User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2667 Ratings

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  1. JoseM
    Mar 24, 2010
    7
    I bought MW2 on release day and I enjoyed it much... in the beginning. After many hours of playing this is my honest review. Tech: Graphic engine is smooth with 60fps, but looks aged due to lack of HDR lighting and some awful pseudo-reflections. Sound FX are above average. Controls are nearly perfect. Net-code works well after several patches. Art: Music, although generic, is very good. I bought MW2 on release day and I enjoyed it much... in the beginning. After many hours of playing this is my honest review. Tech: Graphic engine is smooth with 60fps, but looks aged due to lack of HDR lighting and some awful pseudo-reflections. Sound FX are above average. Controls are nearly perfect. Net-code works well after several patches. Art: Music, although generic, is very good. Scenarios are beautiful and detailed, although they suffer due to engine's lack of contrast. Good smoke and debris effects. Poor rain effects. Some models, like cars', are pretty bad. Weapons models are very detailed. Animation is above average. Story writing is epic but not very inspired and lacks cohesion. Game Design: Player character moves insanely fast. Weapons have very little recoil. Bullets make severe damage, you can kill fast as well as die. Campaign: It is very short and linear, and the length is mainly due to the insane amount of enemies you will encounter. Sometimes you may even think there are infinite of them (like in favelas levels). There are some breathtaking levels, only stained by the "9999 enemies" design decision. The story lacks cohesion, which means you forget about the relations between chapters, and you won't care about the story until the end. Spec-Ops: They are a set of cooperative short missions, mainly based on moments from the campaign. They're hard but fun to play with a friend online or split-screen. Unfortunately, it feels half-cooked and leaves you wondering why they didn't implement a full cooperative campaign. Online Multiplayer: Here is where most of the people wanted to come. Multiplayer is incredibly deep, fast and addictive. MW2 has a good set of modes and maps and a HUGE set of perks, killstreaks, tags, etc. You will have much fun for the first 50 levels or so, which is not too bad. I said it is addictive but it is also becomes frustrating and eventually boring. This is because unbalanced weapons and perks, loads of campers, lack of team play, huge bullet damage, God-like ninja knifers, annoying overpowered choppers and bizarre speed of movement. In the end, it becomes "run in circles and knife anybody you come across", which is a pity after the great amount of (unbalanced) options devs made for the game. Ending comment: MW2 has great production values and tons of content, but in the end, is very arcade. It rewards reflexes over skill and it gives you much fun quickliy, until you burn it out and it quickly becomes boring. Rent it and get Bad Company 2 or MAG if you want long lasting fun and develop your skills rather than your time of reaction. 7/10 Expand
  2. Nov 2, 2010
    7
    Neither the masterpiece the media claims it to be, nor the horrible bland game the haters want you to think about it. It's simply a good game that happens to be overhyped. It's still an enjoyable game, just not earth-shattering.
  3. Nov 13, 2011
    7
    While it is pretty similar to the first modern warfare, it does have some exciting moments. The gameplay is the same as previous games in the series.
