Modern Warfare 2 Review

By Simon Parkin Published 10 November, 2009

Infinity and beyond?

Version tested:

Twice, Infinity Ward asks if you're absolutely sure you want to see it. The scene, the fourth you'll encounter in the most widely anticipated game of the year, could be "disturbing" or "offensive", repeats the warning. You smile and agree that, yes, you are sure you want to see it. This is a videogame. They give them 18 certificates, but only to appease people who don't really understand what's going on. Sure, the images of violence and bloodshed on Modern Warfare's battlefields can be disturbing to an onlooker, but death in a first-person shooter is a five-second setback, a micro-reincarnation designed to provide challenge and an impetus to improve, not distress.

Likewise, the crimson firework that explodes whenever bullet meets target is merely a visual cue to indicate another object removed from the shooting gallery, while the wash of blood that temporarily clouds your view when you're wounded is just a health gauge obfuscated. The orchestra-swells and military bombast? All window dressing for what is, essentially, Space Invaders evolved. You take cover behind walls and shoot aliens. In 1978, these were line-dancing pixel clusters from outer space. In 2009 they're Afghans. The metaphor's changed, but the principle remains the same: avoid missing headshot for high score. A videogame. Yes, I'm sure I want to see it.

'Modern Warfare 2' Screenshot 1

Once again, death in the game is eulogised with historical war-themed quotations, equally balanced between celebration and condemnation.

The first three missions of Modern Warfare 2 do little to change your mind. The training level, set in a desert encampment somewhere in the Middle East, is literally a shooting gallery. You race from pillar to post, refreshing muscle memory, making split-second fire/hold-fire decisions, flitting between your rifle and pistol while racing against the clock to reach the end of the assault course. Not satisfied with your score? Have another go. Shave seconds from your time by improving your speed and accuracy. The sand particles billowing in the wind, the off-duty soldiers playing basketball in the communal yard and the throb of the noonday sun are of a fidelity not seen in games before, but the systems they dress are as old as videogame time.

Then you move out onto the streets of Afghanistan in the boots of one PFC Joseph Allen, 1st Battalion 75th Ranger regiment. The faded Arabic slogans daubed on the walls and the upturned supermarket trolleys under dilapidated bridges invest a foreign-correspondent air of believability into the scenario. But the unlikely hail of RPG-fire, screeching overhead jets, sub-bass thwap helicopters and balaclava-wearing hostiles ensure it's the 10 o'clock news played through a Michael Bay filter: reality, with the contrast turned up.

In the following level, now playing as British soldier Gary Sanderson in a duo mission with the understated Soap MacTavish, you tear down a snowy mountain in Kazakhstan on an implausibly fast snowmobile, steering with your right hand, taking down enemy riders with a pistol in your left. As you finally perform a Hollywood leap across a 40-foot ice ravine, the series settles into the sort of James Bond action preposterousness of which it's always managed to remain short.

'Modern Warfare 2' Screenshot 2

When in Kazakhstan you’ll need to use ice picks to scale the frozen mountainside.

Yeah. A videogame. I am absolutely sure that I want to see it.

The voiceover that precedes what will shortly become the most notorious scene in gaming makes it clear that your mission is a necessary one. You are a good guy, dressed as a bad guy, and while bad things are about to happen, good will out. Ding, and the lift doors unclasp. You step out onto an airport foyer, and into an entirely new idea of what constitutes an 18-certificate videogame.

You don't have to shoot. But you do have to observe. Forced into an unbreakable stroll, your only choices are where to look and whether to stay abreast of your murderous companions as they gun down the crowds of innocents, or whether to lag behind and administer a coup de grace to the terminal's terminally wounded. In contrast to the dry professionalism of soldiering displayed in the rest of the game, there's an inefficient laziness to this terrorist spree. The men fire from the hip in sweeping arcs, their purpose merely to create mayhem, not to eliminate threat.

The screaming is the soundtrack to post-traumatic stress; the visuals like snuff CCTV footage lurking under some evil stone in a dark corner of the internet (albeit undermined somewhat by the curiously small palette of civilian character models being gunned down). One man who takes a shot to the stomach crawls along the ground on all fours, blood pouring from his fingers. Finish the job, watch or walk on: these are your options. The removal of player agency is at once frustrating and brilliant: through it, the limitations of the first-person-shooter's purpose and themes are revealed. In a genre that limits you to interactions sent down the barrel of a gun, for perhaps the first time in history, Infinity Ward makes you wish for a bandage instead.

The magnitude horror of the scene could be seen as little more than attention-grabbing - something to help the game stand yet further away from the throng of me-too rivals - and in truth it feels incongruous to the rest of the game, an ugly, shocking aside to the bold silliness elsewhere. But in addition to that, it's also arguably necessary to inflate the plot for the dizzying fever pitch that follows. By creating a catastrophe of such impact, Infinity Ward justifies its next move, one that is, in many ways, more shocking than the previous one.

'Modern Warfare 2' Screenshot 3

The script, particularly during the motion graphic interstitials between levels, is a little overwritten, but does help inject the story with a sense of gravitas.

The image of a burning American flag is enough to cause anguish to patriotic hearts and minds. But a burning flag above the door of an American house within a white picket fence, in a Washington suburb, is enough to move armies. The image that marks the start of the next level plays upon the nation's deepest fears of invasion, the threat of losing its national identity, something that, for a nation of immigrants, is often a fate worse than war.

It's an ingenious move. In taking the fight to American soil, and in actualising combat in the familiar respectability of middle-class life, Infinity Ward moves to explore rare themes in gaming. Its previous game, while praised for its gunplay, won no accolades for nuanced politics. Modern Warfare 2 also starts with Cheney-era rhetoric, celebrating "the most powerful military force in the history of man" before claiming, "every fight is [America's] fight, because what happens over here matters over there." These statements stick in the throat somewhat. But after the airport massacre, the tone shifts. As you sprint towards the White House, the sky above thick with murderous, parachuting Russians, Modern Warfare lives up to its name, revealing a US military defiant yet on the back foot.

As with the nuclear explosion at the start of the third act in the first Modern Warfare, the story beats are absurd (at one point you find yourself firing upon insurgents holed up in the Department of Justice) but through this gross amplification, it reflects America's deep-held fear and paranoia at losing its position as top global military dog, of nuclear fallout and of old, Cold rivalries re-ignited.

'Modern Warfare 2' Screenshot 4

Despite featuring multiple two-man sniper missions, Modern Warfare 2 never quite matches the original's tense high point of lying in the tall grass in a ghilly suit metres from an enemy patrol.

That Modern Warfare 2's biggest strides have been made in storytelling is unsurprising. The previous game's execution of the first-person military shooter template was nothing short of exemplary. And so the developer manages to build upon those victories, albeit in the tiny increments its previous triumph allows. The gunplay is slick and comfortable, the tactile kickback from weapons matched by sound design that allows you, with a decent pair of headphones, to pick out enemy movement with uncommon efficiency.

Level design flits impressively from corridored environments to expansive play areas, demanding fresh tactics. For example, gameplay constantly switches from house interiors to exteriors when you're flushing Russian soldiers from the streets of Washington, forcing you to switch from Rainbow Six-esque CQB strategies to careful use of exterior cover. These moments reveal Infinity Ward's expertise in designing environments that allow interesting combat scenarios to develop naturally.

Despite this, the game emphasises authored spectacle over emergent play. While it fails to match the cinematic assuredness of Uncharted 2 in this regard, the deeper interactivity of Modern Warfare's set-pieces often makes them more potent. Racing through a decaying gulag as it collapses on top of you, or duelling with a helicopter from a dinghy atop white rapids, are memorable moments, and will no doubt endure. At times the game will slip into a bullet-time mode, requiring you to take out enemy targets before they murder hostages, moments that help to upset the familiar rhythms in interesting ways. In every case, the execution is peerless, ensuring ideas that would appear tired or weak in the hands of less competent developers shine and excite.

The emphasis on set-piece play has a positive effect in the way the game's difficulty scales. On the default level, the challenge is mild, and most skilled players will breeze through the campaign with few setbacks. But as anyone who has painstakingly inched their way through each Call of Duty on Veteran will know, the series traditionally achieves its highest difficulty by introducing infinite enemy respawns that only deactivate when you pass a invisible threshold by pushing forward. In Modern Warfare 2, Veteran is still extremely challenging, but meticulous players who clear targets one by one will be rewarded with progress, something that, in conjunction with the generally shorter missions, makes the game a little easier than its forebears, but also more satisfying thanks to the emphasis of skill over blind luck.

In terms of weaponry, there's a clutch of new toys to get to know. The silenced ASCR tunes in to your squad's heartbeats, lighting up friendly and hostile units on a gun-mounted heads-up display. While there's nothing comparable to the unsettlingly detached night-bombing mission from the first Modern Warfare, the Predator drone is a similar air-based targeting system that makes a regular appearance throughout the game. With it you guide missiles through the sky onto their targets via a remote camera and a laptop, and the resulting explosions are thrilling across all of the game's various modes. Despite the fire and fury of this contemporary weaponry, Infinity Ward isn't afraid to reveal its fragility too, at one point removing many of the technological crutches you've learned to lean on to make a point. It's smart, slick and this willingness to bend the established rules bespeaks a developer in confident stride.

'Modern Warfare 2' Screenshot 5

Switching between your main weapon and sidearm is always faster than reloading, a technique you'll soon become acquainted with in multiplayer.

Outside of the campaign, Spec Ops mode provides a generous range of standalone missions to work through either solo or in conjunction with other players. Each mission awards up to three stars depending on your performance, the meta-challenge then being to collect all of the stars available in the mode. Freed from narrative constraints, Spec Ops missions allow for some interesting, arcade-like challenges, which prove compelling as you try to collect their multitudinous rewards. As some of the latter stages can run to well over 20 minutes a go, the lack of checkpoints can make a last-minute failure a sharp disappointment, but they're so well-structured that most players will, soon enough, be inspired to reattempt completion.

With just two days spent on the game's live servers, attempting to provide the last word on the game's multiplayer, its true jewel of longevity, is fool's work: the quality of this component will be revealed over months, not hours. However, the foundations Infinity Ward has laid for the multiplayer community to build upon are quite brilliant. As with Modern Warfare, the game's online component presents an entirely separate play arc that overlays RPG-levelling and character development onto traditional FPS competitive staples such as Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. Every success on these virtual battlefields is awarded with experience points, which contribute to moving your character through military ranks, unlocking new loadouts, perks (character upgrades) and secondary goals.

'Modern Warfare 2' Screenshot 6

Most of the Spec Ops levels feature environments directly lifted from the campaign, so it's advisable to complete the main story first or risk spoilers.

The game carefully balances community-building features such as the option to set a title, emblem and clan tag with features that celebrate individual players (for example, Mercenary Team Deathmatch disallows Xbox Parties, ensuring that everyone is lumped in with other random players). With rewards for being spawn-killed three times in a row and the ability to steal your killer's loadout via Copycat Deathstreak, Infinity Ward has been careful to ease frustration for newcomers, while the mode's labyrinthine depths, unlocking play mode after play mode as you level up, provide powerful impetus to dedicate your life to this twitch sport.

The MMO-style breadcrumb trail of rewards and upgrades is more than just a manipulative way to hook players into the system. Each perk has been carefully balanced to provide options rather than, necessarily, an advantage. Skill will always trump perseverance, although improvement is discernible as you invest time and hone muscle memory.

Modern Warfare 2 balances the spectacle and silliness of its single-player campaign with a deep, enduring multiplayer core, carefully covering its bases for players of all persuasions. But there is no denying it seeks merely to build upon the successes of its forebear while doing very little to expand its scope or redefine them. Don't be fooled by the airport scene, which reveals a developer trying its hand at something else, without coming close to fully committing to it. There's nothing wrong with that. After all, underneath the sheen and controversy, Modern Warfare 2 is a videogame. And yes, you can be sure it's one you want to see.

9 / 10

This is a review of the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 2, which should also be applicable for the PS3 version. Extensive technical comparison of the two console versions will be published later this week, and we will take a separate look at the PC SKU in order to clear up pre-release concerns.

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Simon.

About Simon Parkin

Simon Parkin is an author and journalist on video games. A regular contributor to Eurogamer since 2005, his work has also appeared in Edge, The Telegraph, Gamasutra and Boing Boing.

Read more articles from Simon by visiting the Simon Parkin archive page.

