Kicking Terrorist Butt and Taking Names

Gameplay: 9.5
Graphics: 9.5
Sound: 10
Controls: 9
Longevity: 7

Overall: 90% (5 stars/Superb)

weatherbee1982's Excellence Award

Leaving WWII Behind

If you loved the idea of fighting with your alter ego in World War II time and time... and time again, I am (not) saddened to say that the series has left that unfortunate era behind to tell another bloody tale. Though to us, the story is not real, it might as well be ripped right from the headlines and told as it is within the game. To get to the short of it, without being spoiled, Russia has collapsed into a Civil War w/thousands of nukes at stake. Furthermore, a Middle Eastern wacko named Al-Assad has risen to power in some unnamed Middle Eastern Republic (Iraq?) by assassinating the President on live TV. Your job, whether through the role as a British SAS Marine or US Marine, is to take on missions that will deal with the Middle Eastern wacko or help bring stability to Russia.

Modernizing the Mechanics of Yore... (Gameplay - 9.5)

If you're familiar with Call of Duty 1 and/or 2 (3 being developed by another company), then you'll be right at home with Call of Duty 4. Very little has changed, with the exception of setting and weaponry, which is actually quite good. Why change what is broken? What might be a bit frustrating to those who are unfamiliar is that... well... the instruction manual is quite unhelpful (checking in at 9 pages of nothing). Furthermore, if you are new to the series, any hints that you might pick up from the beginning could be lost on you in the heat of battle. If only those suggestions were in the instructio... oops... onto some website you go.

With that lack of foresight in mind for those who are new, the gameplay is actually quite fun and extremely intense from the outset. There are four difficulties available to you upon completion of the tutorials. Depending on how your SAS training fared, the difficulty suggested can range from Rookie to Veteran, with Regular and Hardened in between. For the aforementioned newbies to the series, it will be quite likely that Rookie or Regular is where you will land as a suggested start. Don't worry about missing out on any achievements for those who really get into that stuff, because you can return to that in Veteran later. The step up to Hardened is quite noticeable and will test your FPS skills. If you really have a steady aim, a test of fortitude, and a lot of swear words on your side, then Veteran is right for you.

After the tutorials, most shooters tend to take things slow. Not this game. The first mission is action packed, with visuals and sounds immersing you into the environment. Upon completion of requirements within said mission, attempting to get out of the environment is extremely hectic and instills a sense of adrenaline unlike most video games or shooters that I've played in a while. Sure, it will take a while to get used to the environment within the very same mission (you'll know what I'm talking about once you play through it), but it is bloody fun once you've played through it.

The language and demeanor of your fellow soldiers help immerse you even further into the environment. At times, you'll find yourself wanting to protect them and keep them safe in the heat of combat. The interactive environment is also quite intense, with sound being your enemy or your friend in some cases. In fact, one mission is entirely based on you not making a sound or firing a shot. Talk about breaking a sweat and making sure you don't catch anyone's notice.

Unfortunately, what is missing in the campaign mode is the ability to enjoy it with a few of your best (online) friends. Unlike some of the other renowned shooters that have recently come out (e.g. Halo 3), there is no cooperative play or in campaign split screen mode. It would have been nice to have a friend to take on a role of a fellow soldier to help take down some of the enemies, and coop has had great appeal in the success of these other FPS games. However, it turns out the multiplayer mechanics is strictly focused outside of the campaign (which is actually very good) and more for the savvy shooter.

Beyond the lack of coop, the multiplayer is actually quite solid and extremely well thought of. There are fourfold reasons as to why the online competitive mode is successful. First, the genius behind Infinity Ward's decision to disavow any achievements in online competitive play is a smart move. This prevents achievement mining from players only interested in that score, and puts more emphasis in team work and/or online competitiveness. Second, the create-a-class mode gives your online persona the ability to specialize in weapons, grenades, explosives and "perks" (abilities) that will start your path towards killing. Third, the ability to level your online character in a RPG like manner through experience (i.e., kills, completed objectives, surviving) is incentive enough for many to try to take their character to Level 55. Last, as your character progresses through those levels, you unlock more "perks" that adds further customizations and a degree of uniqueness.

The Nightvision Goggles and AC-130 look Impressive! (Graphics - 9.5)

Ever feel like making a movie of your own, where you shoot down an unsuspecting fellow in an AC-130 with a nightvision camera catching all the action? You get to do that right in this game, with the realism at times bordering newsworthy footage. You could probably send it in to some news station and call it coalition footage, and they'd be none the wiser... okay, I might be stretching it a little. However, it would be quite close.

The graphics in this game are what some would call "next-gen" worthy. Running at a solid 60 frames a second both online and offline, the game's visuals will be eye-pleasing. There are few, if any, instances of screen tearing or stuttering that I have witnessed or can remember sticking out in my experience. The visuals, whether through night-goggles or in pure night alone, help enhance the experience to near realism and either aid or hinder you in your pursuit of capturing or destroying your targets in modern combat.

"Dear, turn it down our neighbors will complain" (Sounds - 10)

Actual quote from my lady. Everything is in Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1, and the experience is nearly cinematic. The sound effects and musical scores are top notch. They fully capture the theatre of war, as it is meant, from the overture of cheers and speech by the enemy to the explosions and machine gun fire in the heat of combat. Furthermore, you can hear the little things that allows you to locate the enemy and dispatch him with little effort. Little details such as this is effective and what makes a video game as immersible as possible.

Smooth Controls (Controls - 9)

The issue of mapping plenty of commands to a controller continues, but at least this time you don't have to hold one stick to stay crouched (i.e., Halo 3). The game does a reasonable job of reminding the player of certain buttons and how to use them throughout the game, but not in all cases. I approach this from the aspect of a new player coming into the game, and not as an experienced player who has played many of them.

Otherwise, all responses are smooth and there are no hickups in the way the game plays.

If only the campaign was longer... (Longevity - 7)

It seems that most developers, Infinity Ward being an unfortunate inclusion, have decided that $60 means 8 to 10 hours of single player experience. Infinity Ward used to provide much more than that in Call of Duty 1 and 2, but this time they slapped it down to 5 to 6 hours. In this game, which is purely excellent in its own right, it feels far too short. Granted, there is a multiplayer experience to be had that could be played for hours on end... yet not all gamers will appreciate this. I personally enjoy a single player experience (with coop no less) prior to getting my butt handed to me on a silver platter online, thank you very much.

The aforementioned online longevity is definitely there, with 16 different multiplayer maps and 8 online modes. The online modes range from Free-for-all, Team Deathmatch and Domination, to more exotic modes like Search and Destroy, Headquarters and even Old School and Hardcore. Hardcore removes all of your HUD and increases the amount of damage you take from enemy fire, making the experience more like real combat. Old School lets you jump twice as high as normal and you'll be able to soak up more damage; perks and weapons become icon-based drops scattered around the maps... harking back to the old FPS days of Doom. During the weekends, Infinity Ward offers Double XP on specific modes and maps.

Conclusion

Infinity Ward's decision to take Call of Duty 4 to Modern Times is a good move. With excellent graphics, great sound, wonderful (albeit short) campaign, and awesome online mode, you cannot go wrong with this FPS shooter.