  4. Jan 2, 2014
    7
    This game carried on the legacy of the first and came with mixed results. Not much changed except for the tweaks that were troubling n the first. The campaign was fine for the start, but had an awful ending. Overall the plot just didn't fit together. The Multiplayer was carried in from the first with success and had the same result. Some additions were added, but some felt repetitive fromThis game carried on the legacy of the first and came with mixed results. Not much changed except for the tweaks that were troubling n the first. The campaign was fine for the start, but had an awful ending. Overall the plot just didn't fit together. The Multiplayer was carried in from the first with success and had the same result. Some additions were added, but some felt repetitive from the first. The new great thing about MW2 was it's Co-op Special Ops mode. With different objectives, it gave a change to the Modern Warfare feel, but doesn't mean it's as god as other Co-ops on the market. Overall MW2 just didn't bring back the greatness MW1 had, and for that reason it makes it feel like the game that slipped from awaiting glory. Expand
  5. Nov 12, 2010
    5
    If this game came out and no other games existed, then yes, this game would deserve a 10. Sadly, for IW, it wasn't. The plot-holed storyline made no sense. It also lacked the amount of suspense and awe that MW had. It is more of a shooter and less of a exciting COD title. The multiplayer is horribly unbalanced. The perks are shoddy at best. The reactions and physics are very unresponsive.If this game came out and no other games existed, then yes, this game would deserve a 10. Sadly, for IW, it wasn't. The plot-holed storyline made no sense. It also lacked the amount of suspense and awe that MW had. It is more of a shooter and less of a exciting COD title. The multiplayer is horribly unbalanced. The perks are shoddy at best. The reactions and physics are very unresponsive. You can knife someone from ten feet away but 4 buckshots from a 12 gauge won't bring you down? What? Despite the many flaws, I still had fun during sp. Expand
  6. TristanL
    Dec 17, 2009
    6
    Gameplay is superb. The single player campaign is decent enough (though a little out there). However this game completely comes crashing down with its online gameplay. VERY unbalanced. There are either very good players, or very poor. There is no in between. The streaks system that they implemented this time is ABSOLUTE OVERKILL. And the servers/matchmaking for this game are the worst Gameplay is superb. The single player campaign is decent enough (though a little out there). However this game completely comes crashing down with its online gameplay. VERY unbalanced. There are either very good players, or very poor. There is no in between. The streaks system that they implemented this time is ABSOLUTE OVERKILL. And the servers/matchmaking for this game are the worst that i have ever attempted to play with on XBL. Expand
  7. Apr 8, 2011
    6
    Ok, let's all be honest with ourselves for a moment: The SP story is B>A>D! Ridiculous, over the top, attempts at controversy abound! Ooooh, how badass! A scene where we mow down civilians... Don't even get me started about the "twist" ending! Utter garbage. The SP gameplay doesn't fare much better. What happened to the well crafted pacing of the first MW? A lot of the action is soOk, let's all be honest with ourselves for a moment: The SP story is B>A>D! Ridiculous, over the top, attempts at controversy abound! Ooooh, how badass! A scene where we mow down civilians... Don't even get me started about the "twist" ending! Utter garbage. The SP gameplay doesn't fare much better. What happened to the well crafted pacing of the first MW? A lot of the action is so overblown that you are usually left with absolutely NO CLUE as to what the hell is going on, let alone why. Same as the story. Wherein the last one jumping around to different locales suited the story... here it just leaves you shaking your head, wondering what the F is going on. VERY POOR. 3/10 for SP. Tops! MP is an entirely different animal, however, and saves the game from being the usual overhyped letdown. MP gets just about everything right. Most of the maps are well balanced. The mechanics solid. Matches are easy to get in and out of. Lag being the only considerable issue here. Why IW doesn't spring for dedicated servers is beyond me! It's not like they don't have the money. Mp gets 9/10. Update: MP was fantastic... right up until it got hacked beyond all recognition!!! Biggest security breach I have ever witnessed! I'm not sure if it's been fixed yet, as I haven't been back in awhile to check it out, but, seriously! Wow! Sadly, the hacking is creeping into Black Ops... Overall: 3/10 + 9/10 = 6/10 Expand
  8. Jul 2, 2012
    6
    This Game is an overrated pile of Junk. The only reason people play it is for the online. It is a pretty good game...... For a Casual Gamer. When i played it i was really happy with it for the First 5-6 Hours. But it's simply repetitive.
  9. JesseT
    Jan 26, 2010
    6
    so overhyped its not funny. short campaign, spec ops is fun for about 5 minutes, multiplayer - well that depends on how much you enjoy multiplayer: i dont much, and seeing as how most of the game is in the multiplayer, its quite disappointing. Brings absolutely nothing new to the table, just your standard FPS.