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Comments (295) 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ScottyXTUK #1 2 years ago

    Hopefully be getting my copy tomorrow, can't wait!

  • brandon-flowers #2 2 years ago

    Just got it for £26 from sainsburys which is unusual for me as i always wait forthe EG review but at that price its rude not to!

  • JahB #3 2 years ago

    just picked this up on my way to the office, and i think i'm starting to feel a bit ill. maybe it would be wise to go back home and you know, relax on the couch.

  • spazmo #4 2 years ago

    "Extensive technical comparison of the two console versions will be published later this week"

    fwap
    fwap

  • Aronways #5 2 years ago

    Postman just woke me up! Jumped out of bed! Cant wait!

  • AphoticCosmos #6 2 years ago

    Predictable score is predictable.

    Still not worth getting as long as Activision and IW insist on being idiots with the PC version.

  • butler` #7 2 years ago

    cue the pc 8

  • tonynibbles #8 2 years ago

    Aye, predictable.

    Won't be getting a copy myself, I'll hold out for Bad Company 2. Maybe a few months down the line...

  • BeachGaara #9 2 years ago

    Modern Warfare 2? That slipped by my radar. Looks crap innit.

  • Charlie_Miso #10 2 years ago

    Meh

  • Nemesis #11 2 years ago

    Perfect timing on the review; time for a cup of tea and a read before heading off to find everything sold out ;-)

  • solidSnake04 #12 2 years ago

    finally

  • RobotRocker #13 2 years ago

    Kinda expected the 9. It looks nice but it at times seemed like the game version of Transformers 2 with it being seen as the gaming Jesus. The frothing fanboys screaming for a 10 should be waking up soon so its going to be interesting to see the reactions.

  • tnt_2008smum #14 2 years ago

    same here just got it from sainsburys for £26 .......long live the supermarket !!

    Which format please?

  • White_Westie #15 2 years ago

    Reads like a piece of marketing material from inifinty ward....

    No game Screenshots in the review either...

    no shockers here.....

  • Peew971 #16 2 years ago

    You've got to love the disclaimer in the Joystiq review, I think every website involved should have it on... In any case, I trust EG to be fair whether or not they were there.

    "Disclaimer: The preceding review is based on an event organized and paid for by Activision, in which media outlets were provided hotel rooms, each equipped with an Xbox 360 and copy of Modern Warfare 2. As this was Joystiq's only opportunity to review the game in advance of its release, we willingly deviated from our standard policy of not accepting accommodations and used the room. We did so because we felt that participating in this event best served the interest of our readers.

    For more information on the Joystiq Editorial Ethics Policies, please click here."

  • mode7 #17 2 years ago

    I'd be lucky to find a copy of this for £26 in my local Sainsburys, there still got a copy of infamous in their "new out this week" section.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 09:22

  • mkreku #18 2 years ago

    Why are you saying it was predictable? As I was reading the review, I was thinking it sounded like a 10/10..

    Now let's wait for the PC review. I'm more interested in that one.

  • Digital_Forge #19 2 years ago

    Like with Dragon Age and Risen - going to do a PC review separate perhaps - would be interesting to see how it's turned out amongst the waves of rage.

  • White_Westie #20 2 years ago

    I wish Infinity ward would allow ME to choose which multiplayer game map I want to play rather than dictating to me... its really p**s p**r in todays world....

    If I buy a game, dont stick me in a playlist, let ME CHOOSE which multiplayer map I want to play....

  • BartonFink #21 2 years ago

    @White_Westie

    Cannot understand that either as there is plenty of video over at Eurogamer.de
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 08:19

  • RedPanda #22 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • White_Westie #23 2 years ago

    @BartonFink
    Thanks for the tip . will look there.... I would have throught they would have put it in the uk eurogamer site...

    I guess I will have to brush up on my german next time If I want in game shots and a review..... :-O LOL!
    ps: "Video not found on server" there LOL!
    Edited by 2 at 10/11/09 @ 08:23

  • menage #24 2 years ago

    I'm still on the fence. I liked the first one, for the 5 hours it lasted, but this won't come down in price at all the coming year so might as well dive in??

    Goes back to Dragon age.

  • Widge #25 2 years ago

    too similar to the previous game 7/10

  • FooAtari #26 2 years ago

    Debating if it's even worth reading this review. Guess I might as well.

    @White_westie

    So you cannot choose which map to play even in private/custom games?

  • Markitron #27 2 years ago

    Why did it take half of the review to describe the importance of one scene. Another over-written review that reads like someone is trying to justify a degree in english

  • Nodebug #28 2 years ago

    You nailed my thoughts about the airport scene perfectly Simon. Nicely done. Cheers for the review.

  • bnazir #29 2 years ago

    Yes the queues at sainsbury was rather large (7.15AM), never before have I seen such a sorry and pathetic site of spotty, snotty teenagers mixed with sad and lonely 30 somethings....that said, I got my copy too!

  • ejstyles #30 2 years ago

    My local Sainsbury's (Kenton) had no PS3 versions, only 360...which they decided to mention only having opened the doors at 7am.

    Livid was not the word. Not me though, I calmly sauntered past and got my £26 360 copy! Had to feel bad for the PS3 guys though...they had to suggest taking down names for reserves when they came in from Parcelforce.

  • White_Westie #31 2 years ago

    @FooAtari
    Sorry didnt mean to confuse . I meant public matches.... I like to "jump in" to a map I like quickly...

  • bad09 #32 2 years ago

    So after all the usual hype and a £55rrp it's basically just more of the same COD. An awful respawning single player campaign I've not bothered to finish since COD2 (seriously no one enjoys this why so they do it?) and, of course, the always excellent MP player.

    Makes me feel better about blowing it off now, the online will still be there when Mr 2nd hand or a Steam deal (LOL! Acti giving a deal LOL!) comes along with my copy. :)

  • bnazir #33 2 years ago

    does no one else have the feeling that the entire gaming community after months of hype and intense pressure have all collectively cum in an fanboy orgy of epic proportions?

  • HermitArcader #34 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Goodfella #35 2 years ago

    Great fun for fans but more of the same 7/10.

    Oh wait that was the Ratchet and Clank review.

  • Les #36 2 years ago

    Might get it when it's platinum. Saw some footage of a launch event with girls in army shorts and tank tops. And people still wonder why games aren't treated as serious entertainment... 90% of attendants were 18 - 22 year old males, the additional 10% males older than 22.

  • Pro_Gamer #37 2 years ago

    Just for the record, Halo 3 scored 10/10... I was getting a bit sick of the MW fanboys foaming at the mouth about how this would topple Bungies crown. LOL!

  • Lee_Morris #38 2 years ago

    You can't grumble at £26 so I went down early this morning. Game was over the road though and they had video running of scenes from the game, I had avoid watching it and hating myself later. I hope there are deals like this for Assains Creed 2. Also if you are going to buy it Sainsburys are doing it for £26 online with free next day delivery.

  • bad09 #39 2 years ago

    "where's the best deal at the moment? "

    Pirate Bay? :)

  • f00b_inc #40 2 years ago

    Picked up cheap from supermarket too, should be good for some MP laughs. I figure price will jump up after today and stay up (like FIFA?)

  • Ryze #41 2 years ago

    I just shot over to check this - as Shop.to shows a Eurogamer 7/10 review!!!

  • dr_faulk #42 2 years ago

    NO M16 AS DEFAULT CLASS ON MP!!!! WORST. GAME. EVER.

  • midnight_walker #43 2 years ago

    "Might get it when it's platinum."

    Actually that's a point. Surely MW1 should be classic/platinum by now??

  • menage #44 2 years ago

    @LES

    Ever been at a car show? How is that any different.

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #45 2 years ago

    In answer to the questions about the review process, we weren't invited to any review event. Activision also failed to supply code until yesterday. However, as I mentioned during the Ask Eurogamer panel at the Expo, you reeeeally can't stop the signal. Simon's been playing a review build since last week and I got him a boxed copy on Saturday to test the multiplayer online.

  • Velios #46 2 years ago

    might get this

  • FooAtari #47 2 years ago

    @Donnie
    A 9 seems to have been awarded by EG just to be different and show their not fully influenced by the hype. This game for the MP alone, deserves a 10 and i have no doubt most sites will reward it blanket 10's. plus, why no real mention of the visuals but allmost a full page about the "airport scene". Anyway this is IW, so the ps3 version should be up too par but probably ever so slightly inferior. we'll see in the face off.

    You are not seriously arguing between a 9 and 10... Good game or not, it is essentially an expansion pack for MW. IW hasn't changed it much and it should loose a mark for that alone.

    But Jesus, 9 is a damn good score so what does it matter. And anyway if all sites gave the same scores and said the same thing about games what would be the point? Everyone is different you know, and has different opinions on things, so of course every review should be at least a little different...

    I always find it highly amusing when you see people in the same comments thread claiming EG scored to highly and sold out, and then other says they marked it "low" just to be different. really what they are complaining about is that the review doesn't say what they what they want it to say.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 08:53

  • JohnnyWashnGo #48 2 years ago

    I don't like FPS, but I couldn't pass up on the £26 deal at Sainburys and boy, was it hard to fight through the crowds this morninng to pick up a copy.

    Now, before I open it, could someone tell me if it lets you invert x and y axis conntrol?

    If it doesn't then it goes to somoebody for xmas. If it does than I am going to play it later today.

  • flaming.carrot #49 2 years ago

    Yeah you can invert axis of the controller

  • Les #50 2 years ago

    "Ever been at a car show? How is that any different."

    Yes and there were definitely many more females in the audience and less females with tiny pieces of cloth on their bodies. But as to how it's any different: cars have become mainstream, shooters have not.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #51 2 years ago

    Cheers flaming.carrot... +1

  • tobi #52 2 years ago

    Ratchet gets marked down for being a sequel but this doesn't, go figure.

  • Harmonica #53 2 years ago

    Review contains so many spoilers I found myself skipping over most of it.

    The most interesting part should have been talking about how non-interesting the airport shooty scene was; ironically you start out dismissing the whole thing as just a shooting gallery and then give in to idle hype and flattery as it goes on.

    Someone do a decent job of critiquing what is actually a pretty important scene in gaming history (though not for any of the 'artistic' COUGH reasons Infinity Ward want it to be).

    .. or just read the comments threads on this site which have done a better job of buying into it, snubbing it, admonishing it, and generally dissecting the mock-furore better than this review.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 08:57

  • mashk #54 2 years ago

    ONLY A '9'?!?!?!?!?!!?!?! The most important game in the history of videogames and it's only a '9'!. Was the Mona Lisa only worth a '9? Was The Godfather only worth a '9'? Did man landing on the moon ONLY WARRANT A FUCKING '9'?

    Yours exasperated,

    Mashk....

  • solidSnake04 #55 2 years ago

    i wasnt expecting anything other than a perfect score. is there anything else that IW could have done to make it a 10 ? Where did Naughty Dog went right improve drake 1 enough to make it a perfect score? would be cool if there was a way to gauge both games progress in relation to their previous version, in terms of accomplishments/improvements.

    PS: COD 4 lost to BioShock for GOTY award right ? How come MW2 got wayyy too much hype than BioShock2 is getting ?? Suddently it felt like nobody cared about BioShock and it was all about MW2. Not many cared about Uncharted 2 for that matter.

  • FooAtari #56 2 years ago

    @tobi

    Ratchet gets marked down for being a sequel but this doesn't, go figure.

    I tend to agree with you. But both games were also reviewed by different people.

    mashk, your being sarcastic, right?
    Edited by 2 at 10/11/09 @ 08:59

  • KingOfSpain #57 2 years ago

    Fantastic review!

  • GamerG #58 2 years ago

    @Lee_Morris

    When you buy CODMW2 Sainsburys are giving away a £3off voucher for Assasians Creed

  • Harmonica #59 2 years ago

    @ solidSnake04: game of the year awards are what get stuck on the boxes to shift a few thousand more copies when the sales start flagging.

    They're not in any way representative or related to, actual game quality/relevance/people giving a damn.

  • Beige_Alert #60 2 years ago

    At first I thought the review sounded like this was more or less just a new (probably rahter short) single player campaign and new multiplayer maps and skins. But the spec ops addition seems interesting, and it might just be that the game itself gives you more than I expect from reading the review.

  • cianchristopher #61 2 years ago

    Love the quotes from Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld when you die. Real war heros, those guys!

