At this point, it’s seems silly to question whether Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 should be judged solely on the criteria of being ‘A good game’. Even if the developers at Infinity Ward had offered gamers ‘more of the same’, Modern Warfare 2 would qualify as excellent. Fortunately, with two years of development, and lots of time to listen to gamer feedback, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a veritable smorgasbord of new game play features, new scenarios, and more of the award-winning story that awed gamers in 2007.

In a holiday season bulging with A-list titles, the real question gamers should ask is whether Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 distinguishes itself enough to justify spending your hard-earned $60.00. It’s a tough economy, and after the original Modern Warfare’s exceptional tour of duty, does Activision’s blockbuster sequel offer enough compelling new bells and whistles, or is it simply a better dressing for a tired old veteran?

The Props: Campaign Mode
It would be irresponsible to say that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 simply has “single player” and “multiplayer” modes. Describing them in those terms makes it seem as if we’re discussing the perfunctory bullet-points of every first person shooter. Quite frankly, in the hands of Infinity Ward, that is absolutely not the case.

Modern Warfare 2 feels like three separate and complete packages on a single disc. If you enjoy playing alone, the Campaign mode tells what is arguably the most engaging story of the year.

Infinity Ward has pretty much perfected the art of scripted cinematic shooting, and outside of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, there really isn’t another contender by a New York mile.

What hasn’t changed is the formula. Infinity Ward has players somersaulting between perspectives, as you follow both marines and special forces in what can only be described as interactive World War III. There is violence, but the narrative handles the subject matter with a surprising amount of maturity. As with Modern Warfare, the sequel puts gamers into the frenetic – and too often futile firefights – of America’s war-weary soldiers. Balancing such philosophical quandaries as the right of absolute power, and the definition of patriotism, the writing here is superb without playing to any specific agenda. How Infinity Ward juggles Tom Clancy drama with Jerry Bruckheimer action, is a template that should make every developer envious.

Amidst the bravado of wartime adrenaline, and the terrifying implications of a very possible real world future, it’s easy to see why Modern Warfare’s scenarios might raise the ire of political conservatives. Thank goodness that the game is rated and created with adults in mind. Infinity Ward approaches with an earnest and blunt respect for the subject matter. Objectively appreciating the story of Modern Warfare 2 goes a long way towards giving some of that respect back. This isn’t simply passive entertainment. It’s engaging, and often emotional discourse.

Props: Special Ops Mode
What’s incredible is that we’ve only mentioned a fraction of what gamers get for their dollar. The second of three game packages is the secretive Special Ops mode. Playable online or off, gamers tussle in a series of mini games based on elements from the single-player campaign. Again, the Special Ops mode is treated with such care, that you’d forgive Infinity Ward if PR decided to sell it as addendum premium DLC.

Infinity Ward’s been paying attention to its competitors. If you loved the fantastic Terrorist Hunt Mode of Rainbow Six, Gears of War’s Horde mode, or even the arcade-unlock from the original Modern Warfare, you’ll be right at home here.

Consider Special Ops a kind of Call of Duty: streamlined. Offering play variants like racing snow mobiles through harrowing mountain passes, or gunning through gang-infested slums to disarm bombs, Special Ops is great by your lonesome, but a blast when you invite a friend via Xbox Live or PSN. It’s an entirely co-op experience, with an emphasis on cooperation.

Completing each ‘trial’ offers rewards in stars. Spec Ops has 63 stars total, and different difficulty levels rewards, naturally, more stars.

Of course, each game mode is as addictive as digital candy. Not only is each mode incredibly fun, but progression in Special Ops runs on point-based motivation. The more you play, the more Spec Ops missions become available. While none of the missions are very long – usually ranging between four to eight minutes – you’ll enjoy a fistful of great gaming during the time that you do get.

Think of Spec Ops as a hybrid between co-op campaign and something altogether new. You won’t suffer the fatigue of playing through the lengthier co-op missions twice, but you’ll still get the feeling of going through important scenarios in concentrated bursts with a friend at your side.

Whether you’re stalking enemies in joint sniper-only missions, commanding mile-high drone ships for tactical assaults, or dashing through obstacle courses for improved time, the sheer diversity of the Special Ops missions makes it a fantastic game on its own. That’s no small feat, considering that the meat of the game is the third, and most anticipated feature of Modern Warfare 2.

Props: Multiplayer
To be completely honest, it is impossible to see everything Multiplayer has to offer in the time that we’ve had with the game. To say that multiplayer has gotten a complete overhaul is an understatement.

