Although we didn't get a chance to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Activision and Infinity Ward's presentation left us with itchy trigger fingers. A couple of years ago, we struggled to think how the developers would surpass the original, but after watching guys barrel through the countryside on snowmobiles, climb an icy mountain and hunt their prey with a heartbeat sensor, it's clear that if anything, this game's creators plan to leave the excellent prequel in the dust.

Our demo begins in a blizzard. Captain MacTavish and Roach (that's you) stand along the edge of a frozen mountain, thousands of feet high. The goal is to sneak into an enemy base, download important files and then blow the fueling station, but first, both men need to avoid plummeting to their deaths. With MacTavish at point, the player whips out a pair of ice picks and slowly makes his way upwards by pressing RT on the Xbox 360 controller. As each pick grabs hold of the ice, we wait for something horrible to happen and it nearly does when a fighter jet screams overhead, the loud noise loosening bits of ice.

Nothing prepared us for how fast the snowmobiles move. Watching the player cap bad guys while dodging trees made us want this game even more.

From there, MacTavish leaps across a gap and instructs Roach to do the same. Unfortunately, Roach nearly falls but his buddy's there to grab his arm. Clearly, it pays to climb in twos.

Now that they have solid footing, both warriors slowly make their way towards the base. The snow limits visibility, but each soldier carries a silenced ACR with a heartbeat sensor that displays all living things within a certain distance (think of it as a motion tracker from the film, Aliens). Thanks to this special gizmo, a bunch of blue dots representing evildoers fan out across the screen.

As those dots come into view, MacTavish gives the order to systematically take them out without being seen. The player responds in kind by nailing some in the back, others in the head. Doing this enables them to not only enter the base, but also plant charges along the fueling station and snag those important computer files. All goes according to plan.

Well, sort of. Something tripped the guards and they immediately respond. The player, hiding behind some boxes, watches as a group of enemies point their rifles at MacTavish and order his buddy to join him. Instead, the player detonates the fueling station (it goes up in flames), pops out from behind cover and slaughters everyone.

At that point, all hell breaks loose. Both guys race across an airfield as bombs drop, soldiers unload their weapons and planes zip through the air. Then it happens: a snowmobile comes into view, then another. Each soldier leaps into action, with MacTavish stabbing a guy while he drives by and Roach sniping others from a distance. At MacTavish's orders, the player briefly slides down a mountain, guns down a few enemies giving chase and turns his attention to more snowmobiles. Killing the riders leaves the vehicles idling along the snow, and the player does what any Call of Duty fan would do. He leaps onto it and hauls ass.

Riding a snowmobile is without question one of the demo's coolest moments. Not only must the player dodge trees at ludicrous speeds, but he must also make death-defying leaps while shooting other snowmobile riders with an automatic pistol, gangster style, no less. Just the thrill that comes from watching this unfold takes our breath away. We can't wait to do this.

Unfortunately, that's also where the demo ended, but what an intro. If the rest of Modern Warfare 2 plays like this, we'll officially take off work when it debuts November 10th. We suggest you do the same.

Related Links

Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 Game Guide

Modern Warfare 2 PS3 Game Guide

Modern Warfare 2 PC Game Guide