    I got the game at midnight in my local HMV - never realised just how many scumbags actually play COD. It's ActiBlizz's bread-and-butter....

    Anyhoo, the game is great - I've played the first 3-4 missions and it's got that Modern Warfare "magic", no doubt!

    I've got a real love/hate thing with IW - one the one hand they're the best fps designers in the business, yet on the other hand their attitude is as crass as "America, fuck yeah!"....

  • wicked_uk #62 2 years ago

    9 is about right, I finished it last night. (My copy arrived Saturday). It is a bit short (played on Hardened).
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 09:06

  • Skurmedel #63 2 years ago

    So the tone shifts after the massacre, but it's still "America fuck yeah"?

  • Harmonica #64 2 years ago

    @ cianchristopher

    Those quotes are entirely ironic and IW are aware of how they look in the midst of a blockbuster shooter. They've done the same in every Call of Duty (I think Bohemia actually started it with Operation Flashpoint, and IW might be mocking them a bit)

    In the same way as the 'America fuck-yeah!' style hollering you hear piloting the gunship in the first one, which is meant to make you feel a little uneasy, or shooting at television sets.

    There's a pretty sophisticated level of irony going on there.

  • menage #65 2 years ago

    @Les

    Cars have become mainbstream, that's pretty classic

    I'll go buy a Ferrari then to keep up with the crowd:D

    All I saw was girls in bikini draped on a hood but different show maybe.

  • el-pimpz #66 2 years ago

    £25.99 ps3/360 @ Morrisons till thursday for anyone who cant get to Sainsburys.

  • autogunner #67 2 years ago

    waaaay to many spoilers EG! i cant read the review so jsut skipped to the score (as per usual). I cant play the game till friday, a more consice, less plot heavy review would have been nice

  • Widge #68 2 years ago

    I tried to get into COD4 but just couldn't, the much praised MP isn't actually all that. IW are bastard clever, understanding that the XP ocd is a real rush, tapping into the WoW part of the brain... but christ, its not that fun to play. You know something is wrong when the best part of each game is the results screen and watching the XP ping up.

    The maps just devolve games into deathmatch affairs with no sense of tactics of achievement. Open, porous maps with no ability to have strategic hold points or tactics. Wonderful if you want to run around like a maverick, nailing in behind people with teh kills.

    I think all platforms (PC/PS3/360) have FPS games that outclass COD MP's bar that continual grind for XP.

    :(

  • kangarootoo #69 2 years ago

    "Just for the record, Halo 3 scored 10/10... I was getting a bit sick of the MW fanboys foaming at the mouth about how this would topple Bungies crown. LOL!"

    That. Is pathetic.

  • KayJay #70 2 years ago

    "A nation full of immigrants" :) good read that. I have to agree with Simon and as I said in the forum I don't think it really does anything more than any other fps over the last couple of years but what it does do it does it very well with all the "hollywood" you would want.

    For me personally I'm giving it a 10, I treated myself to the "Prestige Edition" and the Night Vision Goggles (whilst clearly not top of the range or military spec :) ) are just great.

  • oreillymj #71 2 years ago

    A review when most people will have gotten pre-orders or have rushed out to buy the game is useless. This just shows how much the publishers PR have the game sites by the balls.

    I know that Eurogamer has to review the biggest game of the year, but when Activision insist on a release day embargo, they should be told where to stick it.

    What have Activision to fear? Well based on the 1 single player level and 2 multiplayer games I played last night, it seems that the game engine hasn't moved on that much. This is new maps and bug fixes for a game that was near perfect to begin with.

    As with the first game, the manual is useless at explaining the mechanics of multi-player. There was all sorts of stuff appearing on screen last night, which I'd no clue about. After spending €45 on the game, I'll have to invest in a strategy guide to understand what's going on or wait for IGN to produce something which explains the new perks system.

  • Darren #72 2 years ago

    A predictable score as others have said. I've never been interested in playing these games online since I played the first one on the PC to death so I'd only have been buying the new game for the single player. The last thing I want to play right now is another military-based FPS straight after Operation Flashpoint DR and ArmA II so I'll give it a miss for now until my enthusiam for the genre perks up again. By then the PC version will probably be cheaper anyway.

  • Les #73 2 years ago

    "Cars have become mainbstream, that's pretty classic"

    True, but as far as I'm aware, they became mainstream before they started putting bikini-clad women on top of them... ;)

    Just saying that it appeared that the launch event confirmed all the prejudices about gamers. Might not be true, but this is one of the few times, other than school shootings, that games make the news, so it's what sticks in the public's mind.

  • sifujames #74 2 years ago

    @ brandon-flowers

    Did the same thing myself this morning, should have it tomorrow...

  • xentar #75 2 years ago

    Ance again a very nice read Simon. Maybe a bit spoilerish with the american soil thing but great read nevertheless. Hope to get this one on my PS3 soon

  • miiiguel #76 2 years ago

    "And people still wonder why games aren't treated as serious entertainment.."

    WTF is "serious entertainment" ?!! Some ppl are just too damn cocky to even make fucking sense.

  • TheTingler #77 2 years ago

    I stopped reading short of the end of page one, and I wish I'd given up sooner. Jesus Christ Eurogamer, watch the spoilers.

  • TheGoose126 #78 2 years ago

    Got mine in Asda last night first and last time I que up for a game like that (very sad). Great to see the two 8 year old Neds joined by one of their mums to buy the game for them. Even better that it was one per customer but she managed to get two and just hand them straight to the kids at the counter, way to go Asda.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 09:49

  • greenthumb #79 2 years ago

    i picked up a copy in my local Sainburys at 8 this morning. No one around, seemed to have plenty left. this was in the sleepy little village of Harpenden though... i was suprised it was there at all. Had a quick 15 minutes before heading to work. Seems pretty good so far, but im not so keen on the left trigger jumps to a target thing and the big fisher price my first red dot sight

  • Istari #80 2 years ago

    Just for the record: the first (tutorial) level takes place in Afghanistan, which isn't in the Middle East. It's in Central Asia. As such the slogans on the walls of the Afghan city you're fighting in soon after probably aren't Arabic, but Pashto or Dari, which are the actual languages spoken in that place. (I say "probably" because I speak neither of these languages, so I wouldn't really know.) Still, if you're trying to write a serious review with critical reflections on the airport scene and such, it would probably be a good idea to hit up Wikipedia or something to prevent obvious and embarrassing mistakes like this. Thank you.

  • Monkey_Puncher #81 2 years ago

    I haven't enjoyed a 1st person shooter so much for a long time, played through a bunch of the single player last night and it well and truly blew me away. The airport scene, that was pretty harrowing in all honesty, I don't think I've ever felt like that while playing a game.

    Cant wait to sink my teeth into the multiplayer and co-op this evening.

    Oh and good review!

  • dr_faulk #82 2 years ago

    Wow. -8 for my "NO M16" comment. Either I'm German and my jokes go undetected, or you guys really hate M16s.

  • Blackthorned #83 2 years ago

    Enjoyed the review, well written.

    Am I the only person in the world that just plays the single player - and isn't interested in online play with this?

  • lockload #84 2 years ago

    If you dont play online this is a definite rental at only 5 hours for the campaign

  • Ace_McCloud #85 2 years ago

    Must admit, I felt it was pretty heavy on the spoilers too. But this review seemed much more like a high brow critique, and for someone who was never really taken with MW1 and haven't been planning a day 1 purchase, I enjoyed reading this review a lot.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 10:03

  • superdelphinus #86 2 years ago

    why do so many people have a problem with Loose/ Lose

    ?

  • Johnsters #87 2 years ago

    FFS!
    I pre-ordered from Play and have yet to receive it.
    Wish I'd cancelled and went to Sainsbury's.
    And Im working from home today and the wife and child are out.
    What a waste...................

  • dr_faulk #88 2 years ago

    @superdelphinus

    A new daytime t.v. show: 'Lose Women'.

  • mandella #89 2 years ago

    So, on one hand we have: "With just two days spent on the game's live servers, attempting to provide the last word on the game's multiplayer, its true jewel of longevity, is fool's work: the quality of this component will be revealed over months, not hours." and on the other: Modern Warfare 2 balances the spectacle and silliness of its single-player campaign with a deep, enduring multiplayer core, carefully covering its bases for players of all persuasions.. You seriously think that your readers are retards?
    Not to mention the fact, that DA which lasts for what, 40-50 stunning hours gets and 8 and this piece of 6 hour campaign gets 9, cause you can't honestly say that after 2 days of multiplayering you give this game a 9. P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C.

  • SleepyDeathFred #90 2 years ago

    To paraphrase the Galactic Civilizations II review it's the most game I've ever seen.

  • superdelphinus #91 2 years ago

    "A new daytime t.v. show: 'Lose Women'."

    heh

    also, re. the game - I seem to be the only person on the planet who dislikes MW multiplayer. Isn't it just Doom with bells and whistles? I suspect I might have started playing it too late when everyone else was too good though. Just seemed to be utter carnage everywhere with no sort of thought or tactics. Fun for a bit of an adrenaline rush every now and then. A bit like going 35 mph in a 30 mph zone

  • j-bo #92 2 years ago

    I enjoyed the review and critique and found it an interesting account of how the narrative was used, which tempts me greatly to play the game.

    I get the impression this is just me, but I just can't get on board with or excited about these quasi contemporary war fpses. If it was set in some sci fi dystopian future, or filled with campy adventure settings, that's fine, but something about the proximity to contemporary events, plus the somewhat nauseating gung ho team america thing just leaves me cold.

    The fact this game seems to be critiquing it on some level is compelling, but I still think it buys into it moreso, so meh.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 10:15

  • Skurmedel #93 2 years ago

    Istar: Hopefully the makers of this game have done that as well, somehow I doubt it with all the west-made movies floating around which fails to have even Russians speaking their own language.

  • muscleblade #94 2 years ago

    Where do i start? Multiplayer, special ops or campaign. I dont know?

  • Hantheman #95 2 years ago

    The spec ops are brilliant

  • AllenSpawn #96 2 years ago

    Very good review. Played for a couple of hours last night and was slightly underwhelmed by the first couple of chapters.... Then I got to the airport. I'd seen the disclaimers and laughed at them, but I gotta say it was slightly disturburbing... And I couldn't bring myself to shoot. A real emotional moment in a fps game.... That alone was worth the entry fee.
    Special ops is a nice addition and multiplayer is as solid as ever.
    Definately a 9, so far.

  • ChthonicEcho #97 2 years ago

    The comments section is nowhere near as dramatic as I hoped. Guess I'll have to wait for the PC review.

  • Widge #98 2 years ago

    apart from Makro's £20!

  • Trikk #99 2 years ago

    Pirate this game if you want gaming to survive in its current form.

  • mcmonkeyplc #100 2 years ago

    Halo 3 wins! :p

    Got my copy for £22.99 at game.

    I'm going to get flamed for that.

  • JahB #101 2 years ago

    Pirate this game if you want gaming to survive in its current form.

    piracy is what led to the death of pc gaming in its current form. yes, that means it's the fault of idiots like you.

  • mingster #102 2 years ago

    Bit of a spoilerific review.
    Would have liked more info on actual gameplay than story.
    Anyway its waiting for me at home, so roll on 5.00pm.

  • Avaloner #103 2 years ago

    Managed not to dip my feet in the MW pool due to the fact that it was kept at such a high price for so long. I think I will skip MW2 as well. More interested in Bad Company 2 really. Well, to each his own.

  • Rodchenko #104 2 years ago

    I seem to be the only person on the planet who dislikes MW multiplayer.

    You're not the only one. I wouldn't say I 'dislike' it, though. I just don't care much about MPs in any shooter because there are usually too many people online who, unlike me, have way too much time on their hands honing their skills. It's just no fun to get your noob butt kicked around all the time, especially when it's all about running and jumping around like a moron without any sense of strategy.

    I would have passed on this for being more or less the same as COD4. But people made me curious about the airport scene now. Rental then.

  • Yossarian #105 2 years ago

    Not as good as Halo 3, then?

  • Trikk #106 2 years ago

    piracy is what led to the death of pc gaming in its current form.

    PC gaming is on a great upswing compared to 4-5 years ago, and it will always be the strongest platform because of piracy. Piracy means you can't produce shovelware, make drastic price increases without delivering more product or drop basic features without reflecting it in the retail price.

