B-Day 22, March 24th 2010 [Update!]

It's my birthday today, March 24th, I'm turning 22! Sometimes it feels like the years go by really fast, and sometimes it feels slow, it depends on what I've done during the year and what memory I'm thinking back on. Actually, I didn't want to have my birthday, because I don't want to get older, but I've many things to look forward to in the future! And you can't stop time, you may be getting older on "paper", but on the inside you're still young like a teenager/child.

I had a great birthday today with my big brother who also has his birthday on the same day as I, he's three years older than I am. My grandparents came by to my brother and I, and gave us presents. They didn't know what to get us, so we got money instead. It was easier when I was a kid to wish for presents, and now when they ask me I just say that I don't know, or that I want money, maybe a little boring, but I can buy what ever I want for them. I got birthday presents from my parents when they got home from work. Can you guess what they gave us?

We later went out and ate at a restaurant, I ordered duck with cherry sauce. The duck was really good but the sauce didn't taste like cherry, I like orange sauce much better. I really liked the duck, it has become one of my favorite things to eat. I ate a delicious duck in Prague this summer, it had a great crispy skin with a orange honey sauce that tasted really good. The one that I ate today wasn't as good as the one in Prague. But the meat that I ate today was almost perfect, it was pink in the middle but the skin didn't taste much.

It was a great birthday, both me and my brother felt very appreciated and loved! My money that I got is transferred to my bank account. I will buy new video games, movies and other stuff that I'm interested in and like. Next week me and my brother are going to start day trading, so we can get rich, that's our goal!

I like my blog very much, I don't know if anyone is reading my posts, but it doesn't matter I have it as a private journal, and because I like writing. I am promoting this blog with Google AdWords, and I've got many clicks, and it has cost me about 300 kronor so far, but I got 750 kr for free from Google.

Other things I'm up to are my covers and remixes that I'm going to upload to Youtube, I have an upgraded version of my old "What I've Done" remix that I'm going to upload when I finally finish it. I also have many different covers that I've recorded last year that I haven't mixed yet, but I'm going to mix them first and then upload them to the Internet. I will try to post at least four blog posts per month, and it can be everything from different reviews to news that's about my interests.

Thanks to everyone who's reading my blog posts!

Heavy Rain (PS3) review

The game begins with Ethan Mars, he's happily married and have two sons. One day when he and his family is at the mall, Ethan loses track of one of his sons, Jason, in the crowd. Ethan searches in panic after his son, he will soon find him outside across the street. Jason sees his father and runs out into the street without looking, Ethan sees a car and realizes what's about to happen and jumps to try to save him from the oncoming car. Jason is killed, while Ethan is injured and falls into a coma for six months. Two years after the accident, Ethan is suffering from depression, a fear of crowds, and blackouts that last for several hours. He and his wife have separated, and his remaining son, Shaun, is distant with him. While at a park with Shaun, Ethan has another blackout, and wakes to find Shaun missing.

When I first took control of Ethan Mars, in the beginning of the game, I felt that it was very familiar to Fahrenheit, the controls are similar, you can investigate most of the things in the environment. You can take a shower, brush your teeth, shave, get dressed, go outside, you can basically go anywhere in the house. This video game has a unique control scheme. You can use the analog sticks to open or close something or press the buttons that are appearing on the screen. You'll also have to use the SixAxis to shake or move the controller in different directions. If you want to walk you have to hold the R2 button and then steer the head with the left analog stick, a bit like a driving game. When you press the L2 button you will see the characters' thoughts, then you just have to press one of the buttons that appear above his head to hear what he's thinking. There are a lot of quick time events in this game, you have to press the correct buttons in time when they appear on the screen. I think the quick time events will make you pay attention more, it will make your heart rise and give you a feeling of panic because you can't miss pressing any button, or else it's game over. I also like that you can ask many questions, just like in Fahrenheit, you'll experience different situations depending on which questions you ask. You will get used to the controls really fast, it's basically pretty easy.

