(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 11.10.09. We know you're all ready for it. You're excited. We're excited. And our hype meter almost reached meltdown level when we got an exclusive interview with Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward's community manager - the man many of you will know as Four Zero Two.

Over the next three days, we'll be running the extended highlights of our explosive chat, with a number of intriguing details revealed about the most eagerly-anticipated game of the year. Then, on September 17th, the next issue of P3Zine will carry the full, unedited interview in its entirety.

So, without further ado, on with those opening questions...

GamerZines: The Call of Duty games have always been resolutely linear. With a number of FPSes reinventing the genre since the release of the first Modern Warfare, have you been inspired to open things up a bit, or are you sticking with the tried-and-tested formula?
Robert Bowling: It's always our focus to deliver a cinematic action experience for the player, especially in Modern Warfare 2 where we've put a lot of work into the character development and story of the campaign. To achieve this, those set-piece moments are extremely important to the pacing and structure of the story, however our main goal in Modern Warfare 2 was to send the player on a roller coaster of experiences, where they're constantly experiencing something new. So you'll have those awesome crafted experiences, broken up with a variety of other missions that are more open.

GZ: You've said you'll address the issue of enemy respawns, though some would argue that the constant stream of enemies is what helps give Call of Duty its intensity. How do you plan on balancing that?

RB: It's really all about the mission, certain levels are all about that drive to push forward and keep advancing. That's where the feeling of being overran really worked and made it feel like a last ditch effort of survival. In Modern Warfare 2 we have a variety in intensity and pacing. A moment can be just as intense when stalking through a low-visibility blizzard, avoiding enemy patrols and K-9s, as it is when you're attempting to make a non-lethal takedown on an informant as you're fighting your way through the slums of Rio's Favela. The designers utilize a lot of techniques to motivate the player to move forward rather than always relying on the fear of being overrun.

GZ: The story is set several years after Modern Warfare. Apart from confirmed returnee Soap McTavish, can we expect to see any other familiar faces?

RB: Remnants of your past and the fate of your squad at the end of the previous story really shape the conflict, enemies, story, and events of Modern Warfare 2. Events that are best experienced for yourself.
That's your lot for now. Come back tomorrow to find out more about weapons, vehicles, and some exciting tidbits of what to expect from Modern Warfare 2's missions. Stay tuned!

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Yesterday it was about open levels and familiar faces. Today it's Killstreaks, weapons and vehicles. Robert Bowling spills a few more beans about Modern Warfare 2 in the second part of our exclusive interview. Read on to find out more about the game that's set to be the biggest entertainment release ever.

Robert Bowling: We focused on having a large variety of weapons in every category for the player to choose from, in addition to a large number of new attachments to customize those weapons even further to your play style. A lot of the new weapons were spawned from balancing the multiplayer of the game. We added Customizable Killstreaks to MP, like the ability to call in an user-controlled AC-130 gunship overhead, which required something with the ability to take it down, along with many of the other airborne killstreaks. That logic led to the inclusions of dedicated launchers, like the AT4 or stinger. In addition, we have a bunch of new assault rifles like the FAMAS and ACR, sub machine guns like the new variant of the MP5 called the MP5k which is shorter and faster. And a larger variety of pistols, including automatic ones like the Glock.

Dashing through the snow...GZ: Some of the most well-received moments in the first game were those which offered something a little different from previous Call Of Duty games. Will we see slower-paced, more stealth-led stages like Pripyat in Modern Warfare 2?

RB: Modern Warfare 2 has new experiences around every corner and in every mission. Choose a more stealthy and subtle approach or go in guns-blazing - a lot of the levels can be played either way. Cliffhanger is a perfect example of that, where it builds up with the infiltration of the enemy facility by scaling the mountain side. Once you get in you have the option to use the low visibility to your advantage as Cpt. MacTavish provides thermal over watch from above and you sneak up on unsuspecting guards patrolling, or fight your way through as 'Soap' calls out enemy positions. Regardless of what you choose, there is a moment when the whole base becomes alerted to your presence and you get that classic run-and-gun action leading up to an epic action movie experience of escaping via snowmobile downhill while being pursued by enemies on their own snowmobiles as their air support fires down on you. In addition there are certain levels which are completely dedicated to that slower-paced style as well.

