Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

It’s hard to believe that it was only a matter of weeks ago that Infinity Ward officially revealed the first details of Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer component. And with only a couple of weeks now until the release of the game on 10th November, we turn our attention to MW2’s single-player campaign…

The biggest shock, of course, is the revelation that at least part of MW2’s campaign will see players fighting on US soil, or more particularly, battling to reclaim control of the White House from Russian Ultranationalists. Washington DC has seemingly been transformed into a post-apocalyptic battleground deep into the advanced stages of all-out war, filled with ash, burning trees and sun-blocking plumes of black smoke, as troops spring into action from a military base assembled below a destroyed Washington Monument. Or it could just be a vision; a nightmarish dream of a scenario that never actually becomes reality. Unfortunately we won’t actually know for sure until the game drops on our doorsteps next month, but we think that it’s safe to assume that Infinity Ward have built in a few twists and turns into the plot to keep us guessing til the end.

What we have seen more of, however, is Modern Warfare 2’s confirmed lead villain, Vladimir Makarov, as he leads an assault on a Russian airport – which according to our spies, will also double up as a map used in the game’s multiplayer. Following the death of Ultranationalist Imran Zakhaev (remember? You killed him at the end of the first game), Makarov has taken control of the rebel party, leading his troops against the coalition task force. Why he’s decided to storm a terminal on his homeland, however, isn’t entirely clear, and neither is how it all ties in with Modern Warfare’s overarching storyline. Indeed, from the very little that we know of it so far, it seems that the story of MW2 may not be quite tights as that of the first game as players bounce back and forth across locations the world over, while the idea of Washington’s collapse perhaps seems more suited to the relativity improbable plights of 24 or Red Alert that the feasible scenarios of previous Call of Duty’s Of course, however Infinity Ward do decide to tackle such a brave subject matter will be critical to Modern Warfare 2’s plausibility and regardless of the outcome, we’ll surely be in for a rollercoaster ride when players are reunited with Soap MacTavish and the rest of the guys.

And talking of familiar faces, what of series celebrity, Captain Price? Well, while nothing’s official at the time of writing, we’re sure that we’ve spotted the mustachioed SAS member taking out an armed guard in the latest trailer. But what’s more baffling is that the guard appears to be wearing the badge of coalition spec ops group Task Force 141. Has Makarov rallied allied troops or private military contractors to lead a coup on the US government? Far-fetched perhaps, but given the circumstances, certainly a possible scenario. A burning America, we feel, may be just one of many shocks, twists and brain-melting surprises on the cards for MW2’s campaign.

Which is commendable, really. It would be fairly easy – and admittedly, fairly expected of Activision – to simply ride on the wave of the brand’s success, turning out a poorly conceived sequel just in time for Christmas. But instead, they look to have done the polar opposite, listening to critical feedback of the first (wave goodbye to endlessly respawning enemies), adding in a stellar (and easily expandable) co-operative mode and packaging it up with what will likely be the best multiplayer game you’ve ever played; a game that, even at this stage, seems wholly deserving of duplicating the original’s achievements.

There’s very little doubt that Modern Warfare 2 will be the biggest success story of the year, and its only competition – the only standard to beat – is that of its predecessor, and that may be a mixed blessing. To ask anyone to match, let alone succeed CoD4’s reputation seems a task of the highest order, but from what we’ve seen so far very hopeful.

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