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The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The subject of this article exists in or is relevant to the real world. This article was previously featured
For the campaign remaster, see Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered.
For the 2022 game, see Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

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


Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the sixth main Call of Duty game, and the fourth developed by Infinity Ward.

The game was published by Activision for the PC, 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 Edition, a port of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 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. The direct sequel to the game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, was released on November 8, 2011.

Call of Duty: 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, 2010, Activision reported that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had crossed $1 billion in retail sales.[2]

On August 28, 2018, the Xbox 360 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was made backwards compatible on the Xbox One.

On March 31, 2020, a remastered version of the single-player campaign was released on the PlayStation 4. Xbox One and PC versions of the game were made available on April 30, 2020.

Campaign

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

The year is 2016, and 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 the Red Square. Meanwhile, Vladimir Makarov, one of Zakhaev's former lieutenants, begins a campaign against Europe by committing brutal acts of terrorism over the course of five years. In Afghanistan, U.S. Army Ranger PFC Joseph Allen assists his commanding officer Sgt. Foley in training the local soldiers until he is called to run a training course overseen by Lieutenant General Shepherd, who is recruiting one of the Rangers for a special operation. After completing the course, Allen and the rest of the 75th Ranger Regiment assists in the taking of a city from local OpFor soldiers. Impressed by Allen's abilities, 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, Cpt. 'Soap' MacTavish and Sgt. Gary 'Roach' Sanderson infiltrate a Russian airbase in the Tian Shan mountains to retrieve an ACS (Attack Characterization System) module from a downed satellite. During their infiltration, Soap orders Roach to plant explosives to cover their escape, but is compromised while retrieving the ACS. While they are pursued by enemy forces, both men manage to escape with the module.

Call_of_Duty_Modern_Warfare_2_-_Intro

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 - Intro

Introduction to the game

Allen is later sent on an undercover mission in Russia for the CIA, joining Makarov disguised as terrorist Alexei Borodin in a massacre of civilians at the Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow. While they manage to evade capture by Russian forces, Makarov, aware of Allen's identity, kills him during extraction, leaving his body to spark a war between Russia and the United States of America. Outraged 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.

75th Ranger Regiment Sergeant Foley leads his squad, including Cpl. Dunn and Allen's replacement Pvt. James Ramirez, in defense of a suburb in north-eastern Virginia against the enemy Russian paratroopers. During their assault in a Russian occupied suburban neighborhood, Shepherd contacts Foley and orders his squad to extract an HVI, claiming that he has intel vital to the war effort. Upon arriving at the HVI's safe house, Sgt. Foley and his squad discover the safe house breached and HVI murdered along with several deceased soldiers bearing odd tattoos. Foley takes notice that the safe room was not forcefully breached as Dunn checks bodies for intel. They later proceed towards a war-torn Washington, D.C., where U.S. forces are fighting the Russians for control of the capital city. Sgt. Foley and his squad proceed to the Russian occupied Department of Commerce to clear a 'Crows Nest' being used to pin down the evac site at the Washington Monument. They later provide air support for U.S. forces onboard a helicopter but are soon shot out of the sky. The squad, running low on ammunition, make a last stand against the Russian Army before a sudden flash halts their attack.

Meanwhile, Task Force 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 in Rio de Janeiro, 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 in Petropavlosk. On the orders of Shepherd, the Task Force are sent to infiltrate an oil platform off the coast of Russia in order to rescue several hostages before assaulting the gulag. The Task Force assaults the prison and manages to free 627, who is revealed to be Captain John Price, who was previously captured during Operation Kingfish. Price agrees to aid Soap and Shepherd in tracking down Makarov, with Soap handing the command of the Unit over to Price. While Shepherd believes that they must continue their hunt for Makarov, Price decides that ending the war in America is their first priority. To end it, he temporarily goes rogue, and leads the 141 on a raid of 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, unintentionally destroying the International Space Station and creating an electromagnetic pulse, crippling vehicles and electronic equipment on both sides and giving the Americans a slight advantage.

Back in the United States, Ramirez and his fellow squad mates seek shelter from the disabled aircraft that are now literally falling from the sky, and proceed to the White House after running into Pvt. Vaughn, a runner who tells the squad that Colonel Marshall is assembling whatever forces he can to retake the White House, which is now a stronghold for the Russian Army. After finally meeting Col. Marshall, he orders the squad that taking the White House is their top priority, but they later 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 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. Angered over destruction of the Capital, Foley, Dunn and the rest of the Rangers vow vengeance against the Russians, claiming they will burn Moscow to the ground as they did with D.C.

