Modern Warfare 2 – more reflection than review
I could use this time to write about all the intricacies of Modern Warfare 2, such as the gameplay features, polished graphics, and mind-blowing cinematics, or I could assume that if you’re reading this chances are you played the first one, and let it suffice to say that they’re almost identical. Identical, in the sense that if you played the first one, you’re not going to have to learn anything new as far as mechanics go. Needless to say, the game is beautiful and plays really well. In addition to the campaign and the multiplayer, MW2 is coupled with a new gameplay mode called Special Ops (more on that later). With that said, I will address the parts of the game that I found captivating as well as parts that I found to be disappointing.
First, the airport scene—not as big of a deal as I thought it would be, or at least as the media portrayed it to be. Yes, it was a little disturbing, and yes you have the option to watch and not partake in the mayhem unleashed on dozens of innocent Russians, BUT there were parts of the game that I felt were much more provoking; and the airport scene has received enough scrutiny as is, thus I will not further address it.
MW2′s setting revolves around The United States this time around, and what I mean by “this time around” is that the main battlefield is on U.S. soil. There are parts of the story that take place in Brazil and Afghanistan, but your main beef lies with Russia, more specifically a guy by the name of Makarov. To avoid any spoilers, I am not going to elaborate on exactly how this comes to fruition, so back to my main point. The game’s story takes you to an unrecognizable Washington D.C. where your missions are placed around a blighted Washington Monument and a Russian-ridden White House. The parts of this Washington D.C. story are told in segments throughout the game, but the chaos gets more intense each time around. In addition to this, some of your missions take place in war-torn suburban neighborhoods full of houses that are loaded with Russian infantry and yards scattered with the remains of American civilization; the story sticks you in the middle of a devastated shopping center complete with fast-food restaurants and steak houses. There are some other really cool missions throughout the U.S. but for the sake of my reflection, I will stay on topic.
Courtesy of: Kotaku
These parts of the game effected me much more than the airport mission, possibly because I was “pre-exposed” to them via game sites and all that. In spite of that, these missions were disturbing because of their realistic portrayal of America and what it would be like if our country became a battlefield. This proximal effect the game had on me, stirred up some emotions. I found it very difficult to not feel upset by the familiarity of the setting mixed with the chaos. Let it be known that I am not the most patriotic person, but I will say that these are the parts of the game that I feel deserve attention, not animosity, not bitterness, but assessment. This is what makes MW2 a powerful game and separates it from other war-based games. Nevertheless, it is only a game and people shouldn’t take it seriously, just like people shouldn’t take any form of entertainment seriously—because in the end, that’s exactly what it is, entertainment.
I would love to continue writing about the story and discussing my feelings about the ending of the game but I don’t want to spoil anything for you, as if I haven’t spoiled enough. The game is short enough that you can beat it in one day if you play on regular difficulty and a couple of days if you play on the harder settings. I am going to stop there and talk about the Special Ops feature that Infinity Ward added to MW2—probably the only thing that would justify me spending $60 on the thing.
Special Ops is awesome. It is even more awesome playing Special Ops with a friend. This game mode was a huge surprise to me due to my avoidance of MW2 previews. Even when I saw it in the start menu I didn’t think much of it but once I started playing it with a friend online, I was hooked. Special Ops sticks you/you and a friend in a map (sometimes resembling parts of the campaign), and gives you one task to fulfill. That task can range anywhere from “breach and clear” missions, to snowmobile races, to stealth sniping missions—just to name a few. Overall there are 23 Special Ops missions, and 11 different kinds/genres of missions. You have the option to play them on regular, hardened, or veteran difficulty with the incentive being stars. There are a total of 69 stars, regular difficulty rewards you with 1 star, hardened with 2, and veteran with 3. Your quest to obtain all 69 stars will definitely keep you busy for a while, whether you do it by yourself or with a friend.
–My advice is to play it with a friend, though the Special Ops missions can be fun playing by yourself, nothing compares to the strategic planning and utter chaos that you experience with a buddy.
