Believe the Hype...?

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's success has indeed made a huge impact in the first-person shooter genre. With its realistic settings, superior graphics, and an extremely addictive multiplayer, you had to be out of your mind if you didn't play it (joking)! Infinity Ward truly went all out with Modern Warfare 2, further spoiling its frantic fans with an epic campaign, detailed graphics, and a more rewarding multiplayer experience that is extremely enjoyable to no end. But is this game that different from its predecessor? Doesn't look like it. There isn't anything remotely special that has changed from the first Modern Warfare, and I don't even think anybody cares. And that's true. Despite an almost nonexistent transformation, the sequel to one of the most prominent shooters of its time is here to stay, and it definitely kicks ass.

Five years have passed since the end of Modern Warfare 1. Tensions in Russia are beginning to escalate once again, despite the many efforts to stop the Ultranationalists and its former leader, now-deceased Imran Zakhaev, from rising up to instill terror upon the world once again. Vladimir Makarov, Zakhaev's former associate, has taken over the Ultranationalist party and wants to trigger an international war. The world leaders see this as a priority one alert, so they form an elite division known as 'Task Force 141' to stop Makarov's plans from coming into fruition. Captain MacTavish makes a return, surviving the events of the first game, and he is now your commanding officer. Throughout the campaign, the player will also fill in the shoes of many different soldiers in the fight against the new threat that has appeared before them.

Modern Warfare 2's single player campaign is extremely epic, places you on the edge of your seat, and always keeps things intense. The game has many brutal scenes that some people might not be able to handle, but these major plot events help solidify the player's resolve to stop the antagonists from accomplishing their goals. And thankfully for those people, the game lets them have the option to skip these objectives if it does conflict with their morals and such, and will not affect the main storyline in any way possible. These "oh snap!" moments are as realistic as they can get. But overall, Modern Warfare 2's storyline is more of an over-the-top action movie with lots of guns and explosions, compared to the realistic, military plot the first Modern Warfare possessed. And to my disappointment, Modern Warfare 2's campaign is relatively shorter than its predecessor, taking up only 4-5 hours of play time.  But that doesn't mean the story wasn't enjoyable; in fact, it was very much engaging. Despite its brief campaign, I would think it's safe to say that it is definitely worth playing through it over and over again until you've had enough. And Modern Warfare 2's soldiers, from Task Force 141 to the U.S. Army Rangers are an interesting bunch to familiarize with. The game has also done justice in implementing sensible personalities in its characters, making it easy to kind of connect with many of them.

The game's controls are very responsive and controller-friendly, making game play smooth and unproblematic for the player to handle. You'll actually enjoy sniping people because the weapons are super-accurate and feels just right. I'm also impressed by Modern Warfare 2's new lineup of firepower. These weapons are basically the biggest contributors to lots of assortment in game play. Certain situations force you to use different weapons just for these occasions, but it's ironically beneficial for the player, because they're introduced and more familiarized to a new array of muscle, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses, so there's an extensive range of favorites to choose from.

It is particularly challenging to play through Modern Warfare 2's single player mode, as I had my hands full with just playing it on regular difficulty. This sequel makes Modern Warfare 1 seem like a walk in the park, and you have to be extra careful not to get caught in the enemies' line of fire--which was surprisingly accurate. Players will inevitably encounter many circumstances where a sheer number of targets will prove overwhelming for them, but that's what makes Modern Warfare 2's game play experience powerful and captivating. Players are forced to keep pushing forward and think rationally, instead of just becoming a sitting duck and interrupt the flow of game play.

Infinity Ward hasn't really modified the multiplayer formula or its mechanics from the first Modern Warfare; it was more like they just added more perks, killstreak rewards, and new features such as the deathstreak. But despite my seemingly lackadaisical view of the multiplayer, it is actually very rewarding with how you execute certain skills during combat. For example, you earn additional experience points by eliminating somebody with a headshot or by bringing an end to an opponent's killstreak. In some occasions, multiplayer can tend to be forgiving as well. If, by any chance, you get killed 5 times in a row, you'll actually be granted more health, giving you a temporary and better chance to at least get some kills in. So in a way, Modern Warfare 2 has something for everyone, whether you're really good at this game, or still learning the ropes.

