Each and every one of the weapons or accessories in Modern Warfare 2 was built from the ground up (explained to us by Robert Bowling – community manager for IW), even the guns that are back from COD4 were retweaked and reskinned for the sequel. Plenty of all-new weapons will be in MW2, the development team assured us, all straight out of the real-world modern combat guidebook. This time around players will also have the opportunity of having two major weapons, using the pistol slot from COD4 for a shotgun, rocket launcher, or other weapon of mass destruction. Having the ability to carry two intense killing machines will definitely add to the hectic nature of each multiplayer match. You can also add small accessories such as silencers and varying types of scopes to the weapons; the developers wanted to make sure gamers got the feeling of a custom player experience with MW2, they succeeded.
We didn’t get to mess around much with the create-a-class option but at least we know it’s back and better than ever with even more options to tinker with, as well as more rewards and unlockables to attain. The five pre-fab classes that we saw during our hands-on time were: Riot Control, Grenadier, Sniper Scout, Overwatch, and First Recon. A lot of the new “challenge rewards” found in Modern Warfare 2 have something to do with the class system, and how the player uses their chosen class to help the team win each match. Infinity Ward let us play a couple different game modes across three different maps: the maps being Highrise (rooftops of two buildings), Afghan (open desert setting), and Favela (cramped backstreets of shanty town). Each one of the three maps gave off a totally different feel and catered to multiple strategy types, leaving the door open for players of all skill to find a niche. The game modes we were allowed to experience (team deathmatch, capture the flag, and three-zones) during the beta were, just like the locations, each unique enough to keep us coming back again and again.
There are a number of bonus accessories and bonus attributes that can be unlocked in Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, which should add a nice bit of replaybility to the gameplay mode. The two parts of the game that we haven’t got to see yet are the single player campaign (other than a few videos) and the expansive co-op features. From what we saw of the multiplayer gameplay the developers are going for a full-fledged three prong attack, having each element of the shooter compliment the other two. This will surely create one of the most worthwhile purchases of the holiday season, whether you were into Call of Duty 4 or not. Graphically MW2 looks better – at least enough to keep critics from complaining that this is just another sequel with a new shade of lipstick. As we left the event the buzz going around was all-positive; the multiplayer obviously got people pumped up to see more. Stay tuned for more details on Modern Warfare 2 as the November 10, 2009 release date nears, this title has “Game of the Year” written all over it.
