hi i've play IW2

, even made a few mods for it. The hardest part is getting used to the controls, but if you can figure out how to edit them to your standards, then it should make life a whole lot easier. I can make it up to Trouble With Gunstars (mission 6, iirc) without getting killed. that mission is a pain though

Using keyboard i use w,a,s,d for throttle and u,h,j,k for pitch and yaw. t is target, r is target closest hostile, y is subtarget, i is LDSi quickfire, space is fire current weapon, o is undock, [ is next weapon, ] is next secondary, enter is next primary, backspace is next secondary.
As for the story, the first few missions (when youre a kid) are just there to familiarize yourself with the basic controls, autopilot, and combat. you progress on as an adult for the rest of the game. The story is pretty good, but the ending is rushed thanks to publisher deadlines, there is a mod that lets you continue in free-form mode once the story ends and gives you access anywhere. The best place to look for mods is
http://www.i-war2.com