Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Preview
Cinematic experience to rival the Big Screen
by IvorySoul
previewed on PC
To be Call of Duty or not to be Call of Duty
When a game branches out into different directions, its publisher will obviously want to be able to profit from the name that they already established. There was some question as to whether Call of Duty’s new branch, Modern Warfare, would carry the Call of Duty name. Activision finally decided and officially dropped the Call of Duty title from Modern Warfare, thus creating a new series. To make things simple for you, Modern Warfare 2 is a continuation and addition to the original Modern Warfare, hopefully living up to the high expectations from its fans.
Modern Warfare 2 was announced just over two months ago with a great looking trailer. It caused a lot of excitement but at the same time revealed little indeed. The trailer did little more than announce the game to us all. Infinity Ward are masters at keeping us in the dark and it wasn’t until after the full trailer hit the web that they were willing to share any details on their new game.
Makarov
The story takes place right after the first Modern Warfare. Russia is yet again in decline and causing headaches for the world’s top leaders. A Russian terrorist organization is trying to destabilize the region and take control of Russia’s weapons stockpile. At the head of this organization we find a man named Makarov. As it turns out, Makarov is a close associate of Zakhaev who was responsible for the nuclear attack in the previous game. Makarov portrays Zakhaev’s death as an act of martyrdom to garner support for his cause. He has built a strong power base in Russia over the years and now feels strong enough to attempt to take control.
Opposing Makarov is an international anti-terrorist agency called Task Force 141. This group is led by an old acquaintance of those who played the original game: John “Soap” McTavish. You will be working for McTavish trying to keep Makarov from reaching his villainous goals.
Stomping grounds
The game offers a wide variety of environments and takes you all over the world, visiting countries such as Russia, Afghanistan, and Brazil. You will prance around in a number of different locations ranging from suburban areas to snow-filled mountains. The latter sets the stage for a fantastic, adrenaline-filled snowmobile chase where bullets are as plentiful as snowflakes. If there will be more vehicle sequences that look like this then hallelujah! Another amazing cinematic feature sees you being pulled up on the inside of a castle tower on a rope attached to a chopper. The speed at which you rocket upwards is dizzying. Damn Infinity Ward what exactly -is- up your sleeve?
If snowmobiles and castles aren’t enough to sell you on the excitement, all the great intense action and explosions from the original game are still here. Those who love a cinematic experience and crave for top-notch graphics are in for a treat. Not all of the available footage was as crisp as it could be but I have been assured that they will be twofold over Modern Warfare.
Modes of play
I’m sure you are begging to ask about gameplay details; what exactly is Modern Warfare 2 adding on to what we already know and love? Well do you remember the Mile High Club mission after beating the game? The new game will add to this with a “Special Forces” mode, with two player cooperative play and additional missions outside of the main campaign.
There is a lot more to Modern Warfare 2 that has not been revealed yet but there already is so much to look forward too. Infinity Ward is gearing up for a highly cinematic experience that may prove to be unrivalled by anything outside of the Big Screen. Oh, and with the campaign being as short as 6 to 10 hours worth of gameplay, it is a safe bet that Modern Warfare 2 will bring some very strong multiplayer to the table.
