Modern Warfare 2 is everything its supposed to be...at least the multiplayer. The single player left something to be desired. You can almost sense that Infinity Ward knew that online play was the money shot and the single player mode was nothing more than an after thought.

Single Player:
The graphics are drastically improved from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The maps are prettier and the textures are more detailed. The game overall is visually stunning. My main gripe with the single player is that there appears to be no way to not die. I played it on regular difficulty which is actually medium-easy. Still, there were some parts where you realize that you can't fight. You have to run. But you don't realize this until you die. You would probably have to play the levels hundreds of times to traverse them confidently with minimal deaths.

The story is a convoluted tale of a wag the dog style war but it gets you from level to level and to the end of the game in about 4 hours if you know what you are doing. A modest effort made for a decent game but I doubt I will spend much time revisiting the single player.

Multiplayer:
If you have played Cod 4: Modern Warfare, then the controls will be very familiar and easy to get used to. The game play is identical, but be careful, the speed and overall feel of the game is different. The game plays much faster and smoother so strategy should be adjusted from 4 style play to match the upgraded pace.

The challenge / equipment / perks system is expanded as well. The addition of perks that can improve as you complete more challenges is a welcome addition. Also, the addition of customized kill streaks adds an element to the game. Basically you have the option to bet you are going to get bigger kill streaks and get better pay offs from them. If you aren't that confident, you can set up your streaks for less kills, but the perks for those streaks are not as impressive.

The maps are gorgeous. They don't, however, seem to have had the same thought put into them as in the original Modern Warfare. The idea of "this side of the map, that side of the map" seems gone as the maps are bigger, more complicated and have tons of nooks and crannies that make them more seemless and less sectioned. I personally enjoyed the maps that were sectioned into halves or quarters and while I don't know the maps inside out yet, this doesn't seem to be the case here. Think World at War or COD4 map packs. So many rooms and levels. That's pretty much how these feel. I was kind of sad that there weren't any throwback maps included. Would have loved to seen Ambush or Bog get a re-imagining in MW2.

Overall, the new guns, perks, equipment and maps make this a great update to a game that wasn't even played out yet. Modern Warfare 2 is Modern Warfare on steroids and its worth every penny for the juice.

Tags: Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward, review, video game,

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