Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

"The most anticipated game of the year— Modern Warfare 2."

- Adam Sessler, co-host of X-Play

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Sometimes referred to as Modern Warfare 2 or MW2) is the sixth main Call of Duty game, and the fourth developed by Infinity Ward.

The game was published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Officially announced on February 11, 2009, the game was released worldwide on November 10, 2009. It is the direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, continuing along the same storyline and gameplay. It was released in conjunction with two other Call of Duty games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized for the Nintendo DS, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex, a port of Call of Duty 4 adapted by Treyarch for the Wii console. In addition, a comic book series based on one of the game's characters was also produced, entitled Modern Warfare 2: Ghost.

Modern Warfare 2 has received highly positive reviews from various gaming websites, attaining a 94% aggregate score on Metacritic, with praise stemming primarily from its in-depth multiplayer component.

On January 13, Activision reported that Modern Warfare 2 had crossed $1 billion in retail sales.

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

Plot overview
"This is for the record."

- Captain Price

Despite the efforts of the United States Marine Corps and the Special Air Service, the Ultranationalists seize control of Russia and declare Imran Zakhaev a hero and martyr, erecting a statue of him in the heart of Red Square. Meanwhile, Vladimir Makarov, one of Zakhaev's former lieutenants, begins a campaign against Europe by committing acts of terrorism over the course of five years. In Afghanistan, U.S. Army Ranger Joseph Allen assists in the taking of a city from insurgents. Impressed by Allen's abilities, Lieutenant General Shepherd recruits him into "Task Force 141", an elite, multi-national counter-terrorist unit under Shepherd's command. Meanwhile, two other members of 141, John MacTavish and Gary Sanderson infiltrate a Russian airbase in the Tian Shan mountains to retrieve an ACS (Attack Characterization System) module from a downed satellite.

thumb|right|300px|Introduction to the game Allen is later sent on an undercover mission in Russia for the CIA, joining Makarov in a massacre of civilians at the Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow. Makarov has been aware of Allen's identity and kills him during extraction, leaving his body to spark a war between Russia and America. Angered by what was believed to be an American-supported terrorist attack, Russia retaliates with a massive surprise invasion on the United States after bypassing its early warning system, revealing that the ACS module MacTavish and Sanderson recovered had already been compromised before its retrieval. Sergeant Foley leads his squad of Army Rangers, including James Ramirez, in defense of a suburb in northeastern Virginia against the Russian invasion. They then proceed towards a war-torn Washington, D.C., where U.S. forces are fighting the Russians for control of the capital.

Meanwhile, 141 searches for evidence that implicates Makarov as the mastermind behind the airport massacre, as all proof of Makarov's involvement died with Allen. Intelligence leads them to a Favela, where the team investigates leads on Makarov's contact, weapons dealer Alejandro Rojas. They find out from Rojas that Makarov's worst enemy, known as Prisoner 627, is locked up in a Russian gulag. The Task Force assaults the prison and manages to free 627, who turns out to be Captain Price. Price agrees to aid Soap and Shepherd in tracking down Makarov. Price decides that ending the war in America is their first priority. To end it, he temporarily goes rogue, and leads them to raid a Russian port, where they gain control of a nuclear submarine. Price uses the submarine to launch a ballistic missile towards Washington D.C. He sets the warhead to detonate in the upper atmosphere, which destroys the International Space Station and creates an electromagnetic pulse, which cripples vehicles and electronic equipment on both sides, giving the Americans a slight advantage. Back on the ground, Foley and his squad seek shelter from the disabled aircraft that are now literally falling from the sky, and proceed to the White House. There, they receive a transmission informing them that the Air Force is preparing to carpet bomb the entire city to deny the Russians a strong foothold. Foley's squad fight their way to the roof of the White House and set off flares in the nick of time, aborting the air strike. Flares are lit on the rooftops of other landmarks, signifying that the city is still in American hands.[33]

Narrowing down Makarov's hiding place to two separate locations, Task Force 141 decides to split up. Price and Soap travel to an aircraft bone-yard in Afghanistan, while Roach and Ghost raid Makarov's safe house on the Georgian-Russian border. At the safe house, Roach and his team obtain vital intelligence from Makarov's computer and escape with Makarov's men in pursuit. However, when they reach the extraction point Shepherd betrays them, retrieving the intelligence and taking it with him, murdering Roach and Ghost in the process. Price and MacTavish quickly learn of Shepherd's betrayal and escape a battle between Shepherd and Makarov's men with the help of Nikolai. After contacting Makarov and offering to kill Shepherd for him, Makarov reveals Shepherd's location at a mountain base in Afghanistan. Price and MacTavish raid the base in an attempt to take revenge on Shepherd in a suicide mission. During the infiltration, Shepherd tries to escape and a long boat pursuit ensues.

