Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

"The shooter to end all shooters—Modern Warfare 2."

- Adam Sessler, co-host of X-Play "The most anticipated game of the year—Modern Warfare 2."

- Adam Sessler, co-host of X-Play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, also referred to as simply Modern Warfare 2 and referred to during early development as Call of Duty 6, is the sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was developed by Infinity Ward, and was released on November 10, 2009, the United States Marine Corps birthday and before Veteran's Day. It was officially announced by Activision Blizzard on March 26, 2009, after being prematurely revealed on December 8, 2008.

After its release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 grossed $310,000,000 in its first twenty-four hours in the US, UK and Australia, becoming the highest first-day grossing product ever. It went on to make $550,000,000 in the first five days of its release, making it the biggest video game money maker in all of entertainment history.

Gameplay
Although Modern Warfare 2 runs on a different game engine, the gameplay is similar to the previous two games, similar enough for players of these two games to feel right at home. There are a few new additions to gameplay, mainly in multiplayer, which will be covered later in the article. See Infinity Ward Game Engine Mechanics for more information.

Single player
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 continues five years after the events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Plot
"This is for the record."

- Captain Price

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is set five years after the conclusion of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Despite the efforts of the Marines and the SAS, the Ultranationalists seize control of Russia and enshrine Imran Zakhaev, the deceased leader of the Ultrantionalists, a hero and martyr. Meanwhile, Vladimir Makarov, one of Zakhaev's former lieutenants, begins a reign of terror against Europe by staging numerous terror attacks. The game begins in Afghanistan, where US Army Ranger Private Allen of 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment participates in an operation to retake an Afghan city from local militia. Impressed, General Shepherd recruits Allen as a CIA operative and places him in Makarov's organization as an undercover operative. Meanwhile, Soap and Roach infiltrate a Russian airbase to recover an American ACS module. Allen then participates with Makarov in a terrorist attack on a Russian airport. However, Makarov is somehow aware that Allen is an undercover CIA agent, and kills Allen before fleeing the airport. The terrorist attack was made to look as if done by Americans as Makarov and his squad speak English and use NATO weapons (i.e. M4A1 and M240). Allen's body is left behind for the Russians to find, which will be identified as American.

Angered by what they believe is an American-supported terrorist attack, Russia initiates a surprise invasion of the United States East Coast. (This may, likewise, be a jab at the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan following 9/11) The 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment is called upon to defend Virginia and Washington D.C. from the Russian attack. Meanwhile, Task Force 141 now shifts their attention to Makarov. They go to Rio de Janeiro to investigate an alleged contact of Makarov, Alejandro Rojas. After capturing and interrogating Rojas, the Task Force discovers that one of Makarov's most hated enemies, known as Prisoner 627, is being held in a Russian prison. However, the Russian invasion of the US has cut off aerial support for Task Force 141, leaving them stranded in Brazil. Nikolai is enlisted by Soap to extract Task Force 141 from Rio de Janeiro. Nikolai, piloting a Pave Low, manages to rescue Task Force 141 from the Favela gangs.

Soap believes that breaking Prisoner 627 from the Russian prison will draw Makarov out. General Shepard orders Task Force 141 to link up with the 6th Fleet to lead a counterattack against the Russians near the Bering Strait. With assistance from the Navy SEALs, Marines, and American Navy, Task Force 141 break through oil rigs being used as SAM (Surface to Air Missiles) platforms and storm The Gulag to free Prisoner 627, who is revealed to be Captain Price. After a close escape involving a Pave Low and SPIE Rig, Price agrees to join Task Force 141 and help them track down Makarov. Price believes that something extreme must be done to end the war in the US. Task Force 141 temporarily goes rogue, infiltrating a Russian submarine base. Price then hijacks a Russian nuclear submarine and launches an ICBM at Washington D.C. However, Price programs the warhead to explode in the upper atmosphere, which destroys the International Space Station but spares Washington and creates a electromagnetic pulse.

