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CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2 (PS3)
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Publisher: Activision.
Developer: Infinity Ward. Released: November 2009. Genre: FPS. Other versions: X360; PC. Posted 9th August 2019. By Tom Clare © 2019 |
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It’s easy to forget that, amidst the hubbub and hype that surrounded the release of Modern Warfare 2, one of the most successful commercial ventures in the history of media, there was a game of considerable quality awaiting fans on release day. There are, it seems, two routes to gaming greatness. One such method is to pioneer new ideas, to deliver new experiences and groundbreaking design. Alternatively, there are those more familiar titles that an experience of such technical quality, they leave their contemporaries floundering by association. Street Fighter II and SoulCalibur are two prime examples of the latter, appearing so far ahead of the curve that their competitors needed years to catch up.
Modern Warfare achieved much the same feat for console first-person shoot ‘em ups. Modern Warfare 2 built on its spectacularly popular predecessor and, as such, towered above other military shooters of its time. This was largely thanks to an incredible, appreciable smoothness of play, and the razor-like precision of the game’s controls, which paved the way for a console-FPS experience that felt utterly immersive. It’s noticeable to such a degree that Infinity Ward’s series doesn’t so much beat its seventh-generation competition, as utterly trample it. Playing it in parallel with the console versions of Battlefield will leave you with nothing but admiration for EA’s hype machine, which managed subsequently to engineer a brief, combative rivalry between the two series. In reality, their engine was lightyears behind in terms of performance.
Whilst it may look your common or garden shooter, MW2 comes into its own in the heat of battle, where it's incredibly sharp and smooth
It’s the bread-and-butter stuff that makes Modern Warfare 2 a pleasure to play. Infinity Ward managed the basics of the first-person shoot ‘em up far more effectively than any other developer of the time. The controls are exceptionally fluid, and thanks to the retention of an incredibly smooth, superior frame-rate (even when the environments are absolutely swarming with foes), it feels significantly sharper than other console shooters. The guns are weighty and satisfying to use, and with a huge variety of weapon attachments, whilst snap-to-target aiming lends the game an intuitive directness, without removing the challenge. The devil is in the detail, and all of the weapons are deadly with practice.
Modern Warfare 2 captures the theatre of war, more successfully than perhaps any game before it. Every battle feels gargantuan, with scores of allies and foes pitched in battle, creating an exciting, utterly immersive cauldron of FPS chaos. You’re a soldier, and as such, you’re made to feel less like a one-man army drafted in to help hapless cannon fodder, and more like a part of a concerted war effort. America’s invasion by Russia is unsettling and, at times, awe-inspiring. Picking off snipers burrowed around the facade of the White House makes for one particularly evocative instance. In all aspects of the single-player campaigns design, there are no half-measures.
Modern Warfare 2 captures the theatre of war, more successfully than perhaps any game before it. Every battle feels gargantuan, with scores of allies and foes pitched in battle, creating an exciting, utterly immersive cauldron of FPS chaos. You’re a soldier, and as such, you’re made to feel less like a one-man army drafted in to help hapless cannon fodder, and more like a part of a concerted war effort. America’s invasion by Russia is unsettling and, at times, awe-inspiring. Picking off snipers burrowed around the facade of the White House makes for one particularly evocative instance. In all aspects of the single-player campaigns design, there are no half-measures.
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Highlighting its versatility, MW2 also delivers some visceral, close-range action as you pick your way through the heavily-defended favelas of Rio de Janeiro. The mission ‘Exodus’ sees the player fighting the invading forces through US neighbourhoods, whilst ‘Loose Ends’ features a house defence that is gleefully fraught, as you tackle foes from multiple entrances, something which can be made more comfortable with the smart deployment of claymore mines. It manages heart-in-mouth stealth just as effectively, as the player, accompanied by Captain MacTavish, must scale an icy cliff-face before infiltrating an enemy-held airfield, using a thick blizzard to help remain undetected.
For much of the single-player, you’re accompanied by one or more teammates, though you’re never really walked through levels. Comrades are vulnerable but useful; they don’t do all the work for you, but they aren’t a hindrance either. This aspect of Modern Warfare 2 is an underappreciated triumph, as so many similar titles have failed to get the balance right, or end up with computer-controlled soldiers’ lacking for consistency and intuitive behaviour. This works especially neatly on the stealth levels, when you’ll often be prompted to take out targets in-tandem with your partner, and when it comes together right, it’s incredibly satisfying. Whilst the mission objectives are strictly linear, the levels are surprisingly open, and many of which present a number of different routes and tactical opportunities.
