Perhaps the most highly anticipated game of this century, the newest title in the Call of Duty series lives up to its hype and then some.   Many of the problems of the previous titles have been fixed and many of the greater qualities of the same have been improved on... drastically.

I started off the Modern Warfare 2 the way everybody should start off the game... in the single player campaign mode.    Only then will you truly appreciate the multiplayer levels the way I did, as many of them are implemented into those same multiplayer levels.    There is also the option to play a solo or co-op special ops levels where you can earn trophies and rewards, while practicing strategic gameplay that will improve your skills the other modes as well.   It's a new and wonderful addition to an already great game.

Single Player Campaign Mode

Captain "Soap" MacTavishIn the story mode, you play as two or three seperate characters, depending upon whether you choose to play the mature version, or the edited version which gives you the option of skipping one level some may consider to be "too disturbing" because it's fighting alongside the enemy as an undercover agent named Alexei Borodin (a.k.a. CIA Agent Joseph Allen... American) and randomly killing innocent civilians.  The other 2 playable characters, and written more into the main story are Private James Ramirez of the U.S. Army Rangers and Sargeant Gary Roach Sanderson of Task Force 141, the same task force that housed the original Modern Warfare characters Captain Price and now Captain Soap McTavish, the newest commanding officer for the 141.

Set 5 years after the last Modern Warfare, America is still facing an impending threat of nuclear war with Russia.   As followers of the previous villain, Ultranationalist Imran Zakhaev take control of Russia, a wayward undercover operation to capture new leader of the Ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov goes horribly wrong and the death of a CIA agent puts America to blame for a horrendous massacre on Russian soil.  

And so begins the surprise Russian invasion on America's east coast, focusing on battles in Virginia and Washington D.C.     In the battles the Americans swear their vengence on the capital of Russia, and the story continues on in Afghanistan and the Caucasus Mountain safehouse belonging to that of Vladimir Makarov, where apparent victory is assumed only to witness and ultimate betrayal followed by the death of 2 key characters.  

The story just gets better and the climax is heart pounding...  so if you haven't played it yet, stop what you're doing and get that single player knocked out already.   It's the type of game that's worth playing multiple times, just as much as the multiplayer and new Spec-Ops options are.

Multiplayer

The gameplay is fast and furious.   When I first played the online levels, I couldn't help but notice how much faster it seemed than the previous Call of Duty titles.   Given the fact I've been playing Call of Duty 5: World at War for a straight 2 months leading up to this release, it seemed like night and day difference between the two, but that wasn't the only difference...  not by a long shot.

Sergeant Simon "Ghost" RileyThe one thing that was missing in the multiplayer levels was of course the vehicles, which didn't pop up i the first Modern Warfare, but people seemed to like in the most recent World at War.   I don't personally don't miss the tank whores, however I must admit, I was hoping to scoot myself around on a snowmobile some more... who's with me on this?

However what Modern Warfare doesn't have is far outnumber by that which it does.   Not only do they improve on the kill streak rewards which were sported by an airstrike and helicopter attack in MW1 and artillery and rabid dogs in COD5, but now you are given many more options for rewards and the ability to unlock and customize that list as your levels progress.    You still have the UAV reward to scout out your enemies with 3 kills in a row, plus the original airstrike and chopper support, but you also get many other options as well as playable rewards.   Some of the better on that list are the calling in air drops which deliver random rewards, a harrier strike, the Pavelow heavy duty armored helicopter, a stealth bomber, the beloved AC130 (which was featured in one level in the previous Modern Warfare game), EMP destroying all enemy electronics and communications and the icing on the cake...  the tactical nuke, awarded with 25 kills in a row and automatically winning the game for the bomb-user's team (while killing every one of their enemies, teammates and self at the same time).    

