Originally Posted by
jcap
Here is my understanding of the story:
You start out on Road Kill as Joseph Allen. Your convoy is ambushed and you survive. You make it to the end of the level for evac. There really is no relevance to this level other than to just play as the person. Hell, this could have been taken out entirely since it would have been just fine to do your training and then move into Task Force 141. Perhaps this is training for actual AI and not a bunch of wood? It would make sense to have some training before getting into the story, otherwise the more noobish folk might miss a thing or two. Cliffhanger has more training in it than this level. Hell, I don't even know how this level trains you in any way.
As Roach, you need to recover an ACS module from a satellite before the Russians clone it and breach our national security. Your cover with Soap is then blown and you make it out with the ACS module in a cool snow mobile chase.
As PVT. Allen, you are then put into Task Force 141 and you have an undercover assignment as a terrorist. You shoot up an Airport with Makarov, then be betrays you for being an American and sets up the US for attack. This is an important part of the story because it IS the reason Russia invades us. However, I can't help but notice the severe problem with why they would attack the US, killing hundreds of thousands for revenge if just one corrupt extremist group killed a few hundred. This would be like the US killing every Palestinian because we think Major Nidal Malik Hasan was behind the Fort Hood shooting. Isn't this group you were following an extremist group as well? If they want to show the US that the deaths of those people will not go unheard, I think extremist groups would do just that. Have you jumped from your own perspective, by chance? I thought Russia (not the extremists anymore) is attacking the US as the result of the massacre. The Russian extremists just framed the US for the attack by leaving an American behind dead. This part doesn't really bother me, though. I just wanted to point out the problem I think I saw.
Now that we lost our only lead on Makarov, we're screwed. The only thing we know is who supplied him with the means to do the airport shooting. So, you go to Rio to find him as Roach. You do that, but his capture is insignificant to the story. I don't think you ever find out what he knows or how it puts you any closer to catching Makarov. So this mission was to use the remaining intelligence we had on Makarov's operations to find him? Doesn't seem pointless to me, unless you like giving up in chess before anyone even gets check. I'm not saying that the attempt to find this guy was pointless. I am saying that I don't think you learned what this guy had on Makarov, so it doesn't put you any further into the story, hence why it is pointless.
So then the US is invaded by Russia. You fight in a neighborhood in Virginia as Ramirez. There is no story to this other than to show first-hand what the invasion is like. This level is fairly irrelevant. You mean you'd rather not experience an invasion of the US from a soldier's perspective? I don't even want to know what kind of shit you're in to then. No, I did not say that. They could have given the same perspective by taking out this level and starting only at the Arcadia level. Additionally, the DC missions should have had more to them than just fighting from the soldier's perspective. EDIT: Actually, I take some of this part back. You get only one thing out of Alexander, and that is the location of Makarov's "most hated prisoner" (the Gulag). The other guy, however, you didn't hear about again. It's really stupid that they held off for only one sentence at the end of a video that was completely unrelated to his capture.
Back as Roach again, the next level I believe is all about getting out of Rio. I think. No story, other than how you got out (like it really matters...) is conveyed here. Better than just getting to the dead end in his last mission and going "well, shit. Guess the enemy will let us go then, on to the next Roach mission!" No, really, this is 100% unnecessary and is a complete waste of time. Why should they show you getting out of there when they don't do it in probably 3/4 of the COD missions. Heck, getting to evac wasn't even really included until Modern Warfare.
Now you are again playing as Ramirez and you are again fighting in a different neighborhood. Eventually at the end of the level, you think something major is going to happen with the story when you are asked to rescue someone from a panic room! You find him with the panic room door open and a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with a guy outside who has a strange tattoo. I thought this was going to somehow relate to the story in a big way, but I don't think they elaborated on this. Maybe he was somehow related with Shepherd's plan? Look for the tattoo/symbol anywhere else? Did this guy in the room have a name? I don't think he had a name, and I really didn't look anywhere else. That did cross my mind, though. He could be part of Shepherd's crew.
As Roach, now you need to get to a castle being used as a prison for Makarov's most hated person. To do that, you need to board an oil rig that is under Russia's control. Unfortunately, they are using the occupants as human shields, so you need to secure them and claim control of the rig. This is a good part of the story. You save the hostages and provide an open route for the invasion to happen.