    If you buy a legal copy of this game for your console, expect more customer abuse from Activision and the other huge publishers.

  • LordDante #107 2 years ago

    Lousy review.. The multiplayer of this game is its 90% of its fame and glory and it gets described in barely 3 sentences.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #108 2 years ago

    I'd love to have time to play MW2, or even the first one. But sadly not, sob! Maybe at some point next year.

  • TonyHarrison #109 2 years ago

    I'm glad this is finally out, all the abusive morons will be off playing this and abusing each others mothers, meanwhile, I can enjoy some far better games in peace...

  • BOFH_UK #110 2 years ago

    Firstly, thanks Eurogamer for putting the review score up early this morning. Even if the full review wasn't up it made the decision to go to Sainsburys and see if they had any left (last one!) an easy one.

    Secondly, are people REALLY arguing over the score AGAIN? A 9 is a superb game, just let it go, it's not a personal insult to you, your family and your way of life if that magical 10 doesn't appear. If you personally like the game that much then weight the score accordingly. Oy.

    And finally, this might be the game that gets me to pay out for Xbox Live Gold after five years of resisting. As I've picked up a multiplayer title at the start of its life rather than halfway through when it drops in price there's a vague chance I might not get slaughtered every time I start up a match. Not much of one I admit but at least there's a sliver of hope....

  • Gormless #111 2 years ago

    What the fuck is going on with all the disc accessing on the PS3 version? IW need to get an install patch out beofre the game kills 18 million PS3 Blu-Ray drives.

  • jonny8 #112 2 years ago

    Jeez, well done on giving away so much of the plot Simon. You could have warned people before they read it.

    Are you sure you want to read this review? Are you really sure you want to read this review?

  • petebritish #113 2 years ago

    Great so far thank you Morrisons 25.99 so good deal plenty in stock at 08.30 although few people going in for it..

    Shame got to go into work soon...

    Excellent review..

  • MrCarrot #114 2 years ago

    @Harmonica

    "In the same way as the 'America fuck-yeah!' style hollering you hear piloting the gunship in the first one, which is meant to make you feel a little uneasy, or shooting at television sets.

    There's a pretty sophisticated level of irony going on there."

    As much as we lily-livered liberals may have found the gunship stuff pretty unsettling, I understand IW's actual reasoning for including it was: 'It was cool'.

  • afraser2k #115 2 years ago

    Glad I didn't buy it on release as I was planning on getting it for the single player experience. I'll wait and see how they handle the PC version for cheats and the delayed VAC bans along with how P2P performs.

  • kangarootoo #116 2 years ago

    "PC gaming is on a great upswing compared to 4-5 years ago, and it will always be the strongest platform because of piracy. Piracy means you can't produce shovelware, make drastic price increases without delivering more product or drop basic features without reflecting it in the retail price."

    You are utterly fooling yourself mate. Piracy may mean some of the things above, but above all else piracy means that as a developer you can just abandon the platform and head for safer ground.


    If PC developers had no choice but to develop for the PC, then piracy might force publishers to be competetive in some of the ways you mention, but they DO have a choice. And many of them are exercising that choice and leaving PC development for consoles. And THAT is one of the reasons why PC gaming is dying.

    That upswing you talk is utter fiction. 4-5 years ago PC gaming was as viable as consoles for a developer. Since then it has increasinglt become a niche platform for high end shooters and mmos.

  • DrDamn #117 2 years ago

    After some very dodgy reviews in recent times here at EG some credit where it is due. This one is well written and covers a lot of the important points with understanding and without spoiling. Good job Simon.

  • muters #118 2 years ago

    Don't know if it's been mentioned already, but it's down to £32 already on Amazon. I feel a bit of a sucker for having bothered to pre-order it now...

  • Dgzter #119 2 years ago

    Never liked multiplayer but I did play through the single-player campaign of MW and, although I enjoyed it, I felt it was desparingly brief and wished I had just rented it for a weekend. I'm pretty sure that's what I'll do this time around.

    9 is a very good score, but I felt the rhetoric should have emphasized the MP a tad more, as surely this was how it was ultimately graded, for I fail to see how such a short single-player campaign can merit a 9.

  • JahB #120 2 years ago

    If you buy a legal copy of this game for your console, expect more customer abuse from Activision and the other huge publishers.

    but that's exactly it. i bought it for console, and there was no abuse from Activision whatsoever. i paid the exact same price i pay for all new games, i get the same matchmaking service i get in most other console games and all in all i ended up with another kickass game for the collection.

    that "abuse" you speak of exists only for a small minority of hardcore PC gamers who have troubles accepting the fact that the old days - as unfortunate as it may be - are coming to an end.

  • melch #121 2 years ago

    got this yesterday on the way home from work, CEX have been selling it all weekend.

    ive only played the campaign so far (just finished the oil rig) but have to admit it is pretty much more of the same old COD, looking forward to trying out the special ops missions with my mates.

    too much hype IMO.

  • Widge #122 2 years ago

    Its true, Uncharted 2 is exactly the same as Uncharted 1... apart from adding in a multiplayer and co-op mode... oh and refining and retuning the SP game in line with criticisms from your general gamer. But yes, EXACTLY THE SAME, just a bit cinematic. WELL DONE ON YOUR OBSERVATIONS.

  • Widge #123 2 years ago

    Well its basically more of the same isn't it? The first one got a 9, this one gets a 9. Of course I suppose it depends on whose hands the review falls into, someone else might have been a bit more critical.

  • cianchristopher #124 2 years ago

    I have COD4 on the PC and my experience of the multiplayer aspect of it was shit, to say the least....

    I also have it on 360 and my experience of the multiplayer aspect of it was great, to say the least....

    I am glad that they went in the direction that they did for the PC realease, I hope all the moaning PC idiots who "sign petitions" fuck off....

  • MiniAmin #125 2 years ago

    Now now lads, let's not turn derail this into yet another thread about Piracy. I still remember this this train-wreck from March.

    As an elite commander in the ABGG (Activision Boycott Guerilla Group) I'd received reports from recon that various supermarkets intend to sell the game for 26 pounds. It was a shrewd but smart decision by the enemy: we've lost 75% of our force in just one morning. I fear I may not last too long.

    I'll play FIFA 10/ Halo ODST and Uncharted 2 to hold off the enemy as long as possible...

  • MiniAmin #126 2 years ago

    @ Cian.

    Yes I too hope that disgruntled consumers "fuck off" instead of asking for something which is more likely to make them buy the product in question.

  • Skurmedel #127 2 years ago

    cian: Yeah we are all moaning idiots. Great way to label people that don't agree with your viewpoint. Just wait till you want some nice group playing and the floodgates of hell open in after school hours with the usual grief:ers that roam multiplayer.

    "I don't quite agree with your point about fixing the economy president, you are a moaning idiot and all I have to say in the matter." Makes for a great debate with much nuanced opinions coming forth from both sides.

  • Tomo #128 2 years ago

    Really nicely written review. I had zero interest in buying this, as I detest the series but the attempts at maturing the genre sound like something I'd like to see. I don't really have the funds to buy it though which is annoying :(

  • cianchristopher #129 2 years ago

    Actually, that was a joke - the multiplayer is better on PC.

    But, you can see why they did it though, right? The pc has been getting map packs for free all this time - now Activision want to start charging pc owners for them. And they want them to move on when the next Modern Warfare is realeased.

    They made something like $75m on ther WAW map packs, they've likely done the maths and came up with the notion that they'll make more money this way. Even accounting for the fact that lots of PC gamers won't but this game, they probably figure that most who were going to buy it will still buy it and many of them will buy the PC map packs.

    And you know what, I think they're right! In 12 or 18 months time we'll all be reading an article here saying "Activision is pleased with the success of Modern Warfare 2's map packs on PC. The publisher estimates that over 2 million map packs have been sold on the platform which, combined with sales of the game totalling about 4 million on PC gives them a profit of I dunno, something very large"....

    It's the way the business is going, take it or leave it! But in 5 years time, PC gaming will be very, very different.

  • JEPC123 #130 2 years ago

    @Istari
    'Just for the record: the first (tutorial) level takes place in Afghanistan, which isn't in the Middle East. It's in Central Asia [...] Still, if you're trying to write a serious review with critical reflections on the airport scene and such, it would probably be a good idea to hit up Wikipedia or something to prevent obvious and embarrassing mistakes like this. Thank you.'

    Oh, come on. Firstly, if you do type 'Middle East' into 'fountain-of-all-knowledge' Wikipedia, it states that Afghanistan is considered as part of the 'Greater Middle East,' which is in keeping with current Western cultural trends, particularly among the media. Secondly, numerous books on the Middle East - such as those I used when studying state and society in the non-Western world back in my undergrad days - include the Arabian Peninsula and thus Afghanistan. Either way, of course, it's just a definition: Central Asia, the Near East, the Orient, Asia, Western Asia, Asia Minor - does it really matter that much? Not enough to suggest the reviewer has embarrassed himself, especially since such an assertion is in itself rather embarrassing, making you look - quite frankly - a bit silly.

    As for MW2, it looks a lot of fun, but I never have come to terms with the sadly acceptable short length of games these days, so I think everyone who's got it at a bargain price is sane, and anyone who has paid the ridiculous RRP is mental (especially those who got the collector's edition) - even if MP extends its lifespan. As an aside, being mainly a PC gamer, when did PC games become SO much cheaper than console ones? I'm not complaining, mind! There was always a difference, but it's become so marked recently (even if we ignore the ridiculous MW2 pricing).

  • limepickle #131 2 years ago

    Cracking review tbh. Treating the game with the credibility it deserves.

  • IronCladChicken #132 2 years ago

    @JEPC123
    PC gaming was cheaper with the last gen consoles too - £17.99 for a PC release vs. 25-29.99 for a PS2/Xbox release.

  • Bigglesworth #133 2 years ago

    "Not as good as Halo 3, then?"

    Can someone remind me why this is funny?

  • local_celebrity #134 2 years ago

    Is it just me who found themselves murdering civillians with reckless abandon? Did no one else feel the urge to fire a few grenades in their direction?

    I thought this section was frankly hilarious. It felt like a postmodern satire of violent videogames. Yeah, BRAP-BRAP-KILL-KILL!! It certainly served to undermine the pompous quotes they STILL feel the need to include in these fucking games.

  • IneptPercy #135 2 years ago

    Is this worth it for the single player only? I gave up on multiplayer on COD a while ago:

    XBOX - Full of 12 year old chavs with lag switches and rapid fire mods = No fun.
    PC - I get owned as a PC gamer who likes to use a gamepad = No fun.

    So is the single player campaign worth the money or should I divert the money elsewhere?

  • DrDamn #136 2 years ago

    @Robotech
    Or possibly wives/girlfriends picking up the game for husbands or even - god forbid themselves!

    I also remember the Christmas a couple of years ago when CoD4:MW was released. It was £30 in HMV for quite a while. This price drop is a lot more widespread and well known though.

  • Bigglesworth #137 2 years ago

    @robotech
    And you can assume that some of those will later be writing to their MPs and/or daily-shitrag-of-choice.

  • chessboxer #138 2 years ago

    @ IneptPercy

    If you can pick it up for £26 or less then yes it's worth it for the single player. It's much more engrossing and fun to play than the COD4's SP.

    I haven't tried online yet so I can't comment on whether or not it's good.

  • FooAtari #139 2 years ago

    @cian
    And they want them to move on when the next Modern Warfare is realeased.

    That's another thing that annoys me. What if I don't want to move on? I don't want my games to have a limited shelf life. People still play Doom and Quake online, and why shouldn't they be able to do that if they still enjoyment. It's one of the great advantages of PC gaming, games generally have a way longer shelf life than consoles. And while obviously the company wants to make money, that's a pretty greedy way of doing it. Limiting my use of the game is not cool. If they make a good enough sequel I'll buy it, if not I'll keep playing the old game, and I would prefer if they didn't try and stop me thanks.

    @JahB
    that "abuse" you speak of exists only for a small minority of hardcore PC gamers who have troubles accepting the fact that the old days - as unfortunate as it may be - are coming to an end

    Not for the better is it? If no one moaned about anything or made their opinions heard the world would be a much worse place. Activison and IW were wrong to remove dedicated server support. Rightfully, people are kicking up stink about it. And you never know, they might change that if enough people moan, wouldnt be the first time it's happened.

