The one...The only... Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2!

Hello people of the internet, today I'm just going to jump right into it.

The long awaited Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has both a spectacular storyline and an amazing offline split-screen play. However In addition to the co-op functionality of spec-ops, if your online playing thirsts aren't quenched the innovative multiplayer mode is enough to whet anybodies appetite. Multiplayer sees the return of the good old XP and ranks routine, with slight tweaks. You now get more XP per kill, with the XP required for each level being higher to compensate.

The mode incorporates virtually everything you encounter in the campaign and allows you to use it against your living, breathing enemies across the world. Probably the most notable aspects of multiplayer is the customization. You have the ability to customize your set-up as per normal for the recent generation of Call of Duty titles, allowing you to choose your primary and secondary gun complete with attachments and camouflages. You also choose your 'equipment' which is the new category where you'll find your primary grenades along with throwing knives, claymores and “Semtex”. Then you have three perks and a new “deathstreak” perk, which takes effect after you encounter a streak of deaths. These come in handy especially whilst facing the evil 'spawn camper'. The customization aspects of this game show representation of individuality, some people like to “rush” the other team getting as many kills as deaths with the biggest guns in the game. Whereas I like to play offensively with a defensive weapon such as the “intervention” sniper. This requires a lot more skill. This also shows how games have evolved with the gamers.

What's especially interesting of the new title to the franchise is that you can now customize your kill-streak setup. No longer are you tied down to the recon/bombardment/assault scheme. You have the option to choose from 15 different rewards ranging from 3 kills for UAV, right up to 25 kills for the tactical nuke, which ends the game after a short countdown. This enables you to tweak the game-play according to how you play. Some rewards are standard such as the harriers and chopper gunners, however some, such as the care package, come with their own problems.

The care package reward enables players to use high-end kill streak rewards by only achieving a 3/4 kill-streak. This means that players with low skill are able to place themselves in the top 3 players simply by being lucky. Another 'problem' with the kill-streak rewards is the tactical nuke. Whilst it is good for the person who uses this, and is hard to achieve, it is nevertheless annoying for all other players, even those on the same team. There is nothing more annoying than having your best run in a game being abruptly ended by the omni-powerful tactical nuke. It is also the cocaine for the booster, which brings me onto my next point.

Infinity Ward have attempted to stop players abusing the system and cheating by allowing their friends to kill them, something anyone who tried to enter a cage match on CoD4 would have encountered. The only problem is that Infinity Ward may have been a little over-zealous. They have blocked the use of party chat in some game modes, such as search and destroy and have blocked a party joining certain modes. This has made it extremely hard for any legitimate groups playing together as you often find yourself refreshing your friends profile waiting for that ever elusive join game in progress option.

Overall Modern Warfare 2 is a great game that'll have you “no-lifing” for a while. Whilst it does have its negativities it does prevail with an amazing array of game-play.