Not pictured: Stretched, sweaty “TEAM GAZ” t-shirt (Click for bigger)

So, Modern Warfare 2. Whilst porky jailbait everywhere has been eagerly trembling (and wobbling, probably) at the thought of the next Harry Potter or Twilight, their older, hairier, possibly fatter brothers have generally been quivering in anticipation for the next entry in the storied Call of Duty series. Starting as Another Generic World War 2 Series, the series took a sudden, violent turn in 2007 towards the present day, trading in it’s MP40s and Nazis in for AK47s and Potential Nuclear Disaster. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare blitzed to sudden extreme popularity on the strength of a action-packed single player campaign and an impressive multiplayer mode.

Since then, though, things haven’t been quite as great. Eager to keep CEO Bobby Kotick’s demon soul quenched with the blood of infants, Activision shipped the franchise off to sometimes-collaborators Treyarch to take the series back to World War 2 in Call of Duty: World At War, a game that was stunningly mediocre. And for every exciting announcement regarding Modern Warfare 2, there was always a counter-announcement to drop enthusiasm back down to managable levels. And as the crowds wailed about a high price, no dedicated servers on PC and other issues, Kotick laughed, reclined in his Throne Of Skulls and sipped from a tiny femur-chalice with mild bemusement. Probably.

But the game’s out now! And in my hands! Which means that all the speculation must now clear way for cold, hard, throbbing fact: Is Modern Warfare 2 Worth The Wait?

To which I can answer, “Uh, I suppose so? Yeah.”

I have yet to really get far in the game, but the game seems to be all about taking what was in MW1, and somehow both polishing and expanding it while keeping to the time-tested method. Everything is bigger and brighter, and generally everything’s more… fun, I suppose.

Once I play more and complete the single player campaign, I’ll do a full review. For now though, know that if you liked the previous games, you should probably look into getting a hold of this.