Matchmaking remains relatively unchanged this time around - while no skill-based matchmaking exists, great strides have been made by Infinity Ward to see that you're able to get into a match quickly. As much as a game's camera can affect the nature of its play, expect a drastically different experience (and caliber of player) when entering these lobbies. New to the franchise are a handful of third person game types that I can only imagine exist to placate (and sway) fans of games like SOCOM and Gears of War. The M-16 has been replaced with the French FAMAS, and an accurate portrayal of the AUG weapon system outfitted in both the carbine and LMG configurations proves that Infinity Ward did their homework as they strove to diversify the game's firearms.Ī wide variety of competitive multiplayer modes return in Modern Warfare 2: whether you're hankering for straight up death match or a more tactical objective-based game, consider yourself covered. In general, Modern Warfare 2's arsenal feels a bit more worldly and, well, modern. The game's stable of secondary weapons has also been refined: while pistols remain the jack-of-all-trades backup weapon, sidearms like machine pistols and shotguns can also be equipped in any player's secondary weapon slot - finally, snipers won't feel so naked in short-range encounters. Gone are potentially game-breaking perks (the power-ups which give your avatar extra abilities on the battlefield) like "juggernaut," and those which have returned for the sequel have been revamped or expanded upon. Modern Warfare's "create a class" features return with a new focus on balance. Everything about Modern Warfare 2 aims to make the game more accessible while retaining the depth that's kept fans coming back for the last two years. With so much done right in Infinity Ward's last game, effort could be placed on fine tuning this time around: the graphics are more lush the levels more intricate the game's arsenal more diverse the user interface more informative than ever before. The heartbeat sensor: MW2's juggernaut?The Call of Duty franchise has always focused on the multiplayer side of things, and Modern Warfare 2 is no different. As for the game's campaign mode: umm, yeah. Constructed on the surprisingly solid foundation of its 2007 predecessor, Modern Warfare 2 provides what is quite simply the best multiplayer experience on consoles. In fact, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the latest from Infinity Ward, very well may have earned the title of "most anticipated game of all time," guaranteeing the developer its very own wing in the house that Bungie built. This isn't to say that a few developers haven't succeeded at spoonfeeding a tactical experience to console players: GRAW, Gears of War and Call of Duty each garnered a unique audience, capitalizing on visceral thrills and giving a true alternative to run-and-gun gameplay. In fact, I don't call MW2 CoD6 or CoD4 MW, because my mind still refuses to believe that they're related in any way.T's no wonder that the tactical shooter is a rare breed on consoles - step into the average Xbox Live game lobby and you'll quickly get the sense that subtlety has no place there. Even more so than Twilight, because I actually knew that was going to be bad.ĬoD4 is better. The game got my "Biggest Disappointment of 2009" award. Oh, and did I mention the stupid matchmaking that hardly ever works, the lack of dedicated servers, 18 player limit, no choice in maps, and the lack of admin-controlled servers? Hooray for aimbots! And the game cost more than other games on any given platform. It's even more annoying to lose to someone who wasn't going after the objective, or win because someone on your team was nuking). Guns are easy as hell to use (Compare the M4 from CoD4 to the one in MW2 or use MW2's AK47 - isn't it crap? Surprise! It's the same damn gun that kicks ass in CoD4.), multiplayer maps are too complex for CoD's simple gameplay (sorry, but I don't want to spend half the match looking for something to shoot), killstreaks are horribly, horribly overpowered (spend the match kicking ass, then get something that makes ass kicking even easier.), snipers are useless (the maps, blame them, and also the ACR), akimbo is horribly cheap, OMALOL (grenade launcher, reload, grenade launcher, One Man Army switch back to the same class, MORE GRENADES!), the nuke (it's annoying to have a game end early. I wasn't paying attention to the single player story I think it's just an excuse to go blow shit up.