  10. Sep 1, 2010
    7
    The only reason this game got an 8 is because of the multiplayer and spec ops. The single player campaign is really bad. I dont understand why people say its good. If you want a good sFPS campaign, get Killzone 2 or something else. CoD never has good campaigns. The multiplayer as expected is addicting but very broken. constant lag, undedicated servers, glitches make this mpThe only reason this game got an 8 is because of the multiplayer and spec ops. The single player campaign is really bad. I dont understand why people say its good. If you want a good sFPS campaign, get Killzone 2 or something else. CoD never has good campaigns. The multiplayer as expected is addicting but very broken. constant lag, undedicated servers, glitches make this mp frustrating. When you get on smaller maps, ll players do is shoot grenade launchers everywhere so you cant even move. the game needs to be fixed but the developers got fired so there is no fix coming. Expand
  11. Sep 2, 2010
    5
    The Campaign in this game is far, far worse than it's predecessor (not World at War, Modern Warfare 1) and the online action is unblanced, with overpowered guns, perks and killstreaks. Spec Ops is great fun with a mate, but alone or with a stranger online is a different story. Buy CoD4 instead.
  12. Nov 2, 2010
    5
    Modern Warfare 2 is probably the first direct sequel to any Call of Duty game in the series. The game it lays sequel to is the almighty Cod4 (AKA Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.). Before that game the series was just another shooter to stack shelves with. The multiplayer is where people spend most of the time they have with their games on and this leads to a short campaign but a good oneModern Warfare 2 is probably the first direct sequel to any Call of Duty game in the series. The game it lays sequel to is the almighty Cod4 (AKA Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.). Before that game the series was just another shooter to stack shelves with. The multiplayer is where people spend most of the time they have with their games on and this leads to a short campaign but a good one at that. The campaign delivers moments of intrigue and twist as it goes on. The game play features some unique battles to be remembered. It also features a sniper mission as does the original Modern Warfare because that's what everyone remembers from the original campaign. The graphics in the game are stunning and on par with the best in the industry today. The controls on the PS3 are OKAY and could use some improvement. This is where the review takes a dramatic turn. MULTIPLAYER. The dread of getting a game invite or even the seeing the multiplayer options is just about outrightly scary for many people. The number of people modding and cheating in this game is **** INSANE!!! Also getting screwed over is something everybody will have happen at least once a day in multiplayer. You can call in a bombing run for a consecutive number of kills and you better pray you don't die in it or it's possible that the enemy will receive at least 2 points off you because it's about 75% likely you'll die when you re spawn too. I suggest buying this game enjoying campaign until 100% completion (same goes for the special ops missions) and then selling it. That is all the game is worth playing for, Campaign and Spec-Ops. Expand
  13. Nov 14, 2011
    7
    Before I bought it I was so exited about MW2. Let me say that this game is fine. But! Kill streaks were over the top following by noob tubes and quickscopers. Which eventually killed the fun in online for me. Graphics look better compare to COD4MW. Story was going more crazy route which I personally didn't like. Overall it still good game just not as great as COD4MW!
  14. markit
    May 3, 2010
    6
    Now I'm a big fan of call of duty, and the graphics, characters and importantly gameplay in this game are top notch, great in fact. and although being highly addictive the multiplayer game has far too many flaws.....i'll mention a few........commando (wtf), boosters, tac insertion, heartbeat senser, noob tubes, akimbo, campers, painkiller, tacticul nuke, small maps.......overall Now I'm a big fan of call of duty, and the graphics, characters and importantly gameplay in this game are top notch, great in fact. and although being highly addictive the multiplayer game has far too many flaws.....i'll mention a few........commando (wtf), boosters, tac insertion, heartbeat senser, noob tubes, akimbo, campers, painkiller, tacticul nuke, small maps.......overall the worst call of duty around, if it had none of those mentioned above (theres probably more) then it'd be close to a ten. but there there and they are staying there, IW could have released a patch, but NO. Call of Duty: Black Ops will undoubtably be much better, they have the oppurtunity to fix mw2's flaws. Expand
  15. MaxB
    Dec 27, 2009
    5
    This game is a step down from the last MW. The single player campaign is fun but does not have a plot you can follow very well. It's also very short. The multiplayer has a decent number of maps but the same maps get picked for the server over and over again. Spec Ops is a nice addition but Nazi Zombies in WaW in a lot better.
