It isn’t every day you get to play through a quality experience like Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare.  The previous Call of Duty games were all based in World War II, and chronicled the battles of Allies troops in that war. Even the name of the series, ‘Call of Duty’ evoked the feeling of soldiers as heroes, ordinary men doing their part to fight for freedom. Game developers understandably latched onto World War II as the ideal setting for war based stories and it’s led to some great games, but times change.

Perhaps sensing that the impact of the era was becoming muted by time and overuse, developers Infinity Ward decided to sub-title their latest game ‘Modern Warfare’ placing it in the current era. It was a wise decision that has led to the best Call of Duty game so far, and one of the best first person shooters of 2007.

From the opening sequence, being driven as a captive through the streets of a fictional Middle Eastern City in chaos, to the shocking ending that reflects the true cost of war, Call of Duty 4 plays out like a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s an effect that a lot of games strive for but rarely ever manage. Call of Duty 4, in the span of an admittedly all too short single player campaign, manages to pull it off with style. You’ll find yourself constantly reminded of movies like ‘Black Hawk Down’ as you fight your way through the games cinematic ‘ripped from the news headlines’ story.  Moving the series it into a more modern setting has injected an exciting sense of realism to the game, which if it had been handled badly could have to a stereo-typical game about Middle Eastern terrorism and war.  Instead we get a well told ‘24’ like story – an unnamed Middle Eastern country  is in the midst of a bloody coup, which a Russian ultra nationalist group, that hates the decadent West, is determined to take advantage of. When Western troops are forced to intervene in the Middle East they quickly discover that the Russian group and their allies have horrific plans that must be stopped at any cost.

The game places you in the role of a British SAS trooper and an American Marine as you fight and unravel the terrorist plot. Call of Duty 4’s narrative switches effectively between the two and is told from a purely them against us military point of view. These are soldiers, doing their job, no matter who the bad guys are.  Your squad mates all have individual personalities and roles that make them interesting, as well as excellent AI. From full scale invasion battles to covert sniper missions, every mission with them is an exciting and different experience.  You’ll get to fight in vicious house to house combat on war torn Middle Eastern streets, stealthily snipe enemy targets as you sneak through fields contaminated by radiation in Russia, desperately fight to extract comrades in danger and generally feel like you’re a vital and important part of a world changing fight.

Levels are fairly linear, but multiple paths to your goals keep things interesting and mean that you can usually use different tactics to defeat enemies.

The game takes you on a roller coaster ride of combat, starting with the SAS seizure of a ship in a storm torn sea, to the final desperate battle for control of a nuclear silo with the lives of millions at risk from nuclear holocaust.  There are so many ‘wow’ and shock moments in the game that it’s almost as much fun to watch as to play.



The intense nature of combat in COD4 makes it great to play, and it’s the closest to the feeling of being in ‘real combat’ that we’ve seen in a game. The COD 4 developers actually hired a real life military advisor, to help them get everything to feel just right. You won’t get far playing like some kind of super soldier but that doesn’t detract from the fun, it just adds to the tension. That’s partly because of the more ‘realistic’ nature of the weapons in Call of Duty 4, which like the previous games in the series, are all based upon their real life counter parts. Machine guns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, pistols and grenades are all modelled authentically and can kill you pretty easily if you don’t play using cover and tactics. Realistic bullet physics and guns play a huge part in making COD4 exciting, and you’ll find that different weapons can actually punch through cover, depending on how thick it is.