This video game has the most realistic facial animations I've ever seen, you can really see what the characters are feeling. I think it's really important to be able to see the facial expressions of each character, especially in a video game that's all about making you feel something. You often hear that you can see what a person is feeling just by looking at their eyes, you can do that in Heavy Rain. The eyes of the characters move just like you would expect them to, they look at the environment and are never at the same position. You can see the sadness in their eyes and that's amazing, it's done perfectly. One thing I think is cool is the loading screen, you will see the character that you're about to play looking around, this happens each time you start a new chapter or just loading the game you played earlier. You will get a great close up of the character, it has a lot of awesome details that are really astonishing.

The characters you see in the game are digital copies of the real actors doing them. The faces are just like the actors with few differences. Also, the movement of the characters in Heavy Rain are done by the actors and of course the voices. And I think the voice actors in this game are really amazing. So everything, you see and hear are done by real people and that makes the characters in the game even more unique and believable.

You will play four different characters, and they all have different personalities and background. Ethan Mars is an architect, and he is one of the main characters in the game. Madison Paige is a photojournalist living alone in the city. Suffering from chronic insomnia, she occasionally checks into motels, as they are the only place she can properly sleep. She eventually finds herself involved in the latest Origami Killer case, conducting her own investigations. Norman Jayden is an FBI profiler sent to support the police force with their investigation into the Origami Killer. He is also struggling with an addiction to the drug triptocaine. The fourth and final character is Scott Shelby, and he is a retired police officer, currently working as a private investigator. On behalf of the previous victims' families, he is conducting his own investigation into the Origami Killer.

Heavy Rain has stunning graphics that really stand out from any other video game I've played. The beginning of Heavy Rain is very bright and happy, the sun shines outside, you're happy with your wife and two sons. Everything falls apart when your oldest son dies, the rain and darkness come, it's pouring down. This game has a great atmosphere that you almost can touch, it's that powerful. Everything is gray, the sky outside is dark, the rain is pouring down, you can see how the ground is wet and there are puddles of water everywhere. You can see how the raindrops are going down the window and how the little light that is outside is shining through the windows with particles of dust floating in the air.

There are a lot of different environments and locations that will give you goosebumps, an abandoned power plant, a burned out apartment, a sleazy Motel, Ethan Mars empty living room and a crime scene with a dead boy to mention some. A location in the game that is very cool is the night club, there are hundreds of people dancing at the same time, with loud music playing and lights flashing in different colors while you try to go through the crowd. When you play the FBI agent Norman Jayden you will be able to use something called ARI (Added Reality Interface), they're glasses that let you investigate the environment for clues. It analyzes DNA, fingerprints and other things in the area, and at the same time it will give you information about the subject in a window that only the one who wears the glasses can see. When you go back to your office to go through the evidence that you collected you will be able to pull up folders in front of you and move and touch them with a special glove that Norman is wearing. You can also change the work environment around you. Some of the places you can choose to be in are: under water, on Mars and the forest. I think ARI is really cool, and it's the only thing in Heavy Rain that's futuristic and sci-fi, but it's not too far from what could exist in a near future.

The soundtrack in Heavy Rain is really good, it really captures the emotion in the game and enhances the experience with its sad tones. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and is composed by Normand Corbeil, who previously joined game director David Cage and film composer Angelo Badalamenti on the production of Quantic Dream's paranormal thriller Fahrenheit. The storyline of Heavy Rain involves several central protagonists who each has their own distinct musical themes. For Ethan, they focused on the piano. The theme is something very human, fragile but strong at the same time. For Madison there is a chamber orchestra with a smaller setup, both strong and emotional. Jayden is an investigator and researcher in a sad and crazy world, so his theme is dark. There it’s the opposite, a symphony orchestra. Shelby’s theme is drawing on French film noire from the 60’s: cop stories, a bit jazzy, brass and flutes.

Heavy Rain has a very touching story that will bring you to tears. It's also a very exciting story that will make your heart pump. It's like a movie that I'm controlling with my personal ending. And that's what makes Heavy Rain so unique, you'll create your own story, because every player will make different decisions and that will lead to one of the games many different endings. The Characters can also die if you fail in doing something that will result in the death of your character, and the game just continues without that specific character, that's something I've never seen in a video game before. Throughout the game, you will be forced to do many difficulty decisions. One of them is when Ethan is forced to cut of his finger, I really felt the panic he must have felt and how many thoughts that went through his head, and the cool thing is that I actually could see his thoughts tremble around his head, thanks to the thought button. One thing I really liked with Fahrenheit was that you could play the flashbacks, and I really hoped that Heavy Rain would do the same, and it did. The flashback gave me more depth to the story, and I learn more about the character. So when I saw that I was going to play a flashback scene, I really felt that Heavy Rain was complete, and that met my last expectation for this video game.

