Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Hands-On Impressions (Xbox 360)
TeamXbox MW2 Hands On
With Activision and developer Infinity Ward burning the midnight oil on the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise?subtitled Modern Warfare 2?and the game just a few weeks from release, there?s high expectations for what the two companies have up their sleeves. We?re certainly expecting an immense, immersive single-player campaign and compelling multiplayer action that builds on what they created with the first in the Modern Warfare series?but will there be anything fresh and unique in this second installment?
We found out earlier this week when we were invited to visit Infinity Ward headquarters, just outside Los Angeles, for a look at the game?s third component, Special Ops. The stop was a brief one, but certainly gave us a clear understanding of the intensity and pace that the new mode will provide to players.
Joel Emslie, the game?s lead character artist at Infinity Ward, ran us through a portion of the mode?s action?though he said he was restricted as to what he could discuss about it. For instance, we know from Emslie?s discussions that Special Ops mode will be a standalone section from the main Campaign and multiplayer modes; it won?t have any storyline or narrative of its own; and it?ll be comprised of a number of individual missions (though Emslie stated that he couldn?t indicate the specific number it will contain.) The publisher/developer tandem want to keep most of these finer details a surprise until the November 10 release date.
Entering the room and having a dozen enemy laser sights dancing through the air makes for a nerve-wracking experience.
Just the same, Emslie did give us a guided tour to a few of this mode?s missions, then let us get some hands-on time with it ourselves. But first he started with a taste of the single-player story and gameplay, which immediately gave us a feel for the game?s action. The first mission we were shown was early in the ?first act,? and it started with a surprisingly strong vision: In what seemed to be a cutscene at first?though Emslie indicated it was fully interactive?you?re in a vehicle watching the sidewalk for a meet when you realize that this get-together is about to go very, very wrong. The attendees quickly pull weapons and start firing, taking out one of the key players in the scene?then turn on you and the driver in the car. Emslie claimed that, if you don?t duck when the incoming gunman starts firing at the windshield (which takes out your driver with a bloody mess splashed on the dashboard and the disconcerting blaring of the car horn as he falls forward on the steering wheel, leaving you to fend for yourself), you?ll take a nasty dose of damage before you even get started.
From that point, you?re on wild run through back alleys and building passages as you chase the main bad guys, all the while firing off at attackers popping up on rooftops and in windows and doorways. Every little break in the gunfire, as you?ll search for your next target, is punctuated by reloading and radio chatter, which keeps the anxiety level high?and at this point we were only spectators to Emslie?s romp through the city. It was also highlighted by movie-like shots, such as a enemy gunman that Emslie shot taking a stuntman-esque high dive off the building to the wild ending of the scene as the main character you?re chasing is literally tackled from the second-story ledge and onto the roof of a car by one of your (AI) partners.
Whew?yeah, it?s a new Call of Duty all right.
Emslie then took us to Special Ops, which he said is evolved from single-player levels into a ?third? mode that?s totally separate from the story. He also said playing through all of it will be a little longer than the single-player campaign, and that you can play most of it solo if you choose, though there?ll be a few missions that require you to have a partner. However, it seems that it?s designed to be more fun playing co-op?where you?ll be better off barking at each other where you?re going and how you?re approaching the action; to do otherwise would likely leave one or the other of you waiting for a revive from the teammate as you bleed out.
In the first section, which took place in a Brazil region, you?re tearing through the alleys somewhat similar to the single-player section we were shown, though with the buildings being more smaller single-floor, residential structures. This was filled with gunmen popping out of doorways right into your face and others angling gunfire down on you from low rooftops. When I played it, I wandered far off to the right from Emslie, who I was teamed with, which left me waiting for medical help on the floor after I allowed myself to be surrounded by baddies. He saved me, then needed saving himself as he was unsuccessful in taking out all of the threats before having to save me, but luckily I was able to mop up a little and take the pressure off before reviving him.
There?s increased intensity in the new Modern Warfare title..
That brought up an interesting aspect of Special Ops, that each player can set a different difficulty?sort of like a handicap system, so two players of varied skill levels can still team up, which opens the mode up quite a bit. It can also be played locally (as a split-screen view, which is how we played it in our visit) or online, with each player getting a full-screen view. (It almost seemed a shame, interestingly enough, that you couldn?t get a split-screen perspective in an online session, which helps you know what your teammate is up to in case one or the other needs an assist, militarily or medically.)
