Product Description

Acclaimed developer Infinity Ward brings you Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to the best-selling shooter of all-time, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22 in Video Games
• Brand: ACTIVISION
• Model: 83747
• Published on: 2009-11
• Released on: 2009-11-10
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Number of discs: 1
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .59" h x 6.74" w x 5.73" l, .29 pounds

Features

• Epic single-player campaign picks up immediately following the thrilling events from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• The definitive multiplayer experience returns, with a host of new perks and enhancements
• New cooperative SpecOps mode, the perfect combination of Modern Warfare's single player intensity and the addictive replayability of its multiplayer
• Special Ops Mode allows two players, either alone or with a friend, to engage in unique mission play and features split-screen functionality.
• `Modern Warfare 2¿ contains new and updated weapons, new weapons attachments, and a variant of the multiplayer weapons customization system from `Call of Duty 4¿, now available in the single player campaign.

Amazon.com Product Description

Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person tactical shooter and the sixth entry in the popular Call of Duty series. True to its name and following the lead of its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, it places players in modern combat settings, as opposed to the WWII environments of the earlier Call of Duty games. This modern approach brings with it new weapons, action and options. Coupled with a variety of gameplay modes including single player, multiplayer and the co-op Special Ops Mode, it is destined to be one of the most popular games of 2009 and a worthy addition to the Call of Duty series. Classic tactical FPS action. View larger. Customizable multiplayer perk system. View larger. Diverse in-game environments. View larger. New weapons and gadgets. View larger. Story The storyline of Modern Warfare 2 picks up where the events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare left off. The ultranationalist Russian leader Zakhaev has been eliminated, but it seems that his lieutenant, Vladimir Makarov, is an even bigger danger. Having made a successful play for power, Intel indicates that he is extending the reach of his influence well beyond the borders of Mother Russia, causing a stir in the international community and prompting the involvement of Task Force 141. Task Force 141 is an elite multinational unit made up of Navy Seals, Delta Force operatives, British SAS and CIA. In the single player campaign you are Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson, with the hero of Call of Duty 4, "Soap" MacTavish, promoted to Captain, making an appearance as an NPC (non-player character) and your commanding officer. The elimination of Makarov and his underlings at any cost is your number one priority, regardless where the fight occurs. Gameplay The latest release in arguably the most successful tactical first-person shooter franchise of all-time, gameplay in Modern Warfare 2 follows the same winning and time-tested structure of earlier games in the series. In the single player campaign players are aided by AI squad members as they take on a series of missions aimed at eliminating Ultranationalist forces. Each mission is built around a particular objective, with players utilizing some level of guidance from NPC characters, including "Soap" MacTavish, and aided in navigation by the game's heads up display (HUD). Along the way players will be able to utilize a wide variety of weaponry and and vehicles, as well as be able to customize weapons with gadgets attached to them. Also, just as in previous games in the series, Modern Warfare 2 is heavily focused on multiplayer gameplay. The different multiplayer modes, available both in local play and online, contain plenty of customization options and revolve around different strategies ranging from the every man for himself action of "Free-for All," the classic team-based fun of "Capture the Flag and the tactical, team-oriented action of "Search and Destroy," just to name a few. Multiplayer modes also feature the "Perk" System that players may be familiar with from earlier in the franchise. Through this system players gain additional abilities, weapons and benefits as they gain experience in combat. This can be done by leveling up, but another important way way is through "kill streaks," the number of enemies eliminated in succession. These are available beginning with three kills and include the ability to call for supply drops, predator missile strikes, helicopter gunships and many more. Players have the ability to customize in advance which perks will be available at each number and can even gauge their progress towards each at the touch of a button. With an eye towards not making the game too hard for new players the game also features help to players experiencing "death streaks," multiple consecutive deaths in multiplayer matches. Special Ops Co-op Mode Along with a single player mode and multiple multiplayer modes, Modern Warfare 2 also features an unique third main play option, Special Ops Mode. Available both online and in local play, Special Ops Mode is designed to provide a distinct time-based play option, featuring special scenarios not found in other modes in the game and lots of enemies to take on. This mode can be played either alone or with a friend, again either locally or online, with local co-op play including split-screen functionality. Key Game Features Challenging Multiplayer Modes – Modern Warfare 2 will contain a wealth of multiplayer modes including: the every man for himself action of "Free-for All," the classic team-based fun of "Capture the Flag and the tactical, team-oriented action of "Search and Destroy." Improved AI Enemies – Improved artificial intelligence now allows enemies to attack from virtually any direction as players respawn into the game adding additional challenges. An All-new Call of Duty Adventure - Modern Warfare 2 features an all new Call of Duty storyline revolving around the continuing struggles against the Russian rebel group the Ultranationalists, who have found a new and more dangerous leader. The 'Special Ops' Optional Co-op Mode – "Special Ops" Mode allows two players, either alone or with a friend, to engage in unique mission play and features split-screen functionality. Diverse In-game Environments - Battlegrounds traversed in the game range from the lonely, snow-clad mountains of Kazakhstan, to dark tunnels in the Afghanistan and the crowded slums of Rio. Nonstop Action - Modern Warfare 2 contains no cutscenes, so players are always engaged in the action, no matter where they are in the game. New Breach Gameplay Mechanic - Players can now blaze their own paths through the game by "Breaching" formerly impregnable obstacles like walls and doors with explosives. New Gadgets, Weapons and Weapons System Modern Warfare 2 contains many new and updated weapons, new weapons attachments, as well as a variant of the multiplayer weapons customization system from Call of Duty 4, now available in the single player campaign. New Perks and Increased Customization - Multiplayer modes feature new perks for leveling up, and for killstreaks and deathstreaks. Those awarded for streaks can customized in advance according to when they become available.

Customer Reviews

Short Story...An Eternity of Gaming!
Just like its most recent predecessors, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: World at War, the campaign portion of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a really fun game with extremely intense battle sequences. The downfall is that it's very very short. So let me start by saying that if you're not set up to, or you just don't intend to, play the online co-op or multiplayer modes, you really want to think twice before paying full price for this game. Single players either need to rent this or wait for an inexpensive used copy to go on sale.

So you get three game options: Special Ops (online isn't necessary, but at least two players are required for some of the missions), Multiplayer (designed to be played online; this is no fun split-screen with a max of 4 players), and the single player Campaign that took me less than 6 hours to finish.

In single player Campaign mode, you're a first person shooter (soldier) on the frontlines, and this time the frontlines aren't limited to overseas territories. Primarily you're playing separate, interlacing missions all over the world as two different characters. The story takes place several years after CoD 4 ended. And just as in CoD 4 you're with a team of characters that are truly your band of Artificial Intelligence brothers. On easier settings the AI soldiers can do practically all of the work for you on some missions; the help you might get from your team is based on the difficulty setting you've chosen. So unless you want to just glide through the game, definitely don't pick the Recruit difficulty (the other difficulty options are Regular, Hardened and Vet).

I could take away a star from the overall score of this game for how short the single player mode is, but I won't....All of a sudden it's not so short when you go back and try to play on the Vet setting and spend the time looking for all of the Intel items.

You arrive in single player boot camp just like in all of the previous CoDs, and you get a brief tutorial on how to maneuver around, shoot your weapons & throw grenades. After boot camp you get to choose the difficulty setting, then you're immediately strewn into various battles. (Once you've completed the game on any setting you can go back to various chapters to clean up any items or trophies missed, and at the start of each chapter you can choose to attempt on the higher difficulties.)

You fight your way through some intense chapters....really intense. In fact, when you first start off, there's even a warning that you'll be in for some VERY disturbing sequences, and you have the option to tell the game to skip "offensive material". Ummm...no thanks. I think that this is the first game that I've played that offers the option to censor itself if you choose the option. The story is a bit choppy at times, but the battles are wild. The graphics are out of this world, and some of the "familiar territory" scenes will just blow you away with how much it really looks like your own back yard.

The weapons are plentiful and sophisticated. You're shooting whichever modern-day weapon you happen to have picked up along your objective route. Objectives that guide you along are updated regularly as you complete each task throughout each chapter. And some of those tasks are brutal. There are frequent checkpoints (I think I remember even reaching new checkpoints without firing a single shot) in the campaign, so no need to worry about respawning back before what seemed to take an eternity to complete. On the other hand....

....There is the Special Ops portion of the game. I think that there are 23 different missions for you here, and you can play each one by trying to earn 1, 2 or 3 stars in each mission. Some of these are darn hard, especially the final 3-star unlocks. You will be frustrated by playing some of these a few times before you beat the levels to earn your stars. And there are no checkpoints in these missions, so if you fail in the final moments of a mission, you start over from the beginning of that mission.

