1070°

IGN: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

IGN writes: "Over the years the Call of Duty series has set the bar for immersive, action-packed, cinematic FPS gaming, and no matter what camp you're from there's no denying the franchise's influence on the industry. When Infinity Ward moved from the classic World War II setting and blazed new ground with Modern Warfare we saw the first obvious split within the world of Call of Duty. The series dropped its historic focus, created a new cast of characters, and began treading on new ground by taking the first-person shooter genre to new locales, and pushing the boundaries of what military games are willing to show. With Modern Warfare 2, the sheer amount of hype has been practically inescapable, with preorders alone setting it up as one of the biggest selling games of all time, the addition of even more multiplayer modes and features, and the game's new Special Operations mode has set Infinity Ward's lastest up as the game to beat this year."
9.5 / 10
Cyrus365 - contributor
Published: 31 days 13 hours ago | Review | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | PC
 
 

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Sanzee - 31 days 13 hours ago
1 - Infinity Ward Does It Again
Guess who just got his copy of MW2 after his number was drawn first at the local Gamestop launch party? That's right. Sanzee did!

Let's here it for yet another successful addition to the Call of Duty series, thanks to the hard work and determination from our friends @ Infinity Ward!
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Danteh - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.1 - yeah
I think this is a great time to be gamers.... I'm sometimes a PS3 fanboy but accept that this game may compete with UC2 for GOTY, I mean it has trophies, (sometimes) better graphix, PSN is now on par with Live... what's not to love?

On another note, I also think that PS3 exclusives have to do MUCh more to get 10's, being original, innovating, etc... while MW2, which is just fun but not original, gets all the 10's.

Anyways, all MW2 haters out there, buy it a join the ranks of millions of happy PS3 gamers!

See ya on the battlefield
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pogibaldy - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.2 - Yawn. Another First Person Shooter with a 7 hour campaign...
and the same basic multiplayer formula as the previous two installments. Lets here it for incremental improvements! Who needs true artistic risk taking?
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Yarite - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.3 -
LOL!!!

10 for graphics? The horrible plastic blotchy looking low-res textures do wonders for the game.

10 for sound? We all love the repeating dialogue and the guns which sound like toys.

What a joke. Seems like IGN are enjoying the Activision money-hats.
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Kigmal - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.4 -
First off, congrats Sanzee, you lucky bastard :P. Second, getting my copy tomorrow, can't wait. It will be fun. The reviews are look nice, and IGN starts it off nice for others and might be GOTY 2009, need to play it myself to be the judge. To other players, see you online, play safe and enjoy. This is a great games we all have in our hands.
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ReviewsArePolitics - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.5 - Generic Warfare
Activision has some deep pockets
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DarkMantrid - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.6 -
IGN has been giving alot of 9.5s lately it seems. I can accept that, but to give it a 10(!) in graphics?! dude...
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kraze07 - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.7 -
You haters just won't give it a rest will you. If you don't like the game don't play it and don't talk sh!t about it.
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Feral Gamer - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.8 - @1.2
"and the same basic multiplayer formula as the previous two installments. Lets here it for incremental improvements! Who needs true artistic risk taking?"

Doesn't stop people from buying 3.9 million copies of Madden 2010

@1.10
Good call! I also avoid Madden. I think it's more exciting to catch a game on TV anyway. Go Vikes!
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villiers - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.9 - @Yarite
Yeah it is a joke this gets a 10 for graphics whilst a game like Ratchet and Clank gets an 8.5 for graphics?

Other games like ACII, FFXIII and The Last Guardian deserve 9.5's-10's for there graphics yet they will probably get a 9 at max.

MW2 getting 10 for it's graphics is a joke and just cements IGN excepted money or there reviewers just have no clue.
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pogibaldy - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.10 - @ Feral
Exactly! I avoid that series too.
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Darkstorn - 31 days 13 hours ago
1.11 -
A 10 for graphics? Really? Well, there's no doubting that it's a great game, just not the year's best. That honor belongs to Demon's Souls or Uncharted 2.
@1.2-
Uncharted 2 wasn't an 'artistic risk taker,' yet turned out to be an excellent game. I hear you on MW2, though. It looks relatively derivative.
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anh_duong - 31 days 12 hours ago
1.12 -
i hate playing call of duty with French players, you usually get "host ended game" before any shots have been fired
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beardpapa - 31 days 12 hours ago
1.13 -
Who here thinks 9.5 for MW2 is the "safety score" for IGN so that it is enough reason for them to give MW2 the GOTY to be "safe" just like what they did with Fallout ?
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mugoldeneagle03 - 31 days 12 hours ago
1.14 - Ok, lets get it out of the way...
Is anyone shocked by their score? No. And I'm gonna try and post a intelligent comment before tomorrow morning when all the IW/Activision/MW haters wake up and litter this thread with ton's of hate. So bare with me.

