Title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Publisher/Developer: Activision/Infinity Ward
Platforms: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Release Date: 11/10/2009
Number of players: Single Player, Up to 18 players online
There’s been controversy, there’ve been protests, there’ve been more posts in regards to this game than you could shake a thing you shake at stuff. Well, now it’s come and it’s time to take a look at Infinity Ward’s latest Call of Duty installment. This is definitely going to go down as one of the most anticipated/loathed titles of the year, but the question is whether or not it stands up under fire. 20+ hours later of playing… it’s time to take a look. Yeah, 20+ hours. Now you know what I’ve pretty much been doing since 9pm PST Monday night.
There’s really no way to step around some of the “issues” that this game has had even before its release. Yes, the multiplayer has been extremely slimmed down. A lot of gamers will blame this on the “console” version of the game and its bleeding effect over to the PC version. The developers, Infinity Ward, swear up and down that there are other reasons. Flat-out, no stuffing, I will tell you right now that the multiplayer aspect of the game has no dedicated server system, a limit of 18 players online and, to this date, no modding compatibility.
Another issue for the PC gaming crowd this go around, and if you’ve read here enough you’ll recall that even I had my comments to make on this point: The PC version for this go at the Call of Duty franchise has broken the mould and is the same price as the console version. Now, when I say that I don’t mean it in the good way (i.e.- the console version was released at a lower price). Here in the States the PC version is running the same $60 USD as the console version. One could argue a bit towards to the console bias slant that the “Prestige Edition” is only available for the console versions. No such special edition has been released for the PC iteration. Sure, are some crappy night vision goggles a big deal? No, but that doesn’t stop the point from being argued.
The final issue is the length of the campaign. Now, in this day and age the gaming community is treated to games of varying lengths. The argument as to whether or not the length of the game here is usually weighed against the games multiplayer side. As you just read above, a lot of gamers are up in arms about the “lacking” multiplayer for Modern Warfare 2. So you can imagine just how much more weight has been put on the single-player campaign.
That said and all the issues addressed, let’s dig into the game for what it is. I am going to go ahead and lay my cards on the table and say that I really did not want to enjoy the game. The issues that chafed some other members of the gaming community got to me as well. After having played through the campaign twice now, I’ve changed my tune a bit. When I say twice, it’s because I did up the ante the second time through and test the game’s “hardened” mode, which is the second most difficult setting.
If you can get past the fact that you’re forced to sit through an intro weighing in roughly around 5 minutes, only to be greeted by 1024×768 default resolution setting, you’ll open to the typical “training” scenario that familiarises you with the game’s controls. Happily, I went straight into my video settings and ramped it up to 1920×1200 with 4x AA and everything else cranked up to the peak. Happily, yet again, the game ran smooth as a newborn’s backside. I stop to point this out because I do want to give credit where credit is due. The game is very well optimised to run at such settings. Sure, the PC used to review the game is no slouch, but I always have a bit of hesitation cranking everything up the max on a new game.
Just like the last Modern Warfare, you’ll bounce back and forth between missions, controlling either a US Army Ranger soldier or a member of Task Force 141. For me, this formula works as it breaks up the rhythm of the game by changing locales and equipment rather than just powering through from Point A to Point B. “Soap” McTavish is back, but not as the F.N.G. this time… and he’s sporting a spiffy haircut! Voiced by Kevin McKidd (from TV’s Journeyman if you ever saw it before it took its last Journey), “Soap” leads most of the initial Task Force 141 missions.
Keeping true to form, a lot of the game’s moments are scripted, action-packed, Hollywood-esque moments. Bear in mind, when I say “scripted”, I don’t mean that in the negative sense of the word. There’s actually a story going on during this game. Note I use the word “during”. Many games like to fill in the story with cut scenes only. This is not the case for Modern Warfare 2, nor its predecessor. Running through on “hardened” mode, the single-player campaign ran in around 5 hours (not counting the numerous deaths I subjected myself to). For some this is unreasonable too short. I’ve always been a backer of the thought process that if the game’s story is good enough, I can forgive the length of a campaign to a certain extent. Given that I found myself giving my computer the “rock on” sign a couple of times during my play through, I can say that I forgave Modern Warfare 2 a smidge.