The electromagnetic pulse cripples both the US and Russian forces in the city. Planes and other flying vehicles crash to earth, and Sergeant Foley and his squad discover that the Air Force has orders to carpet the bomb Washington, D.C., as the US military believes that the city has been lost to Russian control. The only way to abort the operation is to set off green flares on the roof of the White House, which is still occupied by Russian forces, to signal that the friendly American forces have control of the city. Foley and his squad fight their way to the roof the White House and manage to set off their flares just as the bombers arrive, while green flares on the roofs of other D.C. landmarks signifies that the city remains firmly in American hands. Foley and the squad vow to take the fight to the Russians, burning down their capital just as they did to Washington.

However, Makarov is still on the loose. General Shepard informs Task Force 141 that Makarov has two possible safe havens and orders them to split up and to secure both locations simultaneously. Soap and Price go to the boneyards in Afghanistan, whilst Roach and Ghost raid Makarov's safehouse in the Caucasus Mountains. It is revealed to be a trap, but Task Force fights their way through the safehouse and obtain vital intelligence to put an end to him for good. However, General Shepherd betrays them and kills both Ghost and Roach. He intends to take advantage of the crisis to become an American war hero and secure the support of the American population. Price and Soap manage to escape Shepherd's ambush, fighting both a new enemy, known as Shadow Company, and the last of the Ultranationalist forces at the same time, in the middle of a two-way battlefield. They convince Makarov to reveal Shepherd's location to them. In Afghanistan, Soap and Price decide to take revenge on him in one final, bloody suicide mission. They attack his base there, but he escapes on a boat. They chase him on a boat down an Afghan river and through some caves, gaurded by OpFor(whom haven't been seen since Act 1) who are also engaging Shadow Company. Price shoots the helicopter Shepherd tries to escape in, but he and Soap fall down a waterfall. The heavily wounded Soap stumbles through the crash site and chases Shepherd, attempting to stab him. The attempt fails and Shepherd stabs Soap. Shepherd eventually prepares to execute Soap, but Price tackles Shepherd at the last second. As Soap lays dying, Shepherd and Price fight. By ripping the knife out of his own chest, Soap manages to kill Shepherd with a knife throw to the head. Nikolai then arrives to extract them. Price warns Nikolai that they will be international fugitives for what they've done, but Nikolai insists he knows a safe place to take them. The game ends with this cliff hanger.

Act I

 * S.S.D.D. — Help train the Afghan National Army and run the training course for General Shepherd.
 * Team Player — Assault an Afghan town after the bridge is destroyed by OpFor soldiers.
 * Cliffhanger — Infiltrate a Russian mountain base with Capt. MacTavish and recover a downed ACS module.
 * No Russian — Assault a Russian airport with Vladimir Makarov while undercover.
 * Takedown — Engage in a running fire-fight throughout Rio de Janeiro to capture an arms dealer named Rojas.

Act II

 * Wolverines! — Locate and protect codename Raptor during the beginning of the Russian invasion of America.
 * The Hornet's Nest — Fight through the Brazilian Militia defences and escape the favela.
 * Exodus — Crush Russian forces in the suburbs and retrieve the HVI from the panic room.
 * The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday — Infiltrate an oil-rig, rescue hostages, and clear the way to the Gulag.
 * The Gulag — Assault a Russian Gulag and rescue Prisoner #627.
 * Of Their Own Accord — Assault Russian positions at the Department of Commerce, and protect the evacuation site at the Washington Monument.

Act III

 * Contingency — Evade enemy patrols, crush Russian defences at the sub base, and help Cpt. Price secure a nuclear submarine.
 * Second Sun — Dodge falling debris, and push through remaining Russian forces to Whiskey Hotel.
 * Whiskey Hotel — Assault the White House, clear out Russian forces, and get to the roof to wave off friendly fighters.
 * Loose Ends — Search for Makarov at a safehouse on the Georgian/Russian border, and capture Makarov's Operations Playbook.
 * The Enemy Of My Enemy — Let Shepherd's and Makarov's men kill each other and link up with Captain Price to escape the Boneyard with Nikolai.
 * Just Like Old Times — Search the Afghan cave network for Shepherd.
 * Endgame — Chase and kill Shepherd through the rivers with Price.

Bonus

 * Museum — See dioramas of every level, location, and event in the storyline in a museum. Every weapon featured in game is also found here, and the player is able to pick up any of them. An Ammo Box Care Package is available in the 2 rooms the weapons are found in. A red bell in the 2 rooms with NPCs calls all the characters featured in the dioramas in the individual rooms to action, and they all try to kill the player. A third room features vehicles used, but are not animated like the characters in the other two rooms.

