Video Game Vintage Title: Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a 2009 first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows. Officially announced on February 11, 2009, the game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009. It is the sixth installment of the Call of Duty series and the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, continuing the same storyline, with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 ending the storyline.

However, while the working title 'Call of Duty 6' was used by Infinity Ward to refer to the game, an official statement from the company stated that "It would be incorrect to refer to 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' as Call of Duty 6". It was released in conjunction with two other Call of Duty games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare � Mobilized for the Nintendo DS, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex, a port of Call of Duty 4 adapted by Treyarch for the Wii console. In addition, a comic book series based on one of the game's characters was also produced, entitled Modern Warfare 2: Ghost.

Modern Warfare 2 has received very positive reviews from various gaming websites, attaining a 94% aggregate score on Metacritic, with praise stemming primarily from its in-depth multiplayer component. Within 24 hours of release, the game sold approximately 4.7 million copies in North America and the United Kingdom. On August 3, 2011, Activision confirmed that the game had sold over 22 million copies worldwide and it is the second best-selling game of all time in both the UK and the U.S.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Plot

Despite the efforts of the U.S. Marine Corps and British Special Air Service in the previous game, the ultranationalists seize control of the Russian Federation and declare Imran Zakhaev a hero and martyr, erecting a statue of him in the heart of Red Square. Meanwhile, Vladimir Makarov, one of Zakhaev's former lieutenants, begins a campaign of revenge by committing acts of terrorism over the course of five years.

Player character, Sgt. "Roach" Sanderson, riding a snowmobile in the "Cliffhanger" mission

In 2016, Private First Class Joseph Allen of the U.S. Army Rangers who is stationed in Afghanistan, is tasked to assist in taking a city from insurgents. Impressed by Allen's abilities, Lieutenant General Shepherd recruits him into the Task Force 141, an elite, multi-national counter-terrorist unit under Shepherd's command. Meanwhile, two other 141 members, "Soap" and "Roach", infiltrate a Russian airbase in the Tian Shan mountains to retrieve an Attack Characterization System (ACS) module from a downed American satellite.

Allen is later sent on an undercover mission in Russia for the CIA under the alias "Alexei Borodin", joining Makarov in a massacre of civilians at the Zakhaev International Airport (formerly Sheremetyevo International Airport) in Moscow. However, Makarov, who has been aware of Allen's true identity, kills him during extraction, leaving his body behind to spark a war between the Russian Federation and the United States. Outraged by what was believed to be an American-sponsored terrorist attack, Russia retaliates by launching a surprise invasion on the East Coast of the United States after bypassing its early warning system. Sergeant Foley leads his squad of U.S. Army Rangers, including Private James Ramirez, in defense of a suburb in Northern Virginia. They then proceed towards Washington, D.C., where more U.S. forces are fighting against the Russians for control of the capital.

Meanwhile, Task Force 141 searches for evidence that implicates Makarov as the mastermind behind the airport massacre, as proof of Makarov's involvement died with Allen. Intelligence leads them to a favela in Rio de Janeiro, where the team investigates Makarov's contact, weapons dealer Alejandro Rojas. They learn from Rojas that Makarov's worst enemy, known only as "Prisoner 627", is incarcerated in a Russian gulag east of Petropavlovsk. Task Force 141 assaults the prison and manages to free 627, who turns out to be Captain Price.

Price agrees to aid the 141 and Shepherd in tracking down Makarov, but argues that the war in America needs to end. He leads the 141 to raid a Russian port and gain control of a nuclear submarine. Once inside the vessel, Price launches a ballistic missile towards Washington, D.C. and sets its nuclear warhead to detonate in the upper atmosphere. The resulting EMP disables all electronic devices. On the ground, Foley and his squad seek shelter from the hail of disabled aircraft falling from the sky before proceeding to the White House. There, they receive a transmission informing them that the Air Force is about to bomb all key structures in the city, including the White House, to deny the Russians a strong foothold. Foley's squad fight their way to the roof of the White House and set off green flares, causing the air strike to abort. Flares are lit on the rooftops of other landmarks, signifying that the city is in American hands.

Narrowing down Makarov's hiding place to two separate locations, Task Force 141 decides to split up. Price and Soap travel to an aircraft boneyard in Afghanistan, while "Roach" and "Ghost" raid Makarov's safehouse on the Georgian-Russian border. At the safehouse, "Roach" and his team obtain Makarov's "operations playbook" from his computer and escape with Makarov's men in pursuit. However, when they reach the extraction point, Shepherd betrays and kills them, taking the intelligence with him. Price and "Soap", already aware of Shepherd's betrayal, escape a battle between Shepherd's Shadow Company and Makarov's men with Nikolai's help. During the escape, Price contacts Makarov on an open radio channel, where Makarov grudgingly reveals the location of Shepherd's mountain base in Afghanistan. Price and "Soap" raid the base in an attempt to take revenge on Shepherd in a suicide mission. During the infiltration, Shepherd destroys the base using the self-destruct system, then tries to escape and a boat pursuit ensues. At the climax of the pursuit, Shepherd boards a helicopter, but Price shoots it down as he and Soap tumble over a waterfall.

A dazed "Soap" follows Shepherd and attempts to kill him. Shepherd stabs him in the chest before facing Price in a hand-to-hand fight. Shepherd gains the upper hand on Price, but is killed by "Soap", who manages to pull the knife out of his own chest and throw it back at Shepherd, killing him. Price bandages "Soap"'s wounds as Nikolai arrives in a helicopter to extract them, having gone against Price's earlier advice not to return for them. Nikolai warns that "they'll be looking for us", but Price insists that "Soap" receive medical attention.

Reception
Modern Warfare 2 received critical acclaim, especially its console versions. Positive reviews cite a "compelling story mode, a slick package of mini missions and a multiplayer which is pretty much unparalleled in depth."

1UP.com stated "Mixing real-world locations with bombastic set-pieces MW2 continues the guided, thrill-ride experiences of its predecessor, and adds even more depth to its multiplayer offerings. It might not have fixed all the problems from the first game, but there's just so much quality content packed into this game that it will almost certainly be one of the most-played games in your library for a long time to come". Game Informer noted "Modern Warfare 2 is a masterpiece of careful iteration, with an unmatched presentation and a well of content that will take months to run dry". IGN commented "For those planning to check out everything Modern Warfare 2 has to offer � online competition, full co-op Spec Ops mode, as well as the campaign � you're looking at a no-brainer purchase". GameTrailers stated "The air of unpredictability and the care that was paid to each separate element puts it in lofty company. The multiplayer hasn't received an overhaul, but considering most shooters are still playing catch-up with Call of Duty 4, the tweaks and twists make it the best multiplayer shooting experience in the industry. Few games manage to meet such high expectations". Computer and Video Games called the game "Loud, epic and incredibly polished, this year's biggest must-have shooter".

Criticisms of the game are directed towards a variety of aspects, but focus on the short length of the single player campaign. IGN's Mark Bozon remarks that the single-player of "Modern Warfare 2 is surprisingly short, and doesn't live up to the standard set by previous Call of Duty games." In addition, many reviewers have complained about the lack of innovation to the formula of the series.

Famitsu named Modern Warfare 2 as the number one game on the top 10 video games sold in 2009, beating games such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV. It also gave the game a score of 39/40, being one of the few Western games released in Japan to have the same score as Grand Theft Auto IV.

The accolades heaped on the title were not limited to gameplay, either�in June 2010, composers Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe were presented with the ASCAP Top Video Game Award for their work on Modern Warfare 2.