Add more killstreak and deathstreak rewards, and even more perks! New abilities include controlling an AC130 gunner from the sky, additional supply of cargo to replenish ammunition, counter-UAV, or even call in a Harrier to rain terror down on enemies. However, I thought the tactical nuke (25 kills in a row) is really stretching it. Once that nuke is launched, it pretty much seals everyone's fate by killing everyone on the map, automatically ending the match. For me, I think it just takes the fun out of things, and it makes it rather unfair for others who just want the satisfaction of killing other dudes for fun, which is…totally normal. Oh, and have you wondered if you could ever shoot down those pesky UAVs? Well you're in luck, because that's absolutely achievable in Modern Warfare 2.

You can choose to engage in the standard modes--Team Deathmatch, Groundwar, and Headquarters, or you can try out Modern Warfare 2's new modes that exploit the third-person perspective. While it would seem kind of weird for this feature to be added in a first-person shooter, it essentially brings an interesting twist to the overall game play experience that can be enjoyable in a fairly different way. A "Callsign" is basically a player's name tag and shows up on screen whenever a player gets a kill. You can customize these callsigns by adding emblems and titles to make a name for yourself in the MW2 multiplayer world. It won't be long before people might know you as 'StoneColdKilla'…or something along those lines. And much like its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2 has a level up system, and players unlock weapons, perks, skins, attachments, etc. as they continue to earn experience points.

While Modern Warfare 2's standard features were only improved upon, a new "Special Ops" mode is included. Special Ops enables up to a two-man team for co-op play in levels that do not affect or contribute anything in the main storyline. To unlock the next levels, players have to earn stars while completing objective after objective, whether on regular, hardened, or veteran difficulties. Every mission can be attempted in Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo modes with each setting more complex than the one before it. It is definitely worth trying this mode out, especially if you were awfully disappointed in the game's succinct single player campaign; this could very well make up for it.

Graphics have slightly improved from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Infinity Ward has stepped things up a bit with their new IW 4.0 Game Engine, producing sharper-looking environments to a more detailed rendering compared to the first one. Everything I saw on the screen looked so proficient that I found myself frequently distracted on how awesome the game looked. Character models and facial expressions were tremendously believable I thought I was really interacting with real people. Lighting and shadow effects were very well-done, and various animations such as burning fire, great-looking explosions, and flowing water seemed smooth and extremely genuine. But I found the new regenerating health animation to be totally annoying because the blood droplets really obscure the screen. So I found myself dying because I'm literally blinded during these occasions. But did I mention great-looking explosions? Because they certainly were.

The game's sound effects are very distinctive that you can tell what weapon someone was using (if you're actually familiar with guns and the like). I could say the same descriptions about the game's deafening explosion sounds, the crackling of fire, and the electrocuting, sizzling sounds of wire sparks. To sum it up altogether, every single thing you hear in the game feels almost perfect. Modern Warfare 2 has a respectable voice cast, and almost everyone fit their roles quite adequately. Also, the game's set list of dramatic music never lets up for even a second; every track fit every setting, keeping the player motivated at all times. It gives you a great musical experience similar to watching a movie, much like how Modern Warfare 1 felt for me.

It would sound awfully off-putting to say that Modern Warfare 2 is pretty much the same game as the first, only they slightly enhanced everything and added a lot of things in multiplayer and such. Nevertheless, Modern Warfare 2 is a marvelous game that once again falls a tad short in its brief but intense storyline, but excels in its intricately comprehensive visuals, and an extremely compelling and rewarding multiplayer. Although the change isn't shockingly noticeable, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is still an outstanding first-person shooter experience that is incredibly addictive and appealing as they come.