Can anyone explain to me the excitement that surrounds Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2?

It’s touted as being possibly the biggest hitter of 2009. Understandably so if no other games are released to compete against it. But why? Is the phenomenon of Modern Warfare 2 driven by rumours and hype? Or is it driven by the success laid down by its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare?

What is it about MW2 that sets it above and beyond other shooters and leaves its competitors hiding behind delays?

I recall back upon my adventures with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. I really enjoyed the game. The story was upfront and non-romantic. I remember the opening scene of shooting the “enemy” as they slept in the cargo ship and asking myself, is this how heroes fight?

I remember the “I can’t believe they did that” moment as I watched the story of Sgt Jackson come to an end. The imagery was gripping though the story itself was short and only servicing as a validation for the players actions.

But it seems safe to say that the success of MW isn’t on its single player campaign, but in it’s multiplayer fracas.

Which leads me to ask- what made Modern Warfare’s multiplayer far superior over its competitors? Was it the use of incentive via experience points and prestige? The added bonus of minor customisation via perks? The awesome ability to call a chopper as a reward for seven straight kills?

Or the simple fact that the environment we fought in was so well rendered and recognisable, therefore we inherently related to it.

For me, it was all these little things plus an active community engaged in modern warfare.

Despite all this, many other games that followed also provided similar options: Killzone 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Resistance 2. But why did they fail to capture the hearts of today’s gamers? Why did they fail to move the players on MW over to their franchise? Maybe it was the sluggish movements of KZ2 that held it back?

In regards to Treyarch's time travel back to World War 2, the glamour of days gone by may have already lost it’s shine.  Finally, could it have been the alternate world of Resistance which captivated only a niche market of the PS3 audiences?

Is it because MW gave us a world and weapons and game play that we could all recognise through our exposure to pop culture and news. Therefore MW gave us the space to play out the news reel of today and the chance to be “Arnie” or “Stallone”.

Could it have been these elements that kept us coming back for more? In short, Modern Warfare placed us into the role; all the other shooters merely placed us behind the controls.

Despite my own personal desires to see more FPS games focus on team play and better coop, I’ve come to realise my needs pale in comparison to the demand for the pace and excitement that Modern Warfare 2 will be expected to provide. It will be sought after regardless of the premium price attached to it.

Maybe people will buy it for the hope of finding that same buzz when they played MW, maybe it’s because there is nothing else to compete against it. Can I blame the media?  So many in the industry have already claimed it as a winner that rumour turns into reality and therefore the public buy into it, literally.

Or is it the night vision goggles which all gamers have been waiting for – a trinklet to say you spent way too much. Regardless to say even though I am not a fan of Activision, the CoD:MW2  franchise will move numbers.

Why I detract from MW2 is not about lack of team play or coop mechanics (since it has a coop option available), but rather because I hold the belief that it’s really just Modern Warfare: Rebooted.

run and gun!

I'm no fool, I know one perspective cannot go against the will of a community but I wonder if the public will load up the game and possibly realise it’s more of the same: point, shoot, run. Or could I be wrong? Maybe CoD:MW2 goes above and beyond the call of duty and is more than a polished “counter strike”.

What ever the reason, I’ve come to accept that when enough time has past I will inevitably be drawn to purchase the game whether I like it or not, simply because that’s where the party is at.

I just hope a developer/publisher will be able to move the scene onto fresher places with a new genre or experience because I’m suffering from battle fatigue.