Set five years after the events of Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 once again focuses on the political turmoil between the United States and Russia.

The Russians are now being lead by a terrorist called Vladimir Makarov, and, typically, he’s not a big fan of America or her allies. An elite team of special forces soldiers (including “Soap” MacTavish from Call of Duty 4) known as Task Force 141 are on stand by to help counter the threat. Unfortunately, things quickly spiral out of control after a terrorist attack on Russian soil is linked back to the U.S.

In keeping with traditional Call of Duty storytelling, the campaign in Modern Warfare 2 will put you in the combat boots of different soldiers in various exotic locations. You’ll fight your way through the deserts of Afghanistan to the urban slums of Brazil and all the way to a war torn suburban neighborhood in America.

Each level’s mission objectives are fairly simple and require gamers to follow a linear path of check points--but the game does a great job of keeping the action exciting.

Gunfights are always fierce and chaotic with intelligent enemies doing their best to flank you or flush you out of hiding with grenades. Periodically, you’ll be asked to commandeer gun turrets, snow mobiles and rafts as well.

Modern Warfare 2’s campaign is somewhat of a mixed bag. Its full of action-packed set pieces and huge explosions that will send chills down your spine. More importantly, the gameplay is engaging and blessedly devoid of the cheap, re-spawning enemies in Call of Duty 4.

However, the story itself is poorly told. The game hops from one explosive showdown to the next with very little plot development to fill in the gaps. One second you’re in Brazil, and then then next you’re in America fighting Russians.

There’s no narrative cohesion, and as a result, it’s impossible to emphasize with the game’s characters or become truly immersed in their world. Given Modern Warfare 2‘s proclivity to treat gamers to some truly shocking and awe-inspiring scenes, it’s a pity more wasn’t done with the story to make it epic and memorable.

On top of that, the campaign will last you a mere five to eight hours, just like Call of Duty 4. Suffice to say, if you’re picking up Modern Warfare 2 exclusively for its single player content, you’ll find that the sequel doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor.

Call of Duty fans know the heart of any Infinity Ward shooter lies in its robust multiplayer. In that regard, the developers certainly have not disappointed.

The online mode is similar to Call of Duty 4. You’ll enter into a certain type of match (ranging from Free for All to Team Deathmatch to Capture the Flag) and then kill the opposition and complete objectives to earn experience points and rank up. As you progress through ranks, more weapons, attachment, titles, emblems, perks and kill streaks become unlocked.

Veterans of Call of Duty 4 will feel right at home with Modern Warfare 2’s approach to customization, and newcomers will probably be a little overwhelmed by the dazzling amount of options that the game allows you.

However, there’s a fair amount of new content to be found as well. Only a few fan favorite weapons from Call of Duty 4 have returned, so gamers will have to learn how to master a bristling new arsenal of weapons like the FAMAS, TAR-21, WA2000 sniper rifle, throwing knives and more.

Additionally, there are new maps to master and new perks, kill streaks and death streaks to experiment with. Kill streaks, which come in the form of air strikes, helicopter gunship support, etc., are rewarded for chains of consecutive kills. Death streaks, on the other hand, help balance the game by giving a special, temporary trait to players who have died numerous times without getting a kill.

Ground War has a potential max player cap of 18 (9 vs 9). Even though maps are sprawling and full of buildings to hide in, it’s rare that you’ll be unable to find someone to shoot at. Matches are fun and intense, but unfortunately, they can become horrifically lopsided.

If you find yourself on squaring off against a stacked team, no amount of skill will be able to compensate for the non-stop barrage of air strikes that will send your kill/death ratio plummeting to depressing low levels. Also, Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer definitely isn’t very friendly to newcomers. Success boils down to whoever has the sharpest eye and swiftest reflexes, and those who haven’t played Call of Duty 4 before will find themselves dying a lot.

Brand new to Modern Warfare 2 is Special Operations, a mode designed specifically for cooperative play. While you can run through most of the mode’s 20+ missions solo, they’re best tackled with a buddy so you can coordinate and strategize.

The objectives in each mission vary. One will have you defending territory from waves of Russian infantry, tanks and helicopter gunships, another has you racing snow mobiles down an icy mountain side and another has you stealthily sneaking through enemy territory.

Most of the missions are well designed and offer a considerable amount of challenge on harder difficulties, and it’s easy to find yourself re-playing them over and over in order to achieve a higher ranking.

Final Verdict

Modern Warfare 2 could be best described as Call of Duty 4--only better. It has slightly better graphics, a better designed campaign mode, a more robust multiplayer that’s full of new toys to mess around with and, of course, the incredibly addictive Spec Ops mode. Essentially, it’s everything that a good sequel should be. The campaign mode falters due to its poorly told story and short length, but regardless, Modern Warfare 2 still delivers a very well-rounded, well-crafted shooter that fans of the series will absolutely adore.

The single player and Spec Ops mode will last most gamers at least 10 hours, but as for the multiplayer, expect to be playing it for at least the next couple months. Is Modern Warfare 2 Game of the Year material? Maybe. Does it live up to all the hype? Definitely.

Grade: A-

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. The version reviewed was for Xbox 360. It is available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC now.