  • Wolverfrog #140 2 years ago

    So how much does it focus on the SAS? The American parts of CoD 4 were quite annoying, too full of marine bravado, 'oorah's, and just pointless action. The SAS missions were a lot more interesting. I let out a sigh of relief when Jackson died.

    This game doesn't focus on the Americans does it? Is the primary focus still on good old Captain Soap Mctavish and his squad?

    BTW, very nice review. First I've seen that doesn't say 'Explosions are cool this game is so realistic it's perfect.'

  • Dave52 #141 2 years ago

    Wait... whoa.... Jackson died...?

  • Amazing Bryan #142 2 years ago

    Isn't anyone else bored of shooting shit yet? The 360 is officially my most least played console ever.

  • Bigglesworth #143 2 years ago

    I thought [the airport] section was frankly hilarious. It felt like a postmodern satire of violent videogames. Yeah, BRAP-BRAP-KILL-KILL!!

    I'm really struggling to see how it could qualify as a post-modern satire. I suspect you missed the point, but I'm willing to be shown my error?

  • Demiath #144 2 years ago

    No doubt a competent sequel, but for those of us who find multiplayer to be incredibly boring this is clearly not worth paying full price for. Or perhaps the nice graphics alone would warrant a purchase...if it weren't for a tiny little game called Dragon Age.

  • Instinct #145 2 years ago

    Just wanted to say props for a great review. An interesting, enlightening and thought-provoking read. I always like EG reviews, but this one stood out to me more than most.

  • miiiguel #146 2 years ago

    Isn't anyone else bored of shooting shit yet? The 360 is officially my most least played console ever.

    Yes, because 360 only have shooters. Anyway, why everytime a high profile shooter is out comments like this spawn?

    Never mind the +2000 titles available on the console + the 478 Backward Caompatible available, no..., it's only Halo and CoD, as seen on MTV.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 12:53

  • Artemus #147 2 years ago

    So this is about as innovative as R&C then, yet this one doesn't get marked down. Hmm.

  • kangarootoo #148 2 years ago

    @djronz

    The redundant "lol" on the end was reason enough for me to neg your post :)

  • kangarootoo #149 2 years ago

    That said,

    "Because you are buying up multiple copies stopping other real gamers from getting this deal, just so you can make a few quid on ebay.

    That sir, makes you a selfish arsehole "

    stinks of hypocrisy, and is exactly the sort of thing people say when they didn't have a money making idea themselves.

  • onyxbox #150 2 years ago

    Sounds like the last CoD game to be honest. I got the £26 Sainsburys deal this morning... blow through the SP then maybe give the MP a go (I'm not that into MP games tho TBH - too much Halo 2 Rumble Pit knocked it out of me).

    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 12:55

  • lavalant #151 2 years ago

    Well that review wasn't much help, a page and a half on moral controversy of the massacre scene? I'm off to gametrailers for a review.

  • gaselite #152 2 years ago

    speaking of overwritten: this review.

    but it'll be better than most so I forgive you.

  • muters #153 2 years ago

    That mission in the airport made me uncomfortable, to say the least. It'd make an interesting read to poll how people approach that stage - me, I found myself trying to pretend to shoot people as convincingly as I could without actually doing it.

    Nastiness aside, I'll be damned if this isn't one of the most relentlessly exciting shooters I've played, so far.

    Edit: Haha, I love how this comment got negative ratings. Someone out there's either got a problem with my audacity to enjoy a game, or how I don't delight in mowing down defenceless civilians. I'll just write 'omg activision lol' next time.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 13:34

  • bdaggers #154 2 years ago

    Morrisons - £25.99

    Get in

  • chrisola #155 2 years ago

    this needs to have a level as good as the Cherynobl sniper one from COD 4.

    I hope the arctic level in this wasn't it, no where near as long or as good....

    back to the game!

  • FooAtari #156 2 years ago

    akkk, stop with the PC thing! You know you'll buy it anyway

    Comments like that piss me off. Why will I buy it anyway? is it because I will be unable to resist the hype? I have no intentions of getting it, I'm not a sheep (not that im saying everyone who is buying it is, just the implication that I will despite moaning like it's some kind of irresistible object). Maybe when its sub £15 in a few years.

  • sirtacos #157 2 years ago

    I went from not giving a shit about this game to wanting it a lot. Ever since the airport scene controversy I promised myself I would check it out at some point, but thanks to Simon's review I'm definitely buying it tonight.
    Very informative review btw.

  • JackyB #158 2 years ago

    £42.99 on a shopto preorder months ago. arrived just before 12.00 today. what do I win?

  • kangarootoo #159 2 years ago

    Haha at the negs for my previous comments. Am I supposed to believe that any significant number of gamers would turn down a cash return so that there are more copies of a game circulating for others to buy? Really?

    Its a video game, its not giving donations to Oxfam. Anybody out there stocking up and selling on at a profit gets my blessing for their ingenuity and effort. Its just business, and no different to a games shop selling games at a profit. And its not like there is going to be a shortage of copies.

    Nothing but sour grapes.

  • local_celebrity #160 2 years ago

    @Bigglesworth

    To be fair, I think it became a satire more by accident than design. Infinity Ward clearly wanted to create gripping, gut-wrenching scene. What they in fact created was something so farcically extreme that even the Daily Mail couldn't dream it up. It entered the realms of parody. Everything the moral guardians fear about violent video games was encapsulated right there, in those two minutes.

  • IneptPercy #161 2 years ago

    Of course as people are buying to sell on ebay are declaring it on there tax returns as there is a difference between selling you own items and trading...

    I am on the same thought as don't buy for ebay, the reason being that most people who have the time to do that is the people who don't have to go to work, yes its not always the case but I refuse to pay some chav £14 for going to sainsburys for me.

    Made my mind up not to bother with this until its cheaper, away form the hype the single player won't be very long.

  • ASHBERY76 #162 2 years ago

    Get the game of the year:DragonAge.

  • sneetch #163 2 years ago

    @Raajaa
    akkk, stop with the PC thing! You know you'll buy it anyway

    Nope, still interested in the game but I won't be buying it as it stands. If they fix the issues I have with the game I'll be all over it like ham on rye but until then I can find/already have other games to play.

  • dsmx #164 2 years ago

    I'll only be interested in MW2 when they bring dedicated servers back. Even l4d which is 8 people max has dedicated servers if p2p isn't good enough for that why would it be good enough for 18 people all firing at each other?

  • muters #165 2 years ago

    @JackyB: You win a slight tinge of regret that you, like me, didn't just go to your local supermarket and get it for nearly £20 less. ;)

    All these deals people are finding... wow, this hiked-up RRP business turned out to be a whole lot of nothing, didn't it.

  • Bigglesworth #166 2 years ago

    @local_celebrity
    Thanks for the measured response; yeah, I think I see where you're coming from now.
    I wouldn't entirely agree that IW went to a farcical extreme though, instead I'd say its the areas where they either didn't or couldn't go far enough towards realism that gave the sequence the air of a disreputable tabloid's fever dream =)

  • LiamK #167 2 years ago

    "On a side note I must mention I was shocked to see that about 50% of the people in the line at my local Sainsbos were obviously moms picking up the game for their kids (Unless it's been little old ladies kicking my ass up and down MW1's MP). This is so not a game I'd want my kids playing. Something needs to be done to negate the ignorance around titles like this and their age ratings, especially if supermarkets are going to continue offering these deals."

    Something needs to be done about British people using the word "mom", before we start on underage video game buying.

  • EvilBob_leeds #168 2 years ago

    Woo hoo! Just got my copy. Good old Morrisons!

    Now hurry up 5 o'clock!
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 13:56

  • LiamK #169 2 years ago

    @kangarootoo
    "stinks of hypocrisy, and is exactly the sort of thing people say when they didn't have a money making idea themselves. "

    I do not think that the word "hyprocrisy" means what you think it means.

    And yes, there is a chance that people are not buying up every copy of the game to make money for themselves because they are not bastards. Just because you think that scalping is a cool thing to do, does not make it fact.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 14:02

  • el_pollo_diablo #170 2 years ago

    @kangarootoo

    It is a little bit different, as peer to peer selling is essentially untaxed.

    Plus it's a tight thing to do. I've had to buy gig tickets on ebay for well over the odds because some arseclown bought up all the available tickets simply to make a profit. They had no intention on going to the gig themselves.

  • JackyB #171 2 years ago

    @ Muters. It seems my prize was delivered shortly after my game! Nice to see people have marked me down for that comment. In return, i wish them a RROD or YLOD :-)

  • BOFH_UK #172 2 years ago

    @djronz: why the minus comments? beats paying £54.99 that activision wanted

    Uh, because buying stuff at cheap prices when you KNOW stock is limited and demand high just to resell for a profit is pretty damn scumy? Just a thought.

  • IneptPercy #173 2 years ago

    The best way to stop the ebay scalpers is to refuse to buy from them and not have the said game/ticket/console etc.

    Say for example next time somebody buys 10 tickets for a concert they don't want to go to, if we all said no and refused to pay a penny over the marked price then they would either not sell them and be stuck to 10 tickets making a huge loss or have to sell them at marked price (or lower) which would would still make a loss. Basically if this was the case would people bother?

    In this case if we all just said no to anything above £25.99 on ebay for this game then they would all make a loss and stop it.

    So basically the impatient people who buy off the scalpers are the ones to blame as they are feeeding the problem.

  • miiiguel #174 2 years ago

    Just bought it at lunch time. Idk if I'll start playing it today though, I'm having too much fun with Forza 3 now, and loving my brand new wheel.

    It was 62 pounds, the normal price for a game here. (that's why I buy almost all my games in uk sites).
    Edited by 2 at 10/11/09 @ 14:37

  • tgigreeny #175 2 years ago

    @bdaggers

    Morrisons - £25.99
    Get in

    Bugger being in London. £39 in Tesco, unless you fork out another £40 for a second game, in which case its £25!

  • layleeloo #176 2 years ago

    Bin playing it since yesterday and put my thoughts to my mate who had it since last friday (shopto.net delivering early!) and we came to the same conclusion. Sure its good, but its just MW 1 with different scenery. Nothing new what so ever. Is it worth the £55 RRP? Not a chance!! If they try to justify that price, then why didnt Uncharted 2 with just as much technical development. Thankfully I only paid £40 for it which makes it fine, but boy i'd be pissed off if I paid £55 for it.

  • Vanmunt #177 2 years ago

    @miig

    62 quid!! ouch... time to give up the sun and come live here... grey and wet, but cheap games!

  • Les #178 2 years ago

    "So basically the impatient people who buy off the scalpers are the ones to blame as they are feeeding the problem."

    They cause the 'problem' but don't see it as a problem, as they are paying what they're willing to pay for the game... But anyway, IMHO the scalpers are the real source of the problem as they create the scarcity that drives the 'impatient' people to overpay. They don't add any value to the commercial process and are basically just profiting from an imperfect system. It's not illegal but it's debatable whether it's ethical.

  • miiiguel #179 2 years ago

    @ Vanmunt: yes, it's really crazy (if you compare it with UK/US prices - not sure about the rest of Europe - problem is, these prices are already seen as "normal";). I wonder who's inflating the prices, I honestly don't know.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 15:02

  • RogueMax1977 #180 2 years ago

    Er...small point but Afghanistan is not in the Middle East! Its in Asia and Afghans do not speak Arabic. The signs and slogans would be in Dari or Pashto.

    You can't take a pop at the 'Cheney-era rhetoric' and then go and make a glaring error like that!

  • el_pollo_diablo #181 2 years ago

    @RogueMax1977

    You're way too educated to be posting comments around here you know :)

  • TheGoose126 #182 2 years ago

    @robotech : I was on 5 live earlier trying to get the point across about parents buying the game for their kids but was basically shot down in flames by Victoria Derbyshire the host! There was a guy from C.Net.com on there at the same time and she was more interested in talking to him about the game! She even said to me is it not the parents choice to buy the game, the kids I was talking about were 8 year olds, 8 year olds dude! (sorry Big L)
    Am annoyed but have it on sky plus to listen to tonight!!

  • kangarootoo #183 2 years ago

    "They cause the 'problem' but don't see it as a problem, as they are paying what they're willing to pay for the game... But anyway, IMHO the scalpers are the real source of the problem as they create the scarcity that drives the 'impatient' people to overpay. They don't add any value to the commercial process and are basically just profiting from an imperfect system. It's not illegal but it's debatable whether it's ethical."


