Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus

Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus
App Icon App Store icon
Developer(s)	In-house
Publisher(s)	Gameloft
Platform(s)	iOS, WebOS, Android, Blackberry Playbook
Release date(s)	October 4, 2010
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	Apple: 17+
Media/distribution	Digital distribution

Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus is a first-person shooter developed and published by Gameloft for the iPhone, iPod Touch iPad, Android and Blackberry Playbook devices. It is a sequel to 2009's Modern Combat: Sandstorm, and features new environments, updated graphics and more robust multiplayer. It was released on October 4, 2010.

Gameplay

The game plays similarly to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Players travel through various environments, such as a snowy mountain and a jungle. They take control of three characters throughout the game: Chief Warrant Officer "Chief" Warren (the main character from the previous game), Sergeant Anderson, and Private Newman with Delta, Razor, and Mustang Squads respectively. The game is controlled using virtual buttons on-screen. A virtual control stick is used for movement, while aiming is done by swiping on the screen. The controls can be customized in the pause menu. Quick time events have been added, where the player has to fight off knife wielding enemies or dodge a charging helicopter.

Whereas Sandstorm has only seven weapons, Black Pegasus has 15. It sports multiple pistols, two SMGs, several assault rifles, two sniper rifles, two shotguns, and an RPG, among others. Weapons can be found with attachments like red dot sights or silencers.

The game has gyroscopic control on the iPhone 4 and fourth generation iPod Touch.

Plot

The game starts with the members of the Mustangs stuck in Pablo's prison camp. Private Newman is questioned by Pablo before he's knocked out with a rifle butt to the head. Private Downs rescues Newman and then they attempt to make an escape. While escaping, Private Newman acquires the NX8 'M9' handgun and an AK-47 before the two are trapped in an ambush.

The game then follows Chief from the previous game and Delta Squad, who assault an oil rig in the Middle East to find Kalis Ghazi. The player clears rooms of enemies until he's attacked by Kalis Ghazi with a knife,The player manages to throw him down. Delta Squad convinces Kalis to tell his boss's name.

Then Sgt. Anderson helps Azimi get to the American embassy. He has to protect a convoy from the roof, clearing out barricades and kill the RPG shooters until the convoy reaches a garage. At that point Sgt. Anderson clears the way for the convoy until they get ambushed by the enemy. There he destroys a tank. Then they travel on the road to the embassy with Sgt. Anderson on the turret. Along the way they fight a helicopter. They arrive at the embassy to find terrorists holding American citizens hostage. Sgt. Anderson and Rollins help the hostages and then Sgt. Anderson captures Azimi who is connected to Abu Bahaa (used to be terrorist leader).

After that the Mustangs travel to Nikkitich's compound, which marks the beginning of Operation Troika. They fight their way through a power plant where Nikkititch is hiding. Pvt. Newman finds him inside a tank, and he surrenders after a battle. The Mustangs learn the location of Nikkitich's boss, Popovich. Pvt. Newman and Downs make it to the Cold War era submarine bunker he's hiding in. They find his submarine and disable it, Popovich comes out, but instead of surrendering, he captures them and takes them to Pablo's Compound.

Mustang 2-2 and 2-4 (Pvt.Newman and Pvt.Downs) try to escape Pablo's compound, having to fight their way to a clear landing zone for an escape helicopter. The two Mustangs brief Warrant Officer Strikes about Pablo's mansion, their next target. On arrival, they find Pablo has already escaped. Later Sgt. Rollins dies in a grenade explosion and Anderson goes into a city where Pablo is located. Sgt. Anderson takes down a helicopter protecting Pablo and then starts a series of close combat, while Pablo attempts to escape with another helicopter. Anderson shoots down Pablo's helicopter and kills him by sticking a grenade in his mouth.

Multiplayer

In addition to the single-player campaign, the game also includes an online multiplayer mode for up to 10 players, a drastic upgrade from Sandstorm's four. It can be played via Wi-Fi. Modes include Capture the Flag, deathmatch, team deathmatch, and a mode in which one team attempts to defuse a bomb while the other team protects it (demolition). Killing enemies and securing objectives earns experience points, allowing players to level up through 72 ranks, rise up on the global leaderboard, and unlock new weaponry and perks. Players from around the globe have privately set up clans and teams for members to train their skills and compete against other clans in organized matches. They usually have rank and/or "KDR" (Kill/Death Ratio) requirements, along with tryouts supervised by clan leaders.

Weapons

Several new different weapons are introduced into the game. When players first start with multiplayer, they can only use an AK-47 and a Beretta M9. As characters gain experience, they unlock new weapons and 'skills', i.e. increased movement speed. As stated above, there is a total of 15 weapons. However, in multi-player, there are variations for several of the weapons. Examples include a red dot sight on the M16 and silencers to many secondary weapons. These variations add advantages to the weapon and in some cases slight disadvantages. These are unlocked after all the primary weapons with no attachments are unlocked.

Reception

The game has thus far received very positive reviews. Slide to Play rated the game a 4/4, and called it "top notch modern warfare on the go," and praised the multiplayer feature.^[1] Pocket Gamer gave the game a 9/10 and their Gold Award, saying "while it likely won't be long before a new game raises the bar, Modern Combat 2 has for now set the new shooter standard."^[2]

IGN gave the game an 8.5/10 and said, "Gameloft's shooter is genuinely the best in the App Store, eclipsing the previous high water mark: its very own N.O.V.A."^[3]

DLC

On April 12, 2011 DLC was released for $1.99 under the name "Modern combat 2: Black Pegasus Multilayer Map Pack 1" . It includes 3 maps which are Bunker, Battlefield, and Shanty Town; all are based on maps in the game.The update also fixed a few bugs with the game such as killing teammates and added a new look to the map Jungle.^[4]

Rerating

Before the April 12 update, Black Pegasus had a 12+ rating on the App Store. After this update, however, the game was rerated a 17+ rating. This decision has come under fire from the Gaming Community, many of whom say either the game does not deserve the new rating, or have been unable to play the game due to Parental Controls on their devices.

References

1. ^ "Slide To Play - Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus Review". http://www.slidetoplay.com/story/modern-combat-2-black-pegasus-review. 
2. ^ "Pocket Gamer - Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus Review". http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Modern+Combat+2:+Black+Pegasus/review.asp?c=24080. 
3. ^ "IGN - Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus Review". http://wireless.ign.com/articles/112/1126896p1.html. 
4. ^ "'Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus' Multiplayer Gets IAP Map Pack via Update". http://toucharcade.com/2011/04/12/modern-combat-2-black-pegasus-multiplayer-gets-iap-map-pack-via-update/.