Official Modern Warfare 2 thread

[Kev]

No more infinite spawns... great news. That and martyrdom are the 2 things I absolutely HATED about COD4

 

[Kabob]

It was more like a nap.

A few MP impressions -

The secondary weapons may seem far more powerful than a pistol, but it comes at a huge cost - it takes FAR longer to swap to a machine pistol or shotgun than a regular pistol. Its no longer true that its always faster to swap to your secondary than to reload, especially with sleight of hand. Anything but a pistol is useless to finish someone off in a close range firefight.

The machine pistols are sort of like a slightly weaker skorpion, but theyre even more useless from a distance. Good to run around with as sniper or when you're out of ammo, but theyre not as good as real SMGs.

The SMGs in general dont seem as useful - I havent seen too many close up only maps like vacant or cargo, and they have really steep recoil - the mp5 in particular is useless at range, I guess because its now lacking a stock. Its more like the skorpion than the old MP5. The vector is like the old MP5 - it overall strikes me as head and shoulders above the other SMGs, because its relatively small recoil allows it to at least be useful at medium range.

Double tap is now an attachment known as rapid fire, for use on SMGs only as far as I can tell. It makes the severe recoil of SMGs even worse, but its pretty good for really close quarters battle. Akimbo isnt as good as it sounds, its really only an advantage if youre like 5 feet from them.

You can supposedly shoot anything airborne, even UAVs out of the sky, but theyre so high up its impractical without a launcher. And you only get one shot with a launcher, and even UAVs take two )without stopping power pro, at least). Not to mention its so difficult to find and then target the UAV in the first place that they practically never get shot down.

I'm not sure what the AUG is doing with the LMGs - it plays just like any other assault rifle.

The M4 is still the old standby, and the SCAR-H is like the new AK - more powerful, but slower rate of fire, and only 20 in a clip. So far, its been the most effective rifle for me.

I'm not sure whats so different about the Holographic sight compared to the red dot - as far as I can tell the only difference is that the dot is a bit bigger and more transparent, so the dot doesnt completely block out the enemy. Its not a huge difference at all.

Great info! And thanks for keeping the SP spoilers out!

"Technically" the AUG HBAR is an LMG, although nowadays the definition of "Light Machine Gun" is somewhat smodged. I figured they'd make the SCAR-H one of the better weapons.

In the real world a "holographic sight" (like an EOTech) is designed for faster target acquisition and is parallax free (doesn't matter if you're looking right down the middle, wherever the dot is is where your bullet will hit). Don't know if there's any benefit in MW2. What level are you in MP?

Glad to know that they didn't make the machine pistols and shotguns overpowered and therefore render the pistols irrelivent.

Can't wait for the game, keep the info coming!

 

[BD2003]

Great info! And thanks for keeping the SP spoilers out!

Of course - I loved the single player so much, I wouldnt dare spoil it.

"Technically" the AUG HBAR is an LMG, although nowadays the definition of "Light Machine Gun" is somewhat smodged. I figured they'd make the SCAR-H one of the better weapons.

Yeah, its just a bit of an odd man out. All of the other LMGs carry a zillion bullets and slow you down a ton, but the AUG is for all intents and purposes an assault rifle under the LMG heading. I cant say any of the weapons are poor, everyone will find one that suits their style, it's all been extremely well balanced in MP.

]In the real world a "holographic sight" (like an EOTech) is designed for faster target acquisition and is parallax free (doesn't matter if you're looking right down the middle, wherever the dot is is where your bullet will hit). Don't know if there's any benefit in MW2. What level are you in MP?

There might be something Im missing. It seems to zoom in as far as the RDS, the attachment is basically the same size as the RDS, but I find it does seem to help a bit to see the enemy through the dot itself. It seems to move in the sight a bit more than the RDS, perhaps it might be useful if youre dazed...just guessing.

I'm about level 18, but I've pretty much used every gun in the single player, and they seem to be identical to their MP counterparts. Theres a few in the SP that arent in the MP, like the dragunov though. In SP at least, some of the guns have the custom sights that they come with in real life, like the MARS sight on the Tavor. The AUG scope basically makes it into a LMG sniper. I'm not sure if any of those carry over to the MP though.

Speaking of sights, the thermal sight is very cool. In SP at least, it zooms a decent amount, somewhere between ACOG and sniper. Enemies show up bright white against the background, and you see right through smoke and all the debris flying around. It'll be excellent for sniping with.

Glad to know that they didn't make the machine pistols and shotguns overpowered and therefore render the pistols irrelivent.

Yep, I'm finding a lot of use for the pistols as a backup, and the machine pistols are AWESOME for running around with as a sniper. You're able to defend yourself so much better, that it makes the sniper a much more viable class.

Can't wait for the game, keep the info coming!

