Modern Warfare 2

First of all, let me say that I know I'm way past the point where this post could be considered timely or relevant. I know that, OK? So lay off. That being said, it wasn't until recently that I started playing the XBox LIVE aspect to the game. I was turned off by the fact that, unlike games like Halo: 3, MW2 doesn't have the ability for players to play split-screen LIVE, which was without a doubt my favorite aspect of Halo: 3. So, it may have been out of spite that I waited this long to play.

I'm hooked. I can't help it. It oscillates between deeply satisfying and bone-jarringly frustrating so quickly I almost vomit in the back of my mouth, and I like it. Bring it. Bullets flying, airstrikes ripping apart the map, sentry guns shearing enemy soldiers in twain. It's like melting down violence in a loving spoonful and injecting it into your eyes.

Beyond the universal, gory, and visceral appeal that the whole game exudes, I'm a sucker for one particular aspect of the online play: leveling up. I think it's a residual imprint from playing World of Warcraft for two and a half years, but there's something very satisfying about being rewarded for how you play. Ah, great, I specifically used this inferior scope on my sniper rifle, and now I have the thermal scope, and motherfuckers are sticking out on my screen like a Swede walking through Harlem. Wtfpwned.

I suppose I'm not surprised that the LIVE portion is a masterful blend of raw FPS action and trace RPG elements. The single-player campaign elevated FPSs to an entirely new level; it moved the player into the whole body of the soldier, and not just the finger on the trigger. Story elements pushed some boundaries as well: in an FPS, it's game over when your character dies, not part of the storyline. I was surprised the first time they killed off my character. The second time I was offended (well, they did light my corpse on fire). And when I thought they were going to do it a third time, I ended up the victor. I was sure they were going for the hat-trick.

This isn't all there is to say about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, I'm aware. I'm not sure that I could say all there is to say. This is a start, though, and for now I think I've hit all of my main points.