Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

By now, you most likely have heard enough about the controversial airport level (SPOILERS!) and publisher Activison boasting about it having the strongest sales up to that point. But, is it good? Since this is the sequel to one of the best FPS of recent years, expectations were unreasonably high for it.

Like most video game sequels, MW2 doesn’t set off in a new direction as much as it improves on nearly every aspect of the first while raising the stakes. You can now set off an atom bomb in multiplayer matches that will end the game. This is a perfect metaphor for MW2, as everything from the campaign to the revamped multiplayer adds in enough unpredictable elements to take even the most jaded players by surprise. However, this isn’t always a good thing.

I found the story of the main campaign to be stuck in a Michael Bay mindset of constant insanity and explosions that often detracted from the high points, not to mention it’s hard to get bearings on the who, where, and why of the missions you are a part of.

On the other hand, new additions to multiplayer like death streak (die enough times and unlock a bonus) add enough rewards that it makes even losing fun. Problems arise in multiplayer with the inclusion of perks and weapons that allow players to always see opponents and gun them down in one shot, taking away map awareness and skill shots from the multiplayer experience in favor of "who spotted who first" -- a problem that persists in the series.

MW2 isn’t as well structured as Half-Life 2 or have the personality of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, but if you loved the original Modern Warfare then this most likely will be a new favorite.