As the Modern Warfare 2 beta draws to a close, a new datamine of the Activision and Infinity Ward FPS seems to suggest that the worst and most loathsome villain of perhaps the entire Call of Duty series could be making a comeback when the Modern Warfare 2 release date arrives on October 28, alongside a fan-favourite character being playable in a mainline CoD campaign for the first time.
Judging from the Modern Warfare 2 beta, despite some issues with the minimap, cheaters, and the Dead Silence field upgrade, the next Call of Duty multiplayer experience is shaping up to be one of the best ever, especially given the new Invasion mode. Details on the campaign, however, remain scarce. We know Price, Soap, Gaz, and Ghost are returning to the Modern Warfare series, and – as ever – the story has something to do with stopping a terrorist organisation that threatens the US. Other than that, we have a lot of speculation and rumour. But a new datamine of Modern Warfare 2 seems to provide some harder evidence of what to expect from the next CoD single-player. Potential spoilers abound.
A full list of playable characters, locations, and mission titles has supposedly been acquired for Modern Warfare 2, with a couple of details standing out especially. First of all, in one mission, titled “Strike” and set in the fictional nation of Urzikstan, players will apparently control the legendary Simon “Ghost” Riley, who appeared in the original Modern Warfare 2 as well as Call of Duty: Mobile and various CoD multiplayer offerings.
Don’t get too excited, though, as another mission title suggests Ghost could meet the same tragic end as he did back in 2009 – set in Mexico, another Modern Warfare 2 mission is named “Backstabbed”, which is exactly what General Shepherd, the arch-villain voiced by Lance Henriksen, did to Ghost and Roach during the original MW2 mission “Loose Ends”. It could be that Shepherd is coming back. It could be that Ghost is going to get killed again. It could be that Infinity Ward is going to reopen all those old wounds from 13 years ago. We hope not, but the details captured by Insider Gaming certainly suggest the possibility. We’ll just have to wait until October 28.
In the meantime, as you gear up for Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, check out our guide to all the best guns from the MW2 beta. You can also prepare yourself with the best M4 loadout, or, if you’re still embroiled in the Warzone, try out some of the best loadout drops for season 5.