By Cody Webb

Most gamers immediately recognize the name “Call of Duty” as one of the better series of shooters available. Starting with amazing WWII-era shooters and finally stunning shooter fans with Modern Warfare, Call of Duty has certainly made a name for itself amongst games like Halo. Modern Warfare was one of the few games that actually managed to steal some of Halo’s multiplayer fans, offering persistent stats and many unlockables with fluid online play. Gamers, like myself, have waited with much anticipation for the inevitable sequel, which finally came out back in November.

Before I get into the details about MW2, I’m going to go ahead and get this one big warning out of the way. By now, almost everyone has heard about the controversy surrounding the “No Russian” mission early on in the game. Yes, it is pretty graphic, and yes, it is definitely not for the weak of heart. Infinity Ward wisely included an option for players to skip the mission without any penalty, just for those people who might feel outraged by such a level. In my opinion, I believe that it is a very moving moment, and is definitely worth experiencing if you can handle it. It provides emotional depth to the story and sparks all of the events that follow.

All right, enough about that. Let’s get to the rest of the game. Those of you who enjoyed Modern Warfare’s fluid presentation and solid controls will be comfortable here. MW2 has kept its silky-smooth framerate intact, which is definitely a plus with all of the on-screen action that tends to surround players. Unlike the CoD4, however, MW2 introduces an amazingly fun co-op experience along with the popular multiplayer and explosive story.

First up is the story mode; oddly enough, the story is the weakest part of this three-tiered game. Infinity Ward tried to stuff as much action as they could into it, and it shows. The action-oriented parts are fun and fast-paced. Unfortunately, however, the campaign seems suspiciously short compared to CoD4. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it wouldn’t have hurt to perhaps pace gamers just a little more. Although on the plus side, it’s loads of fun to see the familiar faces you’ll run across!

The mode that will serve to distract players from logging hours into the multiplayer will be the brand-new co-operative mode, titled “Special Ops.” Spec Ops consists of various individual missions that are separate story-wise, but are mostly taken from locations from CoD4 and MW2. There are five groups of missions, each group harder than the last. Players unlock new groups by earning stars in earlier stages by playing on the different difficulties. All of these can be played solo, but they are all designed to be played with a friend. And trust me, you’ll want to bring a friend along; the enemies aren’t any easier if you’re alone.

Finally, we come to the multiplayer, the lasting mode from CoD4 and the mode that stole many hours of players’ lives. Infinity Ward has seen fit to take everything that was awesome before, and make it better! The biggest and most notable improvement would be in the rewards and customization departments: killstreaks can now be adjusted to give out whatever reward the player wants. Remember, though, the bigger the reward, the more kills you need without dying to use it! Customization’s biggest upgrade is easily apparent in the weapons players get: you can equip yourself with all manner of killing implements to fit your playstyle.

Gamers can even outfit their guns with different attachments like in CoD4, except now they consist of more than just scopes. Be sure to try out my newest favorite weapon: the throwing knife. It’s an one-shot deal, but it insta-kills. There’s even a slight Halo vibe in the sticky grenades that you can equip, leading to many strategic, and often hilarious, tactics.

So was the wait worth it? Apparently so, since Modern Warfare 2 is already the biggest selling game of all time. Thousands of gamers grabbed this masterpiece up, and for good reason! Come for the entertaining, albeit short, story, stay for the co-op and addicting multiplayer; Modern Warfare 2 gets an A+!

Cody Webb lives in Live Oak.