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 and burning their bodies in the process. Price and MacTavish quickly learn of Shepherd's betrayal, though Price states that he wasn't betrayed since he never trusted Shepherd. The duo then manage to escape an already ongoing battle between Shepherd and Makarov's men with Nikolai's help. After contacting Makarov and offering to kill Shepherd for him, Makarov grudgingly reveals Shepherd's location at a mountain base in Afghanistan, codenamed Site Hotel Bravo. 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 on a Zodiac motorboat, and a long boat pursuit ensues.

At the climax of the pursuit, Shepherd boards a Pave Low, only for Price to disable it by shooting the helicopter's rotor, causing a crash landing. Price and Soap tumble over a waterfall in the process. After recovering from the fall, a dazed Soap gets up and approaches the crashed Pave Low with only his knife. He sees Shepherd and moves in for the kill. Shepherd counters by slamming Soap onto a destroyed car and stabs him in the chest, causing him to temporarily blackout. Shepherd then explains his motivations as to why he betrayed Task Force 141, stating that he "lost 30,000 men in the blink of an eye", and as Soap wakes up again, Shepherd proceeds to empty his .44 Magnum, loading two bullets in it - supposedly one for Soap and the other for Price. However, just before Shepherd shoots Soap, Price tackles Shepherd and the two engage each other in a brutal fist fight. While Price manages to hold his own, Shepherd ultimately gets the upper hand, but the heavily wounded Soap is able to pull the knife from his chest and throw it into Shepherd's left eye, killing him.

Price regains consciousness and inspects Soap's wounds as Nikolai arrives in a helicopter to extract them. Nikolai warns them that they will be pursued, but Price insists that Soap receives medical attention. Nikolai mentions that he knows a safe place to go to ("Da, I know a place"), and Soap and Price, now globally wanted criminals, go into hiding.

Campaign missions

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 #6-2-7.
  • 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, make your way 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, and W1200, all of which are usable and exclusive to the level. Unlocked after the completion of the campaign.

Canceled Levels


Characters

Task Force 141

U.S. Army Rangers

Other Characters


Locations

Achievements/Trophies

Main article: Achievements/Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Demo

On August 4th, 2010, a Demo would be made playable for Xbox and Playstation players through their respected marketplaces. This Demo features exclusively the mission "Cliffhanger", however, with some notable differences being the C4 detonator which is given to the player when Major Petrov says "four", rather than "five." Additionally, the snowmobiles come in at a different time and place than in the level in the full game.

Special Ops

Main article: Special Ops
MW2 Spec Ops Menu Alpha Ops

The first Spec Ops level in the Alpha category: "The Pit".

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, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on PC is almost identical to console versions.

Gameplay

The basic gameplay stays the same from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 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: Modern Warfare.
  • 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 Blast Shield, Claymore, C4, Throwing Knife, or Semtex instead of the standard M67 Frag Grenade.
    • Secondary Weapons now consist of Shotguns, Machine Pistols, Handguns, and Launchers instead of only handguns 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 Create-a-Class 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 all non-scoped weapons and AK-47s with attachments (apart from ACOG Scope) has also been removed.
  • Each of the perks has a Pro upgrade available, which the player has to unlock by completing a challenge for the specific perk. These Pro upgrades improve the players current perk and automatically replaces it once unlocked.
  • In Split Screen, instead of all Pre-set Classes, users can rank up and create their own.

Ranks

Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 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.

Gametypes


Weapons

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. There are a total of 14 weapon attachments, although not all attachments are available for all weapons. 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.

Vehicles

Perks

Main article: 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. Pro VI 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

Kill/Deathstreak Rewards

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.

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.


Accolades

Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Accolades

Accolades are awards earned in game and given after a match. They do not reward XP.

Callsigns

Main article: Playercard

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 a callsign the player will need to do certain tasks such as reaching certain prestiges or kills with weapons etc.

Killbox MW2

The Callsign status box.

Challenges

Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 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.

Factions

Playable factions:


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.

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.[3] 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.

In game logo MW2

Former promotional logo used now on limited editions' packaging as well as in-game menus.


Soundtrack

Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Official Soundtrack
Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2/Soundtrack

Controversies

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

Downloadable content

Activision has announced that they plan to release a minimum of two downloadable map packs for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[4] 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.[5] 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 Pack 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 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Strike and Vacant.