David Cage has said that there's not going to be a sequel, so they will release different DLC episodes from each character, a good choice I think. It will add more depth to the story, and you will get answers to unsolved questions. The episodes are called "The Heavy Rain Chronicles" and I've already played the first one called "The Taxidermist", which came with the special edition of the game. I liked the first episode very much, and I'm looking forward to future episodes.

Overall: David Cage has really done what he promised, to make you feel something. I can really relate to the characters, especially Ethan Mars. He was a happy family man, I played with my kids, I kissed my wife, I comforted my youngest son when he was sad, and I felt all does feelings he felt. That's what's cool with Heavy Rain and what I expected to feel and experience during this adventure. Don't get stuck playing the same kind of video games, try Heavy Rain and you will get a trill ride of feelings, awesome graphics, music, great voice actors, a touching story and an atmosphere that you almost can touch. Because this video game is truly a masterpiece that you must experience.

Review: Heavy Rain (PS3) XXXXX [5/5].

Game Developers Conference 2010 (PS3 news)

Sony's biggest announcement at this years Game Developers Conference 2010, was their motion controller, now with an official name. It's called "Move" and I think that's a great name, but "Arc" would have been more unique. I'm going to write a summary of what happen during Sony's press event.

Below are some of the highlights from GDC 2010.

Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's Worldwide studios was excited to share the official unveiling of the PS motion controller and its games. They'll later show some of the games available during the device's Fall launch window. People will be able to try them out after the presentation. The type of games they can create with it are amazingly diverse, it's Precise, Responsive and Ultra sensory. PlayStation Move is announced as the official title of the device.

Peter Dille, senior VP of marketing and PSN discusses the PS3's momentum this year, with the price reduction and game like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves giving the system a big push. The system experienced a 50% growth in software sales in 2009 (versus 2008), but Sony isn't content with that. Dille describes MAG and Heavy Rain as innovative products that continue to push the PlayStation brand. He also thank the press for giving Heavy Rain a chance and some glowing reviews. Other examples trotted out to prove Sony's success: MLB 2K10 and a "little" product called God of War III. He says that Gran Turismo 5 will ship this year, and it will be worth the wait.On to PlayStation Move: "It's fast, precise, and accurate." It also seems to be sporting two separate pieces, including a nunchuck-like component to be held in your alternate hand. The "starter" kit will start under $100, that's one PlayStation Eye, a game, and the PlayStation Move. Advantages of the technology? Accuracy and precision, which translate to a more exciting challenge for the gamer, Dille says. A fighting game is being shown, another game translates movements with both devices to a bow-and-arrow game, and another clip shows two players going at it in table tennis. Ah, here's the obligatory golf game. Sword and shield action game is shown. Another montage reveals a lightgun-esque shooter, a dancing game and what appears to be some first-person horror game, where the Move functions as a flashlight.Next up is Scott Rohde, VP of Worldwide Studios. He was there to demonstrate the precision of the PlayStation Move, both "fast and subtle" motions. Sports Champions is shown, which has a sub-game called Gladiator Duel. Both are working titles. It's an arena fighting game. He moves his right hand to swing a mace, and can do attacks at various heights. The movements appear quite responsive in the game, even if the fighting appears a little rote and simplistic. He swings both his arms upwards, which initiates a jumping attack. Next up is Sports Champions: Table Tennis and it looks a lot like Sony's take on Wii Sports. A game called Move Party is shown. The game looks like a silly party game, right now, you could see someone wield a razor and cut a cartoon character's wool hair. They showed a LittleBigPlanet demo, there's new material in the game that will interact with the Move. You point at the screen and maneuver the material to create a bridge or a ramp. It seems that if an object is made of the material, you can pick it up and move it around on the screen. Motion Fighters (working titles) features "next-gen graphics and speed," apparently. The Eye detects where you are in 3D space, and each controller mimics your arms' motions. Dodging, punching and ... dirty moves. These motions are pretty violent, he's locking someone's neck under his arm and wailing on the poor man's head with the other arm.

