Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

It has been one week since Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released. Since then, I have waisted many hours, lost too many times, with smatterings of improvement. I'm not intending to add to the litany of reviews already out there. Rather, I just want to spill some of my thoughts.

Let's start with the single player: In typical Call of Duty fashion, the single player is awesome. Scripted, yes. But still possessing that epic, movie-like show of action and gunfire that we have all come to expect of a Call of Duty game. On the downside, the single player is quite short, but somehow it doesn't feel short to me. Even the first time through on Normal, it feels as though the game's length is comparable to previous Call of Duty games. Perhaps we can again accredit this to the amazing ride that players experience while playing this game.

I admit that when I heard of this game, I didn't think I was going to buy it. Indeed, I didn't even buy the previous game, Call of Duty: World at War. Don't get me wrong, I love Call of Duty, but as my readers will know, I'm a huge fan of the Battlefield series, and the unscripted, sandbox format of those games. Somehow the scripted game of Call of Duty gets to me after a while, and never really invites me to play again. Sure, that first time through is epic, often heart-pounding. But once you've seen it, you've seen it. I loved the Dark Knight the first time though, but do I keep watching over and over again? Maybe in a year...

Where Call of Duty really shines is the multiplayer, as is the case with most current 360 games. Just like the single player, its action-packed, intense, and fast! You really can't sit still for more than a few seconds. I guarantee you won't survive for long. The multiplayer in this game, relative to its predecessor, is way more intense. Just consider the litany of airborne assets that you can temporarily activate and control. I admit, I ran for cover pretty fast the first time I heard that 105 shell coming down from a patrolling AC-130 Spectre Gunship.

Despite the fun accrued from playing Call of Duty's multiplayer, it still has one noticeable issue. Granted, this is not an issue for more experience players. I'm not saying I'm an amazing FPS, Call of Duty player, but I can usually wrack up more kills than deaths, so I suppose that's good...

Honestly though, if you're not good at FPS or even Call of Duty, it is so difficult to achieve any measure of success in this game! I had been playing Battlefield 1943 up until now, and boy, did I suck those first few rounds of Call of Duty. I was getting killed every several seconds. Now, as I said, I can do OK, but not great. I find it amazing when I see a player who has somehow achieved 51 kills in one round, and died only 10 times.

It's the same issue with Halo games; if you're not good or experienced at it, you are definitely going to suck. Which can be frustrating after a while. My advise: Just keep at it, look past the frustration of dying during every Predator strike, and eventually you will start to see success.

Have fun with the game. It really is one of the best FPS games out there, and I'm happy I bought it. I fear Left 4 Dead 2 might serve as a noble competitor, though...we'll have to wait and see.