Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Developer: Infinity WardPublisher: ActivisionPlatforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

Rating: 4.5 out 5

‘Call of Duty’ is an extremely successful franchise. It was even product-placed and name-dropped in ‘The Office.’ With four games already in the bag, it seems unlikely that they can get any better.

But wait a second. Could it possibly be a Modern Shooter by Infinity Ward? Yes, gamers, it’s here. A modern warfare shooter by the game developers that brought you the fantastic ‘Call of Duty’ series, here’s ‘Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.’

This game has it all: the looks, the scalability, the sounds, the game play and best of all, the replay value. ‘COD 4’ will have you coming back again and again because of its fantastic multiplayer features and because it isn’t restrained by the classic standards of all similar shooters.

Instead, Infinity Ward introduced a new feature called ‘create a class.’ This is where you can use your unlocked weapons, which you are allotted by earning experience points online. You also receive perks (we’ll get to that later) to create up to five original classes. At first, your selection of weapons for class designing is very limited, but if you like to play, you’ll find yourself unlocking weapons before you have any idea what to do with them.

Aside from weapons, earning experience points can unlock other items, including weapon upgrades, weapon camo and ‘perks.’ This is a fantastic design feature for creating your custom class, which can really set your class apart from the others. Perks are a special ability you earn the same way you earn new weapons.

The abilities can range from longer sprinting distance to extra grenades, all the way to something called ‘Last Stand.’ The ‘Last Stand’ perk allows the player to take out his pistol after being fatally wounded so long as it isn’t a death blow like a head shot. With the pistol out, the player has a few seconds to pop off a few rounds without the ability to walk around, posing a great opportunity to get the guy who just shot you back.

The single player campaign, although short, has its moments. It was designed like any standard first-person shooter game. It has a very basic, linear story line, though you can see where Infinity Ward tried to make the game more open. The levels are more open than most games, so even though you are stuck with very distinct tasks, you have some freedom across each map. Every so often, the campaign strays from this standard FPS feel and shows you why you really bought this game.

In one mission, you take the position in an Air Support plane called an AC-130, equipped with 25, 45 and 120 mm cannons. You’re placed way up in the sky looking through an infrared scope at the heat signatures of your enemies while trying to protect your allies with these massive cannons you’re able to fire.

However, it is obvious that the single player campaign is a plus when weighing the pros and cons. Once you’ve played through, there really is no benefit to replaying it unless you want to try a harder setting.

The multiplayer is where the action is. With its new features and tons of maps ranging from close quarters to extremely open, the multiplayer action in ‘COD 4’ is truly one of a kind. Its ranking system will have you itching to play again so you can upgrade just one more class. Its visual effects are stunning to say the least, and the sounds add the hellish, gunfire-ridden environments you’ll be thrown into.

Published on November 14, 2007 at 12:00 pm