Special Ops is most fun with a partner. It's best online so that you get to play full screen, but if you have a guest over you can play split screen offline. For all you World at War players looking for Zombies, you're out of luck here. You get Special Ops instead. There was a silly rumor that MW2 would have an "Alien Invaders" mode that would rival the Zombie mode of WaW, but that indeed was just a silly rumor.

Online Multiplayer is where you'll get addicted. No AI brothers here...just your fellow gamers. You'd better have your FPS skills honed if you think that you'll score better than some of the MW2 online players. A very high percentage of the online players have been honing their skills online for years now with CoD4 and World at War.

The concept with Multiplayer is certainly not new. The more you play, the higher you rank allowing you to unlock more (fine tuned) weapons. The game sets you up in matches with people at your level and rank, but that ain't gonna help you if you're new (you will be fondly referred to as a noob by your swell fellow online players) and you're up against the CoD4 or WaW vets.

What makes MW2 Multiplayer more than just a new map pack for CoD4 is that the Multiplayer weapons and perk system are vastly improved. And so is connectivity (so it seems in the initial week of play after a few day one and two glitches). You get 10 times the amount of points for the kills and captures that you're used to getting only 5 or 10 points for in CoD4 and WaW. You also now get points for not just killing and capturing, but for taking out enemy air support, coming back from deathstreaks, killing your nemesis, breaking an enemy's streak and other stuff. Yeah, Multiplayer is good fun, habitual and bad for a marriage.

So all in all Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is major fun. The only drawbacks to this awesome game are that the campaign is really short and the multiplayer action is a bit familiar. But the MW2 Multiplayer improvements over its predecessors far out weigh the familiarity.

Modern Warfare 2 is a must for FPS fans. Add it to your cart, soldier!

Ok, so no one plays the campaign mode... except me.
My Experience:
Being I am an OG, from the 70's my reaction times are slowing down and I know it. I actually enjoy the campaign modes in these games. Which is why I am giving it a 2 star. I am sure people will blast me because the MULTIPLAYER IS WHERE ITS AT MAN!!! OMGWTROXXORZ.!11. I agree that the multiplayer can be fun, but this is a review of the game as it stands.

Campaign Mode: ***** 5 star

First off the campaign mode. The graphics and scenes are so absolutely beautiful I would give this a 5 star hands down, it is what brought this title up from a 1 star. From the basic places like the airport in the mountains. The snow, the weather, it all seems to be so very real and inviting. When you have to take back the White House it is breathtaking from the color of the sky to the helicopters crashing all around you. Wonderful, epic and left me wanting more. Which, leads us to the reason I want to give this a 1 star.

Campaign Story: 0000* 1 star

The campaign mode is ridiculously short. I wanted to take my time taking it all in and several missions push you the whole time to GO GO GO!!! which is expected due to the insane pace of the enemies. It really sucks you in and makes you feel part of it, however, it falls horribly short due to the anemic plot and, well...shortness... The major issue with the campaign is the incredibly weak story. They never explain why anything has happened, the dialogue between the characters is full of hyperbole and patriotic fluff. I realize the world thinks Americans are a bunch of yahoo cowboys, but come on with the brainless pointless dialogue.
Sub campaign:
The Spec Ops are so-so fun, but its just a rehash of the campaign you just finished.

Now lets discuss the 10,000 pound gorilla in the room.

Multiplayer 0000* 1 star
I understand its my lack of skillzorz that makes the multiplayer frustrating. That does not mean that I have to give a game I do not enjoy anything more than I have. The new titles and other 1337 embellishments they have thrown into the multiplayer has done nothing but polish what I perceive as a pile of excrement. Playing with a friend can make multiplayer a bit more fun. Going into a game where only 2 out of 18 have a mic, where most are young kids, and some have voice modifiers so we dont know they are kids,(yea right Darth), is nothing short of pure hell. Its not fun, nor is it the reason I got this game.

After playing such epics as Uncharted: Drake's Fortune & Uncharted 2: Among Thieves this game pales in comparison for the depth of characters, re-playability, and overall scope. I am not a glutton for punishment so games like Demon's Souls have little appeal to me. I have a family, job and other things taking up my time, (like Amazon reviews), so a 2-3 hour frag fest where I am repeatedly killed over and over holds no appeal to me either.