  16. Aug 23, 2013
    6
    I know that you don't buy these games for the campaign. It's all about the multiplayer but Jesus Christ, the campaign is laughable and frustrating. If they at least put some effort into the story, I'd be ok, but it's just terrible. The multiplayer is virtually identical to every Call of Duty out there. It's fun but don't get ya a full hard-on.
  17. AlickC
    Apr 12, 2010
    5
    Okay, since many fanboys have dubbed the game "Zomg! Perfect!" while others claim it to be "An absolute joke!" Here is my honest, unbiased review. -Good points- The game is glamourous, with great graphics with an outstanding amount of detail. Single player, whilst short, has one or two good touches to it, but you can see that all the attenition has gone to the online multiplayer. It is Okay, since many fanboys have dubbed the game "Zomg! Perfect!" while others claim it to be "An absolute joke!" Here is my honest, unbiased review. -Good points- The game is glamourous, with great graphics with an outstanding amount of detail. Single player, whilst short, has one or two good touches to it, but you can see that all the attenition has gone to the online multiplayer. It is much more rewarding, with lots of new guns and perks. The gameplay is, in theory, good. But it is ruined by a number of things... -Bad Points- There are some weapons in the game which are vastly overpowered and an endless amount of things which gives players unfair advantages over new players. If the game is supposed to be "realistic" how can you run forever and take no damage when jumping off buildings? Online mainly consists of this: Camp, kill, win, boast. Ranking up seems more like a chore and Spec-ops has no replay value. There is nowhere near enough content to warrant the price tag on MW2. Expand
  18. Aug 2, 2011
    7
    The Call of Duty creators must be criticized for having the greatest opportunity in the industry with unlimited resources to only coming up with something half good and not a masterpiece. Call of Duty MW2 has its production values, its popular, it has high quality models, shooting animations and sounds which do provides players some immediate satisfying gameplay (for a short time). But theThe Call of Duty creators must be criticized for having the greatest opportunity in the industry with unlimited resources to only coming up with something half good and not a masterpiece. Call of Duty MW2 has its production values, its popular, it has high quality models, shooting animations and sounds which do provides players some immediate satisfying gameplay (for a short time). But the overall 'game' of MW2 is a mixed bag and fails to be something really special, not just a 'fun' or 'popular' game. The single player story is a bad joke, the themes and meanings the story portrays are a contradictory muddled mess. The special Op missions do offer some well designed gameplay but why the story mode is not intertwined is confusing, I would have preferred the entire story dropped for more Special Ops. The multiplayer can be fun for short periods of time but does lack depth which is why it has not resonated as a competitive Esport title. I do recommend MW2 due its surface fun and value for money but it lacks to what should have been something much much more. Expand
  19. Mar 15, 2013
    5
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is pretty average across the board, It's single player campaign is decent and action packed but it's way too short and it's story is not very interesting at all. Obviously multiplayer is what the Call of Duty series it known for, but unfortunately Modern Warfare 2 is just as much a mixed bag here as well, the guns in the game control well but are not veryCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is pretty average across the board, It's single player campaign is decent and action packed but it's way too short and it's story is not very interesting at all. Obviously multiplayer is what the Call of Duty series it known for, but unfortunately Modern Warfare 2 is just as much a mixed bag here as well, the guns in the game control well but are not very balanced and the kill streaks are what kill the game with people just destroying with some of the later kill streaks which makes the game not fun and all you end up doing is sitting in a building waiting for the kill streaks to end. There are better multiplayer shooters out there, save your money and get a shooter that is more balanced, If you really want a Call of Duty game then there are also betters ones out there. Expand
  20. Sep 27, 2013
    5
    My brother told me to buy this game, he said it was amazing. Boy was he wrong, this games story mode made no sense to me, it was really boring and it seemed like explosions would happen just so you can see how good the graphics are. The spec ops mode was really boring and uninspired. The only use i have for this game is to play split screen with my nephew. Overall this game is trash and isMy brother told me to buy this game, he said it was amazing. Boy was he wrong, this games story mode made no sense to me, it was really boring and it seemed like explosions would happen just so you can see how good the graphics are. The spec ops mode was really boring and uninspired. The only use i have for this game is to play split screen with my nephew. Overall this game is trash and is probably the worst Call of Duty. Expand
