Modern Warfare 2: Day One
By Dan Birlew | Posted November 10, 2009 in Game Reviews | 1 Comment »So like most gamers I’m out of my mind today playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in a non-stop single player marathon. As most of you might suspect, it’s really just more of the same. But since the Call of Duty series has been such an exceptional franchise since its inception, that’s hardly a bad thing. I can safely say it is the “duty” of each and every gamer to add this title to their Christmas list.
Modern Warfare is back!
Infinity Ward’s been nice enough to include enough new mechanics to keep the action a little fresh. One early mission begins with ice climbing, for instance. Using two ice picks, you make each of your arms impale the ice wall and pull you upward. The same stage ends with a James Bond-esque chase on snowmobiles ending with a full throttle jump over a huge chasm. Obviously a lot of thought went into that stage.
Outrunning and outgunning hostiles on snowmobile is an early highlight of the single player campaign.
Immediately afterward, the player is assigned to infiltrate a terrorist cell undercover. As you might suspect, the only way to get terrorists to trust that you’re one of them is by acting like a terrorist. To achieve this, you and your new terrorist buddies enter an airport and massacre innocent civilians and some armed security guards. The scene is brutal, shocking, controversial, and quite daring. I have to say that I really respect Infinity Ward for putting it in the game. You certainly won’t forget this stage anytime soon. Note that even though you’re teamed with the terrorists, there is no requirement to shoot civilians. Probably you’ll still have to shoot a few security guards and the responding TAC team. You can also skip this entire level by opting out prior to starting a new game. Still, why shortchange yourself the experience? Full video of me playing this stage is below.
Several stages later a cool new feature comes into play. Certain doors are marked “Breach.” In the room beyond, hostiles are guarding hostages. By approaching these doors and holding the appropriate controller button, you can place a charge on the door. When the charge blows, you automatically step through the door. Time slows to a crawl, and you must shoot the hostiles before they have time to kill you or the hostages. You must prioritize which hostile to kill first, since killing the wrong one can mean a hostage death or your own demise. [Click here for video]
Slow motion breach bang and clear moments bring a new mechanic to certain missions.
Otherwise, Modern Warfare 2 features all the “grab cover and shoot back” game play we’ve come to know and love. Grenade-dodging and returning is still in play, as are smoke grenades and flashbangs. So far I’ve encountered an uncountable number of weapons you can pick up and use, so there’s very little reason to stick with one gun for a whole mission. I haven’t even played the Special Ops challenge mode or Multiplayer yet, so there’s plenty more to experience. But like I’ve indicated, it’s the most exciting game of the year and a worthwhile Christmas present.
Tags: Call of Duty, Modern Warfare, video games
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Wicked impressed, and well worth the wait!
Nice to finally see the stage that’s been causing all the fuss, too. After what I’d read I was expecting MUCH worse.
Look forward to seeing what else the game has to offer!