Friday, December 11

Reloaded Review: Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare (Xbox 360)


Publisher: Activision
Developer: Infinity Ward
Player: (s) 1-4 Offline, 2-18 Online
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Release Date: (NA) November 6, 2007 (EU) November 9, 2007 (AUS) November 7, 2009
Platforms: Xbox 360 (also on PC, PS3, Wii, Mac)
Rated: Mature

What could possibly be said about Call of Duty 4 that hasn't already been said? It was the first game in the franchise to break away from it's World War 2 roots and put us in the face of a fictional war in modern times. It is also the first 'CoD' game to be rated 'M' rather then 'T'.



Unlike all of the other Call of Duty games before it, Modern Warfare didn't rely on a true war to tell us the story. No nazis or Japanese in this title thankfully. The series needed this change, sadly the next game in the series would take us back to the same WW2 formula. This time, the story takes place in the near future where a radical leader has staged a coup d'tet in the Middle East and a Ultranationalist has caused a movement that made a civil war break out in Russia.

Throughout the game, you will play as both a British SAS commando and a U.S. Marine as the story shifts back and forth between both soldiers. Cutscenes shoved inbetween each mission act as loading screens and fill you in on what is going on. When the cutscenes aren't explaining the story, your fellow teammates are as you play through the campaign.

Gameplay is extremely basic for a first-person shooter as you spend all of the game just running and gunning, except for a specific mission where you take control of the guns on an AC-130 gunship which is one of the game's more unique missions. The stages are very linear but this is completely excuseable because this linear style allowed Infinity Ward to put in some very epic and exciting sequences that make for some very jawdropping moments. Think Michael Bay meets Black Hawk Down.



There are some things about the single player experience that bother me a bit and I'll address them now. The campaign is way too short, lasting only 5 hours if you breeze through it and the fact that there is no co-op mode of any kind of kills the sheer amount of replayability this game should have had.

But to make up for the game's short single player, Infinity Ward included one of the best multiplayer experiences anyone could have hoped for. In fact, it's so addictive and fun that it actually takes the crown from Halo 3's multiplayer experience. Tons of different game modes to choose from as well as a very indepth customization mode where you can pick and choose which weapon you want and what attachments you wish to add to them. With around 30 weapons to choose from as well as a ton of perks that give you added firepower and defense, you have no shortage of full jacket death at your disposal.

If you're one of the very few gamers who haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you owe it to yourself to do so. Even with it's sequel Modern Warfare 2 currently out, CoD4 still reigns supreme as one of gaming's best first-person shooters. It's a near perfect gaming experience.

9 / 10

12/11/09 Colton West

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