  21. Jul 24, 2020
    7
    Yes, the story is okay, and that's what it is, normal FPS story. But what stands out in this game is the multiplayer. Probably some of the best Call of Duty multiplayer out there, losing maybe to Black Ops, for instance. If you played this on PS3, you know how addicted you can be to this game, with its good maps, weapons, different and fun options of gameplay. But, as always, Call of Duty:Yes, the story is okay, and that's what it is, normal FPS story. But what stands out in this game is the multiplayer. Probably some of the best Call of Duty multiplayer out there, losing maybe to Black Ops, for instance. If you played this on PS3, you know how addicted you can be to this game, with its good maps, weapons, different and fun options of gameplay. But, as always, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had some serious issues with balance points, but that does not take the fun of it, as you will be more happy than mad playing it. My score was based on story and multiplayer, and as I do not enjoy FPS stories, I could not give score 8 or above. Expand
  22. Dec 7, 2020
    6
    This is the 69 best rated game on metacritic. Nice Nice Nice Nice Nice Nice
  23. Feb 1, 2021
    6
    В принципе,самая слабая часть из модры,сиквел вышел хуже 1ой части.Но кампания неплохая,графон чуть лучше сделали,не ремастер конечно,но дышать можно.Сюжетка не особо сильная,хз.
  24. Dec 20, 2022
    7
    Pretty good game overall, held back by some frustrating gameplay in the campaign.
  25. philipc
    Jan 20, 2010
    7
    sp although the story was short and the start was slightly rushed they managed pull it back with several brilliant twist that kept me interested. game play was similar to the first modern warfare. spec-ops spec-ops was like little challenges that made a brilliant new addition to the game and ads more play time to the game. online as fun and enjoyable as ever. however although there has sp although the story was short and the start was slightly rushed they managed pull it back with several brilliant twist that kept me interested. game play was similar to the first modern warfare. spec-ops spec-ops was like little challenges that made a brilliant new addition to the game and ads more play time to the game. online as fun and enjoyable as ever. however although there has been upgrades to features and the addition of death streaks I do not see anything creatively new in this part of the game and I just hope they can come up with something new for there next game. Expand
  26. GáborN
    Jan 22, 2010
    5
    The single player campaging is god but short. the multi player it was fun, untill some hackars ruin. You can't play a match without you encounter some cheater. The Infinity ward nothing do aninthing. It's passed 2 moth. The IW is do only the money, and the dont do anithing for fee. Pathetic, it was my last call of duty game.... fuck activison
  27. AndyE
    Feb 28, 2010
    6
    Excellent single player but the multiplayer is the first one in my life... that makes me want to throw the disc and case into a snowdrift outside (Feb '10). Terribly imbalanced perks and weapons, very regularly there's a major glitch that, while not gamebreaking, is incredibly frustrating. While Infinity Ward is indeed patching the glitches, they're not doing it in a timely Excellent single player but the multiplayer is the first one in my life... that makes me want to throw the disc and case into a snowdrift outside (Feb '10). Terribly imbalanced perks and weapons, very regularly there's a major glitch that, while not gamebreaking, is incredibly frustrating. While Infinity Ward is indeed patching the glitches, they're not doing it in a timely manner and it feels like a mod for Call of Duty 4. I vastly preferred Call of Duty: World at War's broken multiplayer over Modern Warfare 2's and Call of Duty 4 had easily the best multiplayer out of those three games. Expand
  28. ChrisP
    Nov 11, 2009
    7