At the climax of the pursuit, Shepherd boards a helicopter, only for Price to disable it by shooting the helicopter's rotor, causing a crash landing. Price and MacTavish tumble over a waterfall in the process. After recovering from the fall, Price and MacTavish engage Shepherd in a fight. Shepherd is eventually killed by a throwing knife, but MacTavish is severely wounded. Price inspects MacTavish's wounds as Nikolai arrives in a helicopter to extract them. Nikolai warns them that they will be pursued, but Price insists that MacTavish receive medical attention; Nikolai mentions that he knows a safe place to go to, and MacTavish and Price are now wanted criminals globally, and go into hiding.

Act I

 * S.S.D.D. — Help train the ANA soldiers
 * 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. (This level can be skipped if the player is offended by its content).
 * Takedown — Engage in a running firefight throughout Rio de Janeiro's Favela to capture an arms dealer named Alejandro 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 defenses 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 defenses 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 fighter bombers.
 * Loose Ends — Search for Makarov at his safehouse on the Georgian/Russian border, and capture Makarov's Operations Playbook.
 * The Enemy Of My Enemy — Make your way through the bone-yard as General Shepherd's men and Makarov's men fight each other and get to the extraction point.
 * Just Like Old Times — Search the Afghan cave network for Shepherd.
 * Endgame — Chase Shepherd, using a boat, down rivers and through caves with Price to kill Shepherd.

Bonus

 * Museum — See dioramas of most levels, locations, and events 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 Package is available in the two rooms the weapons are found in. A red bell is found in the two rooms featuring characters. The bell reads "Do Not Press", and if the player disobeys, all the characters featured in the dioramas in the individual rooms come 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. There also are several exclusive weapons, the M1911, Dragunov and W1200, all of which are usable and exclusive to the level.

Canceled Levels

 * International Space Station (Level) - Found in the games code.
 * "Roadkill" - Found in the Hardened/Prestige Edition art-book.

Task Force 141s

 * Sergeant Gary &quot;Roach&quot; Sanderson is a playable character and member of Task Force 141.
 * Captain John &quot;Soap&quot; MacTavish (The main playable character from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) is the Commanding officer of Task Force 141 and another playable character.
 * Captain John Price (Soap's commanding officer from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) returns to fight alongside Soap.
 * Lieutenant Simon &quot;Ghost&quot; Riley is a member of Task Force 141 and Soap's right-hand man.

U.S. Army Rangers

 * Lt. General Shepherd is the commander of the U.S. forces, Task Force 141 and the Shadow Company
 * 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 and is the first playable character.
 * Corporal Dunn is the second in command in Foley's squad in the U.S. Army Rangers.
 * Overlord is the communicator between the US rangers through out the game.
 * 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.

Other Characters

 * 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, The Enemy Of My Enemy, and Endgame
 * Raptor is a High-Value Individual rescued in "Wolverines!". He carries valuable information in a briefcase.
 * William Cullen is the Secretary of Defense heard in Second Sun and mentioned in Loose Ends.
 * Sat1 is the callsign for an unnamed astronaut who is only playable at the beginning of Second Sun.
 * HVI is an unnamed person of importance who killed by Viktor of Makarov's squad but is killed in the event's of Exodus possibly from suicide

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".
 * Alexei Borodin (aka Joseph Allen) is pretending to be 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, USA
 * Siberia, Russia
 * Zakhaev International Airport
 * International Space Station
 * Tian Shan Range, Kazakhstan
 * Georgia-Russia border

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

The PS3 exclusive trophy is entitled "Is That All You Got?" and is unlocked after all other Trophies are attained.

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 being the hardest. Within the groups there are types of missions such as "Breach and Clear" and "Elimination". There are special enemy types, such as those using riot shields, even the Special Ops exclusive Juggernaut, wearing heavy bomb squad armor. There are a total of 23 Special Ops missions, two of which are only playable in two player co-op due to one player assisting the other in carrying out the mission's objective from air support.

Multiplayer
Multiplayer is similar to the previous two titles on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. However, multiplayer on the PC is quite different from previous games. The PC version no longer includes dedicated server support. While previous Call of Duty titles allowed multiplayer matches with up to 64 people and user-made maps and mods, Modern Warfare 2 on PC is almost identical to console versions.

