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For the trolls who want to know what is different; http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/103/1035326p1.html
Except they havent all moved on. A lot of people still play the game. And its your opinion that its garbage, certainly not a fact. I think Halo 3 is garbage, yet tons of people still play it too. Not everyone has the same opinions on games.
Calling Modern Warfare 2 anything but the "most anticipated game of the year" at this point would be a gross understatement. Any and all news on the game that releases is considered monumental, even if it comes at the hands of Robert "402" Bowling's Twitter account, and all Game of the Year talks I've been in during casual conversations (not speaking for IGN mind you; just me) haven't been about what games could win, but what games could win over Modern Warfare 2. Everyone's thinking it, but I'll happily be the one to actually say it.
Speaking of straight talk, I've said previously that I'm a huge fan of the game, I represent the gold cross holders out there on our weekly feature, and when it comes event time I'm out to find any and every piece of info on Modern Warfare 2. With that being the case, you've been forewarned: This is a long read, we go over a lot of content, so grab something warm to drink and settle in for a while.
For our latest hands-on time with Modern Warfare 2 we headed on over to Infinity Ward and sat down in one of the huge demo halls the developer uses during meetings and gameplay sessions with Modern Warfare 2. We sat down to check out not only four missions from the game's Special Ops mode (the bulk of my hands-on write-up here) but also the single player mission that was originally leaked on YouTube. Infinity Ward made it clear that when they show levels, they want to show them in the best light possible. Rather than watching replay after replay of crappy off-screen footage, we got to see the real deal, and it was intense and action-packed. The highlight of the show, however, was Special Ops mode.
First off, some notes on Special Ops specifically. Infinity Ward mentioned to us that – while there's plenty of amazing content to be found in the game's single player mode – Special Ops is the new (and intense) third pillar of the Call of Duty franchise. You've got single player, multiplayer, and Special Ops. Everything in each mode is self-contained though, so those of you wondering if titles, emblems, perks, or online unlocks will be earned through any mode but online, you apparently thought wrong. Multiplayer is where perks, challenges, and all emblems and awards will take place. Special Ops and single player are their own standalone package.
And that mindset rings true in a big, big way. Special Ops takes up one third of the games main menu, a handful of missions are unlocked from the get-go, and you can burn through all of Special Ops mode without going into single player or on Xbox Live at all. Infinity Ward also mentioned to us that Special Ops mode holds a special place in their hearts because, quite frankly, there's never time to get everything into story mode, or there's never a way to fit all the awesome concepts they have into the campaign itself. Special Ops, therefore, is a place where you can see all those awesome extra concepts. The airplane sequence in COD4 (Mile High Club, anyone?) was a concept they had for the main game, but with no place to add it on in they tacked it on as an encore stage. That's what Special Ops is, but on a much bigger scale.
Special Ops mode is no pushover either. Rivaling the size of the single player campaign - "If not longer" as stated by the IW crew – Special Ops shares concepts and assets with the other modes in the game, but there are also specific scenarios and set pieces built specifically for that mode as well. The Juggernaught, a new "heavy" unit that comes out to the sound of a beating drum much like Left 4 Dead's tank unit, is exclusive to just Spec Ops mode. In addition a second player can jump into the game at any time, but there are also two player exclusive levels as well, which will require a second player. We asked about how that'll work (boost-up areas, door puzzles, and the like, but IW wouldn't elaborate further). As for the structure, Special Operations mode is built on four levels of play – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta – with tiers similar to how Guitar Hero works. Beak the Alpha levels, and you'll unlock Bravo and so on. In addition each mission has three stars based on what difficulty level you play with, and the actual parameters change based on what difficulty you use a well. In the first mission we – entitled "O Christo Redentor" and based on the Rio level – the setup was definitely different based on what skill level you played. On Normal there were 30 hostiles to eliminate, and you could only mistakenly shoot six civilians. On Hardened there were 40 hostiles, dogs, and you could only tag four civies. On Veteran though, you had 50 hostiles, dogs, and could only hit three unarmed civilians. As if the added difficulty wasn't enough, they add in more and more enemies as well; nice.
Here's another great tip by the way. As far as two player goes, the game looks to be invite only, but can be played with local splitscreen as well as online multiplayer. When playing with a partner a mini UAV is always up as well, showing where your buddy is looking at all times, and it's absolutely essential. And finally, the big one: Difficulty can be changed for each player individually, meaning that if you want to tackle one on veteran and your buddy wants to play on normal, you can do it. What that means for earning achievements and stars, however, is still up in the air. You'll each earn what you played for, but that technically means players can cheat the system a little too; I play on veteran and hide like a little punk, while my buddy runs through on normal and kicks the crap out of everything. Will that work? Nothing we've seen so far says it won't, though anyone pulling that crap should turn in their copy of the game in my opinion. Still, might be a way to get around the insane difficulty, and its worth noting.
