Stand and Deliver...
After all the players had taken the world stage, we prepared ourselves for war.
After the last bullets left our guns, we prepared for rest.
After the new foe turned the world’s fangs on us, we knew we were going back.
War stories are the kinds of tales that are a lot longer then we think they are. War is the backbone of history. The formula goes: Peace. Prosperity. Conflicts. Riots. War. That train is never late.
Some of us lived through wartime, while the rest of us learned about fragments of them in textbooks, completely unattached from the severity of each one. Now, in this present time, we have better technology and through entertainment can see and potentially feel that severity.
Story Time:
The first Modern Warfare took us into the stories of two individuals who would never meet but would be linked through war: Soap MacTavish, and Paul Jackson.
A radical leader in the Middle East has staged a coup d’état, while civil war breaks out in Russia. It is up to the SAS and USMC to go in and do what they do best: suppress and end the wars. The USMC heads into the Middle East to capture Al-Asad and the SAS go to Russia. By the very end of this storyline Soap delivers the final blow to Zakhaev, the head of the Ultranationalist movement to put this war to rest.
Or so we thought…
Modern Warfare 2 brings us back into the fray five years later. Soap MacTavish who was a recruit to the 22nd SAS is now Captain MacTavish of the Task Force 141, however we experience all this from the viewpoint Gary “Roach” Sanderson. On the other side of the world, in America, We are thrust into the Ranger Regiment first as Private Joseph Allen and then later as Private James Ramirez.
Both units are taking orders from General Shepard, whose focus is primarily to secure and silence the “obvious” antagonist Makarov. He is the protégé of the first game’s antagonist Zakhaev. Allen goes undercover into Makarov’s terrorist cell that slaughters an entire civilian airport but not before setting up America as the culprit.
Russia takes immediate action against the US by means of a surprise invasion. There are a few causalities along the way. Our soldiers try to get close enough to the threat to eliminate it. After acquiring an Achilles’ heel in the form of an unknown prisoner in the gulag (this prisoner turns out to be Captain Price from the first game.), all hell breaks loose. A new antagonist emerges to shift the plot in a direction we never saw coming. Shepard becomes angered and disillusioned and takes it out violently on Task Force 141 by murdering Roach and Ghost. If you haven’t caught on, Shepard is the antagonist.
Makarov gets put on the backburner and even slightly aids Task Force 141 or what is left of it. They take out Shepard, but as a result Soap, Nikolai and Price are on the run from the world. They still have their sights on Makarov and they still have a job to do.
The story was enjoyable however, I disliked how for ¾’s of the game we are gunning for Makarov but in the last 1/4th we are focused on Shepard. Then again with that blank check in hand, Shepard did become more of a threat. I don’t see why they couldn’t have taken out Makarov and then settled the score with Shepard. This way does promote a better segway to a third game but that isn’t enough in my mind to justify the action. Result: 4 out of 5.
On To Campaigns:
Single player story mode:
So for the story of Modern Warfare 2 you’d think that it would eat up a good chunk of your time. Sitting in the most comfy gaming chair with an arsenal of snacks at your side, the story mode can be completed in about 6 hours. So the story campaign is amazingly short. Dare I say too short?
Size isn’t everything; some of the best stories written are short stories, but they did something unique for their time period. Even though they incorporated some new features into the gameplay like: breaching, more use of predator drones etc. It was still a very cookie cutter Call of Duty game. Infinity Ward had a chance to redefine the FPS standards, but they played it safe. Result: 4 out of 5
Spec Ops:
This is the newest feature to come out of this game. This can be done with or without a partner (Though I suggest you get one! You’ll thank me later.) In this, you and your partner get to work together in scenarios for star ratings. They range from one to three; three stars being the highest amount attainable.
There are several different categories of events code-named: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo. These are insanely fun. It was the best move for Infinity Ward to make something Co Op instead of just strictly multiplayer. These missions allow players to go back to different areas from the game and even revisit some goodies from the original. It was a breath a fresh air. Result: 5 out of 5
Multiplayer:
Everyone who loved the multiplayer from Modern Warfare is going to love it in this sequel. They’ve bumped up the experience cap up to 70 instead of 55. They give you several kinds of multiplayer games like: Free-For-All, Search and Destroy, Demolition, Domination, Team Deathmatch and lastly Capture the Flag.
Besides those, there is even a new option in multiplayer, which is third person perspective. That’s right, a FPS with 3rd person capabilities. Though it was initially disorienting and hard to get used to, this isn’t the fault of Infinity Ward. This is because of our self-training to play FPS. It just gives us something new to master. Result: 5 out of 5
Overall Result: 18 out of 20. (Good Job Guys!)
Infinity Ward knows how to please its fanbase. From its eye-catching visuals to its enriched story and multiplayer options, it was a delight to play. I plan to revisit this game often. The replay value is high and leaves us waiting to jump right into Modern Warfare 3, so get on it Infinity Ward. Time is ticking! ☺
Labels: FPS, Games, Pandalicious, PS3, XBox-360
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