Please note: this review contains spoilers for the plot from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. If you have not finished that game in full, I do not recommend that you read this review until you have done so. That is, unless you do not mind spoilers. Consider this your fair warning.The Call of Duty series has always been on an annual schedule, and since the second installment it has always traded off years between developers Infinity Ward and Treyarch; with the exception of Advanced Warfare, which was crafted by Sledgehammer Games... but that's an entirely different review. Fans of the franchise seem to love one developer and hate the other, depending on their taste. Modern Warfare 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Infinity Ward's original 2007 classic of the same name, coming in two years after its release.
At the end of the first Modern Warfare, Soap and Captain Price were left bloodied and lying on the battlefield after taking down Zakhaev. Their survival is left up in the air, and after the credits rolled the short epilogue mission Mile High Club becomes playable; the events that unfold during this outro lead into the cause of Modern Warfare 2. The game is set five years after the events of the first, the ultranationalists have taken control of the Russian Federation. Due to this, any diplomatic relationship with the United States has become strained. Zakhaev's right-hand man, Vladimir Makarov, has begun a campaign of revenge against the west by unleashing acts of terrorism on both European and International land.
Even though you control five different characters throughout the campaign of Modern Warfare 2, the plot is easier to follow than its predecessor. The two primary characters of focus are Sargent Gary "Roach" Sanderson and John "Soap" Mactavish, who is now a captian after surviving his earlier tour through hell. There are a good amount of plot twists that will keep players interested and on their toes as they progress through 18 levels in total, for a culumlative play time of roughly 5-6 hours. There are also a large amount of action sequences that help keep the shooting scenes fresh and alive; the game never becomes stale at all.
There are a great number of environments for both the exploring and destroying. From an underground submarine launch, to a brief stint in space, to snow filled landscapes, and wartorn urban streets. For a title that's nearly six years old, the graphics have held up surprisingly well; even better than in the first Modern Warfare. Everything is richly detailed, and there's more variety to the enemy models as well. I'm pleased to say that this game runs wonderfully on Windows 10, and I consistently maintained 60+ FPS at all times with no bugs, crashes, or glitches. However, there is a large amount of stuttering during exceptionally busy missions, as the framerate will jump up and down constantly.
The gameplay and controls are more of the same that you would expect from any release in the Call of Duty franchise, the specific controls are ones that have set standard for all first-person shooters that have been released after 2005. The kills still feel solid, connective, and satisfying; although in comparison to the first Modern Warfare, this release has a larger amount of areas where endless enemy spawns are present, a mechanic that forces you to move up or get overrun and waste your ammo. This is one feature that made the earlier games in the series so difficult, and it's both good and frustrating to see it back in full swing.
The only real down point to Modern Warfare 2 is that it isn't quite as memorable as the game that came before it. This may be largely based on the fact that the relationship between the soldiers isn't as solid as it was in the previous release, at least not until much later in the campaign. Some missions aren't easy to forget, mostly due to the difficulty associated with them, but very few stick out as what would be considered a "classic". Some noteworthy levels are "No Russian", "The Gulag", and "Whiskey Hotel".
If you're here looking for multiplayer, this title retains the same mechanics as the original Modern Warfare in that it still has the leveling and prestiege systems in place. There are a handful of new features, such as unlocking titles and emblems that can be displayed on your player card, and different rewards for maintaining a various amount of killstreaks. Quite a bit of time was pumped into multiplayer from me when this game first released, and it's a pretty addictive experience. This is the first game in the Call of Duty franchise to utilize the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) system, so there are far less cheaters here than would be in any previous title. However, BEWARE, since players can host their own servers, some gamers have been VAC banned by simply joining a server that has modified files and cheat systems in place. Play online at your own discretion.
The final word is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a decent follow-up to the first Modern Warfare title. The story is very captivating and interesting, and it really makes you want to keep playing to know what's going to happen. Some characters are introduced too late, making some of the relationship bonds feel a little weak, and while the missions are fun only a few of them will be remembered in years to come. Highly suggested to fans of the first release, and those that enjoy a good Call of Duty campaign. If you didn't enjoy the first Modern Warfare, you're not going to like this one any better, so move on.
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