The Call of Duty series has had different developers but up until now the subject matter of the franchise has always been the same, World War II. Times are changing and the amazing people responsible for the best COD game to-date, Call of Duty 2, are back with an entirely new setting to shoot it out in. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is developed by Infinity Ward and set in the present day or very near future. Everything that fans love about the COD games is back in full effect but the game environment is so different it is easy at times to forget it is a COD title. Ever since it was first shown the amount of hype surrounding Modern Warfare has been extensive; owners of both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have been eating up any and all coverage about the game. Considering the amount of stuff that is packed into the box from the beginning it is easy to see the passion that the developers were working with. An intense/amazing single-player mode with tons of replay options and one of the deepest/involved multiplayer modes ever seen help create the best game I have ever played. From the opening video this game screams big-budget movie and that quality continues through the entire game. I understand that is a big statement, just stay with me and let me explain to you why it and the following score are two of the easiest decisions I have ever made while reviewing video games; some people might call it perfect.
Call of Duty 4 is such a massive undertaking that the review really needs to be separated into two distinct sections, single player and multiplayer. Let’s take down the single player career mode first. As some rumors on the internet have stated the single player campaign is not the longest thing ever created, my first time through on “easy” mode it clocked in at around 8 hours. It took me 10 to beat it on medium. While this will surely cause some people to throw hate bricks in Infinity Ward’s direction I am going to cut them some slack. Modern Warfare is such a cinematic experience and involves so much it is easy to understand why the game couldn’t have been 15 or so hours. There is no lack of levels (COD4 includes 15+ large levels) it’s just the genre of gameplay that causes this short timeframe. I am not going to lie, when I finished the game for the first time I was upset there was not more gameplay; after doing it again (and again) I decided the issue is not important. Yes the game is kind of short, but playing through it again is a no-brainer and the other modes (including multiplayer) give this game plenty of substance to warrant a full purchase.
The story of Modern Warfare follows an “Osama Bin Laden” look-alike as he goes on a mission to destroy the planet. You play as a couple different soldiers who all intertwine with each other, the personalities on these characters (playable and computer controlled) are so freaking deep and intense that it is easy to begin caring about the fellow soldiers in your squad. The game will take gamers to multiple different environments and global locations, as well as a few different periods in the timeline (flashbacks). Some of the more notable levels take place on a large ship, underground silo, war torn city, and the back of a bomber plane. There is so much variability in COD4 in terms of gameplay throughout the single player campaign that it breaks up the sometimes-repetitive nature of first-person shooters. The story itself is done well and told through a series of in-game movies and loading screen videos. While the game reads like a number of USA Today headlines there is plenty of drama and action to keep even the most bloodthirsty gamers happy. As the game wound down I found myself really caring about my other AI teammates, protecting them and worrying about their wellbeing. Even though the subject matter is nothing new it is fantastic to see the Call of Duty series go into a new direction and Modern Warfare is easily the best single-player campaign of any other game in the franchise. I would go as far to say that for the first time ever in my gaming lifetime a FPS evoked certain emotions in me that are usually only caused by RPG games that last 50+ hours.
For a game that is only around 10 hours long to have such a lasting effect on me is pretty damn good but the simple fact is if the gameplay is not top notch an amazing storyline doesn’t really matter. Lucky for publisher Activision Call of Duty 4 gets as close to perfect as humanly possible in the gameplay department. Anyone familiar with a COD game (or FPS game) will instantly be comfortable with the controls. Everything is mapped to the controller perfectly which helped stop any accidental shootings, reloading, or grenade tossing throughout the whole game. Unlike in Halo and other FPS titles I found myself almost always zooming in (or looking down the scope) before firing at an enemy, this little tactic helps the game feel much more realistic and beatable. Using these controls gamers will kill enemies with multiple modern weapons. Everything from pistols to shotguns to machine-guns to sniper rifles is available in COD4. Grenades, flash bangs, binoculars, night vision, and other gadgets round out the very deep selection of usable items in the game. Some weapons also have a secondary fire such as a grenade launcher or others. Unlike some other war games you do not get to pick the weapons/items you start with. Each different level in the game will choose a primary and secondary weapon (and plenty of ammo) for you to start out with; as you move through the level you have the option of swapping weapons or picking up entirely new ones dropped by dead soldiers (good and bad soldiers). Some may think this is limiting the creative nature of the game but to me it just helped me focus more of my energy on actually playing the game. Call of Duty 4 is all about kicking ass, not strategy or boring menu screens. Because each mission has a number of different objectives it is nice that the developers go ahead and provide you the best weapons for the job, you can always swap the sniper rifle for an AK-47 in mid-level. The main rifle, my personal favorite weapon, is so freaking awesome I wish it was included in every first-person shooter from now on.
In terms of difficulty COD4 is one of the harder first-person shooters out there, the choice of multiple levels of difficulty helps but some of the levels are just downright hard. Modern Warfare is very similar to Call of Duty 2 in that there is multiple times where you finally reach a checkpoint and a wave of relief comes over you. These moments are great and personally I would not have it any other way; the sheer amount of joy that is experienced is worth every bit of frustration. The game includes a number of different enemies that range in firepower (guns or rockets) as well as species (humans or dogs). Each different type of enemy has their own strengths and weaknesses so make sure to always check whom you are going up against before you proceed (if a dog attacks make sure to push in the right analog stick to break its neck). Because there is usually a squad of soldiers with the main character as he completes his objectives the game has some bit of “squad based” combat to it. You cannot really control these other soldiers but the fact that you are not going kamikaze style at the enemies should go into how you play the game. For example one time there were 20 or so soldiers I was facing and as my team was laying cover fire on the enemy I snuck around the side and flanked the bad guys. One level that I have to talk about in COD4 is the stealth level, which takes place in a flashback of the main AI character. This is the level with the amazing looking guile-suits and can be completed without as much as one single shot ever being fired. The level itself is beautiful and so intense that I found myself holding my breath multiple times and forgetting to let it out. It rivals any stealth level out there and should be played multiple times for maximum effect.
