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Infinity Ward first amazed us with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s shocking and epic single player trailer at this year’s E3. Since then the majority have people have been kept on the edge of their seats waiting for the game, and now Infinity Ward have decided to tease us fans even more by releasing various multiplayer videos. The videos give lots of sneak peaks into guns, game modes and also the new maps.

The first multiplayer trailer released focused on all the new additions to the online world of modern warfare. The short video shows clips of gameplay which compliments its advertisement, such as a showing of kill streak customisation, use of an AC-130 gunship (which slightly mimics the use of it in Call of Duty 4) and also some of the new weapons which include the new AT4 heat-seeking missile perfect for taking down those pesky choppers. A cut at the end also shows the use of sticky grenades. It all seems updated from the previous IW instalment.

The next ‘trailer’, named Flag Runner, was released at the start of this month, and focuses on the new Capture the Flag game mode brought into action by Infinity Ward. Its primary focus is to show off once again the gameplay, but in doing so it shows much more than just that. It gives a healthy insight into how kill streaks work, with the kill streak medal popping up at milestones through the trailer. It also shows of new weapons in use, with the recording play using a SCAR and later using the MP5K. Another clip is used at the end showing a sniper using the Barrett .50 cal, and also the new addition of throwing knives. But perhaps one of the best updates to the multiplayer is the host migration. No longer will anyone have to finish their game half-way through and then return to the game lobby. It is shown as taking the person with the next best connection and within a few seconds the game can commence. It even includes a countdown so you aren’t thrown off guard by the sudden stop and start. There is however one feeling that is a real put off, and that is déjà vu.

Sure the game may look like the best game released in a long time and is basically guaranteed to be best-selling and Game of the Year, but it all seems so familiar. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it all before on Call of Duty 4. I understand many people are thinking of the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, but you have to be pretty lazy to have not made anything majorly new. The jump from Call of Duty 2 and 3’s multiplayer gameplay to Call of Duty 4 was immaculate, and I feel a bit ripped off that they haven’t repeated the process with the jump from World at War to Modern Warfare 2. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Call of Duty 4 and the multiplayer on it, it’s nearly flawless. But the word that matters in that sentence is “nearly”. There are still quite a lot of things on Call of Duty 4 which should have been made better for World at War, but were made worse (such as the constant grenade spamming and even more ridiculous spawning system), and so now I expect to see proof of this in Modern Warfare 2, and I’m pretty sure quite a lot of people are with me on that, especially if Activision are going to charge me even more money for a slightly better game with no major improvements or differences.