After selling 4.7 million copies in North America and the UK alone and racking up 310 million dollars within 24 hours of its release, Infinity Ward’s critically acclaimed needs no introduction.
Published by Activision, was one of the most highly anticipated games of the year.
Having access to the next generation gaming engine IW 4.0, uses this engine to constantly remodel breathtakingly realistic environments for the players to explore. The beautiful graphics and the sleek features of the game will be one of the first things that players will notice while playing the game.
The plot of is set five years after the events of . This time, terrorist mastermind Vladimir Makarov concocts a plan to bring the United States and the rest of the world to its doom.
The player initially takes the role of U.S. Army Ranger Private Joseph Allen who goes undercover to capture Makarov. The operation takes a fatal turn when Allen is compromised and framed during a terrorist attack in a Moscow airport.
This set the premise for the main story, as Russia responds by declaring war and invading the United States.
The players then continue through the main story interchangeably playing as both Private James Ramirez while defending United States suburbia from the Russian invaders and Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson, member of the elite multinational unit Task Force 141, on his mission across the globe to bring Makarov to justice.
Overall, the campaign mode is a fantastic experience for players of all skill levels. Not only is it a complete action packed first-person shooter experience, the game is well balanced. The plot of is an intense story of betrayal, power struggles and survival that is filled with surprises and turning points that’ll leave its audience in awe.
But as excellent as the single player mode of is, its multiplayer features are just as big a contributor, if not more, to the series’ popularity. The game offers a complete multiplayer experience and a new cooperative game mode.
The cooperative mode, called Special Ops, have the players teaming up and playing through specific challenging scenarios encountered as part of the campaign. Despite the potentially exciting experience that the cooperative mode offers, ’s newly upgraded competitive online multiplayer experience is where the game really shines.
Much like its predecessor, , the game sports an online multiplayer based on the experience system through which players can gain levels through killing other players or completing objectives. What really adds to the customization and the depth of the multiplayer games is the series of unlockables, including brand new weapons, perks and killing spree rewards obtained alongside advancement in level.
Players are given the option to personalize their online play by creating their own “class,” which consists of a combination of these unlocked in-game elements, for use out on the battlefield. The wide variety of choices and combinations allows the players to constantly attempt new strategies until they find one that perfectly matches their playing style.
Overall, it is a fantastic installment to the series and is solid from every perspective. The stunning graphics combined with the addictive and realistic game play makes well worth its heavy price tag.
The game is currently available for two gaming consoles (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) and the PC. There is also a special edition that includes a set of fully functioning night-vision goggles.
is a must have for fans of first-person shooters and console gaming. The developer has improved and innovated their way to something special with this title.