The Gulag picks up immediately after the oil rig. You invade the castle to capture Prisoner 627. When you reach him, to your surprise you find out it is Cpt. Price. You make it out of the castle just as it is being destroyed by US forces. This was also important because now you have Price. But still, no significant story. You did not just write these last 2 paragraphs, including the blue text above, and end with "no significant story." I'm going to assume for your sake that this was massive typo. No, it wasn't a typo. This was a good part of the story, but didn't expand on anything. All you really do is get Price. Wow. Does he know anything? Did he overhear any plans? Was he ever interrogated by the Russians? It could have been a good idea if Infinity Ward used him to maybe say that they were planning an even bigger attack - something on a global scale.
As Ramirez, you need to help fight the Russians and provide support for the US forces to defeat them (what's new?), then get to the roof for evac. You do that but your helicopter is shot down. In the final moments of the level, you witness several enemies closing in on you as you have no ammo remaining.
In Contingency, you are playing as Roach again alongside Price. You need to get Price close enough to the submarine so he can do something. At the end of the level he intentionally launches a nuke at the US.
Back as Ramirez, you witness the nuke detonate in the upper atmosphere, resulting in an EMP that wipes out all electronics and causes helicopters and planes to fall like rain from the sky. It is IMPLIED (not clearly at all, though) that Price's plan was to paralyze the Russian and American forces' communications, since now the US should have the upper arm on our own turf. Your objective is to make it to the White House. "Price saved all of us and I'm mad that I didn't get his blueprints/approval first." ??? Did you reply to the wrong paragraph, because it sounds like you are stating Shepherd's possible motive.
The following level is a continuation of the previous one in which you now need to take control of the White House. You hear on the radio that the Hammerdown Protocol is in effect and DC will be carpet-bombed in a few minutes unless green flares are set off on the roofs of the buildings, signifying you have control. In a race against time, you make it to the roof and set off the flares, as you witness several significant landmarks also with green flares, meaning DC is back under American control. Finally, the whole DC thing has a meaning to it...but it doesn't put us any further into the story. You really need to be careful with that keyboard of yours. While this does explain how we reclaimed DC, it doesn't explain anything new that puts us closer to finding Makarov. I'll tell you what I would have really loved though: foreshadowing of Shepherd's betrayal.
Now that we're finished with DC, you have one final mission as Roach to complete. There's only two places Makarov could be hiding, so Roach takes a safe house in the hills somewhere, while Price takes the second site at a boneyard in Afghanistan. You find out that there is definitely a lot going on in this hideout, so you copy the hard drive of his computer to get all valuable information in hopes to put an end to Makarov's terror. At the end of the level, Gen. Shepherd betrays you and Ghost for reasons I really don't understand. Price says Shepherd wants to write history his way, but...what? Does he just want to claim credit for the info on Makarov? What the hell did you even retrieve from the computer? Why wan't this explained? Poor story. I doubt they know what's on the drive either, but that won't stop self-important cocks like Sheperd from trying to take whatever credit they can to get in some imaginary history book. No explanation needed, just a douche trying to be a hero. Yeah, but my point was about the drive mostly. Shepherd's betrayal could have been better explained (probably should have been explained when he was killing you at the end of the game), but the problem I had here was that at no part in this game do you find out how the data puts you closer to Makarov.
Now you are playing as Soap and you are fighting against both Russians and Shepherd's men. Your only goal is to make it to the runway where Nikolai is waiting to pick you up. The only significant thing that happens in this level is that Makarov tells Price where Shepherd's hideout is, because "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." All other priorities are put on hold until you stop Shepherd. (You're still no closer to finding Makarov, might I add...) So Makarov is temporarily helping you down a traitor? I should point out that most military branches always prioritize traitors/deserters over anything else, so that makes sense as far as realism is concerned. As for Makarov, heaven forbid that he be good at covering his tracks/keeping you distracted. To be honest, this part didn't bother me as much because it's the first thing that happens since the third level (and even that one is optional) that involves Makarov. :|
Now you are at his base so you invade it. He runs like a coward and self-destructs the cave, having absolutely no regard for any of his own men. This part confirms my statements 2 paragraphs up. Yeah, and that was obvious.
Now that he gets away on boat, you need to chase him. Price shoots down his helicopter, but you go down too.
In a last stand, with your last breath, you find Shepherd and kill him just before he strangles Price. You are rescued at the last moment by Nikolai and you find out he has a place we can hang low.
End.
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