Sure, a few other thoughts.

Now that I finished the campaign, I'm finding spec ops to be a pretty fun mode as well, definitely worthy of inclusion. Unfortunately I dont have anyone to team up with, but the vast majority of the missions can be done solo - some require two to even play it at all.

I'm done about a third of the spec ops - most of it is moments based strongly from scenes in the single player, with some elaboration on it. Theres a huge variety though, from enemy hunts, to base defense, to stealth and even slalom snowmobiling. All are of course up to extremely high standards, and I'm sure itll be great CO-OP.

There are also some scenarios that simply arent any part of the campaign at all, sort of like deleted scenes.

But being that most of it does come from the SP, you will SERIOUSLY spoil the game if you run through spec ops before finishing the campaign. A huge part of what made the SP so great is where it takes place, so even if you dont have the context of the story, just seeing it will ruin it.


About the killstreaks and deathstreaks.

The later deathstreaks are really devastating if you're on the business end of them, but they still feel balanced. Nothing as irritating as the dogs from WaW, just a lot of instant death and flying things shooting at you. The harrier jet is one of my favs - its an airstrike followed by a harrier hovering around like a heli - great mix of the two.

The most interesting is the care package though - it comes with only 4 kills, so you'll see it pretty often. You get either an ammo refill, which seems fairly rare in my experience, or another random killstreak. I've gotten harrier strikes, pave lows, even an AC-130 from it, all which require far more kills. But its balanced because using it is no piece of cake. First, you have to find an outside area, throw a smoke grenade down, wait about ten seconds for the drop, then try not to get crushed by it -it will bounce all over things, so you actually need to be careful with that. Then you have to actually use it, and depending what killstreak it is, you have to hold X for a variable amount of time - an ammo supply is like a half second, an AC-130 takes SO LONG. Meanwhile you have to hope no one else kills you, or another teammate steals it. Those 15 seconds or so are an eternity for something that might be less than useful, so while it can get you killstreaks you normally wouldnt get, its taking a huge chance. Stealing som

 

[Kabob]

Do killstreaks stack? In CoD 4 it sucked if say you got 4 kills and then threw a grenade and got 3 people to instantly get 7 so you completely missed out on your airstrike. Now can you hold more than one killstreak at a time? If so can you select which you want to use when?

Is the sentry gun over/underpowered? Are there any "useless" killstreaks?

Are sniper rifles more/less easy to use than in CoD 4? I suck at sniping but I always hated seeing people jump all over the place with a sniper rifle and hit people.

Thanks!

 

[BD2003]

Also, thought I'd mention that unlike the past CoD games, the MP maps dont seem to be as ripped from the campaign as they used to be. Many of the campaign enviroments dont seem to be in MP, and some of the MP environments arent well represented or at all in the SP. Theres a good amount of overlap, but for most maps its not like before when you can pick the part of an SP level that each MP map comes from.

So youre fairly safe to dabble in the MP before completing the single player - I played a ton of MP before finishing the campaign, and I didnt feel like it spoiled too much, but it does definitely show some environments from later in the campaign.

My fav part of the SP isnt in the MP at all - hopefully in a map pack though. I have a feeling you'll all know the part I'm talking about when you finally get to it - its not too far into the SP.

 

[BD2003]

Do killstreaks stack? In CoD 4 it sucked if say you got 4 kills and then threw a grenade and got 3 people to instantly get 7 so you completely missed out on your airstrike. Now can you hold more than one killstreak at a time? If so can you select which you want to use when?

Yep! Killstreaks stack. You cant choose which one you want to use though, it seems to be you use the highest first. So if you get 5 kills, you can drop a predator to clear an area, drop the 4 kill care package down right after that, then drop the 3 kill UAV to scan the area.

The 5-kill predator missile is a vast improvement over the airstrike - you aim it in real time, and it kills quick - it can even punch through some ceilings like the airport roof. It looks insane when you see one pop through a roof and go off in front of you.

Is the sentry gun over/underpowered?

Not at all. It defends an area pretty well, but it takes a while to lock on and it can be killed with some effort - it seems to take about as much damage as it would take to blow up two cars or so. It cant be repaired or anything. Its also an airdrop like the care package, so you need to be outside to use it, which severely limits its usefulness in guarding the headquarters or so. Most of those are indoors, and if you call in the drop while inside the room, it'll just land on the roof, and then no one gets it. I'm not entirely sure if someone else can steal it from you like the care package though. I *think* you can.

Are there any "useless" killstreaks?

