27/7/09 - AC130 Reward for Modern Warfare 2

US, July 27, 2009 - Infinity Ward revealed the AC130 killstreak reward for Modern Warfare 2 on Monday, marking the first time that the company has really begun to talk about the multiplayer suite in its highly-anticipated first-person shooter. In a video posted to YouTube (and which can be seen below), the company gave the first look at the new killstreak ability.

For the uninitiated, the killstreak rewards are ways of rewarding players if they manage to rack up a certain number of kills in a row before dying in multiplayer. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, a killstreak of three will get you a recon drone, a streak of five will let you summon an airstrike, and a streak of seven will let you call in the dreaded helicopter gunship. It's not clear if Modern Warfare 2 will keep those initial three killstreak rewards, but according to the video you can unlock and personalize your killstreak loadout.



If you get 11 you can be the gunner aboard an AC130 orbiting above the battlefield. The video is a bit murky as to the details, as most of the footage showed the carnage being inflicted on the ground, but there are a few seconds where the video shows the perspective of the gunner looking through the plane's targeting system to rain devastation on targets below. If that's the case, it's not quite clear what happens to the player's character on the battlefield. Do they transport to the AC130 above?

Fans of Modern Warfare will remember how potent an AC130 can be, as there's a level in the game where you provide aerial support for the troops on the ground. It's armed with 20mm Gatling guns, 40mm cannons, and a 105mm howitzer. While the AC130 is undoubtedly used for the Western side, it's unknown what the AC130 equivalent will be for those playing on the other side.

To counter the AC130, it appears that soldiers will have some sort of access to a man-portable air defense system, basically a shoulder-mounted surface-to-air missile. You can lock onto the gunship by aiming at it, and then fire the missile once you've achieved lock.

Other details revealed by the video include a Buzzkill bonus of 100 points for stopping an enemy short of achieving of a killstreak of their own. And if the video is any indication, you don't want to be on the receiving end of an AC130. Meanwhile, you can get a Stuck bonus for sticking an enemy with Semtex (plastic explosive). And there's a Payback bonus of 200 points for getting revenge on another player, though it's not clear what the requirements for the bonus are. For example, does the other player have to kill you a certain amount of times in a row in order for you to get payback?

With the game's November 10 release date only three-and-a-half months away, it's safe to say that Infinity Ward will pick up the pace on releasing details soon. After all, Activision has made no secret that it wants Modern Warfare 2 to be the biggest entertainment release of the year.