Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Review
Score: 5/5
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is not a complicated game. It is not terribly deep, it is not very long, it does not sport sci-fi weaponry, and its story does not involve the fate of universe. But it happens to be the most intensely, insanely visceral shooter on the Xbox 360. Along with a surprisingly fantastic multiplayer package that would be worth paying the price of a full game for alone, COD4 emerges a must have game for first person shooter aficionados.
COD4: Modern Warfare earns its subtitle and breaks away from its predecessors: The game is wrapped around a 21st century scenario, a pulled-from-the-headlines piece of fiction. The story unfolds from multiple perspectives as you take the role of a US Marine and British SAS. A rogue Russian Ultranationalist has come into possession of depleted uranium and is selling out to the highest bidder, namely a rogue middle-eastern fundamentalist terrorist group. The world is in a state of heightened peril under the threat of nuclear annihilation, and you have to take the ‘evil-doers’ down - violently.
What comes as a pleasant surprise in COD4 is just how well polished the presentation is. Freed from the need for historical accuracy, Infinity Ward crafted their own brand of thriller with tremendous Hollywood blockbuster flair. Infinity Ward’s style is most definitely Bruckheimian, but unlike Jerry’s schlock, this game works in conveying both thrills and drama very effectively. Level briefings set the tone and end with a seamless and dramatic camera plunge into satellite pictured terrain until reaching ground level and bottoming out into the first person perspective of your character. There are also surprisingly brutal and thus effective methods of conveying critical events in the plot, such as an early sequence played out entirely from the first-person perspective of a hostage.
Supporting this break-neck style of presentation is a graphics engine more than up to the challenge. What Infinity Ward was able to pull off is inspiring and frequently jaw-dropping. COD4 is a special effects intensive game; it piles one effect after another after another on top of each other in a visual orgy of combat. Each and every character model is modeled with what appears to be a high polygon count, with faces and gear that pop out and feel truly substantial. Environments are full of clutter and variety complimenting the feel of a realistic, lived in world. Lighting, smoke, explosions, and depth of field effects are all absolutely top-notch. Effects from gun fire and bullet holes and sparks and dust bursting from objects create a ridiculously frantic battle field. Perhaps most notable is the animation of friendly but especially enemy characters. They all move with frightening realism and have numerous and believable reactions to coming under fire and being shot. On top of it all, this game runs at what appears to be a consistent 60 frames per second, or pretty darn close.
With such a screamingly fast and robust graphics engine behind it, it is no wonder that the gunplay is incredibly, viscerally satisfying. There are an awful lot of mostly fully automatic rifles on display here. Pulling in on the left trigger pulls your weapon up front and centre so that you’re looking down the sights or scope. This slightly zoomed in viewpoint is one of COD’s signature shooting mechanics, and in COD4 it is just as effective in creating a more intimate relationship between you, your gun, and the fury you’re unleashing. There are heavier weapons at your disposal too, such as rocket launchers and the very cool Javelin which sends a rocket hurtling straight up until coming crashing down on the top of weakest portion of a tank. Trust me, it looks awesome.
When you also account for grenades, smoke grenades, flash-bangs, and all of the aforementioned special effects running along at a blistering pace, you’re in for some mind-numbingly intense battles. One particular scenario plays out in a middle-eastern TV station newsroom, filled with electronics and thus many, many shoot-able objects. When the enemies come pouring out, you’re caught up in a bullet-ridden ecstasy of exploding monitors, sparks flying off of metal, blinding flash-bangs, grenades exploding, rocket-propelled-grenades launching, enemies darting into and out of cover, and a quick, violent death hanging over you like the sword of Damocles. Another great scenario has you escorting a US tank through the crowded streets of a middle-eastern city that happens to be completely infested with RPG and AK47 wielding maniacs. This dust bowl explodes in violence as do the selected building targets of the Abrams tank. I could really go on and on here.
Aside from the full-on combat levels, COD4 switches things up in a few levels. One level has you manning the weapons system of an AC-10 gunship, a large cargo-sized plane with cannons and other ridiculously large guns sticking out of one side. Another level has you playing out a stealth mission as a sniper outfitted with a ghillie suit. The effect here, I’m sure, was to create a different style of tension altogether, as staying unnoticed amongst dozens of enemies just inches away is certainly nerve-wracking. It’s good, but not great, and then the level segues into more full-on action anyhow.