    I'm not sure why you put impatient in quotes there. If someone is so impatient they pay over the odds for a game, that is nobody's fault but their own. There is nothing wrong with good old self control.


    "They don't add any value to the commercial process"
    Who DOES add value to the commercial process (whatever that really means)?


    "and are basically just profiting from an imperfect system"

    A capitalist open market? Profiting from a capitilist open market? Well who would have thought it.

  • Iain815 #184 2 years ago

    From what I've seen of my mates PC version, it's just a console port.

    You can't even lean around walls anymore. A total fucking joke.

  • dsmx #185 2 years ago

    Is he high or just incredibly stupid? Why would you buy it on the PC?

  • M_of_the_sys #186 2 years ago

    @TheGoose126

    Was there a phone in from the public for it? I would've been all up for calling and asking for more about your thoughts on it. It's the media though. They prefer to brainwash the masses into believing that we need to be looked after.

  • miiiguel #187 2 years ago

    Who DOES add value to the commercial process (whatever that really means)?

    Capital is money, capital is commodities. By virtue of it being value, it has acquired the occult ability to add value to itself.

    disclaimer: I am not a Marxist.

    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 15:36

  • bnazir #188 2 years ago

    Just fired this up and had a quick session on MP. Must say that I am little dissapointed on the graphical front, it's a marginal improvement on COD4. I supose thats what you get when a title is multiplatform. Titles such as Killzone 2 and Halo certainly rape MW2 on the graphical fidelty stakes.

  • Boomerang #189 2 years ago

    Is he high or just incredibly stupid? Why would you buy it on the PC?

    Same reason everyone does; superior graphics, mouse & keyboard controls.

  • kangarootoo #190 2 years ago

    @miiiguel

    Well, absolutely. By that measure, I'm not sure how someone buying up copies and selling them on is not adding value to the commercial process.

    The implication was that someone can add some kind of moral value to the commercial process, which sounds rather contradictory to me.

  • Amazing Bryan #191 2 years ago

    Haha! The negative gives motion to the positive. Without the dark, there can be no light.

    War is fun...

  • ps3owner #192 2 years ago

    this is supposed to be the biggest game of the year and the teens apparently... but the comment thread isn't as big as the controversial MGS thread. I think you should try harder EG. like, score it 7/10 or something.

    I am just annoyed that I haven't scored a copy yet. god damn it. anyway. back to COD4MW. I hope there will be somebody left to play with online ;)

  • JensonJet #193 2 years ago

    BAD REVIEW!
    I stopped reading as the review seemed to be a broad account of some key moments in the game. This review, although better written, is as bad as the movie reviews on Ain't It Cool News. Spoilers and plot reveals are not reviews! Next up you'll just reveal the whole ending of a game in the first paragraph. Perhaps this is why reviews were forced back until today. Activision/Infinity Ward expected reviews to desperately try and out do each other in the story and plot reveals.

  • dr_faulk #194 2 years ago

    @superdelphinus

    'Doom with bells and whistles'? No way. I've played the multiplayer since its release, and it's one of if not the most rounded, polished multiplayer experiences ever. If you try and 'run and gun', you won't get far. Takes patience and skill to become good. The maps are terrifically designed: every spot has a counter-spot.

    I'm worried that the maps in MW2 are so big that they didn't have the time to test and balance them to perfection.

  • bloodflowers #195 2 years ago

    So since it wasn't mentioned over the whole 3 pages of the review, and 200 comments - can anyone tell me - does it run smoothly on the 360?

  • oreillymj #196 2 years ago

    Having picked up the game last night I played the first 2 missions and picked up a couple of easy trophies.
    Today I managed to complete the entire rest of the game without picking up a single other trophy and the after the credits had rolled and themuseum displayhad ended I went back to the main menu to see that it thought I had 50% of the Single player campaign complete. Seems like a bug.

    BTW - What are you supposed to do in the museum. I just wandered around shooting, but the objectives said to gather 3 pieces of intel
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 16:34

  • IneptPercy #197 2 years ago

    The whole ebay scalpers thing is very much the chicken and the egg.

    Because people buy to sell on ebay there is more of a shortage.
    Because of the shortage people will pay over the odds on ebay.
    Because there is a profit to be made people buy to sell on ebay and there is more of a shortage.
    Because the of how long the shortage has gone on for more people get impatient and spend more over the odds.
    Etc etc etc

    I still stand by the fact the people paying over the odds are a big part of the problem, if the scalpers had no customers then they wouldn't bother.

    But as with most things like this its a cycle which could be broke at any point.

  • Azazel #198 2 years ago

    Supply and Demand is a concept that exists in the WORLD. It's exists so hard that it's almost texture mapped 3D.

  • skabba1972 #199 2 years ago

    I am happy xbox and ps3 owners are enjoying there new game :). However I am a PC gamer and always have been and I will not be buying this game, which is very annoying as I was so looking forward to it. The reasons for not buying dont really need explaining me thinks.

  • mAc062 #200 2 years ago

    Just bought the PC version and it wont install due to some mess with activating my CD key thorugh steam. The fourms over at steam and activision are full of complaints, makes me wonder why I just didn't get the torrent instead.

  • mingster #201 2 years ago

    I think there is a trophy bug and its not giving them out even if you fulfill the conditions

  • kangarootoo #202 2 years ago

    "Because people buy to sell on ebay there is more of a shortage"

    Is that true though, really? I understand that the theory make sense, but in the real world any resulting shortage and price shift relies on there being sufficient people buying up and selling on ebay to make a difference.

    Even with a low volume product like Steel Battalion, the few game shop managers buying up stocks and selling them on didn't really influence the street price. With something so massively high volume as MW2, I can't believe that the ebaying of a comparative few are going to affect street price one iota.

  • Underdoseuk #203 2 years ago

    I admit I play mp alot so the £26 I paid was worth it. As for the campain seems ok but by far nothing new. Also I must be dead inside, the airport lvl was just another level walked my way through it and continued to the next. I didn't feel the need to put my controller down and think about the state of the world. Maybe I just don't get as deep into GAMES as some people

  • miiiguel #204 2 years ago

    Even with a low volume product like Steel Battalion, the few game shop managers buying up stocks and selling them on didn't really influence the street price. With something so massively high volume as MW2, I can't believe that the ebaying of a comparative few are going to affect street price one iota.

    Totally agree with that, but this issue is kinda common, internet populace (meself included) think this box is the world. Is not.

  • spatss #205 2 years ago

    Most overhyped game of the generation.

  • Diomedes #206 2 years ago

    So ,

    -Sub HD resolution,very good visuals but below the best of the year...
    -Very similar to the previous game
    -Short campaign,very short in fact
    -Convoluted storyline
    -Nothing original about it
    -No dedicated servers(at least for PC)

    A 9?Well at least you didnt give it a 10 but after your own criteria this should have been a 8.

  • GaidenZero #207 2 years ago

    Edge review is up:

    http://ww w.edge-online.com/features/revi...

  • miiiguel #208 2 years ago

    @Diomedes : You forgot "it's fun to play, and I had a heck of a good time playing it, can't wait to play it with my friends". It must be worth something, that little issue, no?

  • cianchristopher #209 2 years ago

    The game got a 9/10 in EDGE magazine. Always a good sign!

    At this rate it'll do very well on Metacritic (I'm guessing 95 or 96)

  • kangarootoo #210 2 years ago

    @GaidenZero

    Good link. It is starting to sound like the airport scene is out of place in an otherwise slightly gung ho experience.

  • GaidenZero #211 2 years ago

    I'm looking forward to the airport scene - I remember the first MW, with the nuclear bomb section - It made me feel pretty sad actually even though that didn't really fit with the rest of the game.

    If it's done well it might stir some emotions - I don't think it was added to court controversy as some believe. Just my opinion.

  • chrisola #212 2 years ago

    i loved the end bit. Best 'final battle' i've played in a while...but damnit i want another 6-10 hours of campaign!

    well impressed, dodgy plot aside.

  • kangarootoo #213 2 years ago

    @GaidenZero

    I'm not sure about its inclusion, but I am inclined to think it wasn't included for controversy, as I don't think that sort of cynisism really plays a part at the creation level.

    Whoever wrote the story probably included it for story reasons, and I think it is extremely unlikely that the phone rang in the studio with an exec saying "how about we have a scene in an airport with innocent loss of life, just to get the papers going".

    I don't think people who say "it was included for controversy" really know how games are made.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 17:35

  • Bazfrag #214 2 years ago

    Edge writes what most other "professionals" were afraid to say regarding pc version:

    "The flexibility MW2 has the potential to display in the hands of its audience is lost for no good reason other than a desire for control. No mod tools, no custom maps and no clan-hosted servers mean there has to be serious doubt about MW2?s long-term future in a marketplace containing the moddable original as well as the likes of Team Fortress 2."

    *Bows.

  • zisssou #215 2 years ago

    Public Enemy one said don't believe the hype..

  • bloodflowers #216 2 years ago

    The PC market isn't big enough to be worth the headache of them putting servers together for it. Time to fall back to earth guys.

  • Zamn10210 #217 2 years ago

    The faded Arabic slogans daubed on the walls and the upturned supermarket trolleys under dilapidated bridges invest a foreign-correspondent air of believability into the scenario.

    Except... they don't speak Arabic in Afghanistan.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 18:15

  • Zaiz #218 2 years ago

    @bloodflower

    Uh, CoD4 had IW run servers for it? Other than the master servers? Never saw one. All the servers I ever played on were run by clans. You know, gamers, paying out of their own pocket for a better experience.

  • Xensor #219 2 years ago

    Sainsburys in camden was open at 7am, by 7.02am they were sold out. Bought it online from amazon for £31 which is decent enough. Got Dragon Age for £25 too :)

  • Badassbab #220 2 years ago

    Why the FUCK did this review not come with a spoiler alert? Now I know exactly how the game begins for the first god knows how long. And don't blame me for reading it through to that bit, one doesn't stop reading unless there's a break somewhere (in this case clicking on page two). I tried so hard to stay away from knowing what happens in THAT scene and this bloody reviewer presumes everyone has the patience of a child!
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 22:00

  • prettyboytim #221 2 years ago

    I picked this up this morning and shall be playing it once the (younger) kids have gone to bed. I wonder whether to skip the airport level?

  • UncleLou #222 2 years ago

    The PC market isn't big enough to be worth the headache of them putting servers together for it. Time to fall back to earth guys.

    Let's be honest here, it's abundantly clear that you haven't even got the foggiest idea what a dedicated server is. So why comment? To fire off a trollish remark that just makes you look incredibly stupid? Congratulations, achievement unlocked.

    Hint: "Dedicated server support" does not mean that IW offers servers.

  • zztopp #223 2 years ago

    I just bought this and it put my recent copy Uncharted 2 in the shadow almost immediately. The graphics are some of the best you will see this year (a 60fps engine throwing out great details) and the multiplayer modes (as well as Spec Ops) is so extensive you will be playing it till Dec 2010 at the least.

  • harzo #224 2 years ago

    Just cleared the single player - literally glued me to my seat! Now have the daunting task of stepping into the online world to get raped lol. Fantastic game.

    It seems to me that people are critical of it just for the sake of it. Grow up. Anyone says that this game isn't fun is clearly smoking something. And as for realism - gimme a game like this over tripe like Operation Flashpoint anyday!

  • byakuya83 #225 2 years ago

    The review reads more like a marketing piece rather than providing information to help my decide whether or not to purchase the game. I like to know; how does it control, what resolution and framerate does it run at, how many levels are there and how long does it take to finish, do the enemies respawn until you reach an invisible point?

  • Hassata #226 2 years ago

    "Except... they don't speak Arabic in Afghanistan."

    Right you are Zamn. To be fair, Infinity Ward made that mistake first. However, Eurogamer, Afghanistan is certainly not in the Middle East.

    Informative and well written , as always. And the game is superb, MP especially.

    @ "do the enemies respawn until you reach an invisible point?" Did you read the review?
    Edited by 2 at 10/11/09 @ 20:00

  • smelly #227 2 years ago

    Hmmm..

    Sounds like the single player isnt up to much cop and is short. I dont play games online..

    I think i'll pass.

  • prettyboytim #228 2 years ago

    @EarlBassett "If they fall under the definition of kids, then you shouldn't play in front of them at all."

    Don't worry - the older two (16) are doing homework in their bedroom.