Alongside killstreaks we are also introduced to deathstreaks.    These are perks you get after you've died numerous times in a row, kind of and added bonus to help the crippled...  like a closer parking spot, making your next try a little simpler.     The perk continues to be equipped until you achieve a kill.   They are Painkiller (10 seconds of juggernaut when you start), Copycat (which allows you to steak your killers loadout during the kill screen), Final Stand and Martyrdom (perks that were annoying as hell in the previous titles since they were constantly on, but not nearly as much now since they are limited only to those who repeatedly die).  It was well thought out and fits the game perfectly.

They also fixed a lot of the connection problems that were a headache on previous titles.   In the past, bad connections or a host leaving the game (sore losers/crybabies) would result in either crappy gameplay or the game lobby closing completely.    Now if you fall victim to one of the other, it will transfer the data to another player and switch hosts midgame.    There of course is a slight delay in the game, which is understandable, but if everything transfers okay you'll be back to killing in a matter of seconds.   Bravo Infinity Ward.

Levels, Weapons, Equipment, Attachments and Perks

As with the previous titles, your rankings still depend on your scores and XP you earn in your online battles.   You still get bonuses for milestones with every item and weapon, but you also get awards for obscure things as well.   You still have the same Prestige options when completing all 70 levels of multiplayer ranks, which takes a bit longer than previous titles, however the greatest thing in this newest game is that you don't completely lose everything you've accomplished simply by moving on to the next level of prestige.   They come in the form of titles for you character by unlocking specific challenges, such as "the Predator" by killing an entire enemy team with on predator missile, or "My Lil' Pwny" for getting 10 silenced kills after you prestige, or "the Perfectionist" by shooting an entire round from your sniper rifle into the enemy team without missing, and much, much, MUCH more. 

To see all titles and emblems click the photoAlong with titles to go with your name, you also can receive and keep emblems to coincide with your title, both of which will appear with your callsign on your opponents screen while you kill him over, and over, and over again.    Like the titles, they too are given for specific accomplishment, such as the rank badges you receive as you rank up, the 16-bit Captain Price for killing 10 enemies with no killstreak perks equipped (harder than it sounds), and the rotating nuclear emblems for accomplishing the nuke challenges.

It took much longer to complete one round of presitige than the previous titles did, but with it comes additional perks and challenges that weren't available had you not opted to prestige, something many people haven't done in the past due to the fact that they lost everything they earned.    Now with Modern Warfare 2 they have given you the reason to presitige.   I recommend you focus on particular weapons with each round of levels, maxing them out to their fullest as opposed to splitting a lot of time with countless weapons.    This way you'll be able to master particular weapons and unlock those perks, that way when you start over you have the rewards still and can focus instead on other weapons moving forward.   It really opens up the possibilities and gives you a reason to practice with more than just the weapons you grow fond of.   It makes you want to challenge yourself with the weapons that may not be as great as the ones you started with.    I'm currently mastering the UMP45, despite being tempted to do back to the dual P90's I fell in love with my first round through...  but I have to get that out of my head...  I still have 89 more headshots to get with the UMP before I've fully mastered that.

Along with weapons challenges, you also have the same equipment, grenade and killstreak challenges we've been accustomed to with past COD titles, but in Modern Warfare 2, just as we are given more or everything.   More equipment like throwing knives and tactical placement flares that allow you to respawn wherever you place them.   More weapons attachments like heartbeat sensors, thermal scopes and the akimbo feature allowing you to use dual handguns, shotguns, SMG's and more.  SO MUCH MORE.    Riot shields, blast shields, more weapons than you'll know what to do with, etc, etc, etc. 

You'll also have the option of tweaking your online player with certain perks that will give your character a certain advantage.   You'll still have the familiar perks like Marathon (longer ability to run), Steady Aim (for scoped weapons) and Stopping Power (for increased bullet damage)... but you'll also see many new ones like Scavenger (resupply from dead enemies), Bling (equip your weapons with 2 attachments as opposed to one), Hardline (award killstreaks one kill early), One Man Army (allowing you to switch your loadout to one of your others mid game), ninja and more.  

Rambo would be jealous.

