Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 9.5/10/10
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
A Review - By Gaetano Prestia
NOTE: This review is for the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 versions of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
The Call OF Duty franchise is both a critically and commercially successful one. Its place within the FPS-Genre is highly regarded and it is often considered the benchmark for war shooters, of which there are plenty. Call of Duty 1 through 3 were all great shooters that all took advantage of the particular consoles hardware and provided simple and fun gameplay that can br put alongside the Halo series in terms of accessibility.
With Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, we head into the modern day battlefields and away from the WW formula that has been, let's be honest, done-to-death. It was always going to be a question as to whether the new direction would help or hurt the COD series, but these questions were quickly answered when the multiplayer BETA was released a few months. Not only did that BETA provide an amazing, deep and fun online experience through only 3 maps, but it also gave us an insight into the environmental pull of the new title and how it transfers to a present day setting.
Thankfully, the final version of the game exceeds the wonderful BETA in all aspects, including gameplay, graphics, sound and modes and with COD 4 we have a successful transition from one side of the battlefield to the other. A saying that is often applied when there is change is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, however this saying doesn’t apply in this circumstance, even though the first three COD’s were awesome.
Throughout the title you’ll take the reigns of two different characters; one from the US 1st Force Recon operative in the Middle-East and the other from the British 22 Special Air Service Regiment operative somewhere in Russia. It’s a little different from past COD titles that put you in the boots of three or more soldiers, but this time we are limited to two. The game also features a wonderful flashback level where you take control of a young soldier who is under the guidance of a young Captain Price (veterans to the COD franchise will remember him from the first two games in the series). The plot is very deep and complex at times so it would be a waste to ruin it for you before you get your hands on the game, but it’s basically a typical ‘terrorist get their hands on a nuclear device’ premises and isn’t something overly original when it comes to modern-day conflict plots.
The Good
To begin each level you’ll be guided through a set of fantastic videos and conversations between Captain Price and other Captain’s who are planning their attack and plan. A lot of effort has been put into this side of the presentation and they set you up perfectly for the intense action you’re about to take part in. Not only do they give you a little bit of back-story before the action starts, they present you with a realistic briefing of the mission. COD games have always been successful at making you feel as though you’re truly part of the mission, but this takes the series, and genre, into a whole new direction with more in-depth and detailed dialogue and presentation.
While the story itself is something that should keep you intrigued throughout, it’s actually the intense battles that will surely distract you from following the plot. It’s really difficult to listen to your friendlies when you have 30 or so Russian or Arab soldiers throwing grenades at you and bombing you with RPG launchers. Aside from the stealth missions, which are brilliantly incorporated, the title rarely relaxes and never really gives you a change to associate with the plot, instead giving you a constant boost of enemies to attack. What makes this so fantastic is that, instead of distracting you from a boring and/or pointless plot, it’s pulling you away from a fantastic side-story so in truth you’re taking more notice of one great thing instead of another great thing. That’s hardly a negative.
While the game is quite linear, something that is accustomed to COD titles, there are instances where you’ll have to use some tactics and actually listen to the guidance of your Captain and other friendly soldiers. We found that there were instances where we were just moving forward, pointlessly attacking enemies before we kept dying, only to realise when we re-spawned that everyone was “falling back”. It’s this time of gameplay that adds some realism and instead of constantly moving forward and just blasting through countless enemies, you’re often subjected to realistic battlefield tactics that have been influenced by the enemy. Because of the high number of enemies, you and your team are falling back and going via another route. In other words, killing every single breathing enemy soldier is not the main point of this title. You have objectives and once you complete those objectives you most likely have to evacuate the area. If this means moving forward through enemies or quickly moving around them, then that’s the way it has to be done. This is one aspect that shows the successful transition for the series into a modern battlefield setting.
The AI seems to have been improved dramatically. Not only do your battlefield mates have more of an influence this time round, but they use their own grenades, take cover when it’s needed and point out hidden enemies such as snipers and camouflaged soldiers. This is a step-up from preview COD games, where it sometimes felt as though it was a one-man-show on the battlefield.
