
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starblinky
- 12:46am GMT - November 17th, 2009
- 50
except the single player compaign was terrible and boring. Id give the game a 9.0 for multiplayer but minus 0.5 for the horrible single player, total 8.5
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