Review: Modern Warfare 2 - Single-player

Writing this review is a minefield. There's a reason why I've put off writing it this late, despite having actually finished the game on its first day of release. You see, the hype for this game is so huge that it has literally tainted the jury pool so to speak. Even I admit that I could not help but be swept up in the frenzy of the awesomeness that Modern Warfare 2 perpetuated even before I actually start the game.

But having now played through the single player several times, clocked an ample amount of multiplayer hours, I can safely give an objective review of the game.

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So for those who've just emerged from under a rock, Modern Warfare 2 is a war shooter set in a alternate universe where the Russians are still bad ass and with the help from terrorists in the Middle East and drug-lords in Brazil, amass to threaten the peaceful world order. The US Army and a special task-force will stop at nothing until the tyrants are destroyed and the world is saved.

With a massively absurd plot like that (written by the dude who writes for TV show NCIS), it sets the game up perfectly for Hollywood-style realism, which means possessing none at all. In the single player game, expect ski mobile chases, traversing ice ravines, playing around with remote-controlled missiles, and just plain running about with explosions going off left, right and center. There's a lot of kaboom, kapow, and pew pew. It's like a roller-coaster ride that never lets up on the heart-pounding stuff, and whether or not you've enjoyed the Call of Duties in the past, this one is truly something special. It speaks volumes of the newer generation of video games' shift towards a more cinematic feel, ensuring players see or are involved in every single special moment for that awe factor.

The plot, although confusing at times, moves along well enough, and you get the gist that the good guys are bringing the arse-kicking to the bad guys. In fact it's the unrealism of the game that allows for a lot of variation in environments Infinity Ward can play around with. That's why a fight can take place in the heart of American suburbia overrun by the Russian army, invading the White House, on top of an oil rig in the middle of the ocean, or through the favelas of Brazil. In this regard, Modern Warfare 2 is definitely a more interesting game than its predecessors.

Though, I've got this nagging suspicion that Infinity Ward seem too smug about their "creativity". Every time an exciting set piece plays out with its explosions, twists, and turns, I can't help but hear IW's voice at the back of my head going, "You like that?!? You like that?!?" This isn't necessarily a bad thing and without a doubt, you just want to keep playing to see what else the developers have up their sleeve.

But its unrealistic nature is not without flaw - as like in the Call of Duties in the past, IW has failed to address the fundamental issue that you are just a blunt instrument to be commanded/directed/driven in whatever direction the main players of the story need you to go. You are not friends with Captain McTavish or General Shepherd, they don't really care about you despite your being there with them through thick and thin. These shallow heroes exist to fire guns, blow up installments, and take point, but put them in an ordinary setting, i.e. a shopping mall/bank/market wearing civilian clothes, and they already seem out of place as it is.

They are not human enough: does Price have a family? How does McTavish feel about the events that transpired before Modern Warfare 2? How come all the characters you play keep getting blacked out/fall over/die throughout the game. Why can't it be one of the other guys? In the loading screens between levels, characters spout philosophies on war and violence in macho voices as if they all know what they are talking about, but if you're intellectual and experienced enough to like depth in your games, then you'll be put off by the sheer shameless hollowness of it all.

Some might beg to differ, but to me this is a big issue when compared to other heavyweight titles like Uncharted 2 which has as much character as it does spectacle. In order for Call of Duty to rise above its status of great shooter to great game, it needs to do much more with its story. With that said however, Modern Warfare 2 definitely has done a great deal more than past games to amp up the story. Even if it is paper-thin, there is a sense of direction that holds throughout and that will keep audiences playing to the end.

Gameplay is as it should be. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Guns fire and enemies go down satisfyingly. I was worried that the game would be dumbed down for consoles, and in a way it has been, with goals pin-pointed to you by a dot in the player's periphery vision, or even automatically moving the player along slightly if they keep dying at a certain point, just to prevent them from rage-quiting. But I quite liked that you still need to have a degree of shooter skill to survive. On higher difficulties, the enemies are still punishing, and constant cover and reflex is necessary to survive. Flanking tactics are encouraged, and the level design is decent in that it allows for alternatives in path finding for the players, but they hide it well enough so it doesn't look so artificial.

Also, Infinity Ward has answered many a fans' call for moarz gunz plz. The game is serious gun porn, with a tonne of different assault rifles, SMGs, light machine guns, machine pistols, hand guns, snipers, shotguns, etc. You name it, Modern Warfare 2 probably has it. All have different feedbacks and are a joy to play around with. As proven with Left 4 Dead 2, having variation in weaponry is another factor for a shooter to sustain interest, as it means you have more ways to dispatch of your enemies.

Finally, they addressed the age-old problem the Call of Duty engine has been plagued with, of having obvious way-points that players have to hit in order to keep the action moving. In past games, enemies kept respawning from hidden areas, and AI teammates stood stock still until you moved forward to a certain point. Now, everything feels more natural, more alive as teammates may go ahead of you and kill things before you get there, and you can be confident that you've cleared an area of enemies without more having to spawn from impossible hiding locations.

The graphics is superb. From the first training level at base camp in the Middle East, the sunlight as it hits the various vehicles and soldiers relaxing and playing B-ball, to the barnacles-covered pillars of the oil rig stationed off China, everything is so beautifully rendered, the game positively oozes atmosphere. One level in particular stands out, as you and your squad navigate through the deserted streets in America filled with vehicle wreckage and bombed out buildings, rain slashes across the landscape, and all is quiet; you have to think to yourself, Call of Duty has outdone themselves this time. The detailing on characters make them seem a whole lot more real, and the best part is that it is optimized well for all systems.

Sound is also amped up with a heart-pumping soundtrack to accompany your every move. It's very modern-techno-y and doesn't feel like they stinted on this element at all. And even if the script is shallow, the voice acting redeems the believability of the game, featuring Lance Henriksen of the Aliens franchise fame as General Shepherd. Although I'm no expert on soundtracks, I thought they could've probably done a little more to make it rousing and completely epic, but as it is, it's already quite action-driven.

Oh and that terrorist level everyone's been worried about... seriously, it's nothing special. It isn't mind blowing nor is it shockingly debase. In fact, it should inform gamers and critics alike that games are able to be more mature with its content in this new generation, especially if it should compete on the same level as the best of cinema and TV.

I realized that as it is, this review is pretty damn long. And I haven't even gotten started on multiplayer. Or Spec-Ops. Which is why Infinity Ward separated the game into three distinct parts. And why this review is only focused on the single-player campaign. I'll get on to the other two parts later, but for now, I have this to say about the single-player:

There's a reason why the Call of Duty franchise is the most successful and most hugely money-making in the entire entertainment industry. It's because Infinity Ward knows how to get into your brain and tap all the kick-ass parts into overdrive. This game doesn't revolutionize the shooter genre, but it certainly is the best in the field right now. I'll be damned if the game doesn't win awards for best shooter of the year.

Also, some critics are concerned that a game like this seems to glorify bloodshed and warfare, but trust me when I say that underneath the gun porn, violence, and massive explosions, there's a commentary on the atrocities of it all. The sickening madness, and the men that go beyond the call of duty to save humanity. It makes you appreciate the relative peace we all live in. It's a shame the campaign is only just over 6 hours in length, on Advanced difficulty, but every second of those 6 hours is well-crafted. Go play it if you still haven't. It needs to show you what the new generation of PC games are capable of, and hopefully, other developers will learn from.