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Introduction:
The original Modern Warfare (AKA Call of Duty 4), was the first title in the CoD series to stray from the battles surrounding WWII. It was also the first CoD title to receive a ‘Mature’ rating from the ESRB (rather than Teen, like the previous iterations). It was a welcome change of venue, and the arrival of Modern Warfare 2 has been eagerly anticipated. Does it live up to the hype? Let’s take a look.

Gameplay:
Veterans of the CoD series shouldn’t find any real surprises, but there are some noteworthy changes in the feel of the gameplay from MW1. The first is the ability to dual wield certain weapons like Uzis or other small arms. It seems like a nice addition, but I found no real benefit to dual wielding. In fact, I found it decreased my accuracy due to a tendency to shoot from the hip more often. There’s also a new auto aim/aim assist system that allows you to ‘snap to’ your targets. Some will really like this new aiming system but true veterans of the series may find distasteful, especially since there’s no way to completely turn it off.

The AI has improved markedly from CoD4. Enemies will flank you from all sides rather than just holding position and are smart about using cover effectively. You’ll also want to watch out for enemies tossing a flashbang before rushing you in force.

The maps in the game have a much more open feel to them, while also providing numerous hiding places. This improved AI, in combination with the more open level design, gives the game a much more realistic feel. Some have complained that the numerous hiding places in many of the maps has led to a bit too much camping in online matches, but I believe that the level designs merely allow enemies to pop out from behind you or from more places that you’re used to expecting.

Due to the fact that you play as a few different characters throughout the campaign, the storyline was a bit difficult to follow at times, but the variety of the gameplay kept the gameplay fun and engaging throughout the entirety of the campaign. With just the first two missions I had used numerous different weapons, operated a mounted turret gun on the back of a hummer, climbed an ice wall, used a snowstorm for cover to sneak around an enemy base and even driven a snowmobile while shooting at pursuing enemies.

Presentation:
The graphics in MW2 are absolutely beautiful and have improved noticeably from CoD4. The amount of detail and ambient smoke and weather effects present in each level is impressive. You’ll feel as if you’re actually on the battlefield. There’s also some nice variety in the level designs. From snow covered mountains to entrenched battlefields and even American urban locales, you certainly won’t get bored with the level design.

Audio is equally impressive and really helps add to the frenzied ambiance of being on a crowded battlefield. The music is done well and provides feelings of tension, surprise or a more somber tone at the loss of a teammate. The voice acting is competent and effectively utilized to help you along during the gameplay. While playing through the single-player campaign, you’ll want to pay attention to what your commanding officer is saying for cues regarding what to do or where to go next.

Extras:
Gone is the ability to play through the single-player campaign in co-op. Instead, it’s been replaced by a series of Spec. Ops. missions, which let you team up and take on various challenges like assaulting a bridge or holding off waves of attackers. Depending on the difficulty level selected and your performance in the Spec. Ops. Challenges, you’ll earn one to three stars for each mission and unlock perks and add ons you can use in multiplayer matches.

Speaking of multiplayer matches; they are, of course, the meat and potatoes of virtually all Call of Duty titles and the multiplayer in MW2 doesn’t disappoint. It’s easy to spend hours online, ranking up, earning your perks and punishing your enemies in match after match.

For those who don’t have live (or who were caught cheating the system with a modded 360 and recently got their console banned from Xbox Live), you’ll be happy to know that MW2 also offers 4-player split-screen for some good old 2-on-2 action. So, with Spec. Ops., 4-player offline play on one 360 and online multiplayer matches, you’ve got plenty of great multiplayer options with MW2.

Rants:

• The auto aim/aim assist system can be nice to use, but there’s no way to turn it completely off.
• Dual wiendling seems like a nice addition, but I found it was more of an afterthought and not very useful.
• Some of the multiplayer perks can provide an unfair advantage.

Raves:

• Amazing graphics - some of the best I’ve seen in any shooter to date.
• Virtually endless replay value in the popular and well-done multiplayer modes.
• An engaging single-player campaign with lots of variety in gameplay.

Conclusion:
Infinity Ward has delivered on the hype. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the best Call of Duty title to date. With amazing graphics, great audio, variety in both the single-player campaign and multiplayer maps and options, there’s enough here to keep any CoD fan engaged for quite a long time. The few minor issues with the game are nowhere near enough to keep it from achieving greatness, and I would not be surprised to see Modern Warfare 2 take an hold one of the top spots on the Xbox Live most played games list for quite a while.

Score: 9.5