Game developer Infinity Ward has delivered once again with the stunning sequel to the hit shooter Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.  The game broke many sales records with its release on November tenth, and not without good reason. 

Multiplayer returns as the dominant feature with a few new tricks this time around.  The face paced action remains, but is now a bit more balanced.  You may be familiar with kill streak bonuses from Call of Duty 4, which return, but in the sequel the player is able to unlock new kill streak bonuses and customize their combinations.  This addition adds another layer of intensity to the battles as bombers release their ordinance, fighters strafe the battlefield, and helicopters rain lead upon their enemy.  Overwhelming?  Yes.  However, to balance the power that the good players wield Infinity Ward has also added death streak bonuses.  This means that those players unfortunate enough to get fragged continuously without fragging anyone else get a unique ability upon respawning.  Be it a health bonus or acquiring their killer’s weapon set, this feature clearly favors the not-so-skilled. 

On the other end of the spectrum is the single player story mode.  Players plunge into the Modern Warfare universe, a world about to be pushed over the edge into chaos.  The drama is almost tangible within the story as the game uses every chance it gets to put you on the edge of your seat.  For example, there is more than one instance where your character attempts to jump a gap, misses by inches, and hangs for his life.  The campaign is great fun, but it does fall short, literally.  The story mode is far too short, around five hours long.  Of course, there is always the multiplayer.

Also, there is a new cooperative mode called Special Ops.  In Special Ops the player is tasked with stand alone missions in locales similar to the campaign.  These missions are more akin to short challenge scenarios, rather than the popular Nazi Zombie game mode show cased in Call of Duty: World at War.  Special Ops can be played alone or with a friend (or with someone you don’t know over Xbox Live.).

All in all, Modern Warfare 2 is an excellent game, but players with online capabilities will get a lot more out of this game than those that don’t.  I give Modern Warfare 2 five stars out of five.