This review only covers the single player portion of the game, and will not discuss multiplayer or special ops.
Synopsis: In 2007 Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare shook off the tired WWII setting that the series had seen in all previous releases and instead dropped players into a fast-paced, intriguing game that revolutionized the genre. The game featured all the action of a Hollywood blockbuster, the tension of a season of 24, and more than a few "did that just happen?" moments. The biggest question about Modern Warfare 2 was "is it better than CoD4?", and to find out, read on!
Loved: Modern Warfare 2 is bigger and better in every way than CoD4. The locations are more varied, and even more memorable. CoD4's mission in Pripyat, Ukraine- the deserted city near Chernobyl- was incredible, and was a definite high point for the game. Nearly every level in MW2 is equally stunning in terms of location. Globe-hopping from a blizzard in Kazakhstan, to an oil-rig in the Baltic sea, to an eerily familiar suburban street in north-east Virgina, and a half-dozen more locations is both awesome and greatly adds to the story. Speaking of story- while you do need to pay attention to every detail revealed between missions- is amazing. A perfect blend of great characters, over-the-top action, and and frenetic pacing is to be found here, like a cinematic blend of Casino Royale, Black Hawk Down, and The Rock. The risk that Infinity Ward took with regards to the now famous "No Russian" mission payed off beautifully for me. We will discuss MW2 on Contracast later this week, but in short- as Shepherd tells Allen, "You will sacrifice a part of yourself". A little exaggerated, since I'm just a player, but it was sobering. It is the central plot point of the entire film though, and it does an excellent job of establishing the main antagonists character. Lastly (already typing out of the 2 minute range, there's just so much I loved) the game is so well crafted. The settings, the weapons, the characters- nothing is ignored, and the details make this game a true spectacle.
Hated: The campaign is too short. Each subsequent difficulty makes it longer, but when you get to the end, you will wish that there was more, and that the loose ends get tied. A few parts of the game can be unfairly hard. The Favela missions in Brazil have a lot of militia popping up out of nowhere, and it turns out that those guys are pretty good with a gun. You need to slow down too much given the pace of those missions in order to not get killed a bunch.
Verdict: The last time I played a game that had so many "wow" moments was when I played through CoD4. This game has so many more that its truly amazing. G4 said that each level could easily be a standard shooter's "standout" level, and they're right. Somewhere between making jumping a canyon on a hijacked snowmobile, defending suburban restaurants from invading Russians, and retaking a bombed out "Whiskey Hotel" (hint 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), you forget you are playing a game, and get totally lost in the best action movie you have ever seen. Enough plot twists and clever dialogue to please people looking for a captivating story, and enough bullets and explosions to make even Michael Bay envious, MW2 is easily the best game I have played since Half-Life 2, and without reserve I would say that it is equal to that game. Which is saying a lot, you know. 10/10
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