I'm not sure about useless, but the counter-UAV doesnt strike me as particularly powerful. Nor does the stealth bomber - its just an airstrike that doesnt give advance notice to the other team. The EMP is interesting - I've had it used against me in a free-for-all - it turns off your HUD and all electronics including dot sights, and it lasts quite long, a minute or two. What I dont know is how it works in other settings - if it does it to everyone including you and your team, it seems useless. If it spares your team (I assume it HAS to, even if a "real" EMP doesnt), then I can see it being a decent advantage for a while, but it doesnt seem as useful as something that actually kills and blows stuff up.

Are sniper rifles more/less easy to use than in CoD 4? I suck at sniping but I always hated seeing people jump all over the place with a sniper rifle and hit people.

Thanks!

They seem about the same to me. But now you can silence and thermal sight them, and of course youve got a shotgun or machine pistol to defend yourself with, so being a sniper is much more fun, even if the actual sniping itself hasnt changed much.

 

[Freshgeardude]

great info!

All I want to know.... is there a space mission?!?!?!?!!!??

 

[BD2003]

I'll spoil whatever you want if you pm me.

No SP spoilers from me in the thread.

 

[Kabob]

Which we applaud you for

How big is the blast radius of the predator? You mentioned you liked it more than the airstrike but does it have the blast radius that the airstrike has (the ability to kill alot of people in 1...I mean 3 hits)?

 

[BD2003]

It doesn't have the same blast radius as an airstrike, but it's pretty decent, far bigger than a frag. It's almost impossible not to get at least one kill cause of the targeting though, it all depends how close they are together. You also have control over the acceleration...if you see a good group, you can turbo boost the missile right at them.

 

[BD2003]

A few more tidbits clarifying on some earlier stuff.

The EMP definitely only screws with the enemy team, as expected.

Adding a RDS to the TAR21 gives it the stock RDS of the TAR21 in real life, but it actually seems a bit inferior since the field of view isnt that big. Not sure what the holo sight looks like on it. Ill assume this is the case for the F2000 as well, but thats such a late unlock that simply no one is using them yet.

The thermal scope is for all intents and purposes a sniper scope, zooms in really far, complete with the dizzying sway, even with an M4 Carbine.

More often than not with the care package, I've gotten something higher rather than lower - in a single match, I got both an attack heli and a pave low.

The m93 machine pistol is actually a 3-round burst like the m16. I really dont like it, as that doesnt seem to work very well for its intended purpose, since it still seems to have the longer swap time.

The scrambler perk is pretty awful from what I've seen - sure it scrambles the radar of nearby enemies, but when your own radar gets scrambled, you know someone is very close that needs to get shot up. Ive seen a surprising number of snipers think this is a good idea, only to get a knife in the back...I otherwise would have had no idea they were there.

The glock 18 is totally badass - its like a little mini-uzi. The rate of fire is insane.

The SPAS-12 is the standard shotty, and its as strong as youd expect a pump action to be, but the pump between shots takes ages...better make that first shot count.

The AA-12 is an auto-shotty, but in practice, its more like an SMG that sprays buckshot. It goes through the clip lightning fast, and but the shots are really weak - Ive sprayed a guy up close, hit him with at least 2-3 pellets, and he didnt go down.

 

[Kabob]

I've seen a few vids of the AA-12, it seems reasonably effective at close range. Honestly I think I'd pick other options ahead of it.

I don't like the care package for one reason, you've gotta be stationary and wait to pick it up. Mayhaps in practice it works better though.

 

[BD2003]

The reward is usually worth the risk. I usually save it till I die, then pop it in the relatively safe spawn zone.

 

[Jack Flash]

PC or PS3 - which should I preorder on Amazon? Need to decide tonight!

 

[thawolfman]

Any comments on the shield in MP?

 

[Kabob]

The reward is usually worth the risk. I usually save it till I die, then pop it in the relatively safe spawn zone.

What if you never die? ()

Another question. In the videos I've seen it seems that in softcore the weapons seem to do more damage than they did in MW1. What's your feeling on that? More, less, or about the same?

 

[yours truly]

BD2003, has the M16 been toned down?

And what's the AK47 like?

Cheers

 

[BD2003]

Weapon strength seems about the same to me. I haven't seen the m16 much, or seen the ak in MP at all, since it's lvl 70. But based on the single player, they seem mostly unchanged in terms of power or feel.

Some of the new rifles are very powerful though. The TAR21 is pretty badass, been getting a lot of kills with it.

One very noticeable change with all the weapons is that the iron sights are vastly improved...your "eye" is closed to the outer ring, so it much larger and doesn't block the target. That was a serious prob with some cod4 weapons like the g36 or m14. So the rds sights aren't nearly as much of a necessity as before.

Also, got a chance to play 3rd person yesterday. It works surprisingly well, it's actually a viable game mode, but I can't quickly adjust to the fact that they can see me around corners, so I got raped. Interesting addition though.

And if anyone is wondering what the "ricochet" in a playlist means, it's that friendly fire gets directed back at you in that mode.

