So over the last two days I have been doing a serious amount of reading reviews on gaming websites, reviews from clan members, reviews & comments on the IW Forums (when they aren’t broke with MYSQL connection errors) and just generally reading any kind of material I can to get honest opinions of how this game really is.

Here is the summary of Pros and Cons that I have come up with. Now keep in mind that I have not purchased the game (and don’t plan to) nor have I played it or been present while it was being played. This is merely what I have gathered from many different sources around the web.

The PROS

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  • Slight upgrade in graphics quality over COD4
  • Slight upgrade in audio quality over COD4
  • Some objects in the environment are manipulative (eg. some destructible walls, exploding cars & barrels, breaking windows)
  • Excellent character and weapons design, great level detail (even in multiplayer) great environments to tie everything in
  • Decent single player campaign game play portions that helps the bad storyline
  • Excellent cut scenes to break up the campaign sessions
  • Spec Ops co-op mode addition that is a lot of fun and offers 23 additional levels that are different from the single player campaign
  • Future DLC material will probably build upon the Spec Ops co-op mode
  • A multiplayer experience that lets you easily find a game with random people and start playing with just a few clicks
  • A few new perks and changes in perks like Martyrdom and Last Stand that make multiplayer a little more bearable
  • Prestige mode included for those that enjoy replaying multiplayer for unlockable content

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The CONS

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  • There are limited audio options (eg. can’t adjust levels for music, voice, sound effects)
  • Single player can be completed in as little as 5 hours on regular difficulty
  • Steam will manage all updates and changes to the game
  • Poor single player storyline that is not very clear and is mostly told through cut scenes or AI talking during bad times (eg. during intense fire fights, chase scenes, etc.)
  • The single player campaign is very heavily scripted which makes game play very predictable in some situations and requires you to play the game a very specific way to accomplish your objectives offering practically no replay ability
  • There is no leaning in the game to “peek” around corners or objects
  • The co-op game play is limited to only two players
  • Most multiplayer games modes are limited to 6 vs 6; some are 9 vs 9
  • Multiplayer generally seems to be laggy at least during some portion of any game
  • Multiplayer matchmaking does not always match geographic locations correctly
  • Multiplayer match making games are short due to the standard IWnet set time/score limit
  • Some multiplayer game modes are locked and can only be unlocked after “ranking up”
  • There is a noticeable host ping advantage during multiplayer matches
  • A players ping is no longer shown as number but same as the console in bars
  • There is a noticeable pre-delay of issues when the current host quits playing and the Host Migration starts and you are sometimes kicked back to the lobby to find a new game
  • Some of the multiplayer maps seem to be too large for the amount of players the game supports which leads to pointless roaming in game modes
  • There are no dedicated servers and multiplayer games rely on IWnet & Steam
  • Steam will manage all updates and changes to the game
  • There is no PunkBuster; instead cheat protection is through VAC (Valve Anti Cheat)
  • There is no way to kick or ban troublesome players when playing in ranked matches
  • On the second day after release cheating is already very present
  • There are NO multiple accounts or profiles for use with others in your house that would like to play the game – everything has to be played through a single Steam account
  • There is no access to the console limiting configuration changes severely
  • There is no built in support for SLI/Crossfire configurations
  • There is no possibility of future mod tools or modifications for the game at this point
  • There is no possibility of future custom maps at this point
  • Future DLC will most likely have to be paid for
  • Increased cost of the game at $60
  • The PC version is a direct console port. Period.

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To give IW some benefit of the doubt in regards to all the issues with IWnet; they will have the ability to tweak and reconfigure things as time goes on. They could also change and add features as well which could make it better. However, with the current look of things it would take quite a few tweaks and changes to make this game as successful as it was once touted to be.