Ever since Activision released Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 in October 2022, quite a few fans of the franchise have been digging up information about previous titles in this acclaimed series. Modern Warfare 2 is the direct sequel to the 2019 reboot of the hit game originally developed by Infinity Ward in 2009. Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon is a smartphone game developed by Glu Mobile in 2009 for Symbian and other mobile operating systems of that time. If you are into retro gaming, or if you are interested in the intricate MW2 storyline, Force Recon is worth checking out.
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How Force Recon Fits into the Modern Warfare Series
The sheer success of the original MW2, which was praised for both its single and multiplayer modes, prompted Activision to quickly release a mobile version; this was a strategy that worked well for the Call of Duty World War II titles. MW2: FR is a J2ME (Java) game set in North America five years after the events of MW2, but the antagonists this time are part of a global terrorism organization that seeks to establish operations in Mexico to plan a future invasion of the United States.
MW2: FR Gameplay
Like other Glu Mobile titles released in the late 2000s, this one is a top-down shooter with some isometric details. You control a member of the elite U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance platoons; your tactical loadout includes the reliable FN SCAR-L automatic rifle, the Glock 15 semiautomatic pistol, a sniper rifle, and fragmentation grenades. While fighting the enemy, you can take over machine gun emplacements or pick up rocket-propelled grenades.
In some of the Modern Warfare 2: Force Recon missions, you get to play as a Marine aboard a Blackhawk helicopter, and this manning the 50-cal machine gun as a door gunner. The variety of missions include rescuing hostages, escorting friendly units, taking out high-value targets, and gathering intelligence.
How to Play MW2: FR These Days
Unless you can get your hands on vintage Symbian S60 smartphones such as the Nokia XpressMusic or the Samsung Omnia, your best bet would be to install KEmulator for Windows, which is a software application that runs J2ME, JRE, and Java games. The Java file itself can be downloaded from internet archives maintained by fans of older Nokia mobile devices.
There is an option to side-load MW2: FR onto modern Android smartphones, but you would need to install the Loader J2ME emulator. You would get a far better experience from KEmulator because this game was designed for keypad controls, which on Android feel awkward.
For more CoD content, check out this article on Modern Warfare 2 characters.