    Like many people, when I heard Infinity Ward was planning on making a sequel to Modern Warfare as the next installment in the series I got very excited. Unfortunately, my child-like excitement got the better of me and I spent the last year or so thinking this game would be the best game ever released. Infinity Ward has given us a very streamlined and much fancier version of CoD 4, but Like many people, when I heard Infinity Ward was planning on making a sequel to Modern Warfare as the next installment in the series I got very excited. Unfortunately, my child-like excitement got the better of me and I spent the last year or so thinking this game would be the best game ever released. Infinity Ward has given us a very streamlined and much fancier version of CoD 4, but nothing new in the singleplayer and an outrageous amount of accomplishments in the multiplayer. While I am aware that many game publications base the majority of their rating on the single player, I cannot understand this for a game with a 5-6 hour story that many users will play 20 times that online. That being said, I find that the singleplayer experience is almost identical to the first game (which I very much enjoyed despite it's brevity) with almost identical plot twists and wild stories. I was disappointed with the lack of originality but still pleased enough to continue the story. The multiplayer is a beast that is tough to capture with just one rating. While it is vastly expanded in terms of goals and objectives from the first installment, this can make it a bit too busy at times. One of the best parts of the first Modern Warfare was the balance that you felt between the weapons. While there were some weaker weapons, on the whole you didn't feel a serious imbalance. This is not the case in Modern Warfare 2. Many of the guns feel inaccurate or too weak without certain perks. The maps feel too cluttered and non-linear to be multiplayer maps (although this does make for a much more interested single-player experience). I personally play on PS3 and have found that once again, the game grinds to a halt online. The first installment had a handful of glitches that made online play frustrating at times but were usually patched quickly. So far, this game has already had massive flaws on the PSNetwork and it seems like Infinity Ward didn't even bother to test the game on our network. All in all, the multiplayer has been pretty fun, but nothing I would invest the kind of time in that I did with the series' previous installment. If you own a PS3 & an Xbox 360, I would strongly urge you to buy the Xbox version, as Infinity Ward seems to have FAR fewer issues with Xbox online. Further, at the game's release there were issues for PS3 trophies and partymaking that Xbox is not having. This game is worth the price of admission, but will fall far short of expectations and the longevity that the previous version had/enjoyed. Expand
  29. JakeL
    Jan 11, 2010
    5
    Well Modern Warfare 2 says it all, its exactly the same as CoD4 , with a few minor details changed...
  30. RobC
    Jan 18, 2010
    6
    This game is okay, I mean I really didn't like it that much at all in the beginning but when I played it a bit more it started getting a bit better, but only a BIT better. I never touched the campaign and spec ops mode, so cant comment on that. The online is mediocre at best. I agree with the reviewers that said it's hard to go on a big killstreak because there are so many This game is okay, I mean I really didn't like it that much at all in the beginning but when I played it a bit more it started getting a bit better, but only a BIT better. I never touched the campaign and spec ops mode, so cant comment on that. The online is mediocre at best. I agree with the reviewers that said it's hard to go on a big killstreak because there are so many campers, and it is, even though I am some what of a seasoned player. I do not criticize the servers much contrary to what some people on here think, only because I think the servers are better then they are on COD 4. I have a 5 bar connection about 95% of the time, but then again thats just me. It seems to me that IW just came up with a big list of what to put in in the multiplayer mode instead of actually making it balanced and appealing. The maps are also average at best, cod 4 maps are much better. I don't like how big the maps are on MW2 because I feel like they make the smg's such as the ump45 and mp5k useless. IDK about you but i love to run in and spray with an smg any day of the week. Final points: Pretty good game, worth buying I suppose, online can be frusterating at times but it just needs time getting used to, not very innovative/groundbreaking, not as fun to play as COD 4, graphics are solid and is probably the best feature of the game....One final note: I think that IW lost its momentum with this game, had they released this game one year after COD 4 (over WAW) i think mw2 would have been better, but instead they went back to ww2 and then went back to MW, I think that is the key in understanding why this game is the way it is. Expand
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 67 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 67 out of 67
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 67
  3. Negative: 0 out of 67
  1. 100
    Modern Warfare 2 crosses into the must-have category of video games effortlessly. It offers an unmatched shooter experience, a compelling story mode, a slick package of mini missions and a multiplayer which is pretty much unparalleled in depth.
  2. 100
    Modern Warfare 2 offers epic gameplay, a stunning Spec-Ops mode and a huge amount of adrenaline.
  3. Despite certain controversial elements, this game is an FPS fan’s dream. Game of the Year? Hell, yeah!