(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Discussion
Martin and Orlando have played it – what do they think?

Excited about Modern Warfare 2? Of course you're not the only one, and when we sent IGN UK's Orlando and Martin they soon descended into fits of over-excited giggles. They were witness to one of the game's single-player levels, a typically explosive and exciting run through a South American slum, and Spec-Ops, Modern Warfare 2's big new feature that promises to extend the single player experience by taking campaign levels and fitting them with all-new objectives. Exciting stuff, and if you want to delve a little deeper take a look at our recent, in-depth hands-on with the new modes. Orlando and Martin sat down after their brief play, wiped the froth from their chins and began to get lyrical.

Martin: The first Modern Warfare took me completely by surprise, and I don't think I was the only one. I'd played Call of Duty games before, but none of them were as ball-bustingly brilliant as this - even though the single player campaign was only a handful of hours long it had me and a group of friends transfixed for weeks, to the point that we played the last mission in character. Using ties as headbands and fashioning face paint out of the embers in our ashtray. That's actually quite disgusting, isn't it?

Orlando: Indeed it is... I'm now shuddering. But I know what you mean. I'd played all the previous COD games on PC as well, and I really enjoyed them, but the MW single-player campaign on 360 was honestly perhaps the best 10 hours of gaming I've ever had. God I'm so understated.

Martin: I agree that it's some of the most exciting - I went back to the campaign recently and was still impressed by its relentless pace. I've since dabbled in the multiplayer - if you can call 20 hours dabbling, though that's quite light compared to most COD4 online players - but it's still the campaign that is the biggest pull for me.

Orlando: That's it. People moaned that it wasn't long enough, but it's not the quantity of action, it's the quality. It's like moaning that the best rollercoaster in the world only lasts for two minutes - enjoy it for what it is. To be honest, I haven't even dabbled in multi-player. I'm too scared.

Martin: That's alright - people might tear me a new arsehole for this but.... I've never got on with online first person games. I agree that it's too intimidating, and no matter how well-tuned the matchmaking is I'm still not inclined to play it. That's something that Modern Warfare addresses well - but we'll get to that in a bit. Needless to say, we were both pretty excited to be playing it today.

Orlando: Well okay - we saw the lovely Robert Bowling from Activision play through firstly a Favela-set mission from the single player campaign and then one of the Spec-ops missions.

Martin: It was great to get a look at the single player – a lot of the pre-release build-up has concentrated on the multiplayer and spec-ops - and it definitely matched the high standard set in the first Modern Warfare.

Orlando: Indeed, it certainly looked ridiculously intense, with your character pursuing a target on foot through a militia-heavy Brazilian slum.

Martin: It was a nice lateral shift from the original's setting - they were still slums, but slightly more colourful ones. The single-player section we saw was pulled from the end of the game's first act, so I'm sure it's just one of many new locations. In your opinion what do you think differentiated this from the first game?

Orlando: Hmm that's the thing... It was very reminiscent of the level in Act 2 of MW1 I think, where you chased Zhakaiev's son through the slums. I did think however that it looked at least more frenetic, you were under attack from more enemies, from more angles and seemed to have less places to hide.

Martin: The one difference that struck me was the extra activity - specifically with the introduciton of civilians, an addition that could be game-changing. Now you can't just fire off a shot when you see movement (though I did at first, slaughtering a handful of innocents), but you've got to think that little bit more.

Orlando: Hmm indeed, you have to be a little less grenade-happy, though for me this is a bad thing...

Martin: Superficially, it looks very similar to the first game, with little in the way of improvements when it comes to the game's visuals. I imagine a few people could be disappointed by this... But the most important thing about Modern Warfare is the speed, and this did seem mostly faithful to the 60 fps target

Orlando: Yes I agree, you don't play Modern Warfare to gaze over sweeping vistas or stunning sunsets, so the lack of graphical progress isn't really an issue for me.

Martin: So the single-player looks to be the measure of the first game - how about the new features, specifically spec-ops?

Orlando: Spec-ops was awesome! We were allowed to play a spec-ops mission that was fairly similar to the single-player sequence were shown, that essentially involved stalking through a favella killing baddies.