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, while still unlocked at level 4, 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 as well as the original Fragmentation Grenade.
 * Secondary Weapons now consist of Shotguns, Machine Pistols/Regular Pistols, 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.
 * As with previous games, in addition to player created classes there are five preset classes, but this time they include weapons and equipment unlocked at higher levels rather than just the items that are available by default when CaC is first unlocked.
 * 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, preventing many highly irritating mid-game ends with no or inaccurate results.
 * Idle sway for the ACOG has been eliminated for all non-sniper rifle weapons.
 * Idle sway for all non-scoped weapons and AK-47s with attachments (apart from ACOG) has also been removed.
 * Each of the perks has a Pro upgrade available, which you have to unlock by completing a challenge for the specific perk.
 * In Split Screen, instead of all Pre-set Classes, users can rank up and create their own.

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 amount of 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: Modern Warfare and 65 in Call of Duty: 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.

New Playlists
There are a few new additions to the playlists.

Former Playlists

 * 3rd Person Team Deathmatch
 * 3rd Person Hardcore Team Deathmatch
 * 3rd Person Cage Match
 * Cage Match
 * Mosh Pit

Cut Playlists

 * Global Thermonuclear War
 * One Flag
 * Arena
 * Die Hard
 * Defcon
 * Arms Race

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 with a few changes. Firstly, new attachments were introduced, such as the Thermal Scope and Heartbeat Sensor. Secondly, 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. Lastly, the Grip and Grenade Launcher no longer count as a tier one perk. Enemies throughout the campaign will now carry weapons customized with a variety of attachments. When a player goes to pick up a weapon, it will actually tell them what attachments the gun has, except when the gun is using Bling or does not have any 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 Pro V and Pro VI challenges exist. Pro V does not earn anything except a large amount of XP. Certain Pro challenges unlock Emblems or titles 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 less-useful 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.There are also radiation areas at the end of the map.
 * Derail: An arctic map featuring a small town and train loading station on each end with a creek running underneath a train wreck in the center.Possible sniper buildings on one side off the map nearest to the pylon.
 * Estate: Wooded level surrounding an estate and nearby power station. The level is sloped downward with the estate at the top, based on the campaign level Loose Ends
 * Favela: A shanty town level based on 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.And a possible sniper position featured on a platform lift where you can access from the crane.
 * Invasion: A middle eastern town with a diner, bank, and garage. Lots of street to street fighting, based on the campaign level Team Player.
 * Karachi: Large, compact city located in Karachi, Pakistan with mostly mid-range combat.Various camping positions.
 * 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.There is a pipe/pole that you can climb up to access the tower.
 * Scrapyard: An airplane scrapyard, based on the campaign level The Enemy Of My Enemy.You can get on to the plane by getting on the van then jump onto the plane by this.
 * Skidrow: A series of apartments, stores, and diners in a small, abandoned American 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 on the Campaign level Contingency.
 * Terminal: An airplane terminal, based on 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 three sides. Based on the Call of Duty map Brecourt and loosely based on the Call of Duty 4 level All Ghillied Up.Alike afghan there is radiation nearing the end of the map (note. this will kill you eventually so avoid this area.)

Stimulus Package maps

 * Bailout: A large map that features apartment buildings, houses, and parking lots. This map features various styles of fighting, from close-quarters in the buildings to long range firefights outdoors.
 * Storm: A large, two-storied warehouse with an industrial park outdoors and an intense storm.
 * Salvage: An outdoor map that features a junkyard, and two buildings.
 * Crash: A fan-favorite from Call of Duty 4, featuring many small buildings, streets, sniping positions and a crashed helicopter.
 * Overgrown: A wide, open map with lots of vegetation and cover. It is a favorite of players (especially snipers) of Call of Duty 4.

Resurgence Pack maps

 * Carnival: The map is centered around a desolated amusement park and includes attractions such as a roller coaster and fun house. The map size is large with long sight lines. It takes place during day. &#91;1&#93;
 * Trailer Park: The map is centered around a mobile home park. The map size is small with tight corridors and run-and-gun type combat. It is reported that set in context of the game, this is the living quarters of the people who run U.S. Vehicle Disposal Yard 437, which is visible in the background.
 * Fuel: It is focused on long range combat. It is divided into two main sections, with one part being an oil refinery with warehouses and the other part being open land. This map contains similar qualities of other maps, including the size of Wasteland and the terrain of Rust.
 * Strike: A map from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, it is a large town.
 * Vacant: A map from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It is a small map that is set in an abandoned office building.

