Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has earned unanimously positive reviews from critics, including a number of perfect scores. While some reviewers had issues with the single-player and multiplayer modes, nearly all of them raved about the new Spec Ops mode:
"Spec-Ops is more than the usual "battle against waves of enemies" but not quite a full, stand-alone story. Instead, it sits in a middle space that's surprisingly fun and engaging." -- David Ellis, 1up.com
"It can be tough to find a communicative teammate who is willing to let one player take point, but it is certainly worth the effort. When you have a strong team assembled, cooperative play is uniquely fun, and Special Ops provides a great variety of engaging missions." -- Chris Watters, GameSpot.com
"You may have thought you were buying Modern Warfare 2 simply for the competitive multiplayer or single-player campaign alone, but mark my words; you will be pulled in by Spec Ops, and when it's all said and done you'll be begging for more." -- Mark Bozon, IGN.com
The Critics Disagree
Although just about everyone enjoyed the single-player campaign, opinions were split over the variety of over-the-top action sequences:
"Subsequent developments further muddle your overall objective, and it doesn't help that many of the subtleties and connecting threads are mumbled during voice-overs between missions. The plot ends up being a bit disorienting, and you may get the feeling that, rather than being the tip of the spear, you are just along for the ride." -- Chris Watters, GameSpot.com
"The variety in the single player is frankly stunning. On many occasions, Infinity Ward has stated their ambition to capture the excitement and intensity of a blockbuster action film in its games and Modern Warfare 2 is their greatest success thus far. Over the course of the story, you'll infiltrate arctic bases, race to safety on stolen snowmobiles, sprint for your life over the slum rooftops of Rio, hold down fast food restaurants against invading armies, and liberate the White House from enemy hands. Every level in Modern Warfare 2's campaign could be the standout moment in just about any other shooter." -- Matt Keil, G4TV.com
"Events fly by, story is told only through load screens or in-game via NPC chatter (usually amidst firefights, where reading text isn't exactly priority one) and the story is so gigantically over-the-top that you'll often find yourself catching your breath after a mission, feeling like you had fun, and then trying to figure out what you just did in the context of the story." -- Mark Bozon, IGN.com
"The larger issue is that the story feels like it's trying too hard to top the events of the previous game and shock you every 45 minutes or so. Some of the shocks are genuinely amazing, but there are so many different attempts at freaking you out that it starts to lose its impact and get a little tiring by the end of the campaign." -- Jeff Gerstmann, GiantBomb.com
The Word on Twitter
"Absolutely epic... Buy it; love it... COD has the best game play, story, and concepts of all time. MW2 just makes it BETTER." -- ericfarewell
"mw2 has been the straw that made the camel mute anyone not on his friends list." -- aegies
"MW2 is a amazing game, best game I played this year" -- nicolaistange
"Sometimes I feel like one of the few people who looks at MW2 and goes "yeah, and?" Someone articulate the reason for 4mil sales. Please." -- Jehar