Martin:It was one of several different modes in Spec-ops - this one called Elimination, where a set number of enemies had to be downed. Others seemed quite diverse - though unfortunately we didn't have a chance to see them - such as a slalom event in a skimobile that sounded like an arcade racer, as well as point to point runs and time trials. They were all score-based in some way - though sadly Infinity Ward told us there would be no online leaderboards. It's something they're looking into, so hopefully we'll see it added in a future download.

Orlando: Yep that would be ridiculously popular. After having a bash on the Spec-ops, we were buzzing. Why did you find it so enjoyable?

Martin: Well, as someone who has an irrational fear of online gaming, it was great to be given the option to go offline with some good old-fashioned split-screen. It was handled tastefully as well, with each player's screen slightly staggered and giving loads of space to see the action. The frame rate took the occasional hit, but it was worth it to be able to play it with a friend in the room.

Orlando:You're right being there with a real person was awesome, but the format as well was kind of a distillation of all that was good about Modern Warfare.

Martin: Indeed. It took me by surprise, as my preconceptions had it pegged as something similar to the post-credits game in the first Modern Warfare. I now realise it's so much more, and having played it it's this I'm looking forwards to more than anything else.

Orlando: You truly felt like a special ops soldier dropped "into the shit" and beign ordered to take out anything that moves. The lack of plot, moving between waypoints and so on only enhanced the sugar-rush experience.

Martin: We got pasted first-time around, with both of us hitting the floor after 37 seconds. At least we weren't the worst players Infinity Ward saw today - I think 26 seconds was the record set eariler.

Orlando: I thought they said six seconds?

Martin: Really? That's quite comically bad. I feel alot better about myself now.

Orlando:They said one player threw a grenade at his partner, and then killed himself with a claymore.

Martin: Oh dear, we weren't that bad. Our insta-death first time round made me realise that team-work was definitely key. But I agree it worked sublimely, with the MW experience condensed into something so brilliant.

Martin: There were some moments of near comic relief when Infinity Ward were playing through the game - when they shacked up in a small house, and in one of the rooms was a wall filled with what seemed like every one of the game's guns.

Orlando: A knowing nod indeed! That mission looked rather cool as well - another Spec-ops Elimination sequence where you had to take out most of the enemies with high-calibre weapons. So we liked spec-ops, but did you find the lack of exposure to the single player campaign frustrating?

Martin: Not really - I'm happy to wait until release with as few spoilers as possible. And Infinity Ward are doing all they can to keep the story under wraps.Though I do expect Price to return. He better do. Or there will be tears.

Orlando: Really? Wasn't he popped at the end of Modern Warfare?

Martin: Price never dies. He survived Call of Duty 2, and I'm sure he'll survive Modern Warfare. It was just a flesh wound.

Orlando: I hope so too. I agree with you about spoilers, though - perhaps very controversially - I though the story in Modern Warfare was overrated somewhat...

Martin: You'll never work in this internet again... How so?

Orlando: There was nothing wrong with it, indeed it wasn't as bad as 98% of videogame storylines out there, but at the same time I felt the critical praise, and BAFTAs lavished on the fairly standard and - dare I see it rather clich?d - character work was a bit much I thought. It was the scenarios established by good level design and so on that made Modern Warfare so "cinematic", not the dialogue. But maybe I'm fanboy baiting again?

Martin: I agree, what made Modern Warfare's story great wasn't the writing and characters, which were by-the-numbers - it was the way it was told, from the cold detachment of the AC-130 scene to the standout nuke sequence. I can't wait to see what similar moments Infinity Ward has in hand for Modern Warfare 2.

Orlando: How could I forget? That the nuke moment was "in game" and not a cut scene was a masterstroke - a genuinely chilling moment. Hopefully Infinity Ward can pull some similarly deft and emotionally affecting narrative tricks this time around. I literally can't wait to find out.

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Nice interview,interesting to read. They are lucky to have played!!

and we shall be lucky on 18 days woot woot !!!!!!

Thanks for posting. I may have to stop reading in this section, becasue stuff like this just makes me want it even more.