In regards to the review, it's everything we thought it was, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. People forget how good COD4 was. And what IW, for better or for worse, did was take the best aspects of that game and add new features, weapons, perks, maps, etc. I mean, that's all I really want. Look at SOCOM Confrontation. It's without a doubt my favorite shooter of all time and if Zipper released a new SOCOM with all of the old SOCOM II maps, I'd drop $60 in a heartbeat. So when did it become a crime to be a fan of a game? Or a series?

We all KNEW it was going to get a 9.5, but after reading this review, and almost every other MW2 review posted within the last week, maybe its deserving? Yes, I'll agree that the graphics shouldn't be a 10, but they're far from bad. Not everything can compare with Killzone 2 & Uncharted, and to be completely honest I don't want everything at all to "look" like another game. I want COD to be COD, Uncharted to be Uncharted, Killzone to be Killzone. And this is coming from a PS3-only owner. Isn't that what makes gaming fun? The ability to choose any game with any style?

With that said, I find it really ridiculous and sad that the N4G community really stooped to levels I haven't seen before the last month. I get that IW screwed the PC community, that Activision cares about $ before the consumer, and that IW slipped up on the marketing a few times, but seriously, you guys need to stop whining.

I held this one back for awhile because I wanted to wait for almost all of the reviews to drop and now they have and here we are. Modern Warfare 2 is a great game for people who like Call of Duty, for people who like FPS, for people who WANT to buy the game. And if your not one of them, then why are you busy commenting on it. There are TONS of games that have released that you could be enjoying other than wasting our time on the boards.

And for the record, I'll be just as upset as all of you if this pulls a GTA IV and wins GOTY. I know as well as you that there are more deserving games Uncharted, Killzone, etc. This frustration stems simply from all of the comments I've read over the past month regarding MW2, and has all culminated now in the multiple high score reviews. Everyone talked about Activision and IW ruining the gaming industry when we as a commmunity aren't helping it either.

Thank you, and I'll be looking forward to picking this up tomorrow and playing with all of the other MW2 players out there.

PS: Sorry it was so long, and it's not directed towards any single post on this thread for those wondering.

Whew
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sack_boi - 31 days 12 hours ago
1.15 -
Unlike Killzone 2 or Uncharted, this game has "4 player Split-screen" mode and it's locked at 60fps.

So I'd say looking this good while achieving the above is just outstanding.
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SL1M DADDY - 31 days 10 hours ago
1.16 - Great score.
I laugh at all the haters of this game because I KNOW for a fact they will be at home on their PC, PS3 or 360 playing the game despite their claims of boycotts and anger towards Bobby and IW.
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vhero - 31 days 10 hours ago
1.17 -
Still this game shouldn't have been released with the war going on in Afghanistan you can't help but think IW are cashing in on that and thats BAD TASTE. Making money out of UK and US soldiers dying for our countries.
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nix - 31 days 10 hours ago
1.18 - 10 for graphics... lol. i laugh at you IGN.
reminds me of 10/10 for GTA IV.

hype. hype. hype.
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Xbox Avatars Shoe - 31 days 10 hours ago
1.19 - 10 in graphics?! WTF?!
I just got done playing for 5 hours straight and I have to admit I was surprised by the IMPROVED graphics but a 10?! More like a 9-9.5. The graphics are actually much better than CoD4 but they're no where near as good as KZ2 and U2. IGN gave KZ2 a 9.5 in graphics LOLZ!
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Tinted Eyes - 31 days 10 hours ago
1.20 -
Hehe, this is going to be a good game but....

COD:MW2 - 10 in graphics.

Killzone 2 - 9.5 in graphics.

Ahhh, the benefits of not being a PS3 exclusive.
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nix - 31 days 9 hours ago
1.21 - yawn...
well.. if it was PS3 exclusive game...

too short.
brings nothing new.
poor graphics (sudden endless comparision with U2).
crappy online.

