by B. Ender

Created on: July 13, 2010

Infinity Ward tried to make the most intense and riveting Call of Duty yet, but ironically their success left a bitter taste in many gamers' mouths. The sequel to the critically acclaimed and best-selling Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2 was indeed thrilling with the expense of the more classic Call of Duty many know and love.

In Modern Warfare 2 you are a member of international (and fictional) Special Operations Task Force 141 instead of being in a more standard military force like what was common in previous games. Although this single fact allowed the game to add more spectacle and more exotic locales, the sense of actual combat depth was muted somewhat. You are no longer part of a large force of men working their way past another large force of opposing men as typical, and instead the battles seem to be smaller in scale. Although the game ensured you had plenty of targets to hit, you usually had very few allied men fighting alongside you. One facet of Call of Duty I particularly loved was being in the thick of things, covering behind something while you look and see some of your allies fall before you, setting a great sense of atmosphere and realism in each battle. With this less common in the sequel each battle seemed to have lost  its plausibility.

One of the most disappointing parts of the game was the narrative that was supposed to tie all of these amazing set-pieces together into the form of a game. The story wasn't as cohesive as it should have been (especially since it's following in the footsteps of the gripping story of the original Modern Warfare) and many parts were nonsensical. If you've played this game (and honestly, who really hasn't?) then you know that the Russians had little tangible reason to actually invade, and that forms a big part of the plot. Once more, the 'No Russian' level merely seems tacked on for the basis of adding controversy and allow the media to give it more awareness in people's eyes. I played the level (which is skippable) once, and never looked back.

Don't be mistaken: I do enjoy playing the campaign occasionally, and the multiplayer and SpecOps modes are brilliant, but game itself doesn't seem to be a step up from the stellar Modern Warfare and thus its hype. The game can be enjoyed for its non-stop action and spectacle, but don't expect much of an astounding narrative like its predecessor.

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