Modern Warfare 2: Preview at Blockbuster.co.uk

Blockbuster.co.uk previews one of the most hotly anticipated games of the year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

"Everyone on the team is laser-focused on making the most gripping experience we've ever created," commented Infinity Ward's CEO, Vince Zampella, recently. "No detail is too small and every finishing touch imaginable is underway to make Modern Warfare 2 our best ever. We can't wait for our fans around the world to play starting November 10th."

When Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released on Windows PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in November 2007, it was the first title in the series to be set in the near future, rather than World War II. The story occurred from the point of view of a U.S. Marine and a British SAS operative as they battled in a fictional war against Russian Ultranationalists and Middle Eastern rebels. The game featured real weapons and vehicles, and occurred in real-world locations like the Middle East and Russia.

Selling more than 12 million copies worldwide, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare won multiple awards from various online gaming magazines, including Best Graphics of 2007, Best PlayStation 3 Game of 2007, Best Overall Game of 2007, Best Shooter of 2007, IGN's Game of the Year and many more.

Featuring a score by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, and a voice cast that includes rapper 50 Cent, They Live's Keith David, Saving Private Ryan's Barry Pepper, 24's Glenn Morshower and Scottish actor Kevin McKidd as Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish, Modern Warfare 2 is set several years after the conclusion of Call of Duty 4. "Remnants of your past and the fate of your squad at the end of the previous story really shape the conflict, enemies, story and events of Modern Warfare 2," says Robert Bowling, Community Manager at Infinity Ward. "Events that are best experienced for yourself..."

Though unwilling to give too much away about the plot of the new game, Bowling is happy to eulogise the game in more general terms. "It's always our focus to deliver a cinematic action experience for the player, especially in Modern Warfare 2 where we've put a lot of work into the character development and story of the campaign. To achieve this, those set-piece moments are extremely important to the pacing and structure of the story. However our main goal in Modern Warfare 2 was to send the player on a roller coaster of experiences, where they're constantly experiencing something new. So you'll have those awesome crafted experiences, broken up with a variety of other missions that are more open."

As for the myriad of new weaponry available to gamers, Bowling reveals, "We focused on having a large variety of weapons in every category for the player to choose from, in addition to a large number of new attachments to customise those weapons even further to your play style. A lot of the new weapons were spawned from balancing the multiplayer of the game. We added Customisable Killstreaks to MP, like the ability to call in a user-controlled AC-130 gunship overhead, which required something with the ability to take it down, along with many of the other airborne killstreaks. That logic led to the inclusions of dedicated launchers, like the AT4 or stinger.

"In addition, we have a bunch of new assault rifles like the FAMAS and ACR, sub machine guns like the new variant of the MP5 called the MP5k which is shorter and faster. And a larger variety of pistols, including automatic ones like the Glock."

Many of the most popular moments in Modern Warfare were those that offered a break from the usual Call of Duty gameplay. Similarly, says Bowling, "Modern Warfare 2 has new experiences around every corner and in every mission. Choose a more stealthy and subtle approach or go in guns-blazing - a lot of the levels can be played either way. Cliffhanger is a perfect example of that, where it builds up with the infiltration of the enemy facility by scaling the mountain side. Once you get in you have the option to use the low visibility to your advantage as Captain MacTavish provides thermal overwatch from above and you sneak up on unsuspecting guards patrolling, or fight your way through as Soap calls out enemy positions.

"Regardless of what you choose, there's a moment when the whole base becomes alerted to your presence and you get that classic run-and-gun action leading up to an epic action movie experience of escaping via snowmobile downhill while being pursued by enemies on their own snowmobiles as their air support fires down on you. In addition there are certain levels which are completely dedicated to that slower-paced style as well."

Elsewhere in the game, promises Bowling, "We've made extensive additions to the perk system and create-a-class system as a whole. You can now customise killstreak rewards, so your reward for multiple kills without a death can be customised to how you like to play. For example, I forego any 3 killstreak or 5 killstreak and focus on the bigger payoffs for longer killstreaks. This new addition, along with the ability to rank up Perks from their base benefit to an upgraded Pro version with additional bonuses, allows you to really customise your Classes to your preferred play style per game type.

"For example, for objective game types I like to focus on upgrading perks and customising killstreaks, which allow me a lot of speed, mobility and the ability to get to objectives quickly and hold off enemies from defusing, planting or securing objectives, where my TDM / Free for All classes are focused purely on staying alive longer and taking enemies down quicker."

Ultimately, concludes Bowling, Infinity Ward's goal was "...to make a fun game that our community will love and we are proud of," and by all accounts they've achieved that, and much more besides. Boasting all-new multiplayer maps, an innovative co-operative game mode, new perks, weapons and kill streak rewards, it promises to deliver beyond our wildest dreams. Buy it from Blockbuster.co.uk today, and be a part of the action.

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