Task Force 141

 * Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson is a playable character and member of Task Force 141.
 * Captain "Soap" MacTavish (The main playable character from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) is the Commanding officer of Task Force 141.
 * Captain John Price (Soap's commanding officer from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) returns to fight alongside Soap.
 * Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley is a member of Task Force 141 and Soap's right-hand man.
 * Nikolai (a Loyalist that was rescued by Captain Price and his squad in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) returns in the missions The Hornet's Nest, Endgame, and The Enemy Of My Enemy.

U.S. Army Rangers

 * Lt. General Shepherd is the commander of the U.S. forces and Task Force 141.
 * Private James Ramirez is a U.S. Army Ranger, and a playable character.
 * Sergeant Foley is the leader of Ramirez's squad in the U.S. Army Rangers.
 * Private First Class Joseph Allen is in Foley's squad of the U.S. Army Rangers, and later a member of the C.I.A.
 * Corporal Jake Dunn is the second in command in Foley's squad in the U.S. Army Rangers.
 * Raptor is a High-Value Individual rescued in "Wolverines!". He carries valuable information in a briefcase.
 * William Cullen is the Secretary of Defense mentioned in Loose Ends and heard in Second Sun.
 * Colonel Marshall is the de facto commander during the Battle of Washington, D.C. who organized a siege on the White House with whatever men he could find.

Central Intelligence Agency

 * Alexei Borodin is the undercover alias of Joseph Allen in No Russian.

Russian Federation

 * Major Petrov is the airfield commander in the level Cliffhanger.
 * Boris Vorshevsky is the president of Russia and becomes leader of the Ultranationalists.

Ultranationalists

 * Vladimir Makarov is the new leader of the Ultranationalists.
 * Viktor is one of the terrorists in "No Russian".
 * Anatoly is one of the terrorists in "No Russian".
 * Lev is one of the terrorists in "No Russian".
 * Kiril is one of the terrorists in "No Russian".

Brazilian Militia

 * Alejandro Rojas is an arms dealer based in Rio de Janeiro.
 * Rojas' assistant is Rojas' right hand man.

Locations

 * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
 * Washington, D.C., USA
 * Afghanistan
 * Virginia
 * Siberia, Russia
 * Zakhaev International Airport
 * International Space Station
 * Tian Shan Range, Kazakhstan

Achievements/Trophies
The game features 50 achievements and 51 trophies worth a total of 1000 gamerscore.

Special Ops
A new Special Ops mode includes one and two player cooperative play. Special Ops mode includes several fast-paced action missions similar to Mile High Club which are more difficult than normal campaign missions and are not related to the main storyline. It picks out certain parts of the single player campaign that "work well with co-op". Missions are unlocked by earning stars, which are acquired by playing levels at certain difficulties. Regular difficulty earns one star, hardened earns two, and veteran earns three. Missions are divided into five groups, named Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo - the last said to be the hardest. Within the groups there are types of missions such as "Breach and Clear" and "Elimination". There are even special enemy types, such as those using riot shields, or even Special Ops exclusive Juggernaut (Enemy) wearing heavy armor.

Multiplayer
Multiplayer is similar to the previous two games on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. However, multiplayer on the PC is very different from previous games. The PC version no longer has dedicated server support, which has led to outrage among PC gamers. They once enjoyed multiplayer matches with up to 64 people, very strong connections, and user-made maps and mods, but are now limited to the same options as console players.

Gameplay
The basic gameplay stays the same from Call of Duty 4 and Call of Duty: World at War. A few changes have been made;


 * The HUD is now much more sleek and easy to read on a smaller TV than the HUD from Call of Duty 4.
 * Blood will now cover the screen when the player is injured. This effect will eventually go away and it is still possible to see through the blood.
 * Create-A-Class has a few changes;
 * There is a new slot called "Equipment" where the player can choose from a Claymore, C4, Throwing Knife and Semtex among others instead of a Frag Grenade.
 * Secondary Weapons now consist of Shotguns, Machine pistols and Launchers and Handguns, instead of just pistols in the previous games.
 * Likewise with the HUD the Create-A-Class interface has been re-done from the previous games and is now much more sleek and user-friendly.
 * In-game Host Migration has been implemented - if the host of a multiplayer game leaves, the game will automatically pause for a few seconds to choose a new host, and then the game will resume.
 * Idle sway for ACOG scopes has been eliminated for all non-sniper rifle weapons.