There're an additional accessory for the Move called the "PlayStation Move Navigation Controller". You can play through SOCOM 4 if you have this thing. You can take cover and aim quite efficiently with the Move. Aim seems to benefit the most, obviously. The tech was integrated into the game with very little overhead, apparently.
Peter Dille returned to the stage and said that virtually every third-party publisher will support the Move, including Activision, Capcom, WB Games, Namco Bandai, Square Enix, Ubisoft, EA, Disney, Konami, Sega, Crave and Tecmo Koei. In addition, 36 publishers and third-party developers will support it, and according to a press release, in fiscal year 2010, SCE Worldwide Studios will also release more than 20 games that are either dedicated to or supported with the PlayStation Move platform.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) review

Nathan Drake’s new adventure in Among Thieves revolves around the doomed voyage home of Marco Polo from China in 1292. After spending almost 20 years in the court of the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, Marco Polo departed with fourteen ships and over six hundred passengers – but when he arrived at Persia a year and a half later, only one ship and eighteen passengers remained. Polo never revealed what had happened to the lost ships.

The story begins in medias res, with a wounded Nate waking up to find himself in a train hanging off a cliff. Through flashbacks, it is revealed that Harry Flynn and Chloe Frazer approached him with a job offer to steal a Mongolian oil lamp in an Istanbul museum. Nate accepts the job when he learns that the lamp may lead to the treasures in Marco Polo's lost fleet. Flynn and Drake acquire the lamp, which contains a map showing that the lost fleet had been transporting the Cintamani Stone from Shambhala before being thrown ashore in Borneo by a tsunami. Taking the map, Flynn double-crosses Drake, who is arrested and imprisoned for three months before Chloe, who claims to have had no knowledge of Flynn's treachery, asks for the help of Drake's friend Victor "Sully" Sullivan to secure his release.

My first impression of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was that it has gorgeous graphics, and it's the best looking video game since Killzone 2. The beginning of the game really shows how sharp and perfect the graphic is when you in the beginning hang from a train that has derailed off a cliff, in a snow environment. First I thought that it was pre-rendered, but I soon realized that I could move Nate, that's how gorgeous the graphic is. When I finally came to the top, I saw snow on the ground that was sparkling very sharply, and snow was falling from the sky. Nate left traces is the snow when he walked, it's a cool detail.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has more varied environments than Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, in the sequel you will visit a snowy mountain, a village, the jungle, caves and other cool places that have a great atmosphere. The backgrounds are super sharp, you can see mountains that are miles away, and it really makes the environment more alive. Each new area brings amazingly intricate texture work, objects, and art design. Everywhere you go, you will see hundreds of unique markers of the people, culture, and history native to that location.

This game also has great gameplay, you’ll shift from platforming where you have to climb to get to a certain area, to melee where you now can counter attack when the enemy has the upper hand, and you can break out of it and do special maneuvers, to gunplay where you can take cover behind different objects and run and shoot at the same time, to stealth where you can sneak up to enemies from behind and do a silent takedown, to puzzle solving where you have to move objects to open something seamlessly often overlapping multiple play styles simultaneously.

The controls feel familiar to those who have played the first game, but the introduction of a much more versatile control scheme allows for combining climbing, stealth, and gunplay. What I like about Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is that you can climb almost anything; you can do amazing jumps that you barely make and that's a cool feeling. The ability to mix up your approach to combat will allow you to make up a strategy before you attack the enemies. While an early section devoted solely to stealth shows the inability of the mechanic to stand up on its own, stealth gameplay works great in the rest of the game as one tool among many. Also the weapon aiming is improved in this game; it gives you great precision when firing in over the shoulder view.

Naughty Dog’s technology allows for jaw-dropping combinations of things in motion, for example, a fight in a falling building in the center of a Tibetan city and a shootout as you leap from moving vehicle to moving vehicle racing through the Himalayan mountains and climbing and shooting on a moving train. Naughty Dog is performing at the top of their game, and they have set the bar almost impossibly high for how action is done in a video game.