When it comes down to the game mechanics, not much has really changed since Modern Warfare. I don’t know whether or not to call that a good or bad thing. I don’t know because that is really going to come down to the perspective of the individual player. For me, it works. For others, it doesn’t. I will note that the ability to lean around corners is lacking this go around (something that is also blamed on the console rooting of the game… without warrant as there have been console FPS titles with “leaning” controls). Expect to spend the majority of your foot-time crouched followed by sprinting to cover. Of course, there are the obligatory “on-rails” moments of the game where you man a vehicles weapons, but these are also mixed with a couple of “off-rails” vehicle moments where you have direct control over the vehicles movement.
Does the single-player campaign live up to the Call of Duty franchise? In my eyes, yes. Disagree with me all you want, but I actually had emotional reactions (beyond those of wanting to toss my mouse through the window) during the game. That says a lot to me as God knows I play a lot of games. Usually I am anesthetised by the fact that I know I am playing a game and I don’t get emotionally attached to anything in-game. The fact that Modern Warfare 2 got me to give that old “rock on” sign or, in the case of a “certain” mission, feel disgusted speaks volumes to the depth of the game’s story. Sorry folks, that’s all you are getting from me on the story. It’s filled with some twists that I refuse to even hint at giving away. I avoided all information about the campaign before release (as I usually do) and I am not going to ruin it for anyone else out there like me.
Ah, the multiplayer, right? Again, to the core it’s the same. Similar modes of multiplayer, which more unlock as you increase in rank, and the class creation is still there allowing each player to create a multiplayer persona that fits their style. The changes, as mentioned above, come in the way the “servers” are handled. Here come the mean bits. I know I gushed about the single-player, but I will speak my mind about the multiplayer as well.
The biggest, and perhaps most dramatic change, is the fact that there is no support for a dedicated server system. This means that every time you play either you or a host create the game, set the rules and begin. Bad idea for several reasons.
1- The host is always going to have a better ping than you, deal with it.
2- If the host leaves, everything you were just doing stops.
3- With no dedicated system hacks and cheats are harder to pin down and you have to hope that the host, who is the only player with the ability to kick another as there is no “vote” system for this, isn’t the one using said cheats and hacks.
4- Dropping in and out of your favourite server to play with friends just joined the T-Rex.
I’m not going to gripe about the 18 player cap (9v9 teams). I know a lot of people have issue here, I don’t. I did, but once I played it really didn’t even occur to me. I know this will be issue for groups who play with large clans or teams. There’s not much I can say there. However, the fact that the maps are rather small and that re-spawn rates are lightning fast you might actually find yourself thankful at times that there are only nine players on the other team shooting at you.
A lot of other sites I have seen haven’t really sat down to tell you, the reader, what modes are actually included in the multiplayer mode of Modern Warfare 2. I won’t lie and tell you I have sampled them all. I’m still a sorry little private, after all. I will, though, give you a list and brief description:
Free-for-All: If I have to explain this one to you, you’ve obviously never played a multiplayer video game in your life.
Capture-the-Flag: Typical capture and item and relocate it back to “base”.
Team Deathmatch: Square off in (hopefully) even teams and race for the most points.
Search and Destroy: Single-spawn, kill all enemies or destroy an object
Domination: Secure enough “capture zones” to earn enough team points to win.
Demolition: Similar to Search and Destroy, but players will re-spawn.
HQ Pro: Spawns capture points that teams must defend as an objective.
3rd-Person Team Deathmatch: Same as Team Deathmatch, but with an over-the-shoulder cam.
Then there are the “Hardcore” modes. The difference being a reduced HUD, more realistic damage from explosives and firearms and slower re-spawn rates.
3rd-Person Hardcore Team Deathmatch: Same as 3rd-Person Team Deathmatch, but with the “hardcore” rule set.
Hardcore Team Deathmatch: Same as Team Deathmatch, but with the “hardcore” rule set.
Hardcore Search and Destroy: Same as Search and Destroy, but with the “hardcore” rule set.