Retail editions and spin-offs

Prestige Edition MW2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Prestige Edition

SoapStatue

Special edition statue

MW2 Limited Edition Xbox 360

Official Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 console

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, Prestige, and the Saga Pack:

  • 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.[6]
  • 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 US$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.[7] 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.

Concept Art

All concept art was drawn by and belongs to Thomas A. Szakolczay.

Game Manual

Sequel

Main article: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was confirmed to be in pre-production on April 9, 2010 and was released November 8, 2011. Activision did confirm that Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games worked on the single player, while Raven Software and newly founded company Beachhead took control of the multiplayer.[8] Despite widespread rumors saying that the game is a prequel focusing on deceased character Ghost, the four newly released teasers denied this, as the story will continue directly from Modern Warfare 2.

Trivia

  • In the single player trailer, John "Soap" MacTavish is shot by the Russians in the mission "Cliffhanger", where in the mission, MacTavish doesn't get killed (unless the player does not execute the "Plan B").
  • Monster Energy has released Modern Warfare 2 themed cans.
    Monster MW2 Edition

    The Monster Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Drink

  • The soldier on the cover art is former Infinity Ward developer, Mark Rubin.[9][10]
  • This game was seen in Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lighting Thief. It was seen being played by Luke; he was on the Militia team playing Team Deathmatch in Favela with an L86 LSW with Red Dot Sight. A goof that viewers can see is that he's playing with a PS3 controller even though the screen shows Xbox 360 buttons on the screen.
    • Another goof for this scene is that when an online game is paused the game continues yet when Luke pauses the game to talk to Percy it acts like he's playing a single player campaign mission and the game doesn't continue.
  • 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 randomly dying multiple times.
    • Peter's class seems to be a small variant of the "Grenadier" pre-made class, the difference being the equipment slot is a Semtex instead of a frag grenade.
    • Peter is killed by someone with the gamertag of "fourzerotwo", a reference to Robert Bowling of Infinity Ward.
  • Some car license plates read "IW20094" referring to Infinity Ward (abbreviated as IW), the makers of the game, 2009, referring to the release date, and 4 as the fourth installment to be developed by Infinity Ward.
  • In the video game Far Cry 3, Willis Huntley makes a reference to Modern Warfare 2 by saying that he's "Flying out to Russia with Task Force 141."
  • In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Sweetwater references Modern Warfare 2 by replying "They'll just send in some special ops douchebags with pussy-ass heartbeat monitors on their guns, instead of us." to Sarge after he suggests reporting of an HVT to the command. This is apparent as the two games were in concurrent development, and Cliffhanger was shown early in the E3 conference including the aforementioned.
  • Upon its release, Modern Warfare 2 broke the record for most successful video game launch of all time in the UK and US, breaking the record previously held for over a year by Grand Theft Auto IV. This record was later broken by Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Grand Theft Auto V.
  • In October 2009 a YouTube video was released titled Fight Against Grenade Spammers that featured baseball player Cole Hamels in a public-service announcement about grenade spammers and is blown up by one during the video it is then revealed that the title spells out the word "fags" a derogatory term for gay people.

References

  1. Stead, Chris(2009-07-15).The 10 Best Game Engines of This Generation. IGN.Retrieved on 2009-07-15.
  2. Kietzmann, Ludwig(2009-06-01).Call of Duty: Black Ops hits $1 billion milestone. CNET.Retrieved on 2009-08-07.
  3. Modern Warfare 2 not to be "Call of Duty" branded
  4. Reilly, Jim(2009-08-06).Map Packs Important for Modern Warfare 2. IGN.Retrieved on 2009-08-06.
  5. Kietzmann, Ludwig(2009-06-01).Modern Warfare 2 map packs hitting Xbox Live first. Joystiq.Retrieved on 2009-08-07.
  6. Modern Warfare 2 PC Not Getting Special Editions. IGN PC. IGN.Retrieved on 2009-07-29.
  7. Nelson, Randy(2009-07-20).Infinity Ward helping design Modern Warfare 2 controller. Joystiq.Retrieved on 2009-07-21.
  8. http://www.gamertell.com/gaming/comment/activision-announced-beachhead-studio-for-cod-china-gets-online-only-cod/
  9. Little known fact, that is me on the cover. 🤣 - Mark Rubin, Twitter
  10. Totally serious. We took a bunch of photos in the studio with me in gear and then the art director photoshopped it up. - Mark Rubin, Twitter

External links

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