Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Playthrough
122009, PS3, X360. Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars
After the resounding success of Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward took their vision of a chaotic, unhinged world one step further. Everything about MW2 is bigger. The scope, the number of characters and the plot are all much grander, which creates some truly breathtaking moments in the game that have rarely been matched. The “No Russian” mission or the sight of Russian troops invading the United States and wreaking havoc or the Whiskey Hotel mission are among many of the seminal moments that can leave the gamer with a slight sense of awe. It is these moments that really make the game what it is.
The plot, though, doesn’t quite work as well. A lot is left unexplained or made fuzzy and the game’s condensed timeline doesn’t help much. This is the kind of game that would have made more sense on a larger canvas. It would have better explained some of the character’s motives and so on. As it is, it works fine, but it does feel like a few steps are missing.
The gameplay hasn’t changed much and remains top-notch. There are more weapons with customizable options and the action bits themselves are a little more close-quarters overall than the original Modern Warfare. Lot of shootouts in corridors and fewer in the kinds of open warfare setpieces that people normally think of with war. The missions themselves are well-paced and don’t lag the narrative too much. The finale is a bit silly, but it still comes with a satisfying conclusion.
The characters are a mixed bag in this one. Soap comes out from being a nameless cipher to the field commander of a new Task Force Unit. He’s adequate, but not all that interesting. Price doesn’t get a lot of development, but his presence is welcome. Makarov is onscreen all too briefly as the villain, but his actions are a showstopper so it almost works regardless. General Shepherd is the real standout and a lot of that goes to Lance Henriksen doing the voice. Henriksen’s range might be limited when it comes to characters, but there is some real bitter malice in his voice, giving the character more depth than he might have otherwise had. Veteran character actor Glenn Morshower (Aaron Pierce on 24) is an agreeable in-game advisor as field commander Overlord. It’s a thankless job, but he stands out more than others. So does Keith David as Sgt. Foley, who has become something of a meme in this game, but David is a consummate pro all the same.
Modern Warfare 2 was the Call of Duty franchise at its peak from a gameplay, game design and ambition perspective. Just about everything works in this marvelous action title and the series would never come close to reaching these heights again.
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0:00 For the Record/S.S.D.D.
9:11 Team Player
18:55 Cliffhanger
31:30 No Russian
40:09 Takedown
49:57 Wolverines!
1:10:13 The Hornet's Nest
1:21:31 Exodus
1:34:10 The Only Easy Day... Was Yesterday
1:46:23 The Gulag
2:00:45 Of Their Own Accord
2:14:54 Contingency
2:31:27 Second Sun
2:41:37 Whiskey Hotel
2:48:58 Loose Ends
3:04:16 The Enemy of my Enemy
3:11:15 Just Like Old Times
3:24:03 Endgame
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