My Gaming news and reviews about XBox 360, PS3, PC, Games, Graphics Cards and Hardware

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:32:00 -0200

Infinity Ward triumphs with CoD number 6

St3baS

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:18:49 -0200

hahahaha sucks when the screen shot they put up shows you failing :P haha

Nic Simmonds

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:48:57 -0200

Hehe, updated to a less fail image ^_^

Rich

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:14:39 -0200

Great review Nic, well-written and to the point; great resource for anyone still trying to decide whether or not to take the plunge and buy the game.
I've really only been playing Team Deathmatch and Groundwar thus far and I must say that I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the multiplayer thus far, particularly after all the nerd rage I saw following the dedicated server removal.

Personally, I'm glad there's no /votekick command because in my experience, elistists abused it to remove players they regarded as too inexperienced / too unskilled to belong in their games.

What has surprised me though is that there is no option to change team mid-game, and neither is there an auto team balance feature. This to me is a huge oversight because if someone leaves mid game and no new player takes his place, you can be left with the 1 v 5 situation we had in one map last night, which is no fun.

Nic Simmonds

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:18:56 -0200

Thanks Rich :D

I agree with the additional points you raised about voting and team balancing.

It definitely seems as though the PC version was nerfed to be more like the console version. Its a pity, if it were not for these unnecessary flaws, the game would be incredible.

On a personal note, my biggest gripe is that the games feel too short, and teh intervals are too long.

Jam

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:23:11 -0200

I'm finding review scores to be more and more irrelevant, especially since in recent years the overall score has moved away from being a function of the score of the parts to an arbitrarily assigned score. Plus, a 'fun factor' score, really?

A review is supposed to explain the merits, and lack thereof, of a game, evaluating its features with the reader in mind, not just presenting the reviewer's own experience or making general statements. If I wanted 'my general experience of MW2' I'd ask a bunch of randoms to read a review.

So, 90% of the sp was on the torrid story, what's the ai like? Are there still infinitely respawning enemies? What effect does playing so many characters have on you getting attached to them, like in MW? Are there more vehicle missions and are they cool? Are the NPC characters as memorable as last time?

For mp, what are playlists like? Do you really have to rank up to unlock game modes? What effect does so much air support have on the game? What level of customisation do you have in custom games? Is there LAN support? What about the new perks and weapons like the riot shield? What are the maps like? What about opening NAT on your router?

For Spec Ops, it's supposedly the best part of MW2, but almost nothing is said about it. How long are missions? How does the 'star' system work? How do missions change if you're playing them co-op as opposed to by yourself? Are some missions co-op only? How many missions are there?

Overall, a whole review without a single thing about what the game looks or sounds like. What are the visuals like and what new things are cool? What is the sound like, and is the music as good as MW? Have there been any technical issues, especially with installation and Steam?

I know I probably sound like a nit-picking dick, but from this 'review' I can't really get an idea of what it would be like to play this game and whether it would be worthwhile to buy. There is just not enough said about it's features and too many vague general comments.

Nic Simmonds

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:53:58 -0200

Some valid points raised Jam, although you seem to want more of a comprehensive guide to Modern Warfare 2 than a simple review.

The reason all these things cannot be included comes down to word count. To write about every detail would require an extremely long review, and most people would prefer to read a briefer synopsis with a general run down of the pros and cons of the game than a 2000 word essay.

Bear in mind that the commenter above you felt that the review gave him a great understanding of whether he should get the game. Different strokes I guess...

Rich

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:02:30 -0200

Jam, while you raise some valid points, I wouldn't say it's really fair on Nic to call the review invalid simply because it didn't meet your personal criteria of what a review should be. I felt that his review was well-written and gave a general overview of most of the game's features without dishing out any major spoilers etc. Let's be honest, if you want in-depth reviews, there are plenty of sites out there set up specifically for that. Mygaming is simply not aiming for that level of depth, and I'm fine with that. If I wanted 4 page review feature articles, I'd go somewhere else.

That being said, you did ask some good questions so I'll answer a few for you:
AI: More intelligent than MW1 I think. I was wondering about the respawn thing myself but as far as I can tell, there's only one or two stages at most in which enemies respawn. Other than that, they stay dead.

Characters: I never really got attached to my own characters, but the game definitely encourages an emotional attachment to one or two of the core NPCs. The core NPCs are even more memorable this time than last.

There are less vehicle missions.

MP:
-not sure what you mean by playlists
-No, I think all game modes are available from rank 1. You do have to unlock everything else though.
-The increased air support means that Stinger missiles (new weapon in game) or at the very least a rocket of some kind,have become must-have secondary weapons or you WILL lose.
-There are far more customisation options available in "Private game" mode. Too many to list here, but more than MW1.
-Lan support is there but only via steam, as far as I can tell. You'll all need to be connected to the internet.
-The Riot shield is mostly over-rated. -The other new weapons are definitely cool and bring a whole new level of fun to MP.
-Maps: Loads more, much better. Most outdoor ones now have proper sniper support, if you know what I mean. Plus IW have reworked the COD2 "Bocage" map, makes for nostalgic gameplay.
-I haven't had to specifically adjust NAT settings, thankfully.

-Spec Ops: Nic has answered most of your questions already.Suggest you go back and read that section.
-Look and feel: Already answered.
-Technical/Steam: Answered in previous articles.

ZG

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:13:52 -0200

Reviews ARE just opinions, and that's all they need to be. What separates good reviews and bad reviews is mostly just the quality of the writing. If you want a feature list, read a guide instead.

Jam

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:06:49 -0200

Thanks guys, appreciate the info.

I did say I might just be nit-picking.

I did honestly expect a more in-depth review. Perhaps it was unfair, but with the game being rather more expensive than others I want to know just what sort of thing I can expect. I was in a store yesteray with Dragon Age in my one hand at R350 and MW2 in the other at R500. If I'm paying almost 50% more, man I really a review to be able to tell me just what I'm getting.

Nic Simmonds

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:13:56 -0200

Jam, the best thing I can recommend to someone who wants really indepth and detailed info on the game is to browse through our forums.

There are multiple topics in there that cover pretty much all the nitty gritty ins and outs that go beyond the scope of my review.

You can also ask any unanswered questions in there. We have a number of very knowledgeable guys that are currently playing loads of MW2 so I'm sure you can get any info you need there.