If you’ve played Modern Warfare, this sequel builds on the predecessor in nearly every possible way. Larger, more well-designed maps, a laundry list of additions to the PERK system, and even nuts-n-bolts technical re-thinking like the new host migration back end (where If a host drops connection, the game searches for the next suitable connection and continues the game with only a few seconds delay), make the multiplayer mode the elephant in a very small room.

The improvements are too numerous to quantify, and could possibly be considered review-worthy on their own. Infinity Ward has made the cost of entry – in this case, earning points in multiplayer – easier than ever before. Now, It’s possible for a single kill to rack up the points, thus giving players of any skill level points for doing something right.

Say you shoot an enemy in the head? There’s points for that. Now let’s say that enemy was on a kill streak – which you just ended. Bravo! You’ll get points for that, too. Now consider that you killed him at long distance? Guess what? Infinity Ward is generous with the points there, also.

In fact, there’s no greater example of Modern Warfare’s campaign for accessibility, than the addition of the game’s new DEATHSTREAK feature. Get rewarded perks for killing the most bad guys in a row, but now there are boosts for dying too often, too. The COPYCAT perk, for example, allows you to steal the load-out of the player who killed you, while the Painkiller perk gives you 10 seconds of increased health.

Even older existing perks got substantial tweaks. Last stand allows you to not only move around as you’re bleeding out, but even the opportunity to get back up and play some more.

Game changers like being able to equip SEMTECH sticky grenades, or the insane support gunner kill streak which grants the best gamers the opportunity to call in helicopters, care packages, and even nuclear bombs, makes the new perk incentives positively delicious ways to demolish your foes.

From the added throwing knives to the simple additions, like the BLING perk that allows two additional attachments to your primary weapon, its too early to tell if Infinity Ward has broken their beloved multiplayer component, but they’ll certainly give you a robust menu of opportunities and time to figure that out.

Returning are the multitude of game play modes to go along with the new gadgets and features in the expansive to do list. Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch top the list with up to 18 (up from 16) players on the battlefield, and new modes like the much hyped 3rd person team game pull the camera out allowing a Gears of War like viewpoint with Modern Warfare flourish.

As always, compelling gamers forward is Infinity Ward’s devilish incentive system. The more you play, the more you get to play. There’s nothing in the multiplayer game that you don’t earn through blood, sweat, and tears. Most of the multiplayer modes, weapons, and perks, are only opened after you’ve reached certain ranks in the game. It’s too early to tell if reaching the game’s beloved prestige status, acquired only after reaching the maximum cap in ranks, opens up continued hidden treasures, but we wouldn’t be surprised. Infinity Ward has been incredibly thorough with their ‘unlocking new game play philosophies, and it’s that understanding of the gamer stick-and-carrot compulsion that permeates every design choice throughout each of the three overarching game play modes.

What Infinity Ward has accomplished is devilish genius. You’ll doubtless find your favorite multiplayer mode to cling to, and gamers that pace themselves might find new surprises for weeks to come. That is, of course, if you can even look up from Modern Warfare’s polished and dangerously addictive, habit-forming multiplayer routines.

So Basically, I’m Saying…
Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, is a game of very smart decisions. There are easter eggs a-plenty, and although giving more of the same would’ve left gamers happy, the altering, fixing, and outright adding of an absurd amount of new features robust in every new mode of the experience will leave fans cheering. There are scores of new guns. We didn’t even mention additions like the riot shield, which is a lifesaver in the campaign and multiplayer when you need to catch your breath.

We left out the fact that Harry Gregson-Williams’ Hans Zimmer’s subdued but powerful score is emotional in just the right scenes, complimenting exceptional voice acting from stars Keith David, which does the job of propelling you through this very cinematic ride. Modern Warfare 2 is an example of developers going above and beyond gamer expectations, then redefining the whole damned bar.

The game is not perfect. While we wish, for example, that Special Ops mode could find random people online to fill the second player instead of just people from your friends list, it honestly feels like nitpicking.

From top to bottom, Modern Warfare 2 is not only one of the best bangs for your buck this holiday season, it’s one of the most polished game experiences on any console. The cliffhanger at the end of the story is beautifully cruel. A two-year wait for the inevitable sequel should qualify as torture. You’ll enjoy playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for at least the foreseeable future, and if the rabid demand for the first Call of Duty’s online play is any indication, so will everyone else on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.

Stay frosty, marines.