Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Two years after the sensation that was Modern Warfare, a sequel at last!

So, Task Force 141 looking for Makarov, Zakhaev's former right hand man, and the USMC fighting the Russian army whose invading the US. Soap (the protagonist of COD 4) returns and is now fully voiced.

With its amazing graphics that were nicely detailed at the time, great soundtrack, and so much more, Modern Warfare 2 sets the standard for shooters. Unlike Call of Duty 4, instead of the story being a statement about war, it's reduced to an almost cheesy action movie. Also, the ending on the other hand is too similar to Call of Duty 4 since it has a lengthy chase (in this case a boat chase instead of a car chase) and a downed Soap kills the unsuspecting antagonist.

What I additionally like about this is the accurate and impressive representation of Rio de Janeiro; The favelas in the game are well-represented, with the Christ the Redeemer statue and the Corcovado mountain in the background. And maps such as Terminal and Rust are amazing, and both of which are considered classic COD maps today.

There are some plot holes, however:

1. If Allen could get THAT close to Makarov, why didn't he kill him before he could commit the airport shooting?
2. Why did the Russians assume that Americans did the shooting when there's surveillance footage of Makarov?
3. Why did no one suffer consequences after Price launched an EMP missile towards the US that destroyed the International Space Station?
4. Also, some things are not explained or ignored, like it never explains how Price was taken prisoner by Makarov nor does it imply that he died like Soap had thought.

No Russian additionally became one of the most infamous and controversial moments in video game history and seems to been done purely for shock value, especially given the massive plot hole related to this mission as stated before.

After you beat the game, you unlock the Museum. Here, there are dioramas of most levels, locations, and events in the storyline. Every weapon featured in game is also found here, and the player is able to pick up any of them. An Ammo Box Package is available in the two rooms the weapons are found in. A red bell is found in the two rooms featuring characters. The bell reads "Do Not Press", and if the player disobeys, all the characters featured in the dioramas in the individual rooms come to action, and they all try to kill the player...until you try to kill them! A third room features vehicles used, but are not animated like the characters in the other two rooms. There also are several exclusive weapons, the M1911, and W1200, all of which are usable and exclusive to the level.

The multiplayer amazingly improved on certain aspects of the previous game and is probably one of, if the the best multiplayer in the series.

• There are now 15 killstreaks as opposed to just three, and you can pick whatever three killstreaks you want.
• Implemented in-game Host Migration. If the host of a multiplayer game leaves, the game will automatically pause for a few seconds to choose a new host, and then the game will resume, preventing many highly irritating mid-game ends with no or inaccurate results.
• There is a new slot in Create A Class called "Equipment" where the player can choose from a shield, claymore, C4, throwing knife, or semtex instead of the standard frag grenade.

The multiplayer, however, suffers from a multitude of problems.

• Some guns are overpowered like the infamous dual wield Rangers or the Akimbo Model 1887 shotguns.
• All the killstreaks are overpowered, more infamously, the helicopter, EMP, Pave low, and the nuke. The nuke especially is so overpowered that there's radiation after the nuke drops that constantly kills the opposing team the second they spawn, making it impossible for them to stand a chance of making a comeback after the nuke drops.
• Terrible multiplayer map design with a lot of them making it very easy for campers to get easy kills. The worst map being Highrise because you can easily camp and snipe people the minute they spawn and its structure makes modes like search and destroy and domination to be incredibly frustrating to play if you don't have the advantage. This makes the whole map come down to who spawn traps who first.
• The spawn points are also terrible as you will spawn in the same spot several times even if enemies are nearby.The idea of deathstreaks carry over from World at War. There are four in total:
  • Painkiller: Allows the player to withstand three times more damage. Lasts for ten seconds after spawning.
  • Martyrdom: Drops a live grenade upon death (which is also featured in the previous game and is just as bad).
  • Copycat: Copies the class of the player's killer, which includes weapons and perks. (It's practically useless.)
  • Last Stand: Anything that would otherwise kill the player will instead down the player. While downed, the player can use their primary and secondary weapons and equipment. Players that are downed for twenty consecutive seconds without taking any damage stand up and are able to continue playing as normal. (This allows people to get cheap kills since you'll kill an enemy think they're dead only for them to immediately gun you down before you can react.)

Another amazing thing is that it introduced Spec Ops. A new mode that includes one and two player co-op play. Special Ops mode includes several fast-paced action missions similar to "Mile High Club" which are more difficult than normal campaign missions and are not related to the main storyline. There are a total of 23 Spec Ops missions, two of which are only playable in two player co-op due to one player assisting the other in carrying out the mission's objective from air support. Missions are unlocked by earning stars, which are acquired by playing levels at certain difficulties. Regular difficulty earns one star, hardened earns two, and veteran earns three. Missions are divided into five groups, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo - the last being the hardest. There are even special enemy types, such as those using Riot Shields, even the Special Ops exclusive Juggernaut, wearing heavy bomb squad armor. Some Spec Ops missions will require two players, however.

A must-have for all you players out there.