Before the new Modern Warfare 3 is released later this year, I wanted to play as much of the Modern Warfare franchise that I have available to me. Next on the list is the original Modern Warfare 2, but the issue is that you can't get the original version of the game on Next Gen, you can only get a remastered version of the campaign. I played through the campaign and here is my review for the campaign. The premise is set 5 years after the events of the first game, after a major international incident, World War 3 is upon the characters and it is up to the heroes to find a way to stop it.
You once again play as silent characters
Just like the other original Modern Warfare games you play as silent characters, this time the majority of time is played as Private Ramirez & Sergeant Gary 'Roach' Sanderson. They aren't really characters as they have no dialogue but it is fun playing as them and as I mentioned in my previous review, the way the game is made makes you care about them and their success. But yeah, there is no doubt that playing as a silent character isn't as rewarding as playing as an actual character that you can really develop.
The Side Characters and Villains are fantastic
A big criticism I had of the first game was its villains and this game does it a lot better. The Ultrarational Party is now led by Makarov and he is a way more interesting character then Zakhaev, they do interesting things with his motivations and characters. In the first game you played as Soap but now he is you Captain and it is so cool playing alongside a character that is such a big part of Call of Duty Lore. Having side characters such as Sergeant Foley who is played by Keith David and General Shepherd played by Lance Henriksen adds plenty of legitimacy to these characters and it is awesome to have them here.
The gameplay is fantastic
Following on from the first game, the gameplay is great. I would even argue that it is a little better here in this game. You get to use many different weapons and take on lots of different enemies and it is always exciting. You can play pretty much any way that you want and that makes this game a real challenge but never a cheap one.
The US Marine Ending is Unfulfilling
Just like the previous game, there are two stories one involving Task Force 141 and then one involving the US Marines. The Marine one is crazy and shows off some amazing visuals and how war would maybe look like if it came to major cities. But, I felt like there wasn't a definitive ending to their story, you just finish a mission and then we never see them again.
The Task Force 141 Ending is Fantastic
Then there is the other side of the story. With iconic characters such as Soap, Ghost and General Shepherd involved it is awesome to see them progress through this crazy story. The last 3 missions involving these characters are so exciting and some of the best First Person Shooter missions ever made.
The game is full of Iconic Missions
The major thing this game has is the majority of these missions are just iconic to the community and video game fanbase. You have No Russian, which is one of the most controversial things to ever be put into a video game, The Gulag which is brutal & Burger Shot which sees us fighting Russians and product placement. There are even more missions, they are all fantastic and this is a really fun playthrough.
Overall
Overall, it sucks that we don't have access to the multiplayer, which was fantastic and legendary. But The Modern Warfare 2 Story mode is also fantastic and I think it is worth a playthrough by any fan of the franchise, it is pretty cheap on the next gen stores so I would say to definitely pick this one up.
Rating - 9/10.
