Call of Duty 4

By darkmurder

Infinity Ward return in the ever successful Call Of Duty, but after the lacklustre Call Of Duty 3, can Infinity Ward pump new blood back into this great series?

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was one of this years most anticipated titles and sees the game finally branching away from its World War 2 origins and features in two countries which have been in past series’, however it is now in new battlegrounds. It takes place in Russia and the Middle East, with a flashback to Ukraine during the dark days of the Chernobyl period. Imran Zakhaev is an obsessed man who wishes to see Russia returned back to the Soviet Union, so he gets the miraculous idea of seizing nuclear weapons. In the words of Vladimir Putin, that are actually featured in the game, "Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain." This is no exception to Zakhaev and with the funds and little rogue armies he has, he funds a military coup lead by Khaled Al-Asad.

So the game begins and you are immediately thrown into a simple training course, which is featured in all of the Call Of Duty’s. The first thing that will strike your eye is that the graphics are top notch. The detail in the characters, guns and most importantly, the environments, really allow for a crisp and realistic experience. One of the features that will knock your socks off is the way that the graphics are able to provide such a life-like experience and along with the sound, this game is designed to hurtle you into the action. It is so intense that at times during fire fights, you feel as if it is in fact you who is at the heart of the battle. Explosions in this game are fantastic and you can’t help but just watch dumbfounded as a grenade explodes next to you, and you will almost be guaranteed to die as you watch in awe of the shrapnel hurtling through the air, combined with the combustion.

1. The controls to Call Of Duty 4:Modern Warfare are falling back to the Call Of Duty 2 scheme and this means that players of COD2, will be able to pick it up and go straight away. The AI in this game has got to be ranked up there with some of the best ever, finally a game can combine great AI on both your side and the enemy. The gun barrel sights add a more realistic approach to the game and just goes to prove that having crosshairs isn’t always the way to go. The bullets hit realistically and can even be able to shoot through walls, this really helps in multiplayer where you are able to get perks to upgrade your weapon of choice. Possibly the best thing about the whole game, is the way that as the more levels you get, the more fun they become. The mission ‘All Ghillied Up’ is perhaps the most intense mission in the whole game and at times it was so intense, I nearly crapped my pants!

The sound is spot on and with a set up of 5.1, you are guaranteed to be blasted back into your chair. Call Of Duty 4:Modern Warfare’s sound is so good that you just forget you are in your lounge room, playing your Xbox and makes you fear for your life. The explosions and gunshots sound as if a gun is being shot right next to your head and this ability to get spot-on sounds is also there for the most minute noises. The voice acting in this game is brilliant and even the AI has still great detail.

Overall, Call Of Duty 4:Modern Warfare is able to realistically simulate warfare and it is good to see Call Of Duty not focused on World War 2 for a change. With the ability to fight on the ground, in helicopters or even in an AC130 warplane, Call Of Duty 4:Modern Warfare is shaping up to be one of the dark horses for Game Of The Year. This game is definitely the best war game I have ever experienced and can rival Bioshock for its great diversity and gameplay. If you were to have one game that was a superb, non-clichéd title with a great ending, get this.

Graphics: 10/10
Gameplay:9.5/10
Sound:9.5/10
Longevity:10/10

9.5/10