As for a few more general basics on the mode, there's radar in all difficulties, the map of O Christo Redentor showed off an ammo crate where players could go and re-up on not only ammo, but also the standard four grenades and four special grenades mid-play, and while the starting sets for players is pre-determined the game does a nice job of offering slews of weaponry as well. One of the levels had a huge wall of guns, as well as a house literally filled with rifles and handguns everywhere – we're talking upwards of 30 guns in one place – while another used a starting area with a few extra firearms set on the ground. There's a specific set of weapons IW wants you to use, but they also give you some wiggle room on a level-by-level basis. As for the other multiplayer specifics, friendly fire is always on, and the new last stand mode allows for two minutes to bleed out and crawl around once you're down, though that time changes based on difficulty (2 minutes only applies to normal mode). You can crawl around and also shoot while in bleed out mode, but once your partner tries to pick you up you lose the ability to fire until you're fully standing; which takes about two to three seconds during play.
With all that said, let's move onto the specific missions.
O Christo Redentor - Playable
Based on the single player mission "Takedown" which was originally leaked on YouTube (the level set in Rio), O Christo Redentor is a terrorist elimination map which looks to be built from the ground-up with the same Takedown assets. The area is about the size of Vacant on COD4 – pretty sizable, but not too big – and centers around taking out baddies like a classic Terrorist Hunt mode in games like Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six Vegas. The game drops you in with a standard loadout of M4 Grenadiers (M4 with an under-mounted M203) and lets you run. The entire area is based on a Rio village, similar to shanty towns or single-level, single-room houses. All of the combat is handled outside, with enemies out on the streets, held up inside behind glass and doors, and with a few civilians running around for good measure.
During our time with the level we had a chance to try out the AA-12 (which is fast to empty, but long to reload) and practice a little street clearing as a team. On the default skill level it was fine running around on our own and just gunning down people willy nilly, but we still were dropped a few times when overextending into an enemy-filled area. We also had a chance to pickup akimbo mini-uzis as well, but ditched them quickly due to some pretty crazy recoil. Dual desert eagles were also available, and after trying them briefly (and finding out the weapon had slower shot speed overall this time around) we again ditched the weaponry for a single weapon set. For my money, akimbo just isn't something that's worth the time unless you're really close. The recoil is upped, you can't look down sights, and while you can reload and fire weapons independently (good for staggering your reload) it's just not as effective. Great news for those of us worried that akimbo would break the game's balance, but bad news for all you dual wielding freaks out there that can't wait to run around with a gun in each hand. Personally I'm glad it works how it does; it makes you think twice before picking up that second weapon. As a nice addition to it though, you can switch to your other weapon (in my case, the AK-47) without dropping that second gun, so you're effectively holding three weapons at a time. Nice.
O Christo Redentor was a great kick-off level, and we had a chance to try a few tactics, but it's also a standard experience with very little to talk about. Just don't hit civilians, and you're good. Oh, and when in last stand mode, it's a good idea to use your crawl to get around corners or inside buildings, as it ups the change that your buddy will survive the revive process while you both stand their unarmed.
Time Trial – Demo
We didn't get a chance to try this one, but it was amazingly self-explanatory. Based on the snowmobile chase sequence we've seen dozens of times during demos and trailers (during Cliffhanger), this level is a single player (or two player, but no competing AI) time trial race where you drive the snowmobile through a route that looks loosely based on the actual chase scene itself. You start off with 15 seconds, and each group of gates you drive through award you with four extra seconds, making the race as much about hitting slalom gates as it is speed. You'll get a chance to catch some serious air though, and there look to be multiple routes to take as you move through the level. Then entire mission took less than a minute from top-to-bottom, but it also ended with a huge jump across a chasm, which was a sweet finale to the action.
Controls look tight and responsive when on the snowmobile, and the speed is simply incredible, even without firing weapons as you drive. I'd expect the harder levels to start you with less time at the beginning and award less time for each gate you drive through. Unfortunately IW mentioned that there's no leaderboard setup for each Special Ops mission, so it looks like you won't be able to compare your drive times with friends online. Still a fun – but simple – addition to Spec Ops mode.
Breach and Clear – Playable
The second playable level, Breach and Clear, feels like it was ripped right out of The Rock. In this reimagining of the "shower room" scene, players jump into a back room of a brick facility, have plenty of weapons to choose from, and then literally "breach and clear" through the level in a timed extraction challenge. Once both players are up against the wall they can start the actual breach charges, which explode and send the players into a cinematic bullet time sequence. As you progress through the level – which is essentially two rooms – dozens of enemies pour in, complete with lazer sights from above levels. Since you've got the low ground your and your partner have to fight for every inch, moving slowly as you pick off above snipers and go hand-to-hand or use close quarters weaponry on approaching soldiers.
