Sure, Infinity Ward has botched the pre-release hype generation, but there's no denying that the core gameplay experience is incredible. I'll go ahead and say it now: overall, Modern Warfare 2 is one of the best games this year. Some of the destruction is scripted, but enough exploding cars and burst water mains await your personal touch that it feels like you have an integral role in changing the immediate environment.
Anything made with glass spiderwebs, then shatters.and there is a lot more glass this time around, both in single- and multiplayer. In the single player campaign, a bullet to the tire of a parked vehicle deflates it. I particularly liked the higher level of destruction that takes place during pretty much any mode. The sounds of the guns leave a little bit to be desired, but voiceover work is spot-on and the music is suitably epic (we would expect nothing less from a score by Hans Zimmer). It's not a huge improvement, but it shows how committed the studio is to detail and immersion on a visual level. Smoke billows and expands, at one point even swirling realistically as AH-6 helicopters pass through.
Somehow, Infinity Ward managed to improve on Call of Duty 4's visuals.
