Lone Soldier's Profile

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Published: Sat 24 Nov, 2007 | On:

* The developers of Call of Duty 2 (Infinity Ward) on Xbox 360 platform, didn't get to make Call of Duty 3. But they did come back to make a gratifying addition to the series, with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.


* Compared to its predecessor's, it is evident that vast improvement's have been made through COD4 in all areas. Starting with the graphics. The game uses many different graphical effects which combine for a photo realistic gaming experience. You'll come across detailed weather effects ranging from; A hot sunny day, to sunset, heavy rain and stormy weather. If it's raining, you can see water trickling down a wall or off an object. If you look around you can see see the rain bucketing down and splashing on the ground. When it's stormy weather you can see fork lightning at a distance, and dark clouds hovering above.

Graphics include shadowed textures. An example is when you watch the shadow of a Soldier moving along a wall, a useful indication that someone is coming. Other graphical features include; smoke from a smoke grenade, or the smoke trail left from a Rocket being launched, grenade explosions with debree, flames, object reflections and motion blur. Probably the most noticeable difference to the previous Call of Duty games is the 'sharpness' in the graphics, which does look more realistic. Especially on the Xbox 360.


* "Modern Warfare" wouldn't be as intense as the name suggests without the sound. Gun shot's and grenade's when being used, sound very much like their real-life counter parts. Miss a target and you'll hear the bullet hit the object you shot at. Sound changes when you and those around you are walking or running. Footsteps match the sound of the surface you're moving on. Such as; Grass, wooden floor, aluminium plaform, dirt, wet surface's etc.

In-game voice overs (more common in the Campaign mode), from your Captain/team-mates and others, inform you of what's going on and your tasks. It's really cool when there's a heavy battle going on and in the midst you hear one of your allies yell out "Cover me! I'm re-loading!". Playing the sound through a home-theatre surround sound system with the volume turned up, definately adds a whole new dimension to this game.


* The Single Player felt as though I was playing through a courageous war film. There's even an in-game introduction with credits, and when you've complete the game there are movie-like ending credits. Many games have you sitting there watching the motion sequences, with the press of a button to skip. Instead, COD4 is interactive. Giving you the freedom to look around in your First-Person view during cut scenes. Epic background music has been added to suit the levels and the situation your player is in. At the right moment, the music builds up in tension, giving you the idea someone is about to pop out, or that something is about to happen.

Though the storyline is fictional, it still captures many accurate warbased; Themes, environments, characteristics, weapons etc of modern age warfare. You get the chance to play through the story in a team, as part of both the British Special Air Service, and the United States Marine Corps. With the ultimate goal, of stopping a lead terriorist named "Al-Asad" from proceeding his evil plans in the Western World.

Within the storyline, you get to take on more than the duties of a standard Foot Soldier, such as; A sniper or manning the gun turret on a helicopter. Initially keeping the player more interested, whilst adding more fun. Environments in the stage's vary quite well. From civillian townships, to farmland, desert terrain and more. Players may not find the Campaign to be very lengthy. This all really comes down to which of the the four difficulty level's you play on. Artificial Intelligence population + skill, and shot's taken till you die are the main differences between the difficulties. The Xbox 360 achievements for the Campaign seem just right for all skill levels, and many are possible to pick up the first time through. Some involve collecting enemy 'Intel pieces'. Essentially, the more you collect unlocks special cheats for you to enable or disable in the Campaign missions.


* Multiplayer in COD4 is a must for 'First-Person Shooter', and 'warfare-based' game fans. With Xbox 360 gamers getting a much more satisfying online experience than other platforms via Xbox Live. The online multiplayer features a ranking system, where you start from the bottom rank, and earn experience points as you play. Receiving more points than others, depending on what position on the table you place after a match has finished. This replaces the old 'Social' and 'Ranked' match system. All matches are ranked in this system. Even 'Private' matches.

There's also alot of content to unlock through experience and the Rank system. Such as; The ability to join or create your own Clan, a whole range of different weapon's and weapon types, customisation for the weapon's (e.g. scopes/sights and camouflages). Added to that, 'Challenges', which when they are unlocked and completed, give you bonus points to boost your experience. That's not all. There's a whole list of game variants to be unlocked too. From a typical deathmatch 'Free-for-all', to more team orientated games, and eventually onto some match type's which are for those who want a real challenge.

A new addition to the multiplayer is "Perks". There are many perks to be unlocked. A perk is more or less an ability that you assign to your player which gives your player an advantage of some form. Two examples are: "Extreme Condition perk - Sprint for longer distances", and "UAV Jammer perk - Avoid enemy radar detection". You can apply 2-3 different perks to your player at once, depending on your weapon selection. Each perk has its own title, and a description of its purpose. This new system works well. Giving all players a fair chance, and balancing out matches.


* One of the main additions to COD4 is the new Sprint feature. Start sprinting at the touch/click of a button. Your Soldier even loses stamina as he gets short of breath after running for too long. Along with that, the game's frame-rate has clearly been turned up a notch. Yet the gameplay still manages to handle well, and seems much better fast paced. Melee attacking with the back or end of your gun has been replaced with an instant deadly knife stab. (Fun to use with stealth tactics). Bullet peneration is also new. Bullets will penetrate through light dense objects and walls, the same as they would in real-life.


* Overall it's hard to say what's missing from this game. Optional dedicated servers for more local online-muliplayer matches would be ideal. Perhaps the handling of vehicles, as found in Call of Duty 3 would have been neat too. Then again, it might have turned the game upside down. Single Player felt a bit short. Even on the harder difficulties. Depsite these points, I think Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Xbox 360 certainly incorporates all the elements necessary to raise the bar over the previous Call of Duty games. A compelling Single Player Campaign, and a highly in-depth online Multiplayer mode makes this game stand out. Not just as a First-Person Shooter, but as an Xbox 360 title.