With three previous titles taking place in the muddy trenches of World War II, Infinity Ward leaps forward in time with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The Call of Duty series has gained Infinity Ward the reputation they deserve for their immense abilities to develop realistic, frightening, and in-depth games. All the prior titles which pounded to the beat of WWII could only possibly conjure up so much entertainment, but the newest update to the series brings a whole new level of excitement; modernization.

What's new? Call of Duty 4 brings with it all the same great features that defined previous Call of Duty titles and then some. Obviously with modernization comes new weapons and equipment, and of course, an all new campaign that can finally dig its way out of the trenches and into the battle of-you guessed it-counter terrorism. Many of the new weapons and equipment you would expect to see are included such as the: M16, M4 carbine, G36, .50 cal Desert Eagle, .50 cal Barrett sniper, C4, silencers, scopes, night vision goggles, and many, many more. New urban and rural environments are also part of the feature packed release.

The single player campaign is one that redefines how FPS campaigns should be executed and will keep you on the edge of your seat. First and foremost, beginning the campaign will feel more like watching a movie than playing a game. Cut scenes are no longer merely a scene because you become part of the cut scene because you are always the person in the midst of the story. After completing the first mission, the scene begins with a black screen and you opening your eyes to find you are being held captive by revolutionaries. In these scenes you are allowed to look around at your surroundings with your own freewill. The first cut scene is a pivotal part of the story, and is carried out as you are viewing it through the eyes of the President of a Middle Eastern country currently amidst a revolution. A violent revolt is being carried out by Al-Asad and his revolutionary troops as you are being escorted to the back seat of a car where you are to be transported to the center of town where Al-Asad will gladly execute you personally, on live television. You can't fight back or alter the course of the campaign in said scenes, but they do provide a closer perspective into the story; specifically, when you are staring down the barrel of Al-Asad's .50 cal Desert Eagle.

Once you get over the shock-and-awe effect of playing the campaign, the multiplayer via Xbox Live is definitely worth checking out. The multiplayer features game play that holds its ground against Halo 3 and Gears of War and is just as intense and exhilarating as the campaign. Xbox Live offers over twelve different game types to keep you content for hours of online action. Free for all, Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, and Headquarters are a few of the returning game types. A new game type introduced in Call of Duty 4 is Sabotage. Sabotage is a variation of Search and Destroy in which there is a neutral bomb (meaning both teams have a common goal of detonating the bomb at their enemies' base), there are respawns, and occasionally an indicator displays the position of the opposition carrying the bomb. Aside from typical Team Deathmatches and Search and Destroy games, there is additionally Team Hardcore. Team Hardcore plays a mix of these two game types; however, the rules have slightly altered. No HUD, limited ammunition, and no health regeneration make this game type as real as it gets. There is also an Old-School game, which plays a mix of game types and abides by previous COD multiplayer rule settings.

The visual representation in Call of Duty 4 is phenomenal. The detail given to the graphics is in improvement on the already excellent display that previous Call of Duty titles have shown. Exploding grenades send shock waves of heat and rifle fire leaves tracer rounds whizzing across the map. As for the physics, indoor explosions lead to pictures falling off neighboring walls while dust lingers in the air.

However, there are a few downsides to the newest next generation release for the series, with the first being the lack of co-op campaign and the second that you can't bring guests into any type of public party; the split-screen option is limited to private parties only. These are now expected features, and are not included here.

Still, with graphics that urge the will to buy a new HDTV and game play that takes gamers to the modern front of combating terrorism Call of Duty 4 is necessary for every collection. The few negative factors of this latest hit are not nearly enough to outweigh the many great aspects it has to offer.

Nov 28, 2007 | 18 comments
Robert Rasco