Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare wasn’t the initial first-person military shooter to take place in the present. However, it was the first modern day military FPS to demand the attention of the gaming public. Sure, there were other popular military focused shooters on the market, but none sold like Call of Duty 4. Gamers flocked to the customizations, perks, game modes, maps, and 60 frames per second that Call of Duty’s entrance into present day would bring with it. The game was even making Halo 3 sweat on the Xbox Live activity charts, with the two games regularly switching between 1st and 2nd place.
When Modern Warfare 2 was announced, the gaming community’s excitement could have provided the power for third world countries. Infinity Ward released a game they believed to be an upgraded, polished, an overall improved Modern Warfare game. There is much disagreement as to which is the better game: Modern Warfare 1 or Modern Warfare 2? To settle the argument once and for all, PlanetXbox360’s News Editor, Alex Osborn, will be taking on PlanetXbox360’s Head News Writer, Zach Pint. Alex will be arguing for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, while I (Zach) will defend the good name of Modern Warfare 2. Let the debate begin!
Single Player
In Support of Modern Warfare 1 (Alex): Call of Duty 4 should take the cake in this category, especially when considering all of the innovations that the game brought to the genre. Some of the most memorable moments in gaming this generation have come from (or were at least inspired by) this title. From the game's mind-blowing opening on a storm-stricken freighter to the insane finale, the quality of the single-player experience was unparalleled at the time. Since then, so many developers have tried to emulate this magical formula that Infinity Ward cooked up, but none have been able to surpass or even stand toe-to-toe with the original Modern Warfare.
The pacing is excellent. While the game packs a serious amount of thrills, there is enough downtime to break up the action and provide just enough diversity to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, Infinity Ward embraced the Michael Bay comparisons and took them to a whole new level with the sequel, failing to employ the same genius pacing they had in COD4. But I'll let you cover that Zach.
In Defense of Modern Warfare 2 (Zach):
It’s true. Modern Warfare 2 ditched the calculated pacing in order to deliver a high-octane thrill ride, and once it got started it never slowed down. The campaign is like a 6-hour adrenaline rush, bent on topping itself with every passing mission. Call of Duty 4 experiences moments of downtime, where the player goes through the motions in order to relax. Modern Warfare 2 doesn’t allow the player that breather. Rather, the campaign rushes the player to the next epic set piece, where even bigger explosions will occur.
The first Modern Warfare is set in the real world, while the second Modern Warfare is set in an arcade cabinet. In no way is this a detractor. After all, it is meant to be a game; not a simulation. Call of Duty 4’s campaign is like a big juicy steak, and Modern Warfare 2 just trimmed the fat off of it. This doesn’t mean that the moments in Modern Warfare 2 are any less memorable, though. In fact, I’d bet that anybody who has played both games will remember the conscience-questioning “No Russian” level, before any other event in either game. The AC-130 level is also loads of fun, and the snowmobile level remains a fan favorite. The storytelling in MW2 may not have been as effective as CoD4, but nobody can claim that the gameplay was less fun.
This feature 1 vs. 2 concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to find out how multiplayer stacks up and read our final verdict.