Ranks
The ranking system works in the same way as the previous two games. As the player plays matches, they will gain XP. Once the player reaches a certain enough XP, the player will level up. There are now a total of 70 levels in Modern Warfare 2, as opposed to 55 in Call of Duty 4 and 65 in World at War. There are also 10 levels of prestige, just like in the other two games. As in World at War, the player can unlock a total of 5 extra custom class slots by the 9th prestige.

XP Bonuses

 * Main article: XP

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 XP system was completely redone from previous games and players will now get XP for many more things.

Playlists
There are a few new additions to the playlists.

Former Playlists

 * 3rd Person Team Deathmatch
 * 3rd Person Hardcore Team Deathmatch

Possible Future Playlists

 * Global Thermonuclear War
 * 1 Flag Capture The Flag
 * VIP

Weapon list
This is a list of all weapons that are featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. In multiplayer, the weapon class system has been completely revamped from the version in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.





Weapon attachments
Weapons attachments return in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but some weapon attachments are now unlocked through the use of other attachments, such as getting 20 kills looking through the ACOG Scope to unlock the Thermal Scope or 60 kills looking down the RDS to unlock the Holographic Sight. Enemies throughout the campaign will now carry weapons with different attachments.

Perks
Players can choose one perk from each of the three main tiers and one Death Streak perk for a single class loadout. Three kill streaks can also be chosen, but these are not class-specific.

Pro perks are upgraded versions of existing perks that are unlocked by fulfilling certain requirements with the original. All perks have Pro versions and all are unlocked by the Pro IV challenge for that specific perk. Note that a Pro V challenge exists, but the only reward for completion is a large amount XP. Pro VI challenges unlock Emblems for players to use in their Callsigns. Pro perks include the benefits of the original version while adding new benefits. There are less Perks than in Call of Duty 4 due to the addition of Pro Perks, as well as the removal of many weaker Perks.

Maps

 * Afghan: A large desert level. The level has a large crashed cargo airplane in the center with a cave system in the mountain next to it, along with a large hill. Across from the cave system is a man made concrete bunker and a poppy field.
 * Derail: An artic map featuring a small town and train loading station on each end with a creek running underneath a trainwreck in the center.
 * Estate: Wooded level surrounding an estate and nearby power station. The level is sloped downward with the estate at the top.
 * Favela: A shanty town level based off of the slums of Rio De Janeiro. The level has a slope throughout the map, along with several story buildings most of which are rooftop accessible.
 * Highrise: A level taking place on the rooftop of an unfinished construction site. There are two office buildings on each side with a below level tunnel leading to each base. There are heli-pads, cranes, and other smaller structures accessible to the player.
 * Invasion: A middle eastern town with a diner, bank, and garage. Lots of street to street fighting.
 * Karachi: Large, compact city located in Karachi, Pakistan with mostly mid-range combat.
 * Quarry: A large level taking place in a rock excavation site. There several buildings and water tanks surrounding a two-story central structure accessible from a cat walk or ground level.
 * Rundown: A rural town separated in two by a ravine crossed by several bridges.
 * Rust : A small, fairly open oil derrick in the middle of the desert. Lots of open ground with some cover and a tower in the center. It is the small oil derrick seen in the background at the end of Endgame.
 * Scrapyard: An airplane scrapyard, based on the campaign level The Enemy Of My Enemy.
 * Skidrow: A series of apartments, stores, and diners in a small, abandoned Afghan town. Lots of straight-up firefights as well as some elements of long-range combat such as multi-level buildings.
 * Sub Base: A snowy submarine base with office buildings, barracks, hangars, and docks located in Russia, based off of the Campaign level Contingency.
 * Terminal: An airplane terminal, based off of the Single Player level No Russian.
 * Underpass: In the rain under the remains of an underpass. Mostly long range fighting to close range fighting (sniping and sniper-hunting).
 * Wasteland: An open grassy level taking place near the Chernobyl Nuclear reactors, clearly visible in the background. There is nothing but open cover except for a bunker in the center of the map accessible from either side. Based off of the Call of Duty map Brecourt and loosely based off of the Call of Duty 4 level All Ghillied Up.