For the -Not Helpful- voters:
I am sure this review will garner a fair share of negative votes. Just remember you too are entitled to your opinion and you too can write a review on any product and YOUR experience with that product. My experience with this product, while amazing, was brief and ultimately very frustrating. If this was a review of a new electric toothbrush and that toothbrush shocked you every time you used it, you too could come here and write about it was a pain to use. Reviews are not meant as an -I am a fan or I hate it-, instead it is meant as a way to let customers hear a varied and alternative view of a product. I think overall Activision did a pretty good job with this game. The soundtrack was spot on and sounded great. But making the game as a single player and a multiplayer means its not excellent at either one. Sure your Honda Civic can go off-road but eh, do you think it will hold up well?

Pros:
>> Beautiful animations
>> Epic scenes
>> Motion capture is fantastic
>> Fantastic soundtrack

Cons:
<< Story is disjointed and weak
<< Campaign is very short
<< Relying on this game to be 100% multiplayer experience means that it never works well as a single player game.

Summary:
This game was made as a multiplayer game with a campaign thrown in as a disjointed storyline that never fully grabs hold and engages, partly because it is too short. If the campaign were only 20-30 more hours long, this would be an epic worth keeping. So for now, try it before you buy it.

Thank you for reading my review. I WILL take any discussions, so if you feel like chatting about it, please feel free to leave a comment.

good; but should have been great
Before I begin, I must note that I have rented both the PS3 and 360 versions of this game and played them extensively. While I am still up in the air on which version I will end up buying, the only reason I am reviewing the PS3 version versus the 360 version is because this is the version I am leaning towards buying. However my reasons have nothing to do with differences with the game between the two systems. For all practical purposes, the two versions are identical and there is no need to review the 360 version as well. See my comments for a quick comparison between the two systems concerning this game.

My review:

Modern Warfare 2 was one of the most anticipated games in recent history. After the HUGE success of COD: Modern Warfare, MW2 looked to continue the success. While the game visually looks better than the first, there are issues (mainly in single player) that have hurt this game. If it weren't for the extremely fun and improved Multi-player, this game could have been one of the biggest disappointments this year.

Single Player

This game takes place 5 years after the original Modern Warfare and after a quick training course you are immediately thrown into action. While the first few levels were extremely fun and creative, most of the levels really lacked any innovation or offered anything new. In single player, every aspect of the game from visuals to audio is improved except for the main thing; game play. IW seems to have fallen prey to the Hollywood mentality that all we want is action all the time without much thought put into the actual story line or doing a good job of explaining what's going on. Attention to the actual story is something they did VERY well in COD4. However levels on MW2 just turn into nothing but mindless shoot fests. Its very obvious single player was just thrown together without much thought and it makes completing most of the campaign more of a frustrating chore than a fun and challenging experience. Things move along so fast with many jumps and holes in the story line, it's very difficult to follow the plot about what's going on. Even the cut screens during levels are hard to follow because there is so much going on onscreen with separate audio that does nothing but drown each other out. After a while you more than likely will just give up trying to follow along and just kill everything that moves. With this game, you will have ample opportunity to do just that; while there is no endless spawning as in the previous title, because there are so many enemies it might as well be. After the first couple of levels, enemies will just pop out of everywhere on every single level with no break in the action.

Each level may look different, but the concept is the exact same; kill hundreds of enemies before they kill you before you make the next checkpoint. Which brings me to my next complaint; IW still has done nothing about the annoying check point system. While I admit the checkpoint system in COD4 wasn't as bad as other games I have played, the checkpoint system in MW2 is absolutely terrible. Because you have to kill so many people before you can even advance you will find yourself having to start ALL over again if you die. What makes this even worse is that even when you DO reach a checkpoint, sometime the game does not recognize that you made it, so when you die you have to start over TWO checkpoints back frustrating the crap out of you. Part of my frustration could be the fact that I played on Hardened Difficulty, but even still, the checkpoint system is a big problem.

There is a little more variety in the latter levels, but the concept is pretty much the same. In addition the final levels will more than likely having you wanting to throw your controller in the floor due to all the random deaths and seemingly luck based objectives due to the plethora of enemies. Once you get through it however, you are rewarded with a pretty good ending and credits.

It's a shame single player was such a disappointment. The levels themselves are gorgeous and the in-game sound and ally chatter is amazing. Some parts are extremely fun as well. It's just too bad there isn't a comprehensible story line to go along with it and game play that is for the most part extremely top-heavy with action.

