In excellent form, Activision brought together the top gaming media from around the world to experience, for the first time, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer. While the above and beyond wining and dining was immensely appreciated—from the extravagant hotel room to the drinks and food and plush accommodations—we are all here for the same reason: to do our job. Fortunately for myself and the rest of the gaming press invited to Los Angeles, our job was to play the biggest upcoming holiday release of 2009.

Activision and Infinity Ward's press event was held at Siren Studios in Hollywood. A small but properly accommodating space packed from corner to corner with Modern Warfare 2 and Xbox 360 lights and kiosk displays complete with roughly 30 playable stations. Various members of Infinity Ward were readily available to streamline the playable demos, answer any questions and provide guidance and feedback. For example, I was constantly offered useful gameplay tips and suggestions by members of Infinity Ward's development team.

Before we were given hands-on time with the multiplayer mode, Microsoft and Infinity Ward offered a short but sweet 10 minute presentation. Kicked off by Infinity Ward's Vince Zampella saying, "We're fuckin' talking about it tonight!" in reference to the strict radio silence maintained by the team regarding the multiplayer mode of the game thus far.





Vince then passed the microphone over to Xbox Live's Major Nelson to talk about the extensive teamwork between Infinity Ward and Microsoft. The first major bit of news he broke was the Modern Warfare 2-themed Xbox 360 console. Available for pre-order now for $399, the Modern Warfare 2-themed console comes packed with a 250GB hard drive, two wireless controllers and of course the game itself.

Following the new console announcement and a bit of hype talk, Major Nelson then passed the stage to Infinity Ward's Todd Alberman and Robert Bowling to unveil further details on the specifics of Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer. The first bit of information shared was the ability to set which killstreak rewards are available during a match. You can chose up to three achievable killstreak benchmarks ranging from 3 kills to 11, each with their own reward. Of course, the higher your killstreak, the greater your reward.

Infinity Ward is also offering a significant upgrade to your Call Sign. The call sign is essentially your Modern Warfare 2 gamertag. It displays your top achievements, rank, and other relevant stats and data. Much like other competing games, your Call Sign displays in the waiting lobby so enemy players and allies can size you up before the start of the match.





Beyond all the rich graphics and realistic physics, hardcore gamers can get excited about the mass amounts of customization available in your multiplayer experience. Both primary and secondary weapons are customizable; from gun camouflage to attachments and more, set the individual variables of your weapons as you see fit. You're also able to select from a variety of available equipment. For the highly tactical gamer, you're also able to choose your tactical insertion location. Or in other words, your spawn point. But watch out, if you're too predictable, players will anticipate your spawn spot and camp nearby for the easy kill.

One of the coolest features of Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer, in my opinion, is the ability to create custom classes. There are a handful of pre-constructed classes, each class with a set of unique weapons, perks, and equipment. Get bored of the default classes and you can put together your own set of variables and give it a custom class name. In the grand picture, it is things like this that raise the bar for customization on console games to a level previously only made available on PC games.

My hands-on experience with Modern Warfare 2 was, as you would suspect, very positive. Take everything about the first Modern Warfare and add sharper graphics, more customization, more characters, and better weapon and skill balance. Gamers have a much stronger ability of jumping online and holding a candle to more experienced gamers. The weapons are extremely realistic and also well balanced. You're likely to find your favorite gun, but no single weapon has an exclusive advantage over all other weapons.

Simply put, you won't be disappointed with the multiplayer of Modern Warfare 2. It is already polished, smooth and balanced in all the right ways. If you're a fan of the first, you'll absolutely love Modern Warfare 2.