Most of the audio in Modern Warfare 2 is flawless. There's not a lot to take issue with. I don't even mind following the Arbiter into battle. But what I can't abide is Hans Zimmer's score. Not the music per se. It alternates between appropriately bombastic and weirdly moody, and it's harmless enough. Except for the fact that I cannot turn it off, or even adjust the level. Hans Zimmer will accompany me throughout Modern Warfare 2, whether I like it or not, commenting on the action the entire time. He's like a chatty wingman you cannot mute or even turn down. And considering he can't have come cheap, Infinity Ward decided to make him mandatory.

Where it intrudes the most is during the excellent Special Ops missions on a LAN. The unholy racket of twin Zimmer, often out of sync, during these stylish varied missions is overbearing and unnecessary. Infinity Ward thought we might not want to play their disgusting terrorist mission, so they patched in an option to skip it. But they couldn't conceive we wouldn't want to hear their expensive score?