Despite the "2" in the title, Activision's first-person-shooter juggernaut is actually in its third and fourth incarnations on PS3 and the Xbox 360. First the Call of Duty series bloodied up World War II. Then Modern Warfare, with its pants-crapping graphics and killer online multiplayer function, brought us to the present and established itself as one of the greatest video games ever. The series' impact hasn't gone unnoticed at Infinity Ward, the developer behind the most critically acclaimed Call of Duty titles. "It's this huge pop culture thing now," says community manager Robert Bowling. "Will Arnett just talked on Jimmy Kimmel about how much he liked the game." Set in the not-too-distant future, the new game throws you in as a raw recruit on an international team of badass terrorist-killers, Task Force 141. Your mission: Eliminate Russian nationalist Vladimir Makarov. And Warfare goes worldwide, so you can ride snowmobiles over glaciers and hunt enemies through a Brazilian favela. Scarily real gun battles are courtesy of dangerous research. "We got into the Navy SEALs' locker room," reveals Joel Emslie, lead character artist. "Those guys have a lot of toys. And the series is about the weapons. They're the main characters."