8.0/10.

but how can anyone give low score to holier-than-thou-MM2 game.

hypocrites, that's all they are.
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callahan09 - 31 days 9 hours ago
1.22 -
They only gave Killzone 2 a 9.5 in graphics. I'm sorry, but Mordern Warfare 2 does not deserve to be rated higher in graphics than Killzone 2. Killzone 2 came out 3/4 of a year ago, and it still has arguably the best graphics, and even back then they couldn't deign to give it a 10 for graphics? Something odd about that.
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imdaboss - 31 days 8 hours ago
1.23 -
Now nobody cannot deny IGN is biased against PS3 exclusives. Killzone 2 9.5 for graphics but MW2 a 10. Like they say you cant spell IGNORANT without IGN.

10-Graphics: MW2
"What was already an impressive graphical engine has only improved over the last two years. More effects, grander environments, and a truly spectacular overall visual offering."

9.5-Graphics Killzone 2
"Phenomenal visuals prove that Guerrilla either met or surpassed that infamous E3 trailer. Some technical issues hold it back from being a completely flawless masterpiece.
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tommygecko - 31 days 7 hours ago
1.24 -
killzone 2 was 30fps and sluggish. this is 60fps.
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DaTruth - 31 days 7 hours ago
1.25 -
Why do you guys keep calling people MW2 haters? Most of the people complaining are buying the game!

It is just the poster boy for bad reviewing practices! It has al the things they usually hold against other games, rolled up into one, tossed in a box and then forgotten about!
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LiQuiFiedArt - 31 days 7 hours ago
1.26 - Been playing MW2 since Midnight
Solid game, but the reviews are obviously skewed.

A 10 for graphics is completely not true.

The controls are tight just like in cod4 though, easy to aim, easy to kill and best of all, does "what you want it to do".
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ThanatosDMC - 31 days 6 hours ago
1.27 -
I played the game around 1am and the NVG really works. Anyway, do not play Killzone 2 hours before this game.

Also, for those that played it. Is that real? That sonar or whatever kind of detection radar system was that in the snow level? Do they have something like those in real life??? It reminded me way too much of AVP2.
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buzzie24 - 31 days 5 hours ago
1.28 - where's the trophies?
anyone know where the trophies are they arn't listed when you load the game?
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thewhoopimen - 31 days 4 hours ago
1.29 - ok just to clear up a fact
Ok for those brain farts up there who haven't deigned to read any articles, the game is not locked at 60 FPS for consoles it dips to the 30s in heavy scenes. So lets, stop using that as a technical one-upmanship over other titles in the genre, because frankly it doesn't have one. On the otherhand, I am staying out of the bias discussions. I boycott the game for tasteless depictions of massacres and asking the player to involve in it. Disliking the Activision money-grubbing helps too as does a 5 hr single campaign. I'd rather spend it on AC2 or BFBC2... fair enough?
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Unending Punishment - 31 days 4 hours ago
1.30 -
GotY 2009 for sure, easily beat Halo 3 ODST and Uncharted 2.
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Blaze929 - 31 days 4 hours ago
1.31 - Wow
IGN just looses more and more credibility everyday. When you go corporate you can't really trust these kinda guys and reviews anymore. Stick to people who actually play the games and spend hard earned money on them.

IGN is a joke.
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Maddens Raiders - 31 days 4 hours ago
1.32 - IGN: Imagine Games Network? -
nah.... Inconsistent Gamescore Network.

enough is enough.

10 graphics? FAIL
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JBaby343 - 31 days 4 hours ago
1.33 - I Just Lost a Lot of Respect For IGN Right Now
MW2 is definitely a good game but rating graphics higher than KZ2 is ridiculous.

Multiplat benefits.
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Shepherd 214 - 31 days 3 hours ago
1.34 -
ya know its only on n4g that i see people putting PS3 graphics on such a high pedestal. Only n4g. Friends, review sites, random online gamers, no one including me thinks the graphics of uncharted 2 or killzone 2 are so high that nothing can compete with them except for the ghosts and trolls on this stupid site. Its funny and pathetic really. Modern Warfare 2 looks like a great game btw.
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nycredude - 31 days 3 hours ago
1.35 -
Shepard

