The long awaited Call Of Duty 4 from Infinity Ward finally hit the shelves on November 9, 2007 and the long ques were just a hint how how big it was going to be. Since it’s release it has received glowing recommendations by every player that has lifted their remote. The graphics are immense and the gameplay is, arguably, the best ever on any console. They say war is hell and Modern Warefare really takes you to the depths of Hades. COD4 has your heart racing as you dive for cover.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is loaded with a new team. Play as Sergant ‘Soap’ through many epic adventures. Use your team wisely, without them you will be helpless.
If you played the original Call of Duty or its sequel, then you will have little trouble hopping into COD4. This is not a revolution of game controls. Infinity Ward maintains its smart system of rewarding players for aiming down the sight before firing; you can run from cover to cover (an absolute necessity to survive the utter insanity in some of the levels); you have a one-click melee attack; there are a few highlighted spots that require a button press to interact with (how else would one plant C4 on an AA gun?); and yes you can once again pick up live grenades and throw them back at the enemy.A change for the enemy weapon is a very effective one. The dog comes running at you and, believe me,the first time you encounter it, you will definitely be scared. It jumps onto you and only precise timing will cut it’s throat; yes, it sounds very cruel but I think I would rather do it that be eaten alive, agree?Thankfully, there are some major new things to help you through the game. Your teammates are easily the one thing you could not do without. The reassuring voice of Cap. Price is pleasing and guiding as he tells you where the enemies are; how to get there and most importantly, how to kill them. Also, the game now recognizes that it is a bit of cardboard in front of your face: so yes, you can shoot straight through it when you feel the need. And yes, that very same bullet might just fly through an enemy body. And when shooting long distance shots, especially when sniping, you need to take into account the wind speed and Coriolis Effect (caused by the rotation of the Earth). When you get these things right, it is an awesome feeling as you see the bullet curve in the air and then penetrate enemy’s body.
COD4’s individual single player campaign is amazing as it is incredibly smooth and you very, very rarely see the frame-rates slow or freeze. The texture is great, the animations and cut-scene are humorous and realistic. The lighting and sound are very impressive. Combat is loud. The shouts of your allies: the curses of your foes. This all adds up to a technically perfect game that will not disappoint.One, of the very short list, of the complaints is that it really should be easier to identify ally from enemy. Countless times I have found myself either restarting the mission because of friendly fire or dieing because I hesitated while thinking, “Is this guy on my team?”. You are not given much of a chance to find out as if you delay for two seconds, you will probably have a bullet in your head. One other fault, when playing on campaign, even the hardest difficulty will probably only take 8-9 hours to complete. It’s very brief but at least it is very enjoyable. When you finish the game you unlock Arcade mode. In which, you can attempt levels with limited lives or get points for certain kills.
The Xbox Live and split-screen multiplayer rivals even Halo 3 in it’s addictiveness, enjoyment and fluency. The game offers 16 new maps and 13 multiplayer variants. Up to 18 players can play together on the Xbox 360 console. The 16 maps are very worthwhile. There are some very strong maps but even the ‘weak’ ones are large. The respawn is also far smarter than the competitors. Instead of being respawned in the middle of no-where and having to walking 5 minutes to find someone to fight, you usually find yourself right in the action, without getting killed immediately. In the game, when you respawn, you afre acting as reinforcements and so are at the backfoot to the main battle.
The wide variety of maps means that weapon class selection is essential. You will benefit in having close range guns for small maps and snipers for maps with tall buildings. In this way you can be properly prepared, in the same way that any good solider would be, when heading into battle.
Ratings:
Addiction Level: 9.6/10
Value For Money: 9.2/10
Graphics: 10/10
Overal: 9.4/10