Deathstreak rewards
Death Streaks are the opposite of Kill Streaks: these give the player certain rewards for being killed a certain amount of times in a row without getting a kill. Once the Death Streak activates, it remains active until the user gets a kill, no matter how many times the user dies until they get that kill. Once the user gets a kill, the Death Streak will still be active for that life, but will then deactivate upon their next respawn. Only one can be equipped to a class. Unlike Perks, Death Streaks do not have Pro versions.
 * Start - 4 deaths - Copycat: Copy the loadout (Weapons, Perks, and Attachments) of the enemy that killed you last.
 * Lv. 6 - 3 deaths - Painkiller: Double health for ten seconds after respawn.
 * Lv. 27 - 4 deaths - Martyrdom: Drop a live grenade when killed.
 * Lv. 39 - 4 deaths - Final Stand: Crawl around on the ground with any weapon. If no damage is taken while in Final Stand, the player will stand back up and continue fighting.
 * Lv. N/A - N/A deaths - Dead Man's Hand:This DeathStreak Was Meant To Be In Modern Warfare 2,It Was Cut And Scrapped Out From The Game At The Last Second And Version. Nothing is really known about Dead Man's Hand except it was a planned deathstreak. It is possible to get this deathstreak on the PC By Changing the death streak files.

Killstreak rewards
Players can select three Killstreak Rewards at a time. A player's killstreak loadout cannot be changed from class to class; instead, one loadout will be used for all classes. Killstreaks now stack (getting a higher killstreak no longer gets rid of the lower unused one, but it will not be available until after the current killstreak is used).
 * 3 - UAV: Deploys a UAV to scan the map and reveal enemy locations. Now able to be shot down.
 * 4 - Care Package: "Air drop a random killstreak or ammo". Deploys by throwing a red smoke grenade obtained after getting a 4 killstreak. The care package can be picked up by anyone once it hits the ground, including the enemy team. The Care Package can also kill, if it lands on a player.
 * 4 - Counter-UAV: Blocks an enemy UAV and disables their radar for the duration.
 * 5 - Sentry Gun: Allows the player to deploy an automated M5 Minigun Turret. The gun automatically fires at enemies in its line of sight, but it can be destroyed by enemy fire. Once deployed, the player who placed it can pick it back up and redeploy it somewhere else.
 * 5 - Predator Missile: Fires one controllable missile at a designated target area. User is vulnerable during use.
 * 6 - Precision Airstrike: Initiates an airstrike on a targeted area much like the Airstrike in Call of Duty 4. However, the user can now control the direction the airstrike comes from.
 * 7 - Harrier Strike: Deploys a small airstrike followed by a hovering harrier that will attack enemy players for a short time.
 * 7 - Attack Helicopter: Deploys a Hind (for Spetznaz, Militia and OpFor teams) or a Cobra armed with one minigun to attack enemy players.
 * 8 - Emergency Airdrop: Deploys a Cargo plane that drops four care packages.
 * 9 - Pave Low: Deploys a Sikorsky MH-53 armed with two gun turrets.
 * 9 - Stealth Bomber: Deploys a B2 Spirit that is invisible on the enemies radar. The bomber drops a large carpet bomb.
 * 11 - Chopper Gunner: Deploys a AH-64 Apache attack helicopter that the player controls. User is vulnerable during use.
 * 11 - AC-130: Deploys an AC-130 gunship that the player controls. User is vulnerable during use.
 * 15 - EMP: Deploys an Electromagnetic pulse that destroys enemy killstreaks and disables the enemies' HUD, radar and any other device that uses electronics (various attachments, C4, Claymores, Semtex, etc.)
 * 25 - Tactical Nuke: Calls in a nuclear weapon that detonates after 10 seconds, killing every player in the match and ending it in favor of the bomb user's team.

Accolades

 * Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Accolades

Accolades are awards earned in game and given after a match.

Callsigns

 * Main article: Callsigns

Callsigns are multiplayer nametags that appear on screen when a player achieves a kill, secures a command post, and other things. This is most likely the feature meant to "make players famous" that was mentioned in the Game Informer article.

