Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 First Look Preview

The reaction to Infinity Ward’s unveiling of Modern Warfare 2 at E309 has been fascinating to observe. Here we have a game that will no doubt sell more copies than any other in 2009 and 2010, and will no doubt top the most-played online games lists across all platforms. And yet the short ten minute gameplay demo seen by so many during Microsoft’s media briefing received a surprising amount of flak from fans. Forum posters expressed concern at the graphics, the setting and how similar the game seems to 2007’s original, but in the same posts most admitted it was still a day one purchase. Gamers are a fascinating bunch.

It is with this in mind that we click our left thumb stick in and sprint over to publisher Activision’s behind-closed doors MW2 presentation, where IW is playing through a slightly extended version of the MS E309 demo in front of a packed audience of tired game journalists. After quick introductions the demo begins, and we’re transported into the snowy ice sheet somewhere in the Tian Shan Range, Kazakhstan.

“Follow me,” says Grant from Eastenders… oh wait, sorry… ahem. “Follow me,” says the newly promoted Captain “Soap” MacTavish as jets fly overhead. Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson, AKA you, does what he’s told, using ice picks to struggle up the mountain and breathing heavily as the blizzard and gravity take their toll. At the summit the enemy camp can be seen through the falling snow. You pack your picks away in favour of a silenced ACR with a heartbeat sensor. The two of you creep up behind two enemy soldiers. Soap counts down for a synchronised kill… three… two… one… red dot scope, prrrrap. “Good work.” Checkpoint. Nice.

Soap takes a sniping position as you crouchwalk on your lonesome. Your objective is to C4 a fuelling station near a runway. The blizzard keeps you concealed, your heart sensor guiding your knife attacks and short burst sprays. You plant the explosives. Checkpoint. Now it’s on to the hanger, where you meet up with Soap. He slams a guard into metal lockers and sticks his knife into his gut. You go upstairs to download some files. Over the radio Soap says that he’s been compromised. You take a peek at the hanger entrance. Soap, hands behind his head, is facing at least 20 men. “Roach, go to plan b.” Russian-accented goons call for your surrender by megaphone. “Five, four….” Bang! The fuelling station goes up in smoke. The action kicks off. From upstairs you clear the hanger with your rifle, red dot scope darting left and right, bullet fire downing enemy after enemy. It looks thrilling. This is the kind of set piece IW is known for. This is what Modern Warfare is all about.

You make a run for it out into the snow. The snowmobiles turn up. You shoot. You kill. You jack one and speed down the mountain, dodging trees and firing your automatic handgun gangster style. You reach a chopper. The demo ends. And breathe.

IW takes a handful of questions. So, what about those graphics, then? IW’s added “streaming textures”, a technique that’s allowed the creation of much bigger environments and levels without having to compromise on graphical detail. This not only applies to environmental objects but character and gun models, too. According to the developer, it’s a “pretty big leap over what we were able to do in the CoD4 engine”. Take that internet.

Someone asks about the ice picks Roach used to struggle up the mountain. Will you be able to whip those out for some nifty close combat action? Unfortunately not, despite the fact that Soap impales an unsuspecting goon in the chest with one. Once you’re up the mountain you’re back to your guns.

Someone else asks about what looks like a new melee stance for your sidearm. It’s true; the way your pistol and knife are held has been altered to enable a faster knife attack. You won’t be able to shoot and stab at the same time, but you will be able to stick your blade into enemy flesh in the blink of an eye.

Here’s a good one (from yours truly). How long will the single-player campaign last? “We don’t know yet,” is the somewhat disappointing answer. “The designers are creating missions and removing ones that aren’t up to our standard or don’t fit the story. It’s not so much that we want to go for a certain length of time, it’s: this is a story we want to make and this is the experience we want the gamer to have. However long that ends up being is how long it is.” Bah.

What about the story? Modern Warfare 2 is a direct sequel, picking up right where the first game left off. The first few missions will explain to the player what’s happened to all the surviving characters from the original. You’re part of Task Force 141, described by IW as “the coalition of bad asses”. It’s made up of the best of the best from SEALS, Rangers and special operatives from around the world. They’re tasked with doing the impossible, in this case taking down a nasty Russian ultranationalist called Makarov, Imran Zakhaev’s right-hand man in the first game. This time around, with Zakhaev dead, he’s gunning for revenge and you’re fixed squarely in his sights.

So, what do we think? Let’s address the graphics question. What we’ve seen hasn’t blown us away, and indeed there were better-looking FPSs at E309, but MW2 is clearly built with the engine used for the original, so it was never going to provide a massive step up graphically. The argument goes that the original only wowed console gamers because it ran in 60fps. We don’t subscribe to this position. CoD4 had some spectacular, eye-catching moments (the nuke bit sticks out in our memory as graphically stupendous), but it was always more impressive for its overall aesthetic than its polygon count. MW2 will look better than MW, that’s a given. But we’re more excited about the set-pieces IW has in store for us than the ramping up of texture detail.

The truth of the matter is IW has only shown off a minuscule percentage of the game to press. We know practically nothing about it. Most of the concern stems from this fact. It could be argued that the level shown wasn’t the best for E3 (the blizzard didn’t afford any opportunity to wow with vistas and impressive draw distances), but it’s an understandable choice. The snowmobile section shows IW is expanding upon the predominantly run and gun gameplay seen in the original with constant changes of pace mid-level. Underwater sections have been suggested in previous teaser trailers. Levels will be larger, with more room to tackle objectives with greater strategic panache, but beyond that the details run dry. MW2 will be improved, but the improvements revealed so far are subtle, not headline grabbing.

This, in a round about way, sums up the vibe IW projects at E3. It is a studio that knows it’s got a guaranteed hit on its hands and doesn’t need to try particularly hard to justify what it’s doing. You might even say it’s aloof. MW2’s showing during MS’ E309 media briefing didn’t make quite as impressive a splash as CoD4 did during MS’ E307 briefing, but that’s what you often get with sequels based on mature game engines. We’re just going to have to accept this.

Yes MW2 looks like CoD4. Fans of red dot scopes will find it instantly familiar. The targeting reticule acts as it did – increasing in size as you move; shrinking when you stand still, but this is no bad thing. CoD4 was a wonderful game with an unparalleled multiplayer experience. Nothing we’ve seen suggests history won’t repeat itself with MW2. We imagine if you’ve managed it this far, you’ll think the same. We complain the most about the things we love. Like we said, fascinating.

Modern Warfare 2 is scheduled for release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on November 10, 2009.