I would start this off giving you some introductory information about Modern Warfare 2, but hopefully you already know the basics: developed by Infinity Ward (Call of Duty 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare), Modern Warfare 2 is the first person shooter, direct sequel to Call of Duty 4, which was an unexpectedly, ultra-popular release. All aspects of Modern Warfare 2 are above-average, at least mirroring its predecessor in quality. The single player campaign and the multiplayer game modes carry over from the last game, while the new Spec Ops mode offers a variety of challenging, individual missions which can optionally be completed with a friend.

-<>-{ THE GOOD }-<>-

In General:
--The gameplay, which happens to be an important aspect of MW2, is as smooth and welcoming as ever, and the new weapon selection will excite any FPS fan.
--There is plenty to do after the single player campaign is over, even if you don't have online gaming.
--The weapons feel good to shoot. Simple as that.
--The sound is great. If you turn it up loud enough so that your neighbors can hear it, they will think it is a movie (the voice acting is once again very realistically done).
--Glass actually breaks now. Have fun out there.

Single Player:
--Infinity Ward fixed the infinite enemy spawning that endlessly frustrated gamers in Call of Duty 4.
--The story is engaging; you will never fall asleep.
--Some exciting plot twists have a powerful effect on emotions
--Creative missions are always both fun and cinematic, making you feel like a movie star

Multiplayer:
--More unlockables than ever before make for one of the biggest motivators to play "just one more game".
--Leveling up has become easier (in an encouraging way) by adding various bonuses for kills and millions of new challenges.
--New maps are well constructed and planned out, and there are plenty of game modes.
--It is so addicting, you may end up playing this for at least the next year, skipping work and/or school in the process.
--Host migration keeps 90% of games (from which the original host left) going.

-<>-{ THE BAD }-<>-

In General:
--Graphics are good, but haven't improved too much.
--More embarrassing than bad, you can use equipment (grenades, tactical insertions, etc.) while on ladders. This might be helpful in some cases, however.

Single Player:
--Enemies' guns are still automatically pointed at you, and your teammates do little to nothing to help you. You are on your own, which can make Veteran painfully difficult.
--The campaign is very short. While this may be partially excused because of MW2's movie-like structure, I took 5 hours to beat it on Regular difficulty and 10 hours on Veteran.
--Some aspects of the story you may only understand if you played the first Modern Warfare. If you never played Call of Duty 4, take advantage of this and play it.

Multiplayer:
--A problem in the last game, the fact that your character moves slower in the eyes of other players than from your own first person perspective causes the occasional unfair kill.*
--The abundance of challenges is overwhelming and hard to keep track of.
--Some popular game modes, such as Hardcore Headquarters, have been left out.

-<>-{ SUMMARY }-<>-

Modern Warfare 2 is a very well made game that rises above most, if not all, of the other shooters, both first and third-person. Despite the initial appearance of my review, don't think that "THE BAD" are major flaws that make this a bad game. Rather, they are minor flaws, some of which might be exclusive to a small percentage of gamers (a.k.a. me). Take my word for it and give it a try, even if you think you were done with video games after Call of Duty 4. Because you're not.


-<>-{ SCORE }-<>-

Story: 17/20
Gameplay: 35/40
Graphics: 16/20
Sound: 15/15
Re-playability: 5/5

Aggregate Score: 88/100
Independent Score: 95/100

*For instance, if you hold the crouch button to go prone, you will see yourself go down slightly quicker on your screen than you are actually going down through the eyes of a teammate or enemy, which can be frustrating.