Posted by Shawn M. on Feb 6th, 2008
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was created by Infinity Ward, the crew responsible for Call of Duty 2, and distributed by Activision. It was released for PC, XBox 360, and PC during the week of November 6-9. A Mac version is in the works and is scheduled for a May release, and there is also a Nintendo DS version available, though it is an entirely different game. This review, like my others, focuses on the XBox 360 version.
Story: In an unidentified Middle Eastern country, revolution is sweeping the land. Al-Asad, commander of the revolutionists, overthrows the government (with the backing of Imran Zakhaev, leader of Russia’s Ultranationalist party) and executes this country’s president on live television. Military intelligence believes that Al-Asad and Zakhaev wish to start a nuclear war, so the British Special Air Service (S.A.S.) are sent to investigate. They locate a cargo ship carrying a nuclear device, commandeer the ship, but before they can secure the device, the ship is bombarded and they escape with only evidence. Meanwhile, the U.S. Marines are sent to the Middle East to hunt for Al-Asad. It’s up to you and your squad to track down the various key terrorists and take them down, ensuring that the world remains relatively safe.
You’ll play the majority of the game as S.A.S. member “Soap” MacTavish. At other points, you’ll step into the boots of USMC Sergeant Paul Jackson, a flashback mission as Captain Price (Soap’s CO during the game), and an unnamed thermal imaging gunship operator for one mission.
The story has a big-budget Hollywood feel to it, with lots of action, high-stakes, and several “Holy $#&%!” moments. It’s a through-and-through war story, sprinkled with tension and just enough humor to keep things interesting.
Graphics: Prepare to be blown away, as this game is absolutely gorgeous. Even more, the framerate is a constant 60fps, making this one of the smoothest games I’ve ever witnessed — no small feat considering how much is happening on your screen at any one moment. Your environments, to a bombed-out Middle Eastern Village to the Russian countryside, are sights to behold. Everything looks perfect. In fact, I will go so far as to say that COD4 features the best graphics for the 360 to date (don’t worry, Bioshock — yours is still the better art direction).
The only real complaint that I have is for multiplayer. When playing team games, it can sometimes get confusing as to who’s on your team, as the character models for the various avatars all look similar.
Gameplay: There’s nothing too revolutionary here for the First-Person Shooter genre. COD4 controls just fine, and if you’re used to FPS’s, you should feel right at home here.
One of the high points is a mission where you’re in control of a gunship. You’re flying overhead, and everything is a black and white image. Your task is to stop terrorists from overrunning a church with civilians. You don’t have to worry about flying the plane, but you do get to aim the cannons. You have three different weapons here, each for the distances you can zoom in and out. When you zoom in the closest, your projectiles are a steady stream of bullets, and when you’re zoomed all the way out, you can launch single-shot explosives that really pack a wallop. You can’t die in this mission, but you do have to save the civilians and make sure they remain safe until they can be airlifted out of the area.
Sound: It’s like you’re right there in the thick of war. You can hear the gunfire around you, your teammates calling out enemy positions, and warning you when they’re under fire. Your enemies will yell at you in Arabic and Russian, and respond to your actions (throw a grenade at them, and they’ll tell their compatriots to scatter). Voice acting is excellent all-around, with nothing at all to groan about.
I’m really impressed with the sound of gunfire. COD4 really captures the weight of firing a gun, much like Gears of War. It’s loud and heavy, just like it should be.
Multiplayer: When you first begin multiplayer, you’re only given a few options — your standard team deathmatch and free-for-all. As you play through and earn experience from killing enemies, you’ll unlock new gameplay modes. This is a great move from Infinity Ward, as it helps ease in newer players into the fray.
You can select a class to play as (sniper, heavy gunner, shotgunner, etc.,) or you can create a custom class with your choice of primary weapon, sidearm, and “perks”. The perks are helpful buffs that will enhance your character in many ways, such as a little extra health, deadlier bullets, or dozens of other abilities. Better perks are unlocked as you gain ranks, as well as new weapons.
Aside from killing others, you can also gain experience by completing challenges. Unlocked at level five, these are something like “mini-achievements”. For example, if you get 25/75/150 kills with a certain weapon, not only will you unlock a good chunk of experience points, you’ll also get a selectable upgrade for that weapon. There are dozens of different challenges to complete, and gives you something else to focus on other than taking out your opponents.
As for the multiplayer gameplay itself? It’s frantic, but in a fun way. You have a radar telling you where your enemies are, but only when they fire their weapon (and providing they haven’t equipped a silencer). So while you’re running around, somebody could be right behind you and you’d never know until they either shot or stabbed you. When you die, you’ll get to relive the last three seconds of your life from your killer’s perspective — the “kill cam”. This will help you with strategy, as it will reveal enemy positions (and hopefully teach you what you did wrong).
I do have one complaint - the game doesn’t bother to match you with other players of similar ranks. I’m mostly a free-for-all player, and I will continuously be matched up against players who are thirty or more levels ahead of me. However, the game is set up that I still have a chance, and playing against better players does force you to get better. And when you finally get that first win against far superior players, it really makes you proud — I was elated when I got mine.
Simply put, COD4 multiplayer blows Halo 3 out of the water. Whereas Halo 3 got boring quickly, COD4 continuously entertains and surprises with its far superior multiplayer. Also, there’s not nearly as many jackasses on COD4 as there is Halo 3. That’s always a plus.
Achievements: All the achievements are gained through the single-player campaign, which is an excellent move. I really don’t like multiplayer achievements, as it tends to sully the experience of playing with others (”Hey, can I headshot you so I can get my ‘chievement?”). Achievements come in the form of completing missions (two sets — one for beating the missions, another for beating them on the hardest difficulty of “Veteran”). There’s also a handful for completing certain actions, like surviving a dog attack, completing the tutorial mission under a certain amount of time, finding hidden items, and other tasks. You can actually gain all 1000 points in one playthrough, providing you know where everything’s at. For a full list of achievements, visit the fine folks at Xbox360Achievements.org.
Intangibles: Veteran mode is brutally hard. There are a few parts of the game where it’s not so bad, but there are certain missions where it is nearly impossible to progress. You’re extremely prone to damage, and the enemies are suddenly expert marksmen, able to tag you with bullets a hundred yards away through an opening just a couple of inches wide. Seriously, this mode makes Gears of War’s “Insane” mode look like a casual stroll through fluffy-bunny land. After your fiftieth failed attempt at “One Shot, One Kill” or “No Fighting in the War Room”, you will be cursing, and you’ll be lucky not to break your controller (or anything else) out of frustration. But when you finally do make it to the end, it’s one of the sweetest feelings in gaming.
- There’s a bonus mission after the credits where you have to rescue a VIP from an airplane. On Veteran mode, this proves that the people at Infinity Ward are sadists and enjoy nothing more than punishing us. So far, this is the only mission I’ve yet to complete, and the one thing that’s keeping me from reaching 1000 gamerscore for this game. One day, though… one day.
- Call of Duty 3 developer Treyarch will be handling the next game in the series, which is unfortunate. COD3 was a letdown, and they’ve made the decision to go back to WW2, because there just isn’t enough WW2 games already.
The Bottom Line: COD4 can honestly proclaim itself to be the best shooter for the 360 by far. Infinity Ward crafted a game that offers a solid experience all around: a top-notch campaign and the best multiplayer mode I’ve ever experienced. If you’re a fan of shooters, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a must buy. Just try it out, and you’ll be saying “F a bunch of Halo” soon after.
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