Modern Warfare 2. If you have ever been to this site or pretty much any gaming site in the past 30 days, you’ve seen it mentioned somewhere. Hell, if you look hard enough right now, you are likely to find it mentioned several times on the left or right side of this article. My point is simply that this game is everywhere, so it’s not a big surprise for you to see yet another article for it and I can fully see the things that I write here being swept completely under the rug because there are just so many reviews and stories for this game already out. Hopefully we’ll be able to shed some light on the game and help you decide whether this is a rent, buy, or pass – as if you hadn’t already pre-ordered, picked up, and played through the title anyway.

Read the review after the jump

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Modern Warfare 2 is the sequel to the blockbuster title of two years ago “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” and is set five years after the events that took place in the first title. Let me first mention that this game will fully expect that you know and understand the events of the first game very well, as you are thrown directly into the story with very little explanation of the previous events. I assume that this was probably a design decision based on the question:

Do we alienate the few people who didn’t actually play the first game, or do we accommodate to all of those people who have supported the game over the past 2 years?

It seems that they chose to alienate that tiny group of people who didn’t play that first game in order to appease those people who didn’t want a 20 minute story rehash right as you start the game. One of the nice things that you will notice in this title, as you will most of Infinity Ward’s titles, is that there are very few cutscenes, and where there are, they are short, generally take place while your next level is loading, and they help the story progress. The idea with this title is to keep the player immersed in the game by actually playing the story out, rather than having long introspective scenes where the player if forced to sit and watch.

Artwork of the snowmobile chase on the level "Cliffhanger"The storytelling that Infinity Ward is capable of is some of the best that you will find in the video game industry - at least when it comes down to real-world scenarios, and while the storytelling here is very good, it honestly felt a little too “balls-to-the-wall” this time around. In COD4: Modern Warfare the story was a roller coaster ride from start to finish with perfectly timed slow missions to calm you down after a really crazy previous mission. Rather than have a similar feel for Modern Warfare 2, (you will still play the story from multiple perspectives that will alternate as you progress from level to level – sure) the pace from the 2^nd level to the credits is best described as “frantic.” Even the sniper missions move at that pace.  Unfortunately, I found issue with the gameplay here, in that I didn’t feel as involved in the story as I did in COD4, and it felt like I was given the keys to the car and forced to drive at a constant 88mph with only the ability to move the wheel.  I really enjoyed being able to leave ground combat to play with awesome toys – like the AC130 – in COD4. The closest thing that I can find to compare that experience to in Modern Warfare 2 is when I was in ground combat controlling the attack from a Predator drone for 5 seconds, or, the time it takes for the attack to go from the Predator to the target. I only used the Predator in two missions, and that short stint away from the action wasn’t enough to make me talk about “how cool that level was.” In fact, there’s no one level that really stands out as that awesome level, each level is designed very well, but there is little variation in the gameplay itself. I did enjoy the snowmobile escape level and actually did get that uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach while I was speeding down one particular hill. The only other thing I wish to mention about the gameplay is that it finally feels like Infinity Ward has ironed out the relentless, never-ending enemy respawn issue of the previous games. While they may still exist, there are two factors that make them much more bearable. First, the never-ending spawning is hidden very well, so I never got to the point where I was looking down (or up) a hill and could literally see another 12 enemies running at me in a group and then peeling off to the exact same trees that the enemies I just finished killing were. Second, the fellow members of your squad are much more willing to move beyond your position a few feet, and while that doesn’t seem all that significant, it does give the enemy something to fire at while you reposition or reload. Believe it or not, your squad mates will actually fire at the enemy before you do in some instances, which make it feel like you’re actually playing with a team rather than playing with, what I can best describe as, the chaperone of a group of mentally-handicapped squad members.

Because it is important, and it must be said - contextually, the terrorist level that everyone has been watching, reading about, or complaining about drives the entire story of the game and is a necessity. It really does make you hate Makarov – the individual who you will be trying to catch and kill for the majority of the game following said terrorist level. The inclusion of this level was a bold creative choice that Infinity Ward made, not a gimmick, and it is very obvious that it was never meant to simply be a “shock factor” level.

Favella shootout in Rio...Graphically, the game trumps the previous title in every way. One of the first things that I noticed was that the lip-synching seemed much more accurate, which is always helpful. Secondly, the locations all look great. You will see that there is a location for every climate - levels based entirely on water, levels based in the woods; you will have parts of levels that take place in the air, levels based in the snow, and finally, levels covered with fire. All of the levels are designed incredibly well, from start to finish. While every level is very linear in design, the world is opened up enough to give you a sense of freedom despite the set path that you are traveling. Triggered events and quicktime events are few and far between, so you won’t find yourself too bored with these when the game does force you to participate in them. As a side note, there is a save point pretty much immediately before these major events, so if you don’t make it through the first time, you won’t have to trek too far to give it another go. I will make this statement right now though: this isn’t the prettiest game that I have seen this year, but we’re getting a significant step up from the original for sure.

The audio is gorgeous, all of it. As if the voice cast, the weapon sounds, and explosions weren’t enough, Hanz Zimmer joined up with Infinity Ward to give you an amazing score as well. For instance, when the introduction ended my wife actually asked me, “What is that song from?” The music and audio is just as good or better than it was in the previous title – I’m just going to leave it at that.

I am sure that at this point you are waiting for or suspect my glowing recommendation for the title, and you’re only partially correct. While I loved the single player game, it’s just too short. It took me just 9 hours and 16 minutes to complete on ‘Hardened’ difficulty, and that’s including the one point where I got stuck because I had triggered a save point too soon, and I kept getting killed before my other teammate could make it down the hill to progress the story – I had to restart that level.

If you only play video games for their main story, and never play online, I strongly urge you to rent this game. I cannot suggest to this group of people that you run out and pay $60 for this title as there just isn’t enough substance here to keep you entertained after you complete the main story. The story is good, the graphics are good, the audio is great - without multiplayer the game just doesn't hold up. The single player experience is not the same caliber as Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Grand Theft Auto IV, or Uncharted 2. All of those games I could suggest a buy based on the length of the single player story and content that you receive as you progress.

Alternatively, if you play online, go buy the game, you will find that the Spec Ops mode and traditional Multiplayer modes will keep you entertained far longer than the single player campaign, and will give you plenty of bang for your buck at a $60 price tag. You will likely spend tens of hours playing these modes, so you will get at least 4x the playtime that you had with the single player campaign. You will find out a little bit more about the multiplayer when I post a full review of Spec Ops and Multiplayer on Monday November 16^th, but I wanted to get this Single Player review out to you as soon as possible.

Have I touched a nerve or two? Even Chet, who writes for this site occasionally went a little crazy when he read my "rent" recommendation. Comment below!