GZ: The inclusion of vehicles in the multiplayer in World at War wasn't well received, and there are fears that they could upset the delicate balance of Modern Warfare's online modes. Can you confirm whether vehicles will feature in the multiplayer, and if so, how have you ensured they don't unbalance the game?

RB: We never put vehicles in multiplayer. Our focus is on fast-paced infantry combat, where you're never reliant on transportation. We do have expanded Killstreak Rewards now, some of which are user-controlled. For example, where you previously could call in UAV, Airstrikes, and Helicopter Support but had no control on how helpful they were, there are many more options which allow you to take control of the gunner or control its success a bit more for a limited time. Such as the AC130 gunship where you can fire any of the three weapons on it during its limited time in the air.

The final part of our interview goes live tomorrow, where we talk about new perks, how Infinity Ward will be dealing with online cheaters, and a very interesting response to a question about level caps. See you in 24 hours...


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All good things have to come to an end, and so we're sad to say this is the last part of our exclusive interview with Modern Warfare 2 community manager Robert Bowling. In the conclusion to our fascinating dialogue, we discuss perks, online cheats and how MW2's multiplayer side won't be like World at War...

GamerZines: Are there any new additions to the perk system? Will there be more custom class slots than in Modern Warfare, and will you use the World at War idea of unlocking an extra class slot each time you go prestige?

Robert Bowling: We've made extensive additions to the perk system and create-a-class system as a whole. As I've stated, you can now customize killstreak rewards, so your reward for multiple kills without a death can be customized to how you like to play. For example, I forego any 3 Killstreak or 5 killstreak and focus on the bigger payoffs for longer killstreaks. This new addition along with the ability to rank up Perks from their base benefit to an upgraded Pro version with additional bonuses allows you to really customize your Classes to your preferred play style per gametype. For example, for objective gametypes I like to focus on upgrading perks and customizing killstreaks, which allow me a lot of speed, mobility, and ability to get to objectives quickly and hold off enemies from defusing, planting or securing objectives, where my TDM / Free for All classes are focused purely on staying alive longer and taking enemies down quicker.

GZ: How will you deal with online glitchers and cheaters - for example, those with autofire joypads, or the hip-firing snipers you often find?

RB: We stay extremely connected to our community on a real-time basis. I credit a lot of that to our presence on Social Media sites like Twitter and Facebook where we can get instant reports from our players. Recently Call of Duty 4 had an outbreak of hackers who determined how to enable UFO mode (which allows players to fly freely through the air). Immediately upon receiving reports of it happening from a community member on Twitter Friday night, I had him invite me to his lobby, check it out for myself, text the programmers, and have an updated playlist which prevented it from happening by Monday morning. Whether it's an issue or suggestion, we've got our ear to the ground for what's coming. Modded Controllers with a Rapid Fire ability have been addressed, a fix that is already in Modern Warfare 2 and one that is being snuck into Call of Duty 4.

GZ: Treyarch raised the level cap to 65 for World at War's multiplayer, over CoD 4's 55. Are you looking to raise the level cap further for MW2?

RB: We're not taking any pages out of World at War's book. We're crafting a special and unique experience for Modern Warfare 2 players that I don't want to spoil too much. Definitive numbers like max level cap, complete weapon lists, and number of new perks is something I don't want to ruin and save for when the player ranks up and sees they're constantly receiving new rewards for it, whether that's a new weapon, perk, killstreak unlock, or item for their callsign.

GZ: Finally, what are your hopes for Modern Warfare 2? Can you see it surpassing GTA IV as the biggest entertainment launch in history?

RB: We never set such expectations on ourselves on the developer side. Our only goal is to make a fun game that our community will love and we are proud of. We're confident we will achieve that, anything beyond that is always humbling.

The full, uncut interview - including further details about killstreak rewards and additional information about experience points - will appear in the next issue of P3Zine, published online on September 17th.

The updated news was only released yesterday, the part 3 should be released today, I'll keep checking back to get it.

thanks and can't wait for this one

Ok nice one mate. So it's expected to be released later today?

i wish there were vehicles in multiplayer such as ATV not enclosed vehicles such as tanks, hummers but something cool like that it will make it better without tanks they were sh*t

Sorry for the delay. It's up now

Nice update man! part 3 was a good read..

Ok kool,I'm reading it now

Don't forget to thank and or nominate if you think it was good

nice post jamie shows ur good for something