Single Player rating: 3.5/3.75


Multi-player

As much as I am disappointed with the single player campaign, the Multi-player makes up for it. There are some new perks/kill streak rewards that are sure to make online play a little more interesting. Modern Warfare features new kill streak rewards like Predator Missiles, Harrier Strike and Care Packages. There is also a tactical Nuke strike which will end the game immediately killing every one on the map and giving you the win; however you need a 25 kill streak to do this so it's not something that should affect game play very much as it should be a very rare occurrence.

In addition to the new kill streak rewards, there are more perks in as well as enhancements to existing ones. Some new perks include Hard line which lowers kill streak reward requirements by one kill and Bling which allows you two attachments on weapons. All perks, new and existing have "Pro" versions which enhance them even more.

Most of the cheap tactics that many players used are either gone in Modern Warfare 2 or can be countered with the addition of new perks and items. Juggernaut is gone (sort of) and no more players grenade spamming with the Frag x3 perk. However "camping" is still a big problem in Multi-player. Because the Multi-player maps in MW2 are all out in the open and you can go just about anywhere, all a player has to do is find on of those places and sit there all day long picking off newer players that are not as familiar with the layout of the maps. This may get better over time; however newer players are hereby warned.

While the hated Juggernaut is no longer available in the perk list, it is still here in form of a death streak reward. Death streaks are basically the opposite of Kill streaks and give the player a boost if they are dying too often. The Pain Killer reward (i.e. Juggernaut) is available after a player dies 3 consecutive times. The addition if death streak rewards adds some balance in Multi-player and while some may complain about people abusing it, because of the way these death streaks are set up, it will be very hard (if not impossible) to "abuse' these rewards and still win the match; good players will still dominate. These death streaks are merely a way in keeping novice and inexperienced player interested in the game while making them somewhat competitive.

Finally bullet damage is more deadly even in "non hardcore" matches. This is both a blessing and a curse. One of my biggest complaints with COD4's Multi-player is that it sometimes seemed to take way to many bullets to bring someone down. This worked both for and against me but in either case it was very frustrating for me when I was trying to kill someone and for others when they were trying to kill me. This is no longer an issue with MW2 as a few well placed bullets will bring down your target quite easily. Because of this, getting a kill is highly dependent on who sees who first. The person to see and fire on his opponent first has a HUGE advantage in stand offs; so my advice is to be very careful before stepping in/out of a room or in the open. This DOES make Multi-player harder but it's also a little more realistic.

The fun factor is Multi-player is much more fun than single player mode, but it does have its flaws. In addition to what I've already pointed out, there is a problem with over powered shotguns. (I've been killed from literally 50 feet away from below with someone wielding dual shotguns.) In addition the sniper rifles have absolutely no punch at all. Even shots from the 50 caliber Barrett do not bring down your enemy in one shot and without stopping power, the sniper rifles are virtually useless. The only sniper rifle that is pretty good is the Intervention, and once I complete the challenges with the other three, the Intervention will be the only sniper rifle I will ever use.

Finally bullets seem to curve around corners when you are being shot at. It is quite frustrating to when you run to cover thinking you have avoided being killed only to have a bullet literally curve around the corner and hit you. This was also a problem in COD4, but it just seems much worse in MW2.

All in all, multi-player can be a fun experience sometimes 5 other times 3.

Multi-player Rating: 4/4

Spec Ops

Spec Ops is a new game mode that I haven't really played yet, but from what I can see it will be a refreshing break from single player and Multi-player modes. Basically it places you in a situation and gives you certain objective to complete in a specified amount of time to earn stars. There is a wide variety of mission types such as hold off attackers; kill tangos and even snow-mobile races. These can be played with a single player or with a partner; though some missions are only available for 2 people.

I do not have a rating for Spec ops because I haven't played this mode enough to form a solid opinion.

Overall

Modern Warfare 2 is a good game, but keep in mind I only say this because of the improved multi-player and addition of the Spec Ops mode. If you are only into single player mode, then I HIGHLY recommend a rental to just beat the game and move on. Is single player worth playing? Yes it is, but if you are not going to play multi-player or Spec Ops then there is really no need to BUY this game. I beat this game in 4 days playing an average of 90 minutes per day even on Hardened difficulty. While Multi-player is much improved, single player is below the standards of COD4. This game is recommended as a purchase ONLY if you plan to play Multi-player and/or spec ops modes often.