Modern Warfare 2: Case Closed Part 1

PART 1: SinglePlayer

Console played on: PlayStation 3

Sensitivity played on: 10

Button layout used: Tactical

Inverted? No

Difficulty played on: Regular

Total time taken to complete campaign (including museum area): Roughly 4 hours (yes, i timed it)

Warning! Spoilers for both Call of Duty 4: Modern warfare and Modern Warfare 2

The singleplayer for Call of Duty 4. the direct prequel to Mw2, ended with you, Soap, successfully killing Zakhaev, the main antagonist of the plot. Modern Warfare 2 is the first game in the Call of Duty franchise to directly follow a story arc, retaining any specific characters ( except for Captain Price, who has had a cameo in every Call of Duty game to date). The singleplayer of Mw2 starts with the ominous message, "Five years later". One of Zakhaev's lieutenants has been attacking the western world with terrorism for the last five years, while Zakhaev has been declared a hero and martyr of the now ultranationalist Russia, spurring significant anti American spirits. 

After the controversial level, "No Russian", in which Makarov successfully blames the massacre of Russian civilians on America, a massive invasion on the U.S is initiated, with levels jumping back and forth from the American front lines deep in Washington D.C, and a task force that is operating in South America, Russia, and the middle east, all in the hopes of locating Makarov. 

Yes, I purposefully didn't mention a few levels there, most notably the ice level where the player is in a snow mobile as he escapes his assailants. That level, like a few others, are not very significant to the experience as a whole. The "No Russian" level is interesting because it has you massacring civilians in a Russian airport. This level garnered a lot of press coverage, sparking the debate over violent games and children. I found the level to be quite intriguing, but not the psychopathic bloodbath some people had hyped it up to be. Actually, I'm glad Infinity Ward put it in, to try and do something new. It adds to the experience, and is vital to the plot. 

All of these scenarios are very well executed, with on rail segments, explosions, well crafted moments where the player's movements are either restricted or taken away completely. However, the plot is easily forgettable and easily confusable. There are betrayals, plot twists, moments where all seems lost, moments where the game could end, but just simply won't. Not making things easier are the multiple characters you will play as, jumping from shoes to shoes; attempting to keep track with all the names and faces can be a difficult thing, and really; the average player simply doesn't care. Besides Soap, and a few other key characters, no emotional connection can be established because you never see that person long enough to connect.

I think the easiest way to view Modern Warfare 2's Singleplayer is as a summer blockbuster that released in November. The action sequences are superb, the controls fluid throughout, and the plot never really gets in the way of what the player bought the game for, which is white knuckle action.

Oh yeah, and its short; really really short. But, I think that's how it should be. A ten hour campaign, or even a seven hour campaign, would have become horribly repetitive and mundane; reducing the awesome set pieces to something thats uninteresting and normal.  

Someone who bought Modern Warfare 2 for the Singleplayer only probably was disappointed, expecting more from a sixty dollar price tag. However, the likely hood that anyone bought the game for SinglePlayer only is slim, because the meat and potatoes of the game are its Multiplayer components. Which i will be addressing in the coming segments. 

So, is the SinglePlayer component of the game a reason to praise Infinity Ward, or criticize them?

I say, we should praise infinity Ward for their ability to craft a entertaining, and compelling ride; even if it is short lived. 

My major criticism would be the lack of new innovations they put into the SP, because it does copy many elements from Call of Duty 4. 

As a whole, I praise Infinity Ward for their SinglePlayer

BRAVO GENTLEMEN!

Thanks for reading! See y'all next Monday, September 6 with Part 2!

Up Next: Spec OPs

References used: Wikipedia