Call of Duty 4 Review

Yes, I'm writing the review for CoD 4 before Episode 2's. Because it's such a wonderful game, and I want whoever's reading to know and go the game immediately.

I was hooked to the game when the original Call of Duty came out some 4 years ago. Unlike many WWII shooters back then (I'm looking at you, Medal of Honor), Call of Duty placed you in a big battlefield, alongside many other fellow soldiers, fighting against an equal amount of enemies. No longer are you the "special one", infiltrating enemy base Rambo style, taking down an obscene amount of enemies by yourself.

Call of Duty 2 adopted a similar gameplay as its predecessor, and strangely enough, I still enjoyed the game as much as the original, even though it was still set during the WWII period.

Infinity Ward recognized the over-saturation of the WWII shooter genre in the market, and hence in its latest Call of Duty 4 (Call of Duty 3 was developed by another company, and was console-exclusive), the stage's set in the modern era. And this time round it's not the Germans you are fighting; instead, you'd be fighting both Russian ultra-nationalists and a rebel force in the Middle-East that's planning to stage a coup. And in the past CoD games, you get to play from the perspective of the the American, British and Russian army; in Modern Warfare, you'll only get to play from the British SAS and US Marines' point of view, but that doesn't mean the fun is compromised in anyway.

The plot's pretty simplistic and linear; the head of the Russian ultra-nationalist army has collaborated with a rebel group in Middle East (the name of the country was not mentioned throughout the game, probably to avoid any controversies), with each group wanting to overthrow the current regiment in their respective countries and set up a new establishment. Do not expect any major twists in the plots; the main objective throughout CoD 4's 5-6 hours of single player gameplay is simply chasing down the leaders of the ultra-nationalist and rebel groups. However, the linear plot does not in anyway spoil the fun of the game, such is an instant where a simple plot actually does work in favor of the game.

The plot may be linear and simple, but Infinity Ward sure did make an outstanding presentation of it in the game. One of my favorite sequences in the game was the hostage part (I'm not gonna delve into the details, you really should go experience it yourself); the atmosphere was intensified by the excellent score by Harry Gregson-Williams, the very same composer for the Metal Gear Solid series. Also, there were some parts which sort of caught me by surprise, and I was very pleased with the way Infinity Ward handled the story.

Missions in the game vary a lot, ranging from storming a tanker, searching and rescuing fellow soldiers through heli-evac, air bombing etc. The mission styles are barely repetitive, making the overall gameplay all rounded and at the same time intense. People may complain about the similar type of gameplay of CoD 4 as compared to the previous CoDs, but hey, isn't that what made the CoD series stand out? Why change something that isn't broken?

If you think the goodness stops at the single-player, think again. CoD 4 has one of the most robust multi-player gameplay (at least in my opinion). It has various achievements and a leveling system which allows one to unlock new weapons and perks (a feature that allows you to customize your character), and various modes of gameplays for one to choose from. Yes, you may say that the achievements and leveling gimmick has been used in the Battlefield series before, however, I personally didn't find the BF series as fun. The reason CoD 4's multiplayer is so intense is due to the fact that the sizes of the map are just about right. There's no tiring running from one end to the other (yes, I am looking at you, BF) and dying even before you made any contact in the frontline of the war. In CoD 4, you can constantly hear firings and explosions in your proximity, causing one to be cautious in every steps and corners he/she makes. To make things even more intense, the guns in CoD 4 are able to penetrate through relatively thin covers, forcing one to constantly change his hiding spot. Then there are the airstrikes and helicopter assist, which I feel is a little overpowered, but still it adds to the fun in the multi-player gameplay.

The only complaint I have with CoD 4 is the short single-player campaign, which lasted about 6-7 hours for me on Hardened difficulty. However, the short duration of the game is fully compensated with the non-stop action during these 7ish hours of gameplay. That for me, is more than enough reason to overlook the shortness of the game.

Score: 9.5/10
The good: Everything you liked about the old CoD series is intact; modern warfare setting a fresh and interesting break from the over-saturated WWII games; robust multi-player.
The bad: Short single-player campaign.

PS: screenshots to come soon.