Modern Warfare 2 is 15 years old on November 10 (Activision)
On the 15th anniversary of Modern Warfare 2, GameCentral looks back at the legacy of one of the biggest sequels ever made.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard may have given the company free rein over several major gaming franchises, but none of them are as prized as Call Of Duty. There’s a reason the company has introduced pricier Game Pass tiers prior to the release of Black Ops 6, and given it special billing in livestreams, it’s one of the biggest money-makers in the entire industry.
While Call Of Duty has been popular since its inception in 2003, it hasn’t always been a juggernaut. The big game-changer was 2007’s Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which swapped the typical Second World War setting for contemporary action with a topical bite. The change in style catapulted Call Of Duty into the big leagues, selling over 15 million copies.
If Modern Warfare represents the turning point for Call Of Duty in design, the success of its sequel cemented its status as the biggest first person shooter in the world. Beyond the game itself, the heightened anticipation for Modern Warfare 2 became a cultural event which made the franchise a household name.
Modern Warfare 2’s big controversy
Much like Grand Theft Auto, Call Of Duty’s entry into the mainstream was greatly helped by controversy. Following the eerie nuclear bomb sequence in Modern Warfare, the sequel tapped into prescient fears through its now infamous No Russian mission, where players assume the role of an undercover CIA agent who participates in a Russian terrorist attack at an airport.
It was widely criticised at the time for being in poor taste, and playing it today 15 years later, it stands out even more so as an immature, crass way to generate attention.
The level invites players to shoot civilians alongside the Russian terrorists (who are hiding their identities to pin it on America, hence the instruction to speak ‘no Russian’). You can choose not to shoot the civilians if you wish, and act as a passive observer to the mindless slaughter, but it feels like a cop-out excuse for what could have easily been a non-interactive cut scene.
While ending on a strong note, with a climactic knife brawl in the desert, Modern Warfare 2’s campaign is generally far less memorable than its predecessor – which packed in classics like the Ukraine-set sniper operation All Ghillied Up and Death From Above where you eerily rain death on enemies through the black and white lens of a AC-130 gunship.
Modern Warfare is memorable because there’s a chilling edge to its realism, whereas the sequel blows out its action blockbuster tendencies in a clumsier fashion.
Modern Warfare 2: a multiplayer revolution
If the campaign was slightly underwhelming, Modern Warfare 2 represents a key shift in priority towards its multiplayer modes. The sequel is known for many beloved maps, from the plane slides of Terminal; Favela, which was cropped up in several Call …read more
Source:: Metro
