A good game in it's own right, but basically a dumbed down version of the original Mordern Warfare
User Rating: 6.5 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 X360
After the revolutionary Call of Duty 4 and the addicting World at War, I was truly expecting something amazing out of MW2. In some ways, thats just what I got, but most of that was also present in the original modern warfare. MW2 truly dosn't bring anything that new to the table like it's predecesor did, and some areas have even become worse. Take for example the terrible new maps, which feel like little more than arenas to shoot people up in, rather than emmersive battlefields. There is also several noticable balancing issues present in multiplayer, as well as graphics reminicent of Call of Duty 3. That's right, while the graphics in the campaign may be stunning, multiplayer seems more sloppily done, with perhaps the worst of it being the glowing orange hills in "Afghan". The campaign, while being fun, lacks a cohesive, believable story, with many scenes seeming to have roots in hollywood rather than reality. Another dissappointment was the Spec opps mode. It really is little more than a short co-op campaign, nothing we havn't seen before.
That being said, MW2 is a fun game, and there are some inventive new ideas, such as the custom killstreaks and earning titles. a great option if you're more into the "run and gun" type shooters. However, after a few weeks, it just lost the fun for me, because it dissolved into little more than a mindless shooter, with little tactics involved. Another annoyance is the large community of pre-pubecent kids that have picked this game up, whining in their squeeky voices and cussing you out, thinking they're cool. i would definatley recommend using party chat. Oh, but wait- you can only be in a party in three of the game modes, some crappy feature that the developers added to prevent cheating.
Bottom Line
Graphics: 6/10
Sound: 7/10
Singleplayer: 7/10
Multiplayer: 5/10
Replay Value: 5/10
Overall, this game is a necesity for any COD fan, and indeed any serious fan of first person shooters. However, don't expect anything more than a rehash of the original with some extra perks thrown in.