Like the first game, Uncharted 2 has awesome cinematic sequences, I couldn't tell the difference if it was real-time or not when it changed from cinematic to real-time gameplay, it's that good looking. Every movement and voice acting is done by real actors. The actors have motion capture suites on, and at the same time recording the dialog. This makes the characters and the dialog feel very much alive. You can see every emotion in the characters facial expression that is done really well. This is not just true in the cinematics, but also inside the game when you move Nate. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune had many of the things I mentioned, it had awesome facial animation, graphics and more, but Uncharted 2: Among Thieves does everything better times two.

The music and sound are very good and atmospheric. Strings’ playing really sets the mood. Rich audio accents compliment the visuals, not only making the loud sections sound loud, but also filling the quiet sections with deep sound details. Everything that can make a sound does: pipes, waterfalls, electrical wires, loose pottery, animals, and distant gunfire. It’s an endlessly detailed world. Also the dialog from the characters is done fantastically. Nathan Drake is always funny with his commentaries that he drops from time to time during the game, and the great interaction between the characters when they're talking.

I like the story very much, it's exciting, and you want to know what's going to happen next. I like the beginning of the game, you start by hanging from a train that has derailed, and you wonder how you got there. You will later find out in flashbacks, that you play, how you ended up hanging from the train. I think that's a good way of telling the story because you will see the end result first then you have to play through the game in a flashback to see what happened and why you're in that situation. You will later catch up to the real timeline and continue playing from there. The single player campaign is built up in chapters that take a different amount of time to complete. I think the entire adventure has a perfect length that's surprisingly long, you'll have many fun hours playing this video game.

Unlike the first game, this one has online multiplayer. I like the mode "Plunder", it's similar to the traditional capture the flag game mode, each team attempt to capture the treasure from a central point in the map and return it to their base; the player carrying the treasure is slowed down a great deal, and may also choose to hurl the treasure away at any point, in order to keep it out of reach of the enemy, or to pass it to a teammate. The multiplayer part is really great; it has many fun maps with great graphic and good flow with no delay or lag. I like that you can climb and jump everywhere, that's what makes the online multiplayer in this game so special.

Overall: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the best action-adventure video game I've played so far. With gorgeous graphics, good animations, great gameplay, beautiful sounds, varied environments and an exciting story that grabs hold of you makes this without a doubt one of the best video games ever made and one of the best to Sony's PlayStation 3.

Review: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) XXXXX [5/5].

iPod Touch & iPhone Jailbreak for Dummies

I jailbroke my iPod Touch 3G (8 GB), this works with iPhone also. To make this jailbreak work, your device has to be version 3.1.2, if it's not you have to downgrade your device.

How to Downgrade to 3.1.2

1. Download Firmware: iPod touch 3G (3.1.2/7D11). This Firmware is for iPod Touch 3G (8 GB). Select the one that is right for your device. Go to the site below to download the Firmware.
http://www.felixbruns.de/iPod/firmware/

2. Plug in your device via USB to your computer. Open iTunes, and then click on "Devices" (below iTunes Store).

3. Click on the tab "Summary". Hold down the Shift button then click on "Restore". Locate the firmware you've downloaded and select it. If it says that it's incompatible you have downloaded the wrong Firmware. If everything goes as planned, your device will now reboot, and you will see the Apple logo and a bar that indicates that it's installing. Wait for it to finish, it can take a few minutes.

4. You should now have Firmware 3.1.2. You can check it in iTunes under "Devices", click "Summary", and at the top it should say "Software Version: 3.1.2".

How to Jailbreak your device

1. First you have to download a software called "blackra1n". Download it from this site: http://blackra1n.com/. Click on the Windows logo, if you have Windows of course, to download the file blackra1n.exe.

2. Plug in your device via USB to your computer. Click on blackra1n.exe to install, and then press "make it ra1n". Your device reboots and a picture of the creator Geohot will appear. Wait for it to finish, then you’re done.

3. Now start your device and locate "blackra1n", it should be on the last page as an app, and click on it. You have to have Wi-Fi in order for this to work. First choose "Cydia" and download it, then install "Rock". However, "Cydia" is the most important.

4. You can now delete "blackra1n". Click on "Uninstall blackra1n", and you're done!

WARNING! If your device is restarted or turned off, you have to plug in your device to your computer and run "blackra1n" again! So don't turn off your device, just leave it on standby!