On top of the player-vs.-player multiplayer mode, the game also included “Spec Ops”. I will admit I haven’t had the chance to dive fully into these, but the basics are simple. If you recall the bonus “Mile High Club” missions at the very end of Modern Warfare, you have the idea. These are single or two player, cooperative missions, each with increasing difficulty. It’s not the most robust co-op system out there to say the least, but it will add several hours of gameplay value to gamers, especially those who, like me, get tired of constantly getting schooled in player-vs.-player battles.
The Review:
Story:
Whether you get 4 or 6 hours out of each single-player run, the game is up to snuff with any high-budget, action film that Hollywood produces for us. As I said above, this game actually managed to evoke a few emotional responses out of me and I can definitely appreciate that. Yes, I admit, I wish the campaign were longer, too, but I can overlook the quantity for the quality.
Gameplay:
The single-player gameplay works. The game ran and controlled very smoothly running at 1920×1200 resolution. I applaud Infinity Ward again for making an A.I. that is not all-knowing. You can actually sneak up, flank or otherwise out maneuver the enemy. After just a few moments of getting my keyboard and mouse wet again, figuratively speaking, in the realistic FPS genre, everything flowed and felt intuitive.
Sound/Music:
Again, a fantastic score by Hans Zimmer of Dark Knight, Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean fame. As a musician myself, I actually pay attention to a game’s soundtrack and Hans never seems to let me down.
The voice acting works was superb! I honestly can’t go on about this enough. Kevin McKidd is fantastic as “Soap”, Keith David (who will ALWAYS be Goliath to me) played out Sgt. Foley wonderfully and Lance Hendrickson nailed General Shepherd’s part dead-on. Those are only a few of the names of the great vocal talent that went into this game.
Graphics:
On the PC, cranked to 11, top-notch. There were a few stupid glitches here and there, such as a dead enemy’s foot sticking through a wall and whatnot, but overall the game looks great. I even went so far as to dig up my copy of the first Modern Warfare, which I thought was stunning back the, only to be shocked at the difference.
The Good:
The story is emotional and action-packed. The gameplay mechanics work extremely well. The graphics are amazing.
The Bad:
Trying to sneak in a paradigm shift of charging PC gamers the same price as their console counter-part could be a bad sign to come. Personally, I’d love to see it go the other way in console game prices dropping to match PC releases.
The fact that the multiplayer feels a bit gimped may turn a lot of people off before they reach the rank high enough to experience everything.
The Ugly:
The lack of dedicated servers really does kill a lot of the multiplayer value of the game. As much as I enjoy so many other aspects of Modern Warfare 2, I simple cannot overlook this. There’s really no logical reason why the PC version couldn’t support dedicated servers and “mods”. This, in my mind, stupid mistake really kept Modern Warfare 2 from closing in on what could have been gaming perfection. I really, really, really can’t stress this enough.
Overall:
Take away the multiplayer issues with the game and you are still left with 10-20 hours of gameplay (including the Spec-Ops runs which do have a replayability factor). Yes, $60 was harsh for a PC title, especially in this market where there are a lot of other VERY lengthy PC titles out for $50. In the end, if I break that down to dollars-per-hour, it’s still a good deal on entertainment. Given how expensive it is to “go out” these days, I can appreciate what I’ve gotten for my money.
Sadly, I know this is a deal breaker for many gamers. Frankly, I can’t say I blame them either. Some of us will “get over it”, but the consumer has to be a bit more mindful where they spend their money these days. Discounting all the excuses listed by Infinity Ward for the multiplayer changes, I can’t help but stand firm in my belief that this was a terrible idea and it is going to cost them some current and future sales.
Overall, Modern Warfare 2 plays just as good as Modern Warfare the First. Of course the graphics engine has been updated quite a bit, but that usually goes without saying (but hey, I will type it). If you’re in it for some quality single player actions or some co-op play, you’re set with Modern Warfare 2. If you are in it for the multiplayer aspect, you might walk away a bit disappointed.
Final Vote: 4/5 for single-player and a rare 3.5 (I hate partial scores, but I make exceptions) for the multiplayer.
Tags: activision, Infinity Ward, Modern Warfare, PC, Playstation 3, xbox 360
Finally a review with a Clear analytical breakdown for the PC edition. Thanks.
Thank you. You’d be surprised how much comments like this are appreciated.