This mission starts you off with the classic M104 shotgun, but also allow you to grab an AK, AA12 shotgun, and toss you guns via downed opposition as you progress. I made use of the G18 (which is a three round burst only weapon) with an extended mag, and it rocked. The Vector SMG could also be found – another awesome weapon, with an iron sights similar to the Skorpion from COD4 – and even snagged the "Striker," which is an even more impressive auto-shotgun similar to the AA-12. Wow, it packs a serious punch.
The level was pretty easy overall on the default difficulty, but gaining one star is a cakewalk compared to what this challenge will offer on Veteran, as there's fire coming from literally everywhere. It's a CQC nightmare where reloading takes a backseat to grabbing random weaponry at your feet or sticking your blade into a few enemies at a time. After pushing through a few rooms filled with complete chaos (Mile High Club was nothing) you jump through a busted hole in the ground and find your extraction point. Simple, if not for the insane opposition that stands in your way to the finish line.
Estate Takedown – Demo
In hands-down the most impressive of the Special Ops modes, Estate Takedown takes place in an outdoors level that has a distinct forest look mixed with the Overgrown style found in COD4. With trees lacing the high ground, small cliffs offering duck cover, a low ground with a small lake, and a more open area complete with barns and farm equipment Estate Takedown is an awesome venue for another impressive terrorist hunt mission. This is where the Juggernauts come into play as well, generating at what IW says is a random iteration (though all three playthroughs had one spawning at the beginning of the mission) but capped in number. Juggernauts are enemies covered head to toe in armor with a boonie hat guarding their face. These guys know they're fitted with armor too, as they rush you direct with shotguns and M240's (the bigger brother of the SAW) and can gun you down in seconds. The mission starts you out with the Barrett .50 Cal sniper rifle, and after a few impressive headshots the Juggernaut was dropped. Still, he lays the hurt on you, and when one pops up while you're fighting a half dozen baddies he'll be a real pain in the ass.
After some outdoors combat the demo took us into the main house, which had weaponry littered everywhere. While the challenge itself is all about eliminating terrorists (and they actually close in on whatever position you're in, so if you take refuge in the house you better be prepared to shoot your way out) we instead convinced IW to show off more of the weapons in the game.
The info we have is sparse so far, since we could only really look on and pick up whatever intel we could get on the fly, but we had a chance to see a few weapons, and more importantly, a few attachments that will change the way people approach the game. Now IW did inform us that everything we saw is based on single player and Spec Ops (and that things have been re-tuned for multiplayer, but that there is a difference between how a gun or sight could work in either mode within MW2) but what we saw was encouraging.
First off, the thermal sight. Mounted to what looked to be any automatic weapon, the thermal actually zooms in like a sniper scope and blacks out all over peripheral view. The scope is black and white, works fine in the daytime, and has all enemies glowing white to pick them up better within the world. It works extremely well, but it also has a small amount of tracking blur; a nice touch for added realism. The Barrett, by the way, uses the same scope as the first game, though the amount of bobbing was toned down – at least in Spec Ops and single player mode – from what I'm used to in multiplayer. The glare if lights behind you can now creep into the scope as well, which is interesting but not obtrusive, and it seems a lot easier to set up shots with less overall scope movement. The holographic sight is also a really nice option for players, giving what is basically an improved red dot experience to weapons. The scope is wide, doesn't block much of your peripheral, and has a nice clear dot in the center.
As for the ACOG scopes; things are moving in a different direction. No longer are all scopes the same, actually fitting the right ACOG onto each gun based on how it actually would be. Some have a round steel base with a thin pin pushing up the center (The L-86 is like this), some are like a hunting rifle with a full scope (still open to peripheral sight though) and black notches, and others are more like a holographic sight. Again there's less movement though, having actually no bob in the scope as you look through it, making it far more manageable. Those that play multiplayer all the time know the annoyances of both the ACOG's "diamond" reticule and the bobbing of the scope, and at least for single player and Spec Ops mode that has been completely fixed. I didn't touch ACOG's in COD4, but I can't wait to use them some more in Modern Warfare 2. Nice, nice change.
The rest of Estate Takedown was pretty expected fare, though again this is one you'll want to have a friend with to take on Veteran difficulty. The amount of snipers (showcasing the new lens flash, which IW wouldn't confirm or deny was in multiplayer mode) Juggernauts, and sheer mass of enemies is enough to push you over the edge even with a room full of goodies.
We'll have a whole lot more on Special Ops mode, as well as the weapons we played with as we draw nearer to 11.10.09. Until then, be sure to check out our video interview with Infinity Ward, showcasing five minutes of footage and new details on the full Modern Warfare 2 package. Keep checking back to IGN.com – there's a whole lot more on the way.
I think my point is that people will move on to other games and realize CoD4 multiplayer was total garbage in the first place.
Except they havent all moved on. A lot of people still play the game. And its your opinion that its garbage, certainly not a fact. I think Halo 3 is garbage, yet tons of people still play it too. Not everyone has the same opinions on games.