How to install cracked Apps

1. Go to the site http://xsellize.com/ on your computer and become a member, it's free! Copy the address that you're given: cydia.xsellize.com

2. Now open your device and start Cydia, wait for it to load. Click on "Manage", at the bottom, then on "Sources".

3. Click on "Edit", at the top, and then "Add". Type in the address you got in step one: cydia.xsellize.com and click "Add Source". Don't forget to click "Done" at the right top corner.

4. Do the same thing again and type in: cydia.hackulo.us, don't worry about the warning sign, and click on "Add Source".

5. Click on "Search", at the bottom. Type in "AppSync for OS 3.1". Click on it, then click ”Install” and ”Confirm” both are at the top.

6. Now you just have to install four more apps. Search for "Installous", "BossPrefs", "BossPrefs Safari DL Control" and "Safari download plugin", download and install all of them, one at a time.

7. Now you can install cracked Apps. There are two methods to do this.

• Download the cracked app, called .ipa, to your computer via torrent or other site. Plug in your device, open iTunes and click on "Applications". Now drag your .ipa file into the "Applications" window and wait for it to load. Now go to "Devices" and click "Sync", at the bottom right corner. Wait for it to install, and you're done.

• You can also install cracked apps inside your device. Open the "Installous" app, which you downloaded in step six. Search for an app, click on it and download. When it's downloaded click on "Downloads" at the bottom and locate your app, click on it then press "install". And you're done!

How to import an iPod Touch Theme

1. Open Cydia, search for "WinterBoard" and "afc2add", and download both.

2. Go to your computer and download a software called "iFunBox", from here:
http://www.i-funbox.com/

3. Plug in your device to your computer. Open "iFunBox", click on "Raw File System". Click on var/stash/Themes.Nz4re2 and the only thing you have to do is drag the folder with the theme you've downloaded.

4. Open your device and start "WinterBoard", click on your theme and then press the home button on your device. It will restart to the lockscreen, unlock, and you should see your theme on your device.

5. If you've downloaded a battery theme and the folder only contain the pictures, and you drag it into "iFunBox", the theme won't work. You have to create a new folder that you can name whatever you want. Inside that folder create another folder called Bundles; inside that one a new folder called com.apple.springboard and now you can drag your battery pics into the last folder. Now you can drag it into "iFunBox" and the battery theme will work.

How to access your files on your device:

1. Open Cydia.

2. Install the cydia.xsellize.com source, if you haven't already.

3. Search for a file called "iFile" from xSellize (X Vip).

4. Download and install it, and you're done!

I hope this guide was useful; I tried not to leave out any details. If you have any questions comment below and please follow this Blog!

Final Fantasy VII remake in a near future?

Many people have asked for a Final Fantasy VII remake, ever since a PS3 tech demo was shown of the intro to Final Fantasy VII. I'm one of those people that would love to see Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation 3. I think it's one of the best video games of all time! I think it will sell really well if they release a remake of the game.

And now new hope has come, that a remake is on the way sometime in the future. Because the director of the game, Yoshinori Kitase, stated in a recent interview by GameTrailers, that a remake is in consideration and that he's interested in the idea.

Below is the short statement where he talks about the Final Fantasy VII remake.

"I am very interested to see a more complete form of Final Fantasy VII, more realistically portrayed in voices and animations and all the small, subtle expressions. I would be interested to see and do that, it would be an exciting experience. I never get tired of answering that question (about FF VII remake), so I will continue to share with you my views as long as people continue to ask."

Update (22/2-10):

It has come more news about the Final Fantasy VII remake today. Yoshinori Kitase from Square Enix has now spoken on the subject, and it seems that we will have to wait a few years until it maybe is released.

Below is the statement from Yoshinori Kitase.

"If we had all the right tools and the right environment for creating and preparing a Final Fantasy VII remake within a year, we would very much like to try it. But Final Fantasy XIII has taken over three and a half years to create. If we could recreate Final Fantasy VII with the same graphic detail that you see in the Final Fantasy XIII, we imagine that it would take as much as three or four times as much as the three and a half years it took to get together the last Final Fantasy. So it seems pretty unrealistic".