Challenges

 * Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 challenges

Challenges remain largely unchanged from the previous game.

Factions

 * Task Force 141
 * US Army Rangers
 * Spetsnaz
 * Brazilian Militia
 * OpFor
 * Navy SEALs

Local splitscreen
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 also features local splitscreen on a single console, similarly to previous installments of Call of Duty. Up to four players can play on a single console. Local splitscreen features all of the same game modes and custom settings as online private matches, and for the first time allows players to unlock things and customize their classes just like in the online modes. One of the offline multiplayer settings enables players to play with everything that they have unlocked online, but playing offline will not earn them XP for their online account, nor will anything they do offline affect any of their online leaderboard stats.

Title
Due to the commercial success of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward thought that the modern setting had entered unto a "world of its own," they then dropped the prefix from the title. Activision was reportedly getting "bored" with the series, and so ran with the idea. It was later found from surveys that there was a 40% drop in brand awareness after the removal of the "Call of Duty" prefix. At E3 2009 the customer intent to buy the game had dropped significantly because of the title change. It is speculated that Activision chose to bring the Call of Duty prefix back in response to these surveys in order to prevent confusion with consumers. The Call of Duty prefix is still absent from the Hardened and Prestige editions, as well as in-game menus.

Voice actors

 * Lance Henriksen - An American character actor who portrays General Shepherd. He is well known amongst sci-fi fans for his role as Bishop in James Cameron's Aliens as well as the highly regarded Fox TV series Millenium.
 * Kevin McKidd - A Scottish actor who portrays Soap MacTavish. He is most known to mainstream audiences for his role as Owen Hunt on ABC's Grey's Anatomy but many fans will recognize him as Lucius Vorenus from HBO's Rome, Dan Vasser from NBC's short lived cult time travel series Journeyman and the British cult werewolf horror film Dog Soldiers. He also provided voice work for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
 * Craig Fairbrass - An English Actor who voiced Gaz in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. He does the voiceover of Ghost.
 * Barry Pepper - A Canadian-born actor who played the Christian sniper Pvt. Daniel Jackson in Saving Private Ryan. As a voice actor, he already performed the role of Alex Mercer in the Activision game: Prototype. He does the voiceover for Cpl. Dunn.
 * Keith David - An American actor who does the voiceover for Sgt. Foley. He voiced the Arbiter in both Halo 2 and 3, Captain Anderson in Mass Effect, and Julius Little in the Saints Row series. He also was the voice of the eponymous animated HBO series Spawn, created by Todd McFarlane. He is also the voice of numerous US Navy recruitment TV commercials as well as many highly regarded documentaries on the Discovery Networks.
 * Glenn Morshower - An American actor who is known for his recurring role in 24 as Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce . He does the voiceover for Overlord, an American commander during the Russian invasion of the US.
 * Billy Murray - An English actor who previously voiced Captain Price returns as him in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 * Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) - A popular hip hop performer who does voicework for auxillary characters in the campaign and multiplayer modes, paticularly as the US Navy SEAL team announcer.

Controversies
See also - A Wikipedia article on the controversies

A number of controversies have surrounded the game. Here is just a selection of them:


 * You get to participate in the massacre of innocent civilians.
 * There are a couple of limitations on the PC version of the game such as the dedicated servers being replaced with matchmaking servers, to prevent modding, the omission of in-game leaning, and there are now only up to eighteen players in one game. Other limitations include the absence of the console (but it can be unlocked by hacks), and no leaning, another PC version exclusive.
 * A homosexual slur was used by Infinity Ward in a viral video against grenade spamming. (Fight Against Grenade Spam)

Downloadable content
Activision has announced that they plan to release a minimum of two downloadable map packs for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Microsoft announced at E3 2009 that these map packs would be available for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live before they would be released on other platforms. It is set to be released in Spring 2010.

In an Interview with Todd Alderman, it was mentioned that it is possible for there to be "Halo 3 like" video sharing to be added on later as DLC.

Retail editions and spin-offs
The game will be released in four different editions for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360. The PC only received the first edition on the list. These are; Regular, Hardened, Veteran and Prestige:


 * Regular - Comes with only the game disc and manual in a standard plastic case like most other games. It costs £45/$60. This is the only version available for the PC.


