Techie
3:34 AM | Friday | 12 March 2010

As the sixth installment of the Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare 2 is set in the near future like its predecessor, well-removed from the World War II era locales CoD is known for. Thanks to a masterful mix of intensive gameplay, a memorable single-player campaign, and a unique multiplayer experience, Modern Warfare 2 is easily a candidate for Game of the Year.

The single-player campaign is a nonstop, totally immersive train ride. You remain engrossed from the first mission until the last, with a fast-paced story, loading screens with "flavor" videos that run in the background, and emphatic music from Hans Zimmer (also responsible for the Batman: The Dark Knight OST), keeping you well awake after midnight.

Modern Warfare 2 lives up to its title. At your disposal is an arsenal of contemporary firearms, with various add-ons to increase combat effectiveness, and support machinery such as an auto-sentry gun. The full force of the US Army has your back, allowing you to set targets for devastating weaponry. My favorite was using a laptop to direct missiles launched from an overflying Predator UAV down onto the enemy.

And the more said about MW2's multiplayer, the better. While familiar to those who've played against each other in the first Modern Warfare, some additions – like a tactical nuke to automatically win the game for you – keep things interesting. The more enemies you kill without dying yourself, the more special attacks you unlock to increase your chances of victory, like the aforementioned UAV and the firepower of the AC-130H Spectre.

The bad news? Single-player gameplay is quite short, especially on lower difficulty levels. It took me just eight hours to blaze through it. It was still long enough to make me sleepy at work the next day, but more was needed to justify the P2,485 price tag.

Despite the spellbinding production values, which features talents like Kevin McKidd (Rome) and Lance Henrikksen (Aliens) lending their voices, there's ultimately nothing new with this game. Developer Infinity Ward covers all the bases of the "awesome game" checklist, and does a wonderful job of it without creating a new item to tick off.

Still, this is a game that catches your attention and refuses to let it go – from the start right up to the climactic chase scene. Here's the soundtrack of that action staple, a sneak peek at just how damn riveting this game is (warning: YouTube comments contain spoilers).

And when you're done playing solo, a very active online community is eager to see what you're made of.

Regards,

Rico M.