Go check meta or game rankings and see how many publications are praising Uncharted 2 as the best console graphics out. And go see how many people are saying the same for any other game. You could say whatever you want about N4g but if you have eyes and don't have your fanboy hat on then it's obvious which games look the best on consoles! I have the Ps3 and the xbox and they both have their benefits and shortcomings, but to think Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2 has any competition in the graphics department is delusional.
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Imalwaysright - 31 days 2 hours ago
1.36 -
Couldnt agree more Nix. I realized that those so called "professional" reviewers were hypocrites when they were all giving GTA IV 10/10. That is why i wait for some of my friends to play these overhyped titles and ask their opinion before buying them .
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Elaine Benes - 31 days 1 hour ago
1.37 - :(
my NVGs dont work. wtf.
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Saaking - 30 days 22 hours ago
1.38 -
9.5? Seems honest reviews are now a thing of the past. If this was true than UC2 deserved a 12/10
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Shepherd 214 - 30 days 22 hours ago
1.39 -
You say i have a "fanboy hat" on, but i could very well say the same thing about you or many others on this site. When the first screens of Uncharted 2 came out i was shocked that the graphics were getting praised as much as they were(only from those on this site). its a great looking game of course, but damn they arent the best ever. I personally think Killzone 2 looks better, and even MGS4 looks better than UC2, there are sections in the environment in MGS4 that look much more photorealistic than from what ive seen in UC2.
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Kleptic - 30 days 22 hours ago
1.40 -
I don't find anything wrong with this review...the graphics have improved also by the way; I totally agree that the mp engine now looks better than cod 4's sp...which is saying something...is it killzone 2 overall visually?...no, not exactly...the tech simply isn't there...so not sure what scale they are using for a 10 in visuals...but whatever, cod 4 was up to this point easily one of the best looking shooters of this gen...and if MW2 is better than cod 4, its simply that much closer to killzone 2...

anyway though...multiplatform games are always safe...the media feels 'everyone is happy' when a big successful multiplat releases...and the fanboys simply do one of two things...play it down compared to their exclusives...or ignore that its multiplat and use it as leverage to justify their preference...and neither matters...there is NO QUESTION that if it this was exclusive to either system that owners of that system would be hysterical about it...its an amazing game...

who cares that its multiplatform...its pretty much the best multiplayer game avaiable right now...I absolutely loved killzone 2, but there is no doubt that you get a lot more content with mw2 for the money...and they are different enough gameplay wise that it really comes down to what type of competitive multiplayer you want right now...

I am simply glad that action games like this still get the most headlines and attention...they are the games i love to play...and with the strength of the wii over the last few years; its very refreshing to know that pretty much no one that enjoys playing video games is even interested in that thing...when a game like MW2 gets the most attention...it means developers will keep making them...and that is all I care about...
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jhooty14 - 31 days 13 hours ago
2 -
rumor was true then? (gave it 9.5)

cant wait to have this in my hands :P
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Sanzee - 31 days 13 hours ago
2.1 - 9.5 indeed
Yes it was! When I opened the review, I was 90% sure it would be a 9.5 because of the glitch that user saw on IGN's MW2 page.
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AKNAA - 31 days 13 hours ago
2.2 - whats funny is that..
Ign daily quick fix video was denying how they didn't even review the game yet and the score was false, yet they rate the final game the exact same as the rumor glitch(9.5)?? LOL! kinda makes them look dumb now.
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DaTruth - 31 days 7 hours ago
2.3 -
That just proves they had the score before they even reviewed the game?

"MW2 is coming out next year, what do you think guys 9.5 or 9.8?"
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BRG9000 - 31 days 5 hours ago
2.4 - @2.3
I think all it proves is that they had an early copy of the game and wrote the review last week. As did most review sites. Activision's embargo held all these reviews until midnight last night, it wasn't because all the reviewers were waiting on their preorders.
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rogimusprime - 31 days 5 hours ago
2.5 - why did IGN
wait so long to release this review? they really sat on it until launch day? WTF?

I understand the legalese, but opens the door for speculation on who is pulling the strings over at IGN.
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Shepherd 214 - 31 days 3 hours ago
2.6 - AKNAA
id be willing to bet IGN doesnt think its as big a deal as you do.
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BRG9000 - 31 days 3 hours ago
2.7 - @2.5
It's called an embargo. Activision provides reviewers with advance copies of the game on the condition that they do not post their reviews until whatever date/time Activision sets (in this case, the moment it launches). The reviewers are not legally bound to respect the embargo, but if they break it Activision will stop sending them review copies of games in the future. This is a pretty standard thing that most publishers do, though a lot of the time the embargo date is a little bit before the release date.

You'll notice most large game sites posted their reviews last night or will be posting them today. The only reviews out before today were from smaller sites that probably got their copy from a store that broke street date and thus were under no obligation to Activison.
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AKNAA - 31 days 1 hour ago
2.8 - @Shepherd 214
It it weren't a big of a deal to them, why did they even mention it on their daily fix wrap-up video?? I'd say thats going out of their way to cover up don't you think?? if they denied it to that extent, couldn't they just add or deduct 1 point to prove that they aren't liars...

http://video.ign.com/dor/ar...
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