Speaking Of...

Since my last post was actually posted a few days ago on my LJ and I just copied and pasted, I figure I should, in fact, actually update my blog. On the table today: Modern Warfare 2. I know, the same topic twice in a row is a real stretch for me.

Anyway, on to the Game!

The Good:
To start off, I was really impressed by the little things in this game. Little upgrades they did over Modern Warfare in terms of graphics and sound effects really show that they used their proof of concept well and just improved all around.

The graphics aren't, as some people have been saying, the greatest out there. They are impressive, and definitely better than the first one's. But here it isn't so much about an overall increase, but in little additions. Stamped numbers and designs on weapons are clearer, parts of the uniforms don't look so much like a mapped texture, but their own objects that move in response to the wearer's actions. Little things.

On the sound front, no surprise here, they managed to squeeze out even more weapon sounds, background noise, music. All top notch. I really don't have to mention voice acting since they've been doing that correctly since Call of Duty 2. Plus the inclusion of the voices of Keith David, Kevin McKidd, and Barry Pepper were a bonus.

The best improvement, out of anything else, was the AI. I can't tell you how relieved I was when I got into the first set of missions and my squad mates actually moved forward without me leading the way. Almost every other game in the series suffers from "Pvt. Soandso, Win the War!"

It's infuriating.

But, MW2 actually has you following someone else in a lot of places. The only time it becomes necessary to take the lead, is when, like one would expect, if you stay put, you get shot and die. There are places where you just have to punch your way through regardless of your team (who is doing the same thing).

As awesome as that is, it's still not as cool as the changes in the enemy AI. Granted, it still suffers from the problem of the enemy knowing where the player is, but in this one it seems to be more of an issue with me being an idiot and sticking my head into plain sight. They do tend to run past my squad mates at times to focus on me, but part of that is also balancing. I do wish my squad mates were a little faster on the trigger sometimes.

The Bad:
It exists. No game is perfect. But my problems with this game seem to be based more on the somewhat insane jumps in difficulty between Hardened and Veteran. Now, I'm a seasoned CoD player and I tend to play them on Veteran on the first run through because I'm a sadist like that sometimes. Mostly because none of the other difficulties really challenge me enough for me to enjoy. I love the challenge. I just wish there wasn't as big a gap between Hardened and Veteran.

My other gripe with this game is a long standing one. Would someone at Infinity Ward, for the Love of God, stick an online co-op mode into the main storyline? This game has the Special Ops section, which is cool. Short missions that allow two people to run through scenarios. But I would love to play on Veteran with a friend, if only to just increase the quantity and variety of colorful language. I don't care if adding a co-op mode would mean the game makers would have to re-balance by upping the difficulty. That would be awesome; just give me a co-op campaign.

The Endgame:
The bottom line: if you love shooters, if you're a fan of CoD or MW, if you like Tom Clancy-esque story lines, then I highly recommend Modern Warfare 2. It's a great addition to a great series.