As intense and fantastic as the single player campaign is, it isn’t breaking any ground. It is, essentially, a point-and-shoot adventure. The game is also too short, although this may be Infinity Wards’ idea of compassion after beating you over the head for six hours straight. There are reasons to come back which will extend play time, however. Level design, while seemingly very linear at first, reveals a few different paths here and there on returning plays. Often these different paths hide different weapons as well. So there is some small element of sandbox style play here. There are also collectable items placed in hard to find places throughout the levels that unlock a handful of great cheats worth experiencing once or twice. But most of all, given the nature of COD4’s intense, realistic settings, you’ll be compelled to tackle the campaign at the higher difficulties because they make the game even more realistic and intense, thus drawing out more of what makes the game so great.
Despite the campaign’s somewhat weak longevity, COD4’s multiplayer package will likely keep you entertained for ages. Very reminiscent of Rainbow Six Vegas’ persistent character development system, the multiplayer in COD4 sports the same style of unlockable gear and other goodies based on experience earned during actual matches.
At its simplest, kills and matches won are how you earn experience points. As you earn experience points you earn new ranks and unlock new weapons, Perks, game modes, maps, and character classes. There are three standard character classes you can unlock, but you have space to create customizable characters all on your own. You’ll be able to assign them their starting weapons and Perks. As you unlock more of the weapons and Perks, you can create custom characters designed around specific kinds of play. You could, for instance, develop a character with heavy weaponry and include a Perk that increases damage resistance for close-courter fighting, or a character for long range purposes with the ability to sprint for longer duration. Everything that you can unlock and outfit your player with is rarely trivial, and so progressing through the ranks is rewarding from the back-end.
On top of the spot-on perfect structure, multiplayer includes Perks, perhaps the most innovative and best addition overall. Perks, 22 in all, unlocked through the same experience points based system, are specific character abilities, weapon modifications, or ‘power-ups’, which you assign to your character. Some examples include the ability to sprint faster for longer distances (Extreme Conditioning), bullets that do more damage (Stopping Power), and droping a grenade when you die (Martyrdom). You are only able to carry two or three into a match at a time. These Perks are just as fantastic in practice as they sound: They offer strategically interesting options and look and feel great to boot.
COD4’s multiplayer feels like a Role Playing Game wrapped up in one of the best first-person-shooters out there, a very fast paced kill or be killed experience that still manages to be very fun. As you will likely die quite often yourself, that same mechanic works against your opponents too. Rarely is there a match were you won’t get a kill or two. This might have to do with the matchmaking system as well: Rather than only matching players of similar ranks, players of all different skill levels are bunched up together. Once together, the game balances the teams. What’s nice about this is that you’re just as likely to take advantage of lesser skilled players as greater skilled players are likely to take advantage of you. Even when killed, you’re treated to a replay from your opponents first person perspective which is a fantastic learning tool and even details what perks that player has enabled. In many modes, you’ll be respawned almost immediately into the action and close to your teammates.
When a team starts racking up multiple kills in a row, you have the option of launching a radar that will map all of your enemy locations, then after a few more kills you can call in an air strike on a specific location, and finally after a few more kills you can call in an attack helicopter to really lay down some hurt on your opponents. Suffice to say that the combat is just as awesome and spontaneous as single player.
With 16 maps (each of which looking fantastic and designed extremely well), 13 playlists running the gambit from simple Team Deathmatch, to Search and Destroy, to Sabotage, there’s plenty of variety to keep things fresh for the long haul. Some of the modes unlockable at higher ranks are real treats. The only criticism I can level against the multiplayer are the frequently long waits while the game searches for and sets up matches. Hopefully this will be improved by future updates.
How does COD4’s multiplayer holds up against the competition? Of the three high profile first-person shooters with notable multiplayer packages released this year - Team Fortress 2, Halo 3’s multiplayer, and COD4’s multiplayer - COD4 comes out on top. Despite not having The Forge or saved films or the robust community features offered in Halo 3’s, COD4’s multiplayer is simply more fun.
Call of Duty 4 may not be a complicated game, it may not be terribly deep or very long, but it is one awesome package nevertheless. COD4 is an immediately entertaining game and consistently so throughout its entirety. Its intensity may seem like a little much for many people, but everyone owes it to themselves to check it out. Because after all is said and done, after the complaints have been logged and the intensity has soaked in, COD4 punches you in the teeth, kicks you in the gut, but somehow leaves you begging for more.
peachey @ November 22, 2007