Modern Warfare 2 Vs. Timesplitters 2

If you are even the occasional reader of PLAY READ WRITE, you know that I've been playing my fair share of Modern Warfare 2 lately, but I can't shake a feeling of deja vu. To be very specific, the Akimbo Model 1887s are giving me flashbacks of Timesplitters 2, but it might go beyond that even.

Timesplitters 2 was definitely one of the premier multiplayer shooters one console generation ago, even if it wasn't recognized as such by everyone who played games nearly eight years ago. Sitting around my friend Eric's house with a tangled mess of controller wires plugged into a Playstation 2 multitap, blasting away at each other endlessly in any one of the time-period themed maps provided tons of hours of fun. One map in particular was a western themed map with tunnels at one end and an open courtyard with huts at the other end. One hut had a ladder to the roof and jumping off the roof was your only escape plan. I have very found memories of stacking bots against humans in a match with no point goal in sight.

Timesplitters 2 featured dualies of many weapons, shotguns notably being one of the weapon sets you can dual wield. My deja vu extends to the way the guns track as your turn left and right, and with the 1887s Akimbo, you can't aim down the sight. A lot of your play time with the weapon set in MW2 is going to be restricted to one view as it was in Timesplitters 2. Running around and bobbing up and down with your dual shotguns also alludes the motion and pacing of the player in Timesplitters 2 as they trek across a map. As you can see, the two gun share similarities, but I think Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer does a great deal to invoke some of the best multiplayer gaming experiences you might have had in the past.

Modern Warfare 2's action is highly customizable, fast-paced, and frenetic. The playlists are all very eclectic and further add to the mix of playing styles. Timesplitters 2 reflect this with it's Custom Arcade modes that allowed for extremely nuanced control over the match, weapons, and enemy types. Of course, there are no bots featured in Modern Warfare 2, but having an internet connected console certainly handles that exclusion.

Maybe my nostalgic connection between Modern Warfare 2 and Timesplitters 2 is more abstract than I really think. Are there other games you're reminded of by Modern Warfare 2 or other modern games?