Modern Warfare 2 review roundup

Multiplayer

This is where the game really sparkles, according to most reviewers.

Multiplayer is every bit as good as you'd expect. Infinity Ward has refined rather than revolutionised the Call of Duty 4 formula, but the key here is customisation. You can create a personalised profile with your own emblem and call sign, unlock your own killstreaks and even unlock 'pro' versions of perks if you want to push your character as far as possible. It's polished, smooth and leagues ahead of almost every other FPS on Xbox 360. [Offical Xbox Magazine UK, 10 out of 10]

New Spec-Ops cooperative mode

The new game adds two-player co-op scenarios. Much like another recent blockbuster, "Uncharted 2," MW2 places these battles in familiar locations, but outside of the normal storyline.

You and a buddy can battle through a series of bite-sized challenges; borrowing scenarios and locations from the single-player story, each mission has you and a partner completing tasks together (like surviving an enemy onslaught in a shopping center or racing against one another in snowmobiles). 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. [1Up.com, A+]

Final words

To add a little "balance" to this applause, we turned to the publication that gave the game its lowest rating thus far: the thoughtful UK mag Edge, which gave the game a 9 out of 10. (That alone should say something about the caliber of Modern Warfare 2.)

As an experience, it is occasionally undone by a tension torn between being serious and being Clancy, being massmarket and being complex. War games aren’t funny, it says, then starts a war against ‘Ivan’ that’s straight from Red Dawn.... So which game is Modern Warfare 2? Is it that mechanic-defining, comprehensively structured and plainly excellent shooter with the best multiplayer in the genre, or a game that entirely fetishes its subject while being mock-serious about it, with the best multiplayer in the genre? We’re not sure it’s either, or neither. Modern Warfare 2 is brilliant, and just a little bit dumb. [Edge, 9 out of 10]

Have you played it? Liked it? Hate it? Share your thoughts in the comments. For more review roundups, follow us on Twitter.

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