Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Infinity Ward gave the world a whole new way of simulating war and violence on November 2007 with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The game engine was near-perfection, the graphics were awesome, the premise was enticing, the storyline was engaging, and the amount of firepower available was somehow uplifting. Two years later, they came up with an improved version of the engine and a game that sought to transcend our perception of today’s battlefields with Modern Warfare 2.

We can go on with the various features that make Modern Warfare 2 great, but that is a waste of time since we already know them from its predecessor. Aside from the addition of kill streak customization, more weapons added to the armory, and other various features, the premise is the same. There subtle differences between the two games are what should be observed to give an accurate conclusion as to why this game deserves credit.

The original Modern Warfare was made to be almost like an arcade military simulation. Childish it may have been, it was not as over the top as most people expected. It did its best in showing accuracy with both weapons and conditions in the battlefield. It was difficult because real warfare is. It had a simple interface and overall system for enjoying both single and multiplayer modes equally. There are a few stylistic changes with aesthetics and presentation, but they got the whole vibe of today’s way of war quite well.

This sequel is all about busting your eardrums with a wall of incredible noise. Childish it really does seem as the conciseness in the first game has been mostly thrown out the window. It is evident with the controls as the lean buttons have been omitted, giving way to a more dynamic and run-and-gun type of gameplay. The weapons are a wide array of insanity that ranges from the classical to the bleeding edge, and even to the plain crazy with akimbo weapons. This is just for enjoyment from singleplayer to multiplayer. The local area network may be gone, but it is still great if you have a Steam account.

Also, Modern Warfare 2 has also continued the tradition of showing the shock value of war to a wider audience. With all these war games showing how cool the action is, the storyline that most people don’t really get (because they’re mostly idiots who can’t follow storyline properly) shows the savagery of war to its fullest extent. As the first game showed the execution of a deposed leader, “righteous” suicide of a terrorist, and an actual nuclear explosion that kills everyone in the major area, this one shows a lot as well. It has spawned enough controversy to give credibility to its reputation.

Years from now, this won’t be just a video game, but a multi-cultural product. It shows war as an ugly monster that will get you killed 99% of the time and breaks down everyone involved. All these things combined is the reason why this is such a great game, even with the high price tag.