Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Vault Edition gives you access to both the Xbox Series X version and the Xbox One version of the game. You also get access to operators for multiplayer right off the bat and XP Tokens. The Tokens let you gain experience quicker for both the weapons you use as well as experience for unlocking perks and tactical equipment.
Story:
The Story of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 continues on from where the first Modern Warfare (reboot) left off. You are tasked with being a part of Tasik Force 141 as they take on a terrorist cell that is supported by a drug cartel. You get to fight as and alongside staple characters of the series such as Soap, Gaz, Ghost and Price. The story is very engaging and entertaining to both watch and play through the events as they unfold.
Gameplay:
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (COD MW2) feels very familiar but also brand new at the same time. COD MW2 is a game that plays very much like every other modern shooter that’s out there but is one that stands out among all the others. The game isn’t just another Call of Duty in Activision and Infinity Wards belt, but a brand new take with this installment.
Consisting of a solo campaign and several multiplayer/cooperative modes, there is a lot that this game has to offer. The solo campaign consists of 17 missions from recon, stealth, and sabotage, to all-out firefights. The multiplayer modes that COD MW2 has are broken up into several categories and are then broken down even further. You have Ground War, Invasion, Private Match, Quick Play, Tier 1, Shoot House, and 3rd Person Moshpit.
Ground War is a point-to-point capture the zone gameplay that takes place on a huge map. Two teams are pitted against each other using weapons and vehicles to capture four different zones and the winning team is the one that captures and holds all three zones or gets the most points by the end of the time limit with the points awarded for having the most zones captured over the longest amount of time. Invasion is a large-scale Team Deathmatch that pits two teams of twenty players against each other to fight on a giant map with the winning team scoring the most kills by the end of the round. Private Match lets you create or join a private match and gives you full control over the game mode and parameters on which that mode is played.
Quick Play lets you jump straight into a matchmaking session with the option to filter by game type. You can choose from Team Deathmatch, Free-For-All, Domination, Search and Destroy, Headquarters, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, Prisoner Rescue and Knockout.
Team Deathmatch is as it sounds with the game being anywhere from 2 on 2 to 6 on 6., the score limit is set at 100 and given a time limit of 12 minutes. Free-For-All is every soldier for themselves, with the score limit set to 30 and a match time of 10 minutes. Domination is similar to Team Deathmatch with the differences being the score limit set to 200, match time being unlimited, and the objective being to capture or defend objectives as a team. Search and Destroy has teams alternating between detonating and defusing a bomb with no respawns. Each round is 2 minutes long and with a 6-round limit, and the party size is the same as Team DeathMatch.
Headquarters consists of a five-minute time limit on the match, score limit of 200, with teams working to capture the headquarters and then work to defend it against the other team. Respawns are available for those assaulting the headquarters, not for the defenders and the party size is the same as Team Deathmatch. Kill Confirmed, though having the same party size as Team Deathmatch, has each match lasting 10 minutes, the score limit is set to 65, and the only way to score a point is to recover the dog tag of your enemy. You are also able to secure your teammates’ dog tags to prevent the opposing team from scoring a point.
Hardpoint has teams capturing the Hardpoint and holding it against the opposing team. The first team to reach the score limit of 250, within the 5 minute round, wins. Prisoner Rescue has one team defending hostages with the other team working to get the hostages out alive. Teammates can be revived, round limits are 2 minutes long, with the number of rounds are limited to 6. Knock Out is a fast paced match that has one team holding a package and working to secure it with the opposing team working to take them out. Each round is only one and a half minutes long and the rounds are limited to 6 rounds.
Tier 1 is the same as Quick Play but limits the HUD, sets you at a lower health percentage, slows the rate at which your health regenerates, and allows fellow teammates to damage you when they fire at you, with these limitations differing slightly depending on the game mode you are choosing to play.
Shoot House is similar to Ground War but on a much smaller scale. The map is very small in comparison to Ground War with the teams being no larger than 6 players. 3rd Person Moshpit lets you play Team DeathMatch, Domination, and Hard Point in the third-person perspective with each mode having its respective parameters.
Graphics and Performance:
With Access to both the Series X and Xbox One versions of the game, the game looks and performs differently depending on which version you’re playing which is a nice departure from other games that may offer both versions of the game with the purchase. Playing on the Series X, you will find that the game definitely looks “next-gen”. Rocks, foliage, buildings, set pieces, vehicles, and even down to the weapons that you use, all look hyper-realistic and look great. Weather effects, water, and wind, all look and sound spot on and work to immerse you into the game world. Bullets leave impressions on building walls, and metallic and rock surfaces.
Whether it’s an explosion from an RPG, rocket, grenade, or mine, the explosions are huge and the particles of dust are kicked up in their wake. Bullets can be found on the ground to inform you that you were moments from entering a gunfight, and even the gun barrels will smoke if enough rounds are fired from them in succession. The character models and even the clothing aren’t quite as realistic as the world in which they are placed in, but still look really good and almost reach uncanny valley levels, but just fall short. Playing on the Xbox One, the game still looks good, but the effects are limited, and everything feels a bit duller than that of the console’s big brother.
Graphical performance on the Series X gives you smooth camera movement, fast load times, and smooth motion when it comes to cinematic sequences. Xbox One performance is what you would expect with the camera being slightly jittery, slow load times, choppy cinematic sequences, and some pop-in from time to time, and overall just seems to struggle a bit with this game. Regardless of which platform you’re playing this game on, current or last generation, the attention to detail in this game is astounding and is a welcome surprise and a total delight to behold.
Online performance of the game between the Series X and the Xbox One is pretty much night and day. On the Series X, transitioning between tabs is smooth and works well, and load times are pretty good and performance online is great. If you’re playing on the Xbox One, expect the game to occasionally lag or downright lock up while in the lobby, regardless if you’re just waiting for the match to start or you’re trying to cycle through tabs and adjust things before the match starts. During an online match, you can also find some issues with performance, and even locking the game up entirely and booting you to the title screen.
Sound:
Weapons sound realistic while being fired, reloaded, or thrown to the ground while swapping them out. Voices of teammates yelling in the distance echo off of buildings among the explosions and gunfire. The sound of a rumbling tank as it rolls by or the roar of an aircraft as it flies overhead will make you stop in your tracks and have you thinking quickly on your feet in the heat of battle. Bullets heard whizzing by your head as you run for cover and the bullet that made that cracking sound as it hit the wall next to you will have you feeling glad that you weren’t in its line of fire as you’re aiming down your sights or looking through your scope.
Conclusion:
Yes, with this game having the same name as its 360 counterpart, it can be confusing when talking about this game or looking up information about it, But it makes sense when you stop and realize that this is the second game in the Modern Warfare series to be rebooted; meant to be a reimagining of the series as a whole for both veterans and newcomers alike.
Playing this game on either generation of consoles or PC is going to be a very enjoyable experience, just understand the issues that the previous generation will have over the current generation when making your purchasing decision.
As a huge fan of the original Modern Warfare 2, I was skeptical going into this that it would be worth it as it’s a reboot and reboots for the most part aren’t as good as the original. After playing this game’s campaign and diving head first into the online multiplayer, I can confidently say that this is better than the original and I can not wait until the assumed third installment releases.
Some people are going to love this game while others won’t, both fans of the series as well as those that are jumping into the series with this game being their introduction. Love the series or hate it, this game is definitely worth playing, even if just once; as it just might surprise you in more ways than one. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 – A familiar but different game.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided