In
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, developer Infinity Ward aims to ratchet
up the intense first-person gunplay, graphical verisimilitude, and deep
multiplayer experience that won the original title wide acclaim from
critics and consumers alike, while at the same time adding to the
overall package with the new, fast-paced "SpecOps" mode. The
single-player campaign picks up where Call of Duty 4 ended, with gamers
once again descending into the shadowy world of terrorists, arms
dealers, and nationless armies. Players take on the role of Sergeant
Gary "Roach" Anderson, an elite member of the multinational Task Force
141 and subordinate of one of Call of Duty 4's protagonists, John "Soup"
MacTavish.<br><br>Task Force 141 is on the trail of
Vladimir Makarov, a maniacal disciple of Imran Zakhaev, who has used the
death of his mentor as a means of expanding his own base of power.
Missions find gamers working off sketchy intelligence as they battle
whiteout conditions in the jagged mountains of Russia and Kazakstan,
shuffle though expansive desert and cave environments in Afghanistan,
and weave between City of God-like Brazilian slums, where misfires
result in dead civilians and a failed mission.
As was the case in Call
of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2 supplies players with the most
technologically advanced weapons, vehicles, and accoutrements available,
including SCAR-H rifles, snowmobiles, and heartbeat
sensors.<br><br>The new "SpecialOps" mode brings gamers more
than 20 fast-paced missions inspired by the frenzied mid-fuselage
gunfight at the end of Call of Duty 4. Players find themselves racing
snowmobiles, battling a huge number of enemies at once, or simply
attempting to get in and out of a building without dying, and missions
can be played solo, in local split-screen co-op, or online with a
friend. Those looking for more online action can also take on the
"Free-for-All," "Demolition," "Domination," "Search & Destroy,"
"Capture the Flag," and "Team Deathmatch" multiplayer
modes.<br><br>The much-lauded RPG-like system of doling out
experience points and unlockable rewards returns in Modern Warfare 2's
multiplayer modes, but Infinity Ward has also included a number of new
wrinkles to spice up the action.
Maps are designed to be both more
expansive and more vertical; weapons feature a variety of new
attachments; new "Pro Perks" let players gain more stopping power,
greater speed, or automatic health boosts; and gamers who manage to
string together a number of kills gain access to the new "killstreaks"
system, which lets them call for seven different kinds of heavy-duty
support, including supply drops, helicopter gun attacks, and unmanned
aerial vehicle strikes.