The levels itself are also stunning and well thought out, and include their little seldom discovered sniper spots and areas of cover for the campers out there, and challenge the players not vertically as well as horizontally.    They currently have 16 levels to test your skills on, but given the way Call of Duty has become notorious for $9.99 add-ons for the game, giving you additional levels and extras...  don't be surprised if you see many more coming down the pipe.   Their add ons alone have become quite profitable. 

The only thing I found puzzling in the online mulitplayer was that it seemed to offer no rewards for any Capture the Flag games... which is too bad for me, because that tends to be one of the games I play the most.   Whether or not there are additional titles and emblems that can be unlocked will still remain to be seen, for I haven't witnessed any just yet, but the game is far from running out of rewards.     The list of trophies and bragging fodder seem rather endless 4 complete days into the game, as I've only unlocked 20-some percent of the single player and a couple of my titles and emblems pages are still completely blank, giving me something to shoot for....  literally.

Look for the name skinnydipinacid at a PS3 near you.    Add me if you see me, and feel free to ask about joining up with the clan punX...    you don't have to be great, just cool (Although greatness would be appreciated) and own a headset.   I've only found one that was missing a clan worthy of the add, but say you saw me on the BL Rag and you'll earn yourself some tasty brownie points.   If you're still looking for a final selling point:  you can type my clan's name upside down...   Xund.   Eh?   EHH?!   (It's kinda fun altering my clan tag upside down and back during the game lobby ;o)

Spec Ops

To be 100%, completely, unabashedly honest...   I haven't played it all... yet.   I'm still waiting for my little brother to hook up with me so we can polish off some of the levels that require two people in Co-op mode. HOWEVER, I have played a good enough percentage of the missions to tell you that this was an excellent addition to the game.    I've talked to numberous friends who are spending more time on them than they did the actual campaign, proving it's potential longevity.  

There are many tactical missions, some small, some large, and all provide a distinct challenge if you are trying to score the 3 star bonus, the highest awarded for each level.   Even the 2 star bonus is challenging for most.   It's best to start there, get a good feel for the levels, and then try to score the 3 star bonus once you've succeeded at that.     In all there are 69 total stars to be rewarded amongst 23 levels, adding much depth and time you'll spend playing this game.   A wonderful addition to the game.

NO ZOMBIES?!

EGADS!   Oh well, I wasn't really that die hard of a fan of it in the first place.   Besides... that was Call of Duty, not Modern Warfare, so it's not like I was expecting it anyway.  Although if you are looking for an exciting extra, give the museum a try in the level select area of Campaign Mode.    Remember:  Don't touch the red button (translation:  Push it!)

In Conclusion

A drastic improvement over what was once the game of the year...  Call of Duty 4, more commonly referred to now as Modern Warfare.    If this game doesn't win game of the year for 2009, I can't wait to find out what tops it... nor will I hesitate to play the one that tops, if it proves to exist.

There were still a few pesky annoyances in the online, such as getting killed by shots that appeared to miss, getting killed through 2 brick walls, other freaks of physics and my opponents' lag appearing to favor them again (which to be perfectly honest, it should be the other way around.   Why do those with great connections have to suffer for other peoples' crappy dial-up?), but that's easily ignored when you realize the overall greatness, and simply back out of the crappy games to join up with another game elsewhere.

I was also hoping to Modern Warfare adopt some of the abilities to host or modify your online game setting like other games, such as Killzone.     What Killzone lacked in gameplay, it made up for in it's matchmaking server.     It would have been nice to be able to opt to host a game so you wouldn't have to worry about another player who was hosting backing out and killing the game.    It also would have been great to limit your levels to small, medium or large.  

But I guess they're not Killzone are they?   They're Modern Warfare 2, and despite all the negatives,  the positives overwhelm the system.   They'll make you think twice about purchasing that MAG when it finally releases (I already have issues finding 18 people to connect with on a decent connection... I can't even imagine the headaches that will arise with 256).