  • Les #229 2 years ago

    @ kangarootoo

    "I'm not sure why you put impatient in quotes there."

    The 'impatient' moniker wasn't my own, I re-used the terminology of the poster I was responding to and I didn't necessarily agree with the implied negative connotations of the word.

    "Who DOES add value to the commercial process (whatever that really means)?"

    "Process" probably isn't the right word but e.g. a shop (bricks or internet) does add value to the chain from producer to consumer as they perform a service that would be difficult for the producer to perform as well at similar cost. They have a use in the current supply chain instead of only adding cost like a scalper does. To put it another way: without the shop, the consumer would not have (easy) access to the product. The scalper doesn't increase service or value of the product, he just increases the cost of the end product for the consumer (though for people not inclined to sleep in front of a store or a ticket office, you could argue even a scalper adds value - things are never easy, unless you don't think about them).

    "Profiting from a capitilist [sic] open market?"

    They're profiting by creating / exaggerating a temporary supply - demand imbalance that isn't against the rules of a capitalist open market but it is against the spirit: no rules should drive down costs.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/09 @ 07:04

  • byakuya83 #230 2 years ago

    @ "do the enemies respawn until you reach an invisible point?" Did you read the review?

    Well it reads that this only happens at veteran difficulty level. I found the previous game did this on normal difficulty. I think the shooting gallery style scripted set-pieces and continous spawning of enemies in CoD4 ruined it for me but the review suggests this has been reduced somewhat.

  • YourMessageHere #231 2 years ago

    So they sandwiched the super-controversial terrorism bit in between a Bond-esque snowmobile chase with stuntz0rz and a cloying slice of US patriotism? So much for my faith in their ability to tell a story with a modicum of class. Thought they might make it beyond player control.

  • Petulant_Radish #232 2 years ago

    @Xensor, that's not true, I bought mine from Camden at about 7.15am!

  • VMerken #233 2 years ago

    Apart from the whole dedicated servers deal, I don't like my Single Players short. I prefer My Single Player long and hard hur hur. Pass.
    Edited by 1 at 10/11/09 @ 20:29

  • Dizzy #234 2 years ago

    Not so sure about a 5-7 hour SP game. I think I will skip this one.

    With L4D2 coming soon, I already have my online fix.
    Edited by 2 at 10/11/09 @ 20:44

  • rotmm #235 2 years ago

    @byakuya83, "The review reads more like a marketing piece rather than providing information to help my decide whether or not to purchase the game. I like to know; how does it control, what resolution and framerate does it run at, how many levels are there and how long does it take to finish, do the enemies respawn until you reach an invisible point?"

    It seems like you want a technical piece rather than a review. Reviews don't usually go into framerate (unless it's either spectacularly good or bad) and resolution isn't usually covered either. However, for your information the game runs at the same resolution as MW1 (also known as 600p) with AA on both. Again, as with the previous title, the framerate is both higher and more stable on the Xbox360 than the PS3, the former staying at 60fps nearly all of the time, with the latter hitting 60fps a good portion of the time too.

    As for how it controls, well it uses the same controllers as the previous game and it's just as responsive as that title.

    How long is the campaign? Depends on how good you are as a player and what difficulty you set it on. 6-12 hours.

    Oh, and respawn? From the review:

    "But as anyone who has painstakingly inched their way through each Call of Duty on Veteran will know, the series traditionally achieves its highest difficulty by introducing infinite enemy respawns that only deactivate when you pass a invisible threshold by pushing forward. In Modern Warfare 2, Veteran is still extremely challenging, but meticulous players who clear targets one by one will be rewarded with progress, something that, in conjunction with the generally shorter missions, makes the game a little easier than its forebears, but also more satisfying thanks to the emphasis of skill over blind luck."

    Hope this helps.

  • Hassata #236 2 years ago

    @byakuya. As above, respawns are definetly gone, and the enemies are gratifiyingly 'smart.' it's pretty and runs smooth for the most part (PS3 here so rare and minor drops in fps. I'm in it for mp anyways, and always smooth graphics wise there). Really summed up nicely above.

  • byakuya83 #237 2 years ago

    I found in the previous title I would get to an area and take cover and remove the threats ahead. However, try as I might they just kept on coming! So it seems that has been eliminated and this is a significant improvement IMO.

    Thank you rotmm for the info. Shame the PS3 version isn't as smooth as the 360. However, I'll take free online play in favour of a few dropped frames.

  • j3mSpur #238 2 years ago

    How. Many. Spoilers? Meh

  • kendoji #239 2 years ago

    Having read the review, I no longer need to play the game to find out everything that happens in it. Just as well really.

  • oreillymj #240 2 years ago

    @kendoji - Strangely I've played the game and don't have the first clue what the plot was all about.

    BTW PS3 owners should hold off applying the 1.01 patch if you want to gather trophies. you need the patch for Multiplayer, but just delete it for single player games.

  • GuitarWolf #241 2 years ago

    Fucking awful review. I tried to skim past the basically spoiling the entire game part and get to the actual review, but gave up about halfway down page 2.

  • HardCoreGamer999 #242 2 years ago

    For me it's a perfect game. In general games that claim to be better because they have a longer SP story are more repetitive.
    If every level bring me spectacle i don't mind to replay the game a couple of times.

    uncharted 2 's first 18's stages were enough Imo....then it became tedious and levels became repetitive. The story was v/good but could "should" have been shorter.
    Don't misinterpret me ...IT still was very strong and it deserved a strong 9.

  • beansoyle #243 2 years ago

    I'm glad I didn't read this before I'd finished the game. Some interesting points but it reads more like a retrospective than a review.

  • frazzl #244 2 years ago

    "But as anyone who has painstakingly inched their way through each Call of Duty on Veteran will know, the series traditionally achieves its highest difficulty by introducing infinite enemy respawns that only deactivate when you pass a invisible threshold by pushing forward. In Modern Warfare 2, Veteran is still extremely challenging, but meticulous players who clear targets one by one will be rewarded with progress"

    This really is most welcome news. Having played through the original MW on Veteran, i found that the infinite enemy respawns were extremely frustrating, and this, coupled with some shoddy team mate AI and the fact that enemy AI agents only really focused their fire on you, broke the gameplay (in my opinion). There is a distinct difference between a game being challenging, and bullshittery masquerading as challenge that was the Veteran difficulty in the original MW. I might have to check this game out once I get through Borderlands, Dragon Age, and the upcoming Assassin's Creed 2. : )

  • FooAtari #245 2 years ago

    @Hard
    For me it's a perfect game. In general games that claim to be better because they have a longer SP story are more repetitive.
    If every level bring me spectacle i don't mind to replay the game a couple of times.

    And re-playing the game isn't repetitive? It's pretty weak to up the RRP and yet have a shorter SP.

  • arty #246 2 years ago

    Did the review really have to spoil the impact of the fourth mission like that?

  • GamesConnoisseur #247 2 years ago

    Glad I played the shocking mission everyone on about before I read the article!

    Good game only concerned about the briskness of SP but Veteran mode is how the game meant to be played, interesting is that Infinity Ward with their heritage paid little attention to PC version? When so much more could be done or are they simply of the position that the efforts would not pay off as much as consoles nowdays?

    To be solely a PC gamer must be a rollercoaster, Dragon Age proves the value and crushing disappointment of having console port of Modern Warfare 2?

    However doesn't change the fun of playing the game, if we want to see Yanks worse nightmare!

  • spiny #248 2 years ago

    Didn't read the review as after a couple of paragraphs, it looked like it was spoilerific, glad I didn't looking at the comments.

    Cancelled by PC preorder because it was looking like a rubbish console port. Picked it up for £26 from Sainsburys (PS3). Multi looks well designed, but the party invite system is broken.

    To sumarise the IW forums:
    -- 360: Some game talk, complaints over party chat. A few rants on RRODs
    -- PS3:Complaints over party invites
    -- PC:Complaints about lots.

    Lot's of people with graphic "IW Suck" type signature banners.

    Early impressions are a 7-8/10

  • DAN.E.B #249 2 years ago

    Dont belive the hype!
    sure its good but SP at least is not mind blowing.

  • shogo10 #250 2 years ago

    This probably the last time I will put up with a lackluster sp effort from IW. Its seems that they don't give a toss anymore to put the effort into putting together a worthwhile sp component. 5 hours is taking the piss even at 25 quid, and the mp imo does not make up for that sad fact. If Epic and Naughty Dog are able to successfully expand on the sp of their previous games (both GeOW2 and UC2 are twice the lengths of their originals), I don't see why IW can't or at the very least put the effort into doing so. To me it feels like a game where very little effort was put in because the devs knew they would be swimming in cash regardless.

  • feistycheese #251 2 years ago

    Have to be honest and say Ive been a bit disappointed with the single player. It plays too short and throws too many shocks at you. Sure, its good fun, but replayability factor . . . You dont really get time to sit back and enjoy the game, its all to much of a headlong rush. And the story itself is just ridiculous, defending Burger King from the invading bad guys because of a nationality mix up? Just stupid . . .

    The multiplayer so far has been excellent though, my ownly gripe being that some of the maps are a little too big . . .

    Overall its just MW1 polished up a bit, in my opinion deserves no more than 8/10.

  • Iain815 #252 2 years ago

    Got my PC version and am completely disappointed. Should have bought a console version instead.

  • Xinch #253 2 years ago

    So, how about giving a review and less spoilers? I stopped reading after "nuclear explosion". Fool.

  • t8yman #254 2 years ago

    at xinch - the nuclear explosion it is referring to is in COD:MW1, not this game.

    fool.

  • loop7 #255 2 years ago

    Love the dual wielding akimbo action on the favela level. Also the automatic turret guns, the thermal vision gun and the predator missile strikes while racing around the fast food outlets was sublime, yet surreal.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/09 @ 05:53

  • bhlaab #256 2 years ago

    You may want to rewrite this review, I'm not sure there's enough hyperbole in it yet.

    Why is it that this game gets, and pardon me for saying so, the w*nking of a lifetime despite being shallow, safe, iteration of a spectacle while a fanastic game like Risen, which takes a huge number of risks and is from a small, under-funded developer that actually DESERVES the benefit of the doubt gets completely trashed?

    Actually, don't tell me as I think the answer would cause me to get sick on myself.

  • muscleblade #257 2 years ago

    Personally i love the short high quality singleplayer. If you want more theres Special Ops that will take you dozens of hours to get all stars. And COD games is meant to be played on Veteran. Right?

    I prefered the shorter campaign in Gears as i thouth the Gears 2s campaign outstayed its welcome.

  • BartonFink #258 2 years ago

    Yup CoD games are meant to be played on Veteran right up to the point where the controller goes through a window due to death spam of genocidal proportions and you dial back to Hardened.

    Special Ops is all kinds of awesome.

  • EvilBob_leeds #259 2 years ago

    Is anyone else with the PS3 version not getting trophies?

  • des #260 2 years ago

    This game is going to win so many goty and best graphics rewards...haters totally annihilated.
    Beautiful 60fps,so smooth.

  • Dizzy #261 2 years ago

    >Is anyone else with the PS3 version not getting trophies?

    This is a known issue. Not fixed yet.

  • kdoggdayton #262 2 years ago

    @des

    I think the first award it's going to get is 'hype of the year award'.

    As for any other awards we'll have to see, yes the SP is short but the MP is so massively addictive and has such a large following it'll have to keep gamers happy for months..

  • des #263 2 years ago

    'hype of the year award'-Nooooo,that is reserved for PS3 exclusives...plenty of contenders there hehe

  • DrDamn #264 2 years ago

    @Farticus
    I do like the overall effect of the rendering system they use. The high frame rate is also a big part of this. The upscaling is generally very well disguised so on the whole it looks great, but occasionally this process does end up messy, indistinct and a little fugly.

    Liked a lot of the updates to the multiplayer - like the care bear package and the guided missiles (lots of fun there). Also liked the little touches like the final kill being played out in slowmo for everyone to see, being able to steal your killers kit if you get on a dying streak, awards for players and lots of little XP bonuses like headshot and from distance.

    Tend to agree on the SP - up to the snowy level so not too far. Very intense feel to a lot of it, always on your toes and nearly always being shot at - I kind of half wanted a cover mechanic but think it would probably make the game not CoD anymore.