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) review

Modern Warfare 2 is set five years after the conclusion of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Despite the efforts of Marine Force Recon and the SAS, the Ultranationalists ultimately 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 numerous acts of terrorism.

The game begins in Afghanistan, where U.S. Army Ranger Private First Class Joseph Allen helps in the taking of a city from insurgents. Impressed by Allen's combat abilities, Lieutenant General Shepherd recruits him into Task Force 141, an elite, multi-national counter-terrorism unit under Shepherd's command. Meanwhile, two other members of Task Force 141, Captain John "Soap" MacTavish and Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson, scale a mountain of the Tian Shan to infiltrate an airbase in Kazakhstan to recover a lost ACS module from a downed satellite. Allen is later sent on an undercover mission in Russia for the CIA under the alias of "Alexei Borodin." Allen joins Makarov in a massacre of civilians at the Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow. It is soon revealed at the conclusion of the attack that Makarov is aware of Allen's true identity and before leaving, kills him to expose his identity as an American, leading the Russian police to believe that America was responsible for the attack.

The singleplayer campaign starts with a few cool missions. I like the mission "Cliffhanger", which is the third mission, where you infiltrate a Russian mountain base with Captain MacTavish to recover a downed ACS module. The level begins as your character, Gary "Roach" Sanderson, and "Soap" MacTavish is on a ledge on the side of a mountain. You and Soap start climbing a wall of ice with ice picks, the mountains starts to shake because a MiG-29 flies over you, and nearly dislodging Soap from his position on the cliff. Once at the top you and Soap jump a small gap, you barley doesn't make it and nearly fall to your death when Soap grabs your hand at the last moment, saving your life. Soap brings you up, and you climb up the rest of the mountain. Climbing up the mountain is really cool and dramatic, because you can fall down to your death if you don't press the correct button.

The next mission is called "No Russian", which has become very controversial, because you kill civilians in a Russian airport. You will get the option to skip this mission if you like, you won't lose anything. I didn't want to skip this mission, I wanted to see it for myself and what all the fuzz was about. It's very provocative, but not more than any other video game or movie I've seen.

I think the best missions come in Act III. I like the mission when you're in Washington D.C. and you watch how the entire city is falling apart, it's a sight to see. And when you kill terrorist inside the White House, in the Oval Office, is also very cool. But I like the infiltration missions best, it reminds me of the Chernobyl mission in Call of Duty 4, which is my favorite mission in that game. There are some exciting missions that you want to play again and again, but I think Call of Duty 4 had a better singleplayer campaign. It's also too short, like the previous game, you can finish the singleplayer campaign in only 5 hours. I hope they will make the third game last longer.

I think most people will play Modern Warfare 2 for the awesome online multiplayer mode, and it's the games strongest side. It takes everything that was good about the first game and has made it better. This games online mode has a better reward system, with higher XP points so it won't take forever to gain a level. Modern Warfare 2 has more fun rewards like revenge, payback and comeback that will give you a high number of XP points.

This game also introduces a deathstreak which gives some advantage to people who are new, having a bad day, or just plain suck. Perks can also be leveled up, and there are lot of unlockable titles and icons you can tie to your profile. Managing your upgrades, perks, and killstreaks is a major part of the game, and it’s all incredibly well balanced. If you kill 25 people without dying you will get a cool advantage called Tactical Nuclear Strike, the whole sky will turn into a bright light and kill everyone on the other team. You can also put out turrets that will kill anyone from the other team if it spots them.

Modern Warfare 2 has a very smooth online framerate, no lag or bullet delay, what I've seen thus far. This game also has great graphics, both in the singleplayer campaign and online mode. What I've always liked about the Call of Duty video games is the awesome and flawless game controls. It has a great smoothness in the analog sticks that is very responsive, especially when you zoom aim and also hip firing. It's easy to learn and get good at, like it should be. The more you play the better you become at aiming with the analog sticks, training makes practice, like every video game. All you need to do is play the game and your brain will do the rest, it will gradually make you better.

Overall: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an awesome video game, with a decent singleplayer campaign that is way too short but a brilliant online multiplayer game, that takes everything that was good about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and made it a hundred times better and even more awesome. This video game is a must have, if you like Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and first person shooters, you're going to love Modern Warfare 2.

Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) XXXX [4/5].