Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Review - 6 Ups & 5 Downs

Downs...

5. The Infuriatingly Low Time-To-Kill

Though this year's multiplayer suite is a solid improvement upon last year's offering for the most part, there's one aspect where the game proves monumentally frustrating - its absurdly low time-to-kill.

TTK is a vital component of any online shooter, and its implementation has varied wildly across the Call of Duty franchise, with fans firmly divided on whether twitchy, frantic shootouts or more prolonged engagements are the way to go.

Unfortunately, even those who enjoy a low TTK may be left irritated by the brevity of combat scenarios in this game: often before you even have time to register an enemy, you're dead.

This doesn't make for the most satisfying style of play in a game that's already ditched the franchise's conventional three-lane map layout for a more free-flowing and unpredictable design.

It was plainly clear from the beta that Infinity Ward needed to raise the TTK, because the prospect of skilled players being able to turn the tide of a longer shootout is so much more appealing than "he who shoots first wins."

Some modes are certainly better-tuned to accommodate the game's twitchy combat style, but combined with Modern Warfare's other eccentric design decisions, the low TTK can make deaths feel cheap and "undeserved." Speaking of which...