    Played some of the SpecOps solo and really enjoyed that. Seems this will have a lot of legs on it - but perhaps slanted against the single player a little too much? Some were pretty tough even on 1 star difficulty.

  • TheNinkyNonk #265 2 years ago

    Am I the only person who is more than a little underwhelmed with MW2?

    As a seasoned gamer I've been through COD1-5 on Veteran and just feel like this is offering nothing new. Moreover, coming from Uncharted the graphics feel tame and coming from ODST the combat feel like some dumb shooting gallery. Point, click, rinse, repeat. It's nice to see endlessley spawning enemies toned down and random grenades landing by your feet all but removed, but on many levels I find this a very lazy game indeed. I just don't feel like the franchise has taken a sigificant step forwards since COD2. Say what you like about Halo, but at least each release HAS had it's own very distinctive nuances and flavours.

    Online (if MW's style is your online cup of tea) will be a blast but the campagin is very dated and old-school if you ask me.

    A 5-6 for offline and an 8-9 for online. 7 overall. Not 9.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/09 @ 12:06

  • DrDamn #266 2 years ago

    @TheNinkyNonk
    If a game is 6 SP and 9 MP it's a 9 overall. I don't see why the *addition* of a 6/10 SP can drag a score down. As long as the reasoning for the 9 score is understood to come from the MP element.

  • Jonny5Alive7 #267 2 years ago

    Its a shame the multiplayer couldn't be covered more, thats what is going to keep people coming back to it and why MW1 was such a hit.

  • Slo_Mo #268 2 years ago

    Halo is made for nerdier nerds and gays.

  • clemenules #269 2 years ago

    Sounds like a good idea:

    http://ww w.thedailymash.co.uk/news/war/n...

  • dahsif #270 2 years ago

    The MGS4 thread will NEVER be equalled.
    We all know it now.

  • Mercatoria #271 2 years ago

    any one else noticed how much the opening level of the game is like a scene from generation kill?
    Edited by 2 at 12/11/09 @ 10:23

  • Les #272 2 years ago

    Not directly relevant to this thread (but as this is one of the few I'm actually able to access), I was wondering if more of you experience regular browser crashes (both Safari and Firefox) when viewing EG content. Never was a problem until my PC was upgraded to Windows Vista.

  • EvilBob_leeds #273 2 years ago

    @Les

    No (using Firefox) but I use a firefox extension called ABP which cuts out a lot of the flash based adverts. Might be worth a go.

  • Les #274 2 years ago

    @EvilBob_leeds

    Thanks for the suggestion! :)

    Had all that stuff installed before the migration to Vista and hadn't really bothered to configure it all once again. Will try it out though and see if it helps. Have never had any Safari or Firefox crashes with my Mac while viewing Eurogamer.net nor did I experience them on my XP laptop. Very strange.

  • waggy79 #275 2 years ago

    I havent finished MW2 yet but on my experience with it so far I believe UC2 should get GOTY (based on the single player mind you). I genuinely had a grin on my face while playing through a lot of it but feel im going through the motions with MW2. Im enjoying spec ops more than the MP too.

  • tobsen #276 2 years ago

    Seems like the PC version is already compromised with an aimbot/wallhack, check this out:

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=5MdSwgKtSYg

  • prettyboytim #277 2 years ago

    Thanks for the spoiler, Xbox360Fan.

  • kingcrude #278 2 years ago

    i'm struggling to see what people could want more from a first person shooter. yeah it's a tad short but with the campaign, multiplayer and special ops its a pretty mean package

  • EvilBob_leeds #279 2 years ago

    It's very good but very short on the single player. 5 - 6 hours max. The end credits are pretty cool though, and Special Ops looks good.

  • local_celebrity #280 2 years ago

    @HugeXbox360Fan

    Couldn't agree with you more. I wanted to love the single player campaign with every fibre of my being, but it was just a complete mess. Sure, the set pieces are spectacular but you just end up becoming inured to it all. ("Oh right, so I'm in space now...who do I shoot now?";)

    MW1 may not have been a ripping yarn, but at least it had some narrative coherence. I knew roughly what was going on at any given time. It had the power to move too. That mission in Chernobyl sent shivers down my spine when I first played it. Playing MW2 just left me feeling frazzled. The overblown Hans Zimmer score didn't help matters either.

    On the plus side, it looks like MP will save the day. I've only being play it for a hour or so, but was completely blown away. They haven't just tweaked a few things here and there. They've completely overhauled it. The whole experience *feels* different too. Maps are much larger and intricate than COD4. It's less of a twitchy shooter now. Also, the constant compliments are hilarious. I actually got an accolade for Watching the Killcam Most...

  • Velios #281 2 years ago

    Surely, the "Yanks Worst Nightmare" level would involve having to read a book or sumfink?

  • Big-Swiss #282 2 years ago

    COD MW2
    the game with no sence and much killing
    if you are american, buy now!
    for the ultimative fix! no more shaking in the morning!

    I am going for it, all the fuzz about it has made me excited! plus I need a good new MP shooter anyways!

  • lmephisto #283 2 years ago

    WHAT A GREAT GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Edwin #284 2 years ago

    Emperors new clothes.

  • robg #285 2 years ago

    Finished the SP last night (having started it...last night). Pretty cool; bout the same length as MW's SP. Not as well written though - I don't remember Price making clumsy, grandiose, Basil-Rathbone-as-Holmes-style speeches. Very much looking forward to MP and SO; that'll be tonight's thing!

  • GrumpyLlama #286 2 years ago

    Great game, multiplayer is excellent but is the airport level really neccessary? How can computer games expect to be taken seriously with this Daily Mail baiting crap going on? I'm fed up with so called 'mature' content in games. I wish developers would grow up. Rant over : )

  • Stu #287 2 years ago

    Good review but too many spoilers. You wouldn't get a book review which talked about the key plot moments! I know MW2 is hardly a narrative classic, but it spoils it a bit nonetheless.

  • E-Raz0r #288 2 years ago

    Finished SP on normal in 4.3 hours according to steam. Engine is getting old. Still no ragdoll effects. Still very dumb AI. Still no real destructable environment and shitty physics. The giant battles of soldiers rushing at eachother guns blazing fit much better in WW II. This is clearly not modern warfare. This is Transformers meets Hot Shots. The only good parts in the missions were scripted.

    MP is great tough. I hope they switch to a new engine for the next game, altough I doubt it because the console-hardware is so outdated.

  • kwarive #289 2 years ago

    The airport level is awesome, I was genuinely horrified at myself as I was gunning down all of those civilians, I got a real tingle on the back of my neck and not a pleasant one. I was surprised at this reaction because I had assumed it would be similar to gunning down the 1000's of generic 'bad guys'. Its not and its amazing IW managed to present this scenario in a way that evokes horror and self-disgust.

    Whats even more amazing is they had the balls to put this level in. It doesn't go as far as, say Battlstar Galactica's identification with suicide bombers, but its similar in that it deals with a taboo subject in a sensitive manner.

    Multiplayer is looking to be pretty good too. I only wish they'd allow uspc players to play on the same servers as you console monkeys, so we could show you the true superiority of the mouse and keyboard...

  • Les #290 2 years ago

    Does part 2 still have the ridiculously annoying enemies with unlimited hand grenade supplies and pin-point accuracy BTW? That really ruined part 1 for me. That and the fact that is was rather arcady. The average shooter with aliens contains more realism.

  • fadi299 #291 2 years ago

    i've just finished the pc version and well, i have to say that the SP is nowhere as bad as some here make it out to be.
    i thought the SP was slightly better than MW's and much much better than CoD5's. again the SAS missions are the highlight, however the american missions are slightly improved from the original but they're still annoying and clearly not as fun as the SAS missions...

    not all the SAS missions are great though, i thought the rio de janero were quite annoying, as you fight waves and waves of clones as you move from one area to the other, it reminded me of Call of Juarez 2's annoying shooting galleries, it was that annoying....

    yeah the game was over way too fast and just like the original it feels more like a bunch of maps or skirmishes than a free-flowing experience. i thought it was considerably shorter than the first one but i guess it's because they cut few american missions, so it's not really a bad thing, quality over quantity, fine by me. i didn't mind the lack of story, i never really cared for the story in the first one either and this one is no exception, it's pretty predictable stuff, good americans and brits against evil russians, arabs and middle easterns, only idiots would take the story seriously so minimum storytelling is actually a good thing..


    graphics were great and hugely improved from the original, especially the physics, special effects and lighting, sound and chat banter is high quality stuff as well, i just wish some of the missions were a bit longer and offered more WOW factor and variety, the airport mission starts with a bang but fizzles out after a while as it turns into a shooting gellery rather than adrenaline rushing experience, i was expecting to hijack some aircraft or something and do pretty cool stuff, not just got shot after 10 minutes!!!.....it was a huge missed opportunity....

    next time activision should only include SAS missions and propably include more cool stuff, like the prison break, airport and military base missions rather than more shooting galleries
    Edited by 1 at 14/11/09 @ 12:11

  • White_Westie #292 2 years ago

    just finished SP . I really dont think the graphics are a leap forward to be honest, in fact somtimes, I caught myself looking at the textures with the "rain" pooring over them... they looked....average. The physics? better yes... the animations are nicer..

    I think infinity ward need to go back to the drawing board, and reupdate their engine and as for the rule "if its not 60fps its no infinity ward" they need to loose that and put some WOW factor back into the game, or they are going to loose more fans, as there are a lot of people Not over impressed by this one.....

    At £55 (retail obv) that is just over £10 per hour (5 hours approx play). I dont think it is value for money for single players like myself.

    Some of the scripted set scenes where great, and some where average, and its a VERY linear game.... It felt like 2 teams had put this together to be honest...

    As for the "airport" scene, it feels more of a publicity stunt....to get some PR up for the game...

    did it sell well? Yes, are there lots of fan boys that loved it, yes.... have they lost some fanbase on the next version... definately... just underwhelming....

    The best Way i can describe this is:
    Halo 3......-> Halo ODST
    Modern Warfare -> Modern warfare 2....

    Good yes, different yes.... dated.... definately...

    Worth £26... not £55..... and for us few single players out there.... just hire it from blockbuster for a couple of days.... you'll be done

    Infinity ward take note!! update your engine, There are serious competitors out there now (bad company 2 - destructive environments!) People are already glitching (from what i've read), already, it just feels........ lazy

  • BOFH_UK #293 2 years ago

    Picked this up on launch day, finally got the chance to play it today and... hate it. Absolutely hate it.

    I buy games for the single player, multi doesn't really interest me much. The campaign missions give a great sense of being in a battle but just aren't any fun! Way too confusing, no real story narrative so far, the stereotypical American 'Ho-Rah!' approach in the very first mission just felt very wrong in a current day setting, it's not always obvious what you're supposed to do and there's a couple of scenes just in the first couple of missions that you spring surprises on you that you've got no way of anticipating first time through (the truck in the second level goes past you, you move the second it's clear to do so and then it's "coming back" being the most obvious one).

    The much-hyped airport scene is utter crap as well. It's litteraly the third mission in and you're playing someone that you've spent all of twenty minutes with. Why not give us a few missions when you're trying to infiltrate this organisation doing questionable but kinda justifiable things before hitting you with the big one? It would make more sense from a story point of view as well - who in their right minds would let a new and unknown American onto a team to shoot thousands of civilians and then trust 'em to get you out through the riot police unless it was a trap?

    Really regretting buying this, massive overhype and while hardly the worst game I've played this year the level of expectation makes it feel far worse than it actually is. Yeuch.

  • makeamazing #294 2 years ago

    Still playing Single player, not sure how much i have left... but currently the game is a 6/10... i suspect if MP is really good that might add an extra 1... but for me as a SP player first and MP second, biggest disappointment of this generation so far. And EA wanted to add more to the cost of the product... disgrace.

  • monkeywithnoeyes #295 2 years ago

    3 problems i have with mw2.. 1) it has a much more eratic framerate than the first MW..peaking at 60fps but dropping noticably often. I'm aware the ps3 version struggles more with the framerate..but i'm playing the 360 version. 2) wtf happened to matchmaking? i'm ranked 3 and constantly placed up against everybody 40+. 3) you cant play special ops online through matchmaking.. its friends only.

  • noyce #296 2 years ago

    9/10..........So predictable.

    I'm really dissapointed with this game, I don't see any real advancements over COD4 and they haven't done a thing to improve the awful texture quality. Up close the scenery models and textures are really bad :(