It also showed that the objectives of each Special Ops mission is different, with this particular one having the goal of taking out a certain number of enemies?and keeping civilian casualties under a certain number. Yes, there are unarmed people running this way and that, as you?d expect in an urban battle, though you only have a split second to determine whether the guy running at you is a threat or just trying to get clear of the crossfire. The difficulty setting determines the enemy body count and civilian-casualty threshold you need to meet, as well as how many stars you?ll earn for each. Completing missions unlocks access to new missions.
The next Special Ops mission took place in a Russian gulag, an old prison that almost seemed like an crumbling bathhouse, with lots of tiled walls. Though it was difficult to tell from the frantic, confined gameplay, Emslie said that the tile actually causes a lot of wild ricochets that you have to watch for, so your stray shots don?t put you and your teammate at further risk?but also make the enemy threat that much higher, considering all of them shooting at you. The tension peaks when laser beams crisscross through the air, which is becoming a Call of Duty staple, it seems.
This mission has only one objective: get from the starting point to a hole in the floor on the other side of the building. Do you try to pace the trip and pick off each threat as you encounter it, or is the better strategy to make a wild romp through the hallways, stopping only if something is standing in your way and needing some gunfire to relieve it? And even if you can keep your immediate pathway free of threats, there are the catwalks and walkways winding above you that offer the foes a good vantage point to your trek, which you?ll have to pay attention to as you go lest you get severely outnumbered.
Also, when the run through the gulag does get blocked, many times it?s due to riot-shielded enemies standing in your way, who are much harder to clear. It seems you can find an opening to carefully shoot the guy and cause him to move his shield for an easier kill, or maybe it?s better to try to lob a grenade behind his protection?though you?ll need to watch where your teammate is at the time. Again, though, carefully (though hastily) planned strategies with your teammate enable one to flank or circle around a shielded adversaries who?s blocking the other player?s path.
Another mission type had the players out in a large woodsy environment with threats seemingly everywhere. Even playing at ?regular? difficulty seemed to be tough to beat, as there were always crossfires and decently hidden snipers creating situations where there were multiple hazards to deal with at all times. However, the biggest problem came from the Juggernaut?a nasty enemy with a lot of firepower and a lot of armor to protect him. He barrels right at your location, so you don?t have much opportunity to hide behind cover. It seems there are two strategies to taking him out: either stand out in the open and dump a lot of lead on him or?RUN FAST IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
Ah, a crisp winter day on the battlefield?
As an aside during his first explanation of the Juggernaut, Emslie said that the calm in the Infinity Ward office is often broken by screaming when the Juggernaut makes an appearance in a test game?something that we all laughed in considering. However, when we were faced with actual gameplay that held the threat of a Juggernaut cameo appearance (or two), it suddenly wasn?t a surprise to imagine an uncontrolled yelp escaping our lungs. His debut is accompanied by particular percussion that adds to the tension, much like the trademark ?Jaws? music?and it?s very effective at upping the anxiety of facing one of these behemoths.
The last mode was the fastest-paced, but easiest to describe: It?s a snowmobile ride. Boring, right? Uh, no?it?s a time trial, so you have to tear through the wintery level, trying to control the sled?s skidding on snow and ice and steep inclines on the way to the finish line. Crossing through a gate gives you a few seconds of time off your clock, though it?s always a risk/reward dilemma?do you try to steer a little off your current path, which might put you out of control or into a slowing hazard, or do you just rip in as straight a line as possible to get to the finish? That?ll have to remain a rhetorical question for the time being until we actually get more time with it and figure the best strategy.
As much as Emslie said he wanted to tell us all of the tasty details about Special Ops, he wouldn?t loosen his lips to give us more. When pressed, he did say that the addition of this third mode could be further expanded through DLC, which opened the door to what might come after the game is released?but we haven?t even reached that point yet, so one thing at a time. We?re expecting to get unfettered access to the full game in the next couple of weeks, and we?ll surely bring you those details as we get closer to the game?s ship date. Start exercising your trigger fingers, because you?ll need it.