A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 clip started flying around the net just the other day, which was shot from a third-person perspective. Nobody really knew what to make of it. It could have been a special feature of the game, a cleverly disguised multiplayer spectacle, a new play mode or just a fake. Well, things got cleared up today, as Infinity Ward itself decided to comment on the video. Apparently, the clip is for real, no tricks, no lies and Modern Warfare 2 will have a third-person mode. It will be restricted solely to the multiplayer and it's nice to see that it's willing to try something new with the gameplay besides butchering private servers.

Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward's creative strategist, is the one that discussed the subject. "3rd Person is a new playlist mode in Multiplayer," he said. "So you can play your favorite playlists [or] game types, like Team Deathmatch just standard, or in Hardcore mode ([with] limited HUD and increased bullet damage) or in the new 3rd Person mode, which means you and everyone in the game is in 3rd person." The idea to have the servers locked for the third-person mode might seem obvious, but it's one of those things that it could have missed. It wouldn't be the first time a game gets completely screwed in terms of balance for the sake of variety.

"When you're in a 3rd Person playlist you can't toggle in and out, you're always in 3rd person," Bowling added. "You can't toggle 3rd person view on or off in a standard game type either, people in 3rd person can't play with people in 1st person, they're entirely different game modes. This is just another way to play the game."

The first-person\third-person difference in perspective greatly influences gameplay. First, first-person offers a lot more accuracy and a more fast-paced gameplay, but third-person has a lot of tricks up its sleeve too. It may be a little bit more difficult to aim and you may end up with blind spots every now and then, but it actually offers a broader field of view. You can see a few feet behind you, to avoid getting knifed by some "ninja wannabe" and, as long as you can fiddle with the camera a little, you can even peck around corners without ever actually exposing yourself. Having both at the same time, you completely mess up the entire gameplay mechanics for MW2.