Conclusion
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a winner for what it is meant to be. The single player campaign is very short, but it’s a fantastic action-packed movie where you are once again the star. The missions are varied. The ending is great; it’s not as strong as the first one was, but still very much worth doing once.
I could have done without the excessive blood splatter on my screen, and the controversial airport mission.
The new Special Ops mode is fantastic and a lot of fun. Now it is possible to have quick and dirty missions for you and a friend. I do wish for — and don’t see why they couldn’t have allowed for — four- and six-player co-op.
But it is what it is.
Multiplayer is much improved, and they really listened to the community when they implemented new features and perks, and took some away. There is a huge amount of weapon choices — perhaps too many. But no one can complain that you don’t have options. Lots of options.
Multiplayer is still more of a run and gun as you would expect. The smaller number of players (9 vs 9) on the PC version does make for a more tactical and maneuverable game. But it would have been better for more options for people who like to play with a larger number of players and on their own private servers to keep the 14-year-olds out.
The lack of dedicated server software is a real kick in the gut. Activision not only stabbed a good number of players in the back with that decision, but also lost a number of PC sales because of it. But they obviously are not concerned enough to affect and change their decision. Especially since they just broke an entertainment industry record in sales over the last few days. For me, multiplayer in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is great fun for about three to six months. For others, it will last longer.
Good
- Incredible graphics
- Fantastic soundtrack
- Special Ops two-player co-op missions
- Multiplayer action
- Good (not great) storyline
Could be Better
- No dedicated server
- Excessive blood splatter effects
- The controversial and very unnecessary airport mission
- Single-player campaign is much too short
- Lack of hosting control and “kiddie” lockout
Reviewer’s System Specs
PC
- Dell XPS 720
- Intel Core2 processor Q6600
- 4GB DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz
- 768MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX
- SATA RAID 0 With Dual 160GB 10000 RPM Hard Drives
- 16X DVD+R/RW CD-RW Combination Drive
- X-Fi PCI Sound Card
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition
Console
- Xbox 360 with a 50 inch HD TV, 5.1 Surround Sound
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