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: Copies the loadout (Weapons, Perks, and Attachments) of the enemy that killed the player last.
 * Lv. 6 - 3 deaths - Painkiller: Triples health for ten seconds after respawn.
 * Lv. 27 - 4 deaths - Martyrdom: Drops a live grenade when killed.
 * Lv. 39 - 4 deaths - Final Stand: Allows the player to fight on the ground with any weapon. Much like Last Stand, except the player is able to return to their feet if no damage is inflicted.

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). Also, killstreaks require one less kill with the perk Hardline.
 * 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. The package can contain any killstreak, excluding the nuke, Emergency Airdrop, and of course, another Care Package.
 * 4 - Counter-UAV: Blocks an enemy UAV and disables their radar for the duration. This can also be shot down.
 * 5 - Sentry Gun: Allows the player to deploy an automated M5 Minigun Turret, which is dropped in an air-drop. 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 Spetsnaz, Militia and OpFor teams) or a Cobra (for Task Force 141, Rangers and Navy Seal teams) armed with one minigun to attack enemy players.
 * 8 - Emergency Airdrop: Deploys a C-130 that drops four care packages. Unlike the care package, it is impossible for the player to receive an EMP from one of the packages.
 * 9 - Pave Low: Deploys a Sikorsky MH-53 armed with two gun turrets.The Pave Low also has one flare defense against guided missiles.
 * 9 - Stealth Bomber: Deploys a B2 Spirit that is invisible on the enemies radar. The bomber drops a large carpet bomb. Just like the Precision Airstrike, the user can control which direction the bomber comes from.
 * 11 - Chopper Gunner: Deploys a AH-64 Apache (for Task Force 141, Army Rangers, and SEALs) or a Mi-28 Havoc (for Spetsnaz, Militia, and OpFor) attack helicopters that the player controls. User is vulnerable during use. The Chopper Gunner has one flare to defend against guided missiles.
 * 11 - AC-130: Deploys an AC-130 gunship that the player controls. User is vulnerable during use. The AC-130 has 2 flare defenses against guided missiles.
 * 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.) Enemies also cannot use any of their killstreaks while the EMP is active. The EMP also give the enemy's screens a bit of a grainy look to it.
 * 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
Accolades are awards earned in game and given after a match. They do not reward XP.

Callsigns
Callsigns are multiplayer name-tags that appear on screen when a player achieves a kill, secures a command post, and other things. The callsign includes the Emblem, Title and name of the player. To unlock titles and emblems for your callsign you will need to do certain achievements such as reaching certain prestiges or kills with weapons etc. This is away to show of to your friends.



Challenges
Challenges remain largely unchanged from the previous game. However, on the event of prestiging, a tier of challenges will be unlocked, under the title of Prestige. These challenges mostly require the player to get a certain amount of kills using a killstreak etc.

Local split-screen
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 also features local split-screen on a single console, similarly to previous installments of Call of Duty. Up to four players can play on a single console. Local split-screen 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.

Updates
The Latest update added the Resurgence map package DLC, which added the Resurgence playlists and Barebones playlists.

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

 *  — 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 Millennium.
 *  — A Scottish actor who portrays John "Soap" MacTavish. He is most known to mainstream audiences for his role as Owen Hunt on ABC's Grey's Anatomy but many fans may also 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 and he Played Poseidon in the recent Percy Jackson and The Olympians movie.
 *  — An English Actor who voiced Gaz in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. He does the voiceover of Ghost. Announcer for Task Force 141.
 *  — 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.
 *  — 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. David is well-known for his roles in The Thing, Platoon, and the Chronicles of Riddick series. In television, he is well-known for voicing the titular character of Spawn as well as Goliath on the cartoon series Gargoyles. Additionally, he is well-known for narrating numerous US Navy recruitment TV commercials as well as many highly regarded documentaries on the Discovery Networks.
 *  — An American actor who is known for his recurring role in 24 as Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce . He does the voice-over for Overlord, an American commander during the Russian invasion of the US.
 *  — An English actor who previously voiced Captain Price returns as him in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
 *  (50 Cent) — A popular hip hop performer who does voice work for auxiliary characters in the campaign and multiplayer modes, particularly as the US Navy SEAL team announcer.
 *  — A Russian actor who voiced Vladimir Makarov.