 * Hardened - Comes with the game disc and the manual, along with an art book, a steel case, and a code to download the original Call of Duty game. It costs £60/$80.


 * Veteran - On September 18 2009 GAME announced a 'Veteran Edition' which includes all the contents of the Hardened Edition, but includes a "Soap" MacTavish ultra-premium ARTFX Statue sculpted by Kotobukiya. The statue has 3 sets of interchangeable weapons and arms, including: Dual ice-climbing pickaxes, Dual .45 caliber pistols, M14 Enhanced Battle Rifle (affixes to Soap's back when not in use). It is unknown if this will be available to UK Game Customers only or other GAME retailers worldwide. It can only be pre-ordered currently in the UK to GAME customers who have a 'GAME Reward Card.' It costs £100.


 * Prestige - Includes all content of the Hardened Edition, as well as fully-functional night vision goggles imprinted with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 logo and a sculpted head stand of "Soap" MacTavish. It costs £115/$150. It is supposedly sold out in the UK and Australia.

A special edition Xbox 360 will also be released alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, though pre-order is available now. The bundle includes an Xbox 360 with MW2 graphics, the Regular edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a 250GB hard drive, two black wireless controllers, and a headset. Pricing is set at $399/AU$599. Additionally, the 250GB hard drive will only be available with the bundle and will not be sold separately.

Aside from the main console versions, two other Call of Duty games will be released alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on November 10, 2009. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized is a Nintendo DS companion narrative game to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex is a Treyarch-converted Wii port of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Peripherals
On July 21, 2009, Infinity Ward's Community Manager Robert Bowling revealed through Twitter that a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 controller was in the works, but initially withheld the name of the manufacturer. It was revealed on August 11, 2009 that peripherals manufacturer Mad Catz was contracted by Activision to create a line of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 controllers and accessories for all platforms that the game will be released on.

On August 24 2009, Mad Catz revealed their Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 lineup including Combat Controllers for Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms, a Throat Communicator for Xbox 360, and a Bluetooth Headset for PS3. For PC there is a Combat Gamepad, "Sniper" Mouse with 2 stage weighting system, and Combat Keyboard. The Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers feature programmable combat buttons. The accessories come in black and snow digital camo. There is also going to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Skins and Faceplates if you do not wish to buy the Mad Catz gear, which snap onto the controller and console rather than being a vinyl skin. The accessories will be launching along side the game.

Trivia



 * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the first Call of Duty sequel that actually refers back to the original game (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare). All the other games focused on different battles or events and never related back to the installments before it.


 * Like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, there are no openly controllable vehicles in adversarial multiplayer modes with the exception of the snowmobiles in spec ops.; the only controllable "vehicles" are the AC-130 Spectre and the AH-64 Apache gunship, and the user can only control the gun positions.
 * Inside the art book, there is a picture of a person on a motorcycle, indicating an early concept for a chase scene that never made it into the game.
 * All the characters that have M4 Carbines on the Main Menu, Special Ops Menu, and Multiplayer Menu have fixed sights instead of folding sights (the ones used in-game).
 * Monster Energy drinks were released for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 * This game is the first to be set in busy cities like Rio De Janiero, Washington, D.C., Moscow and cities in Virginia.
 * This is the first game in the series to feature more than two editions (like the Regular, Hardened, Prestige and Veteran), rather than just Standard and Collector's.
 * Some of the Special Ops missions are based on the single-player levels in the game.
 * Avatar items are now available on the Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace.
 * This is the first game in which playable characters actually talk during briefing sequences (Joseph Allen and MacTavish being prime examples)
 * In various multiplayer maps, there are newspaper dispensers and postcards flying everywhere. The newspapers' lead article is Call of Duty 2. The newspapers' name is the Infinite Ward Times. The postcards that fly and land can be read with a sniper rifle. Infinity Ward's logo can be seen on them, along with a (really hard to read) code, the only few that can be read are 'X', '6', and '9'.
 * Infinity Ward has stated that they will look into an online stat system (Akin to Bungie.net's for Halo) for it's website as a potential addition later on.
 * If you let your game go into the "trailer" by leaving it idle you will see at the top left of the screen the words "Checkpoint reached" in a part of it.