 

[BD2003]

Saw this on Kotaku:

http://kotaku.com/5399552/northeast-us-gamestops-selling-modern-warfare-2-early

Give your local gamestop a call.

 

[Kabob]

Weapon strength seems about the same to me. I haven't seen the m16 much, or seen the ak in MP at all, since it's lvl 70. But based on the single player, they seem mostly unchanged in terms of power or feel.

Some of the new rifles are very powerful though. The TAR21 is pretty badass, been getting a lot of kills with it.

One very noticeable change with all the weapons is that the iron sights are vastly improved...your "eye" is closed to the outer ring, so it much larger and doesn't block the target. That was a serious prob with some cod4 weapons like the g36 or m14. So the rds sights aren't nearly as much of a necessity as before.

Also, got a chance to play 3rd person yesterday. It works surprisingly well, it's actually a viable game mode, but I can't quickly adjust to the fact that they can see me around corners, so I got raped. Interesting addition though.

And if anyone is wondering what the "ricochet" in a playlist means, it's that friendly fire gets directed back at you in that mode.

I KNEW the iron sights were better! I've been saying that ever since I saw the early gameplay videos, I thought they looked vastly improved over CoD 4's. The M60/G36C/SAW/M14 iron sights = horrible CoD 4. Glad it's been confirmed!

As for the M16 and AK-47 as he mentioned they are high level weapons now. The FAMAS is the pseudo-"replacement" for the low level 3 shot burst M16, with the M16 arriving later on in the mid-40's.

 

[BD2003]

I KNEW the iron sights were better! I've been saying that ever since I saw the early gameplay videos, I thought they looked vastly improved over CoD 4's. The M60/G36C/SAW/M14 iron sights = horrible CoD 4. Glad it's been confirmed!

As for the M16 and AK-47 as he mentioned they are high level weapons now. The FAMAS is the pseudo-"replacement" for the low level 3 shot burst M16, with the M16 arriving later on in the mid-40's.

You dont see the FAMAS being used very much. Its a three shot burst thats incredibly accurate, but it doesnt seem to be powerful as the m16. This might be a different story on the PC, but its much more difficult to pinpoint target far enemies with the two sticks, and up close, pretty much anything else is preferable.

I managed to unlock a few more attachments for the intervention sniper:

The silencer makes it damn near silent, but it's rarely if ever a one shot kill, even with stopping power, so its a huge disadvantage.

Also got the ACOG scope, but the sway is massive with a sniper rifle, seems more than the original - so its useless at range, and any other weapon is preferable up close, so I dont see it being too popular.

The heartbeat sensor is awesome though - its like your own little UAV that ticks every 2 seconds or so, and there's a tone and a red dot whenever an enemy is nearby. You cant see it when youre zoomed in, but you can still hear the tone, and the tone changes pitch as they get closer. Its great if youre trying to play stealthy and sneak up on people, or to keep tabs on your surroundings while youre hiding in a sniper spot. One huge disadvantage is that only covers 180 degrees in front and to the sides of you, so it can give you a false sense of security before you get knifed in the back. It doesnt work very well when you're moving, everything gets blurry and its hard to pinpoint, so I dont see it being very useful for those who keep moving.

The Counter UAV is sorta misnamed - its more like a counter-radar. It doesnt cancel out just the other team's UAV, it cuts off their entire radar, even if there's no UAV up. So its more useful than I thought.

 

[dougp]

Is the thermal scope like ACOG, where you can't steady it? Silencer, cold hearted, and thermal will be a sick hardcore setup.

 

[TecHNooB]

* * * Semi-spoiler about leaked (controversial) stage * * *






Question about the controversial level. Haven't played the game yet, but from what's been leaked about the airport stage, wouldn't a scenario like that usually prompt whoever is undercover to call in the big guns? Like, if you were undercover in a drug operation and you knew exactly when and where something big was going down, that's usually when you would stage some sort of bust. Guy had Makarov in his sights and did nothing. Is there a good reason for this?

 

[gorcorps]

The game sounds awesome. Too bad I'll have to wait till christmas

 

[mugs]

Man, Gamestop is shameless. My mom just called to tell me that my brother wants Modern Warfare 2 for Christmas, but I have to pre-order it immediately because the guy at the store told him it's going to sell out and he'll never get it by Christmas if he doesn't pre-order. The same lie they told me when I cancelled my pre-order. I pre-ordered it for him from Amazon.com to get the $20 credit, and I'll probably just give it to him as soon as I get it because it'd suck to have to wait until Christmas to play. Also sucks that my parents only have one-way cable Internet, I'm not sure how well he'd be able to play online games on that connection.

The Walmart ad with the guy talking on his cell phone in his SUV after picking up MW2 at Walmart is hilarious.