I’m weak… And because of that I bought yet another game. I don’t know how I’ll manage to complete all the ones I started, and that’s not even thinking about the coming months which will see the release of Fragile on the Wii, and Resonance of Fate, Final Fantasy XIII and Heavy Rain on the PS3. I’m so doomed…

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, I got what seems to be “THE” first-person shooter. The definitive game of the genre. And that is Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2. I didn’t play the first one (and I will, because it’s frustrating when a game starts with “Five years later…” and you don’t know what happened BEFORE that point), I’m 2 hours into the single player campaign, and oh boy.

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First of all, let it be known that I rather like the Call of Duty franchise. I played CoD 2 on PC, and I’m well into CoD: World at War on Wii. I love their cinematic approach, because it makes for some pretty memorable sequences, and on the whole the games impress me with their “chaotic” feel. The other “serious” series I tried were Medal of Honor and Killzone. The first one is too “heroic”, while the second is awesome, yet less immersive than CoD, at least that’s what I think.

So, what are my first impressions ? Well, I’m impressed. I knew it was going to be beautiful, but it is to an extent that surprised me. One of the early sequences have you climbing an icy mountain, looking down the cliffs was almost vertigo-inducing. Every environment is detailled, and feels alive.

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The gameplay is also top notch, even if I think some minor details could be better – though it’s a matter of personal taste. Some of the weapons feel a bit too “light”, especially when compared to a game like Killzone 2. But others may think that on the contrary, Killzone 2 felt “clunky”.

But overall, what makes Modern Warfare 2 so impressive is the pacing and directing of the campaign. There’s little time to breath, and if most levels don’t get your adrenaline pumping, I don’t know what can. The game really builds bridges between video games and movies.

All in all, Modern Warfare 2 has so far been a stellar experience, including the controversial airport level, and I look forward to finishing the campaign and trying the co-op and online modes.