While it ultimately doesn't affect our editorial, in the interest of full disclosure we feel that our audience should know that Activision did pay for press travel and lodging for this event.
Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward has been silent about what new features are in the multiplayer component of its upcoming game, but we finally got to check it out ourselves. Our impressions of what we played are on the second page of this piece, while below is a breakdown of the additions to the multiplayer experience.
Customize that Profile
In the original Modern Warfare you really couldn't make your profile appear unique to those around you, so no one really stood out from the crowd visually. This time around you can customize not only your Call Sign (your title, like Sgt., SSDD, etc.), but also the emblem that represents you in the lobby and during matches. The goal behind this was for players to stand out, for the community to almost develop recognizable heroes who you could pick out thanks to their unique profiles. I'm still not sure how this will work in practice -- when you're playing you're hardly paying attention to the names or symbols of others -- but it gives players some other way to connect on a deeper level with their online profile.
Killer Killstreaks
If you've played CoD4 online then you're likely intimately familiar with the killstreak system. While in CoD4 you worked within a set framework of what a killstreak meant (three kills got you a UAV, five an airstrike, seven a chopper), Modern Warfare 2 allows you to unlock new killstreak bonuses and customize their sequence as part of your loadout. Players who put in the time to earn enough unlockables can set themselves up to have a new item for each successive kill after the third, with extra-special items coming for players who can get eight or 11 kills in a row. In our playtime we didn't unlock any new killstreak items, but we did get to use the UAV, Care Packages (supply drops that will give everything from ammo to attack runs from a helicopter), and the Predator Missile (a player-guided bomb that falls from the sky). While this new customizable killstreak system obviously won't alleviate the concerns of players who hated it in the last game, it does mean that you won't fall prey to the same cycle over and over, making for a much less predictable -- and more exciting -- match. And having more things to earn and ways to customize your loadout is never a bad thing.
New Perks, Guns, and Equipment
What multiplayer sequel would be complete without the prerequisite addition of new versions of old stuff? Several new weapons are included in Modern Warfare 2, but what's really cool is that they've expanded on the Secondary weapon category. While previously you pretty much had to take a pistol -- unless you took the right perks -- now you can carry guns like a shotgun, automatic pistol, or magnum for your secondary weapon. Your secondary weapons will also be upgradeable with items like silencers and sights, giving you even more chances to unlock new items as you play.
Perks are also returning in Modern Warfare 2, and they've been expanded upon in some pretty significant ways. Along with new perks like Scavenger (allows you to resupply from dead enemies) and Hardline (killstreaks require one less kill to get each stage), players now have the ability to upgrade their perks to "pro" levels, granting additional benefits at the cost of having to use them enough to level up. Pro-level perks aside though, the biggest change comes in the addition of the Death Streak perk. Ok, it's not exactly a perk, but it works a heck of a lot like one; players who die repeatedly can make use of a special ability that will help them with their subsequent spawn. For instance, players who die a lot at the spawn point might choose Painkiller, which allows them to take significantly more damage for a short time when they first appear. Another Death Streak perk on display was Copy Cat, which allowed the player to take the loadout of an enemy while they watched the kill cam. These are great additions to the game as far as accessibility goes, and will likely not break the balance thanks to the fact that they're only activated when someone is doing pretty poorly anyways.
Grenade spamming was an annoying part of past Call of Duty games, but the ability to swap out frags for a host of new items could alleviate that to an extent. Now, instead of only being able to switch out your "Special Grenade" type, players can take alternate items in the place of frags, such as throwing knives and sticky bombs. This not only gets rid of the impetus for players to just spawn and throw grenades, but also gives them new items to earn and ways to further customize their loadout for their play style. For instance players who like to have a stealth weapon might choose throwing knives because it doesn't make you appear on the map when you use it (and it looks bad ass).
What's Old is New Again
Modern Warfare 2 features one entirely new multiplayer mode (Demolition), along with the addition of an online staple: Capture the Flag. Capture the Flag is pretty much exactly what you'd imagine it's like -- with players protecting their flag while seeking out the enemy's -- but Demolition definitely feels at once familiar and new. Demolition is very similar to the old CoD standby of Search and Destroy, except now there are two bomb points on the level and players are allowed to respawn. One team defends while the other attacks the bomb points, with the attacking team trying to blow up both points in the allotted time. A total of two rounds are played, with both teams taking turns being the defenders and the attackers. In our play sessions this mode was a blast, with the two bomb sites providing adequate dispersion of players so no one spot turned into too much of a killing field. And while it certainly isn't going to blow anyone away with its originality, Demolition is already shaping up to be a great change of pace from the standard Team Deathmatch.
Awards for All
Just like its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2 isn't going to include any achievements for multiplayer. That being said, players will find constant rewards just from playing the game online, even more so than in the last Modern Warfare. On top of unlocking new guns and accessories through play, players will be awarded Accolades at the end of each match. These awards cover everything from the player who spends the longest time in prone to who switches weapons the most. Everyone gets a feeling of accomplishment, and players can look at other players' awards to see just what type of camping bastards they are. The prestige mode from the last game will also make a return, and will supposedly have actual in-game benefits associated with taking the time to level up all over again, but this wasn't on display as of yet. The point is this: Anyone and everyone is going to get awards while playing Modern Warfare 2, making it even easier to sink far too many hours of your life into it without feeling like you've accomplished nothing.