Controversies
See also - Controversies surrounding Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

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


 * One of the campaign missions allows the player to participate in the massacre of civilians. Infinity Ward included the option for the mission to be skipped by the player.
 * 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. There is also no console (though it can be unlocked by hacking), another PC feature.

Downloadable content
Activision has announced that they plan to release a minimum of two down-loadable 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. The first map pack, the Stimulus Package includes five maps; two from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Crash and Overgrown, and three new maps, Bailout, Salvage, and Storm. It was released for Xbox Live users on March 30, 2010, and May 4, 2010 for PC users and North American PlayStation 3 users. It was release on May 5 for the rest of the PS3 and PC users in the world.

The second map pack, the Resurgence Package released for Xbox 360 on June 4, and PC for North American PS3 users on July 6 and 7 for the rest of the world using PS3. It included five maps: Three new maps, Carnival, Fuel, and Trailer Park. It also brings back two maps from the original Modern Warfare: Strike and Vacant.

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 was 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 (a different print, the MW2 green and black instead of the figure in the desert) 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 a GAME exclusive. It costs £199.99.


 * 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 $150.


 * Saga Pack - Includes the standard edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 along with its prequel, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It became available in late 2010.

A special edition Xbox 360 was also released alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. 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/£249.99.

Aside from the main console versions, two other Call of Duty games were 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 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 camouflage. There is also going to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Skins and Faceplates if the player does not wish to buy the Mad Catz gear, which snap onto the controller and console rather than being a vinyl skin. The accessories launched along side the game.

Movie References
See Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2/Movie references

Sequel
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was confirmed to be in pre-production on April 9, 2010 and is set to be released sometime in 2011. Rumors exist that state it will be a prequel to both Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2. It is rumored that the storyline could revolve around the Modern Warfare 2 character Ghost (in this case it would be a prequel as Ghost is deceased after the events of Modern Warfare 2). Activision has confirmed that Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games will work on the single player, while Raven Software will take control of the multiplayer. On February 4th 2011, it was announced that Infinity Ward will have a new game type, similar to Treyarchs Nazi Zombie mode.

Trivia

 * Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the first Call of Duty sequel that actually refers back to a previous game. All other games in the series have focused on different battles or events.
 * Like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, there are no openly controllable vehicles in adversarial multiplayer modes; the only controllable vehicles are the AC-130 and the AH-64 Apache/Mi-28 Havoc (Chopper Gunner), and the user can only control the gun positions after a killstreak of 11.
 * 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.
 * This is the first game in the Call of Duty series where Light Machine Guns and Shotguns can have silencers.
 * Monster Energy has released Modern Warfare 2 themed cans.Monster mw.jpg
 * This is the first game in the series to feature more than two editions rather than just Standard and Collector's.
 * Infinity Ward has stated that they will look into an online stat system for its website as a potential addition later on.
 * It is worth noting that, whilst the title was changed to include the Call of Duty prefix on the disc and box, It remains as Modern Warfare 2 on the title screen and everywhere else in-game, and is only referred to as Modern Warfare 2 by Infinity Ward.
 * Modern Warfare 2 ' s sales currently exceed one billion dollars.
 * This game was seen in the movie, "Percy Jackson & The Olympians, The Lighting Thief". It was seen being played by Luke; he was with the Militia playing Team Deathmatch in Favela with an M16A4 Bling with Red Dot Sight and a Grenade Launcher. A goof viewers can see is that he's playing with a PS3 controller even though the screen shows X-Box 360 buttons on the screen.
 * The game was featured in Family Guy in the episode "April in Quahog" where Peter Griffin is seen playing Team Deathmatch on Favela as Task Force 141 whilst also struggling to control the Xbox 360.
 * Peter's class seems to be a small variant of the "Grenadier" pre-made class where the equipment slot is a Semtex instead of a frag grenade.
 * Some car license plates read "IW20094" referring to Infinity Ward, the makers of the game, 2009, referring to the release date, and 4 as the fourth installment of Infinity Ward.
 * Coincidentally, the game was released on Mikhail Kalashnikov's birthday, November 10, the same day as the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy SEALs' birthday.
 * This is the first game in the series in which the primary antagonist is American.
 * Modern Warfare 2 was referenced by Alex Zane on Rude Tube 2010 claiming that he brought the game.
 * In the French edition of the game, an English voice can be heard saying "Target at seven o'clock" in "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday", "The Gulag" and occasionally other Special Ops missions.