The enemy AI is smarter, although typically dumber then the “good-guy” AI. We couldn’t have a US/UK war game without the Arab and Russian soldiers being so dumb as to stand up in the line of fire and run straight towards you when you have a penetrating sniper-rifle. They do, however, camouflage themselves quite often, be it on the dirt floor in the Middle East or in the long grass of country Scandinavia. They also take cover well, although the newly introduced, all-penetrating bullet-system won’t keep them covered for long. Something that shone in Rainbow Six: Vegas was the ability to shoot through a solid brick wall and kill anyone who was standing on the other side of it. Unfortunately, with the inferior weapons used in previews COD titles that wasn’t possible or realistic, but now it was been incorporated and it is very satisfying.
The sound throughout the title, from the score to the voice acting and sound effects are all perfect. If you play this with a decent surround-sound system, the ripping sound of the guns, emotional feel of the soundtrack and realistic tone of the dialogue’ll blow you away. The chatter in the battlefields is fantastic and the title as a whole is one of the best sounding games to appear on both the Playstation 3 and XBOX 360. It often feels as though you’re watching a blockbuster Hollywood action flick.
The graphics are both beautiful and impressive. We couldn’t find any major problems, though the Playstation 3 version seemed to have a bit of slow-down when there was a large blast or if there was a large number of enemies on screen. No such problem was present on the 360 and because of this we couldn’t really see how this should affect our rating of the title on a graphical standpoint, as it still stands up as the best looking in the franchise and one of the best looking this generation.
While the COD 4 single-player mode has its upsides, the game really shines through with its online-play. It will be interesting to see where this title lines up in the rankings after a while, as we personally think that it outshines all of Rainbow Six: Vegas, GRAW 2, GoW and Halo 3. What makes online so addictive and superb is the ability to upgrade as you play, from weapon add-ons to bullet-round increases. Not only is it new to the FPS-genre online, but also it acts as a great incentive to continue getting online to play this title. Add on 14 (yes, 14!) maps, all available straight from the get-go, and you have a deep and addictive online mode.
The Bad
While the single-player (gameplay and plot wise) is great, the length is what brings it down. We were able to shoot through it in just under 6 hours on normal difficulty and that’s a little too short. Black, which appeared on the PS2 and XBOX a year or so ago, was a great shooter from EA that was heavy on story and action, but its length is what ultimately brought it down a level. We kind of get the same feeling here, and while it feels longer then what it is, it wouldn’t have hurt to add a few more levels. Bumping the difficulty up however will add a few hours, but some of you might not sit comfortably knowing that you’ll be dying a lot more often if you do that.
Beyond the short gameplay, we could only come up with one other disappointing aspect of COD 4, and that’s the lack of co-operative play. This game could have sit just short of perfection had it been included, yet Infinity Ward chose against it, and by doing so they left out a mode that could very well have been a home-run for the title.
The Final Verdict
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the best COD title, period. Its story is the deepest in the franchise and the environments, weapons, enemy and friendly AI are all realistic and perfectly incorporated.
Gameplay
9/10
While a longer single-play and co-op would have been nice, the simple gameplay mechanics and online play make this a great FPS war title.
Graphics
9/10
A graphical standout with its wonderful environments and sleek presentation.
Sound
10/10
A wonderful, Hollywood-usque musical score, great dialogue and realistic sound effects.
Value
9.5/10
While the single-play is too short for its own good, you’ll want to play through it again and again because it’s so damn fun. The online multiplayer is also fantastic and one of the best currently available.
Overall
9.5/10
The Call of Duty franchise has been successful transformed and COD 4 gives the franchise a badly needed facelift. It’s great in so many areas and exceeds all of its predecessors in almost all aspects. Its simple and fun gameplay, great graphics, sublime sound and fantastic multiplayer make it an absolute must-have for any Playstation 3 or XBOX 360 owner.
Submitted by Gaetano
08/01/2008
7
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