Preview-Review - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Yes, it sold over 40 million copies the first day of its release.

Yes, there is a mission where players can choose to massacre innocent civilians in an Russian airport.

Yes, you can choose to bypass that mission with no penalty.

Finally, yes, it is likely to receive several video game honors and awards.

Just in case you haven't heard any of the pervasive hype surrounding this year's biggest video game release, I'm talking about Infinity Ward's and Activision's "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" the direct sequel to 2007's "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare."

In a series first, "Modern Warfare 2" continues the story of its 2007 predecessor with the formation of a new Russian ultra-nationalist Vladimir Makarov as he rekindles the throne of the fallen Imran Zakhaev to cause more havoc and destruction in another go around.

The strange thing about the "Call of Duty" series is that the plot of any given title takes a backseat to its intensive and explosion happy gameplay although many of the games' most dramatic cinematic moments are fueled by the basics of what's happening in the story. As a result, you don't find yourself paying much attention to the finer details of the story although what's going on can have a profound emotional impact when intense, emotional heart strings are picked.

With that being said - and without my completion of the game - "Modern Warfare 2" doesn't seem to break any ground in a narrative sense even though the game has received a lot of publicity from it's risky "Russian Airport" scene.

Thankfully, the same great gameplay from the series returns.

Anyone familiar with the previous two installments of the series can literally pick up and play the game from the title screen. It's refreshing to experience a series built on consistency rather than trying to reinvent its gameplay - I'm looking at you Final Fantasy.

Veteran's of the series can expect the same great campaign and multiplayer experience with the addition of two-person "Special Op" missions. However, I don't know if it's just me, but I can't seem to figure out how play with another person online in a tactical mission without inviting someone from my friends list.

I've personally spent the majority of my time in the game's in-depth online multiplayer matches. A few added upgrades make the experience a more balanced bout with "death streaks" which allow you to even the playing field after being killed a consistent number of times. There are also new challenges, a customizable emblem tag, and new "kill streaks" to keep things interesting in the same great experience millions of "Call of Duty 4" and "World at War" fan have enjoyed.

However, it seems as though these additions may be a little too forgiving. I understand there are some real..."gifted players" that reached level 60 by the time I purchased the game last Saturday (giving them 5 days to do so), but the average level of players is in the 30s. I haven't really played the game that extensively and I am already at level 11.

You are given a wide array of bonuses from things such as taking revenge on a player that just killed you or by saving another teams mate. This yields quicker level progression and makes the acquisition of those levels feel less rewarding.

Nevertheless, "Modern Warfare 2" is more the same.

It's the same great gameplay, brilliant visuals, dramatic presentation, and rewarding multiplayer. In this case more of the same is a good thing.

However, this consistency does not move the series much further and "Modern Warfare 2" seems to ever so slightly dissatisfy its monumental hype.

Resident Evil 5 Review

8.5 out of 10

The "Resident Evil" franchise has been hailed as the inaugural title in the survival horror franchise with the release of the original "Resident Evil" on the Sony Playstation in 1996.

13 years later, the series takes the genre in a new, not as scary, but incredibly fun direction in "Resident Evil 5" for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

RE5 returns to the story of Chris Redfield a Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (B.S.A.A.) agent 10 years after the Raccoon City incident from the original "Resident Evil." This time, Chris is sent to Africa to investigate potential biochemical arms deal in the remote city of Kljuju. There, Chris meets African B.S.A.A. agent Sheva Alomar and the two reluctantly team-up in the investigation of the potential threat. What results is an experience filled great gameplay, beautifully crafted visuals, familiar characters, and a new way of playing: teamwork.

Fans of 2005 release of "Resident Evil 4" will feel right at home as the same gameplay and basic control scheme returns. The quasi-first to -third person gameplay from RE4 finds its way into RE5 and hasn't lost any of its charm.

The controls are intentionally clunky and frustrating at times - yielding a slight learning curve - to created added suspense when the player is faced with a limited viewpoint and a series of equipment commands while a hoard of biochemically altered zombies attack from all sides.

However, this time around you're not alone.

The new buddy system allows Shiva to tag along with you every step of the way. You can control her actions via quick commands such as "cover" or "attack" and often the two-person system is utilized in several high-tension and puzzle sequences.

RE5's new gameplay scheme reaches its peak when that same two-player cooperative play is taken online. Playing through the game's campaign modes, players can either allow other players to join their campaign at any time or aid a friend in their campaign. The best part is that players bring with them all of their items they have collected throughout the game.

If you are a newcomer to the campaign, a friend can join-in and bring with them all of the items they've collected after completing the game themselves. That certainly makes some of the game's more challenging sequences easier to complete with an experienced player on-hand.

Nevertheless, this also leads to some potential issues when RE5 veterans join a newcomer's game and push them along the chapter without allowing the newcomer to explore the game's environments. To make matters worse, players tend be annoying on headsets and often impatient with newcomers. Commands are also present when playing online, so some gamers may receive a constant barrage of "hey" and "come on" commands from impatient veterans.

By simply having another person with you throughout the game makes RE5 less of a survival horror game and more of a survival third-person shooter. Yes, there are a few frightening moments, but having a friend there with you provides enough comfort to make this a title focused more on cooperative gameplay and less on sending chills down your spine.

The visuals of RE5 are incredible. Environments are brilliantly vivid and character models have a surprising level of detail with no glitches. This is perhaps one of the best looking games of the current console generation. I just wish the game's cinematic scenes were built in real time rather than noticeable, pre-rendered video files. Also, those sequence usually offer poor sound at a lower volume than the rest of the game.

The game feels a little short in length even though there are a few additional gameplay options and a lot of unlockable content. However, in order to attain added goodies it would take a lengthy and repetitive trip through the game that a lot of gamers will pass on.

Overall, "Resident Evil 5" is a solid addition to the "Resident Evil" franchise with a few cameo appearances from series characters and a story that is just about par for the course - no more. Nevertheless, two-player cooperative gameplay is a satisfying and refreshing addition to the series when you're playing with a civilized individual.