Modern Warfare 2’s deathmatch and competitive online experiences have been documented extensively, but if the idea of being screamed at by thirteen-year-olds or getting picked off from half a map away by a camper doesn’t fill your heart with joy, the superlative Special Ops mode should more than make up for it. Indeed, it delivers what is easily one of the finest co-op experiences available on the PS3. There are entire scenarios devised specifically with teamwork and planning in mind. A couple of missions see one player manning defences from a circling helicopter, clearing a target for their exposed teammate on the ground. A nerve-jangling mission on an oilrig in effect encourages one player to bait a sequence of Juggernauts (heavily-armoured, light machine-gun wielding behemoths) whilst the other picks them off from relative safety.
For much of the single-player, you’re accompanied by one or more teammates, though you’re never really walked through levels. Comrades are vulnerable but useful; they don’t do all the work for you, but they aren’t a hindrance either. This aspect of Modern Warfare 2 is an underappreciated triumph, as so many similar titles have failed to get the balance right, or end up with computer-controlled soldiers’ lacking for consistency and intuitive behaviour. This works especially neatly on the stealth levels, when you’ll often be prompted to take out targets in-tandem with your partner, and when it comes together right, it’s incredibly satisfying. Whilst the mission objectives are strictly linear, the levels are surprisingly open, and many of which present a number of different routes and tactical opportunities.
Modern Warfare 2’s deathmatch and competitive online experiences have been documented extensively, but if the idea of being screamed at by thirteen-year-olds or getting picked off from half a map away by a camper doesn’t fill your heart with joy, the superlative Special Ops mode should more than make up for it. Indeed, it delivers what is easily one of the finest co-op experiences available on the PS3. There are entire scenarios devised specifically with teamwork and planning in mind. A couple of missions see one player manning defences from a circling helicopter, clearing a target for their exposed teammate on the ground. A nerve-jangling mission on an oilrig in effect encourages one player to bait a sequence of Juggernauts (heavily-armoured, light machine-gun wielding behemoths) whilst the other picks them off from relative safety.
Special Ops missions offer a superb mix of scenarios... just don't play them on your own.
Its visual presentation comes across as strong if unspectacular across the board. Menus, cut-scenes and loading screens all bear a fairly generic military flavouring, whilst the in-game graphics may not be the absolute finest you’ll see in an FPS, but they run extremely efficiently and feature some excellent environmental effects. The audio paints a similar picture, with fine but familiar call-to-arms music and unspectacular scripting playing second fiddle to some outstanding sound effects that add considerably to its immersive qualities.
All of this guarantees that Modern Warfare 2 is built to last. Attaining the ‘Star 69’ trophy (for besting all of the Special Ops missions on Veteran difficulty) ranks as one of the most satisfying experiences of the seventh-gen, and all the more so as you’ll have to really battle for it alongside a friend. Online multiplayer comes into its own in team deathmatch scenarios, whilst the blockbuster one-player campaign is easily worthy of a second playthrough, thanks to additional difficulty levels. The dust might have died down, but Modern Warfare 2 remains a superbly playable reminder of when Call of Duty – and more broadly, the first-person shoot ‘em up – went global, and never looked back.
All of this guarantees that Modern Warfare 2 is built to last. Attaining the ‘Star 69’ trophy (for besting all of the Special Ops missions on Veteran difficulty) ranks as one of the most satisfying experiences of the seventh-gen, and all the more so as you’ll have to really battle for it alongside a friend. Online multiplayer comes into its own in team deathmatch scenarios, whilst the blockbuster one-player campaign is easily worthy of a second playthrough, thanks to additional difficulty levels. The dust might have died down, but Modern Warfare 2 remains a superbly playable reminder of when Call of Duty – and more broadly, the first-person shoot ‘em up – went global, and never looked back.
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VERDICT
"Modern Warfare 2 captures the theatre of war, more successfully than perhaps any game before it. a superbly playable reminder of when Call of Duty went global, and never looked back." OVERALL: 9/10 |