GameSpy Review of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

There have been so many great games released this year that it's getting almost too much to bear. The latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise is one of those superior titles. Modern Warfare represents Infinity Ward's best work to date, and both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners now have a phenomenal first-person shooter experience to enjoy.





CoD4 was started in earnest around the same time CoD2 wrapped at Infinity Ward's studios, and it really shows. Players are treated to a terrifyingly realistic ride with the threat of global domination and nuclear disaster weighing heavy. You'll assume the roles of three brave Western soldiers; two SAS guys and one rock-hard US Marine.





It's War







The way that the scarily feasible story is told gives you some appreciation as to the level of research and planning that goes into a game such as CoD4. Expertly played out over 19 incredibly intense levels, the single-player campaign delivers an experience that you'll want to replay more than once. There are four difficulty settings to choose from the outset, and depending on how your rookie SAS training times fare, you'll be given a suggestion as to which is appropriate. Things get significantly harder when the step from "regular" to "hardened" is taken, and you'll need more than a steady aim and a guardian angel to survive on "veteran."






CoD4's mechanics are superb. The sense of aiming down your gun's barrel and unloading a full clip into an enemy feels perfect. The sense of impact behind a well-placed shot or three and the sense of danger as you try to bail out of the blast radius of a frag grenade is amazing. The game moves at a pace that's determined by you; online matches are likely to be speedy sprinting affairs while the single-player content could consist of taking a slow sniper approach. It's really up to you how you play. A wide variety of real-world weapons like M16 and AK-47 assault rifles, MP5 and Mini-Uzi sub machine guns, shotguns, light machine guns and sniper rifles comprise the game's arsenal, as well as tertiary weapons like frag, stun, smoke and flash grenades.





Advanced techniques like learning how to use bullet penetration through surfaces come into play too; there's no other feeling like gunning down a guy that you just saw duck into an outhouse for cover simply by riddling the wall with light machine gun fire. Combat just feels right; most other games in the FPS genre just don't achieve the same levels of competency, but Modern Warfare is about as solid a shooter as we've seen.





While the average shooter fan will be able to clear the offline content in around 7-8 hours (more if you select harder settings), the online multiplayer game offers near-unlimited replay value. The combination of both a superb single-player story and the flawless online gameplay make CoD4 hands-down one of the best games to ship this year.





Perky







The genius behind the competitive online play is threefold. First, the leveling system employed (based on xp for kills, completed objectives, etc.) makes you feel like your character is really progressing as you play. Secondly, the "Create a Class" feature lets you tweak various aspects of your online persona, allowing free choice of currently unlocked weapons, grenades, explosives and perks. Thirdly, the perk system provides another level of customization and gives you the chance to experiment with different special and unique combat abilities.





You'll be able to take your online character all the way to level 55 by playing a variety of excellent game types. These range from familiar modes such as Free-for-all, Team Deathmatch and Domination, to more exotic modes like Search and Destroy, Headquarters and even Old School and Hardcore. Hardcore removes all of your HUD and increases the amount of damage you take from enemy fire. Old School lets you jump twice as high as normal and you'll be able to soak up more damage; perks and weapons become icon-based drops scattered around the maps.





Combine this vast array of modes with the 16 different multiplayer maps and you've got an incredibly diverse number of options. Add in the fact that Infinity Ward has the ability to promote cool events like "double xp" weekends for any mode it chooses, and you've got yet an additional hook to build up a community of hardcore CoD4 fans.





The leveling of your character is so satisfying that it almost lends a RPG feel to things. As you level up, you'll constantly be unlocking new weapons, perks and challenges. Challenges range from Boot Camp-level stuff such as falling a large distance, sprinting a certain number of miles on foot, scoring a knife kill and so on. Each time you complete a challenge, you'll be awarded extra xp which helps you level even faster. Once your character reaches level 55, you'll be able to choose to go into Prestige Mode, which resets you back to level one and re-locks your weapons and such. Prestige Mode can be tackled 10 consecutive times, and pretty much offers the ultimate in online bragging rights.





Identical Twins







We've played both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions extensively and have had zero crashes, little to no lag or stuttering, or any other kind of technical issues. The online experience is a testament to IW's high standards of production.










Graphically, Modern Warfare is simply stunning. Both console versions of the game support 720p/1080i/1080p and full Dolby 5.1 Surround. Framerates seem locked down solidly at 60 frames-per-second, and rarely seem to skip a beat; this applies to both online and offline. The game is slammed with gorgeous environments, amazing superficial graphical touches and a coherent sense of art direction that's rarely seen. It's hard not to instantly fall in love with the look of the game. We're having a hard time thinking of a game that runs as smoothly as this and looks as good.





The sounds effects and musical score are also top-notch. With an epic, emotionally-charged score from composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Stephen Barton, the music fits perfectly with the single-player game's rich and diverse selection of locales, including the Middle East, Russia, and so on.





Control-wise, both the PS3 and 360 games fare very well. There are really no big differences between the two setups, and this in indeed true of the game as a whole. Anyone looking to pick holes in either version will be promptly stumped; this is truly the best example of how one game can look, play and sound identically on two different console platforms.





It's a rarity to play a game as highly polished and as well-crafted as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We cannot recommend it enough and fans of the series are getting just what they've been wishing for since CoD2 released over two years ago. It's official: the World War II shooter genre has been well and truly buried, and we're of the opinion that it's about bloody time. Modern Warfare marks a new benchmark in the FPS genre and gamers across the globe should set their sights on it immediately. Let's do this.

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