Review: Modern Warfare 2

Now that this game has been out for over half of a year, I will review it honestly. Just to clarify, I am not being paid by Activision or Infinity Ward to write a good review (honestly, it isn't that good).

Let's start with campaign. It is a mess, for the most part. The story is horribly done, the lip-synching is off, and the voices need work. For example, if you listen to any Army Ranger in the (spoilers from here on out) D.C. levels, they sound the same. Every one of them. No joke.

Again, the story is a convoluted mess. I couldn't figure out half of what the hell was going on. Hey look I'm in Afghanistan. Oh, now I'm on a mountain. Golly-gee, I've arrived in the U.S.S.R. Also, there are no true sniper-stealth missions, like "All Ghillied Up".

On the plus side, it is exciting the whole way through. The action literally never stops, and the great visuals add to the experience. There is also a mission, "No Russian" in which you pretty much shoot-up an airport in Russia. It could have added depth to the story if it wasn't bad, but it is a mind-numbing experience nonetheless.

Now on to Spec-Ops. This mode allows you to play different missions that get progressively harder. You can play co-op, but there is NO MATCHMAKING! If you're friends don't have Modern Warfare 2, then you can't get all 69 stars. Some missions are just parts of campaign thrown in. There are also two missions that require a partner, Overwatch (you pilot an AC-130 while your partner runs like hell to the objective) and Big Brother (you man a gatling gun in a helicopter and help your buddy through the "Wolverines!" mission). Again, with no matchmaking, this becomes a chore. A fun mode nonetheless.

Now to what you've all been waiting for: multiplayer. Let's start with the good; Free-for-All is fun (sometimes), and the graphics are superb.

Now, the bad. The assault rifles are completely overpowered. If you are using an SMG, then prepare to be destroyed. The shotguns got beefed up, but now they are secondaries. Wow. I don't even need to mention the Model 1887s, because they are the most overpowered shottie in any CoD.

Killstreaks are customizable, meaning that a good player who goes 20-2 with his weapon will be beaten by some kid who goes 40-6 using a Chopper Gunner. The regular 3-5-7 is gone; if you want a UAV, Airstrike, and Chopper, then it's 3-6-7 for you.

Perks are a mess. Most of them no longer have counters, like when Juggernaut countered Stopping Power. Now, perks like Cold-blooded and Ninja have nothing to make them neutered. The worst perk is probably Commando, which gives you roughly around five feet of melee distance. No counter, no reason not to use it. If you have an opponent with Tactical Knife and Commando, you are going to get fucking butt-hurt.

Deathstreaks reward you for dying, which is never a good idea. Painkiller, "achieved" at 4 deaths (3 with the Hardline Pro perk), triples your health, which results in constant enemy frustration. Copycat lets you copy your enemy's class, so people with a naked M4 and USP will immediately get a no-recoil ACR with Red Dot and Akimbo Rangers with Scavenger Pro, Stopping Power Pro, and Ninja Pro. Not right. Final Stand is a free dropshot, and Martyrdom, although thankfully not as common as in Call of Duty 4, is still a huge problem.

All of the maps are bad. As said by BlameTruth, "Even Call of Duty 4's worst maps are better than Modern Warfare 2's best maps". Only Favela is decent. Maps like Scrapyard and Highrise are suprisingly linear, and giant maps like Derail have matches that last forever. Estate is a giant camp-fest, and Terminal is a horrible map in general.

Infinity Ward made this game extremely noob-friendly, so even a first-timer like myself had no problem adjusting to this easymode game. Noobtubes are still present, and the new One-Man Army/Danger Close/Noobtube tactic is really fucking annoying. Nuke-boosters constantly ruin Free-for-All just to get the stupidest killstreak ever. Most guns have no idle sway, which makes weapons very easy to use, which promotes camping, which is really what this game is all about.

The connection is bad. You can have host, and shots will still go through people. Snipers have it worst, as even a four-bar connection is a bad connection. Dedicated servers weren't included, so some Joe Schmoe in a barn in Kentucky will get host instead of a guy with a good connection. If you lag while surrounded, you're screwed.

I could go on, but I only have so much time. Do not buy this game only for the multiplayer. Even for the whole game. Wait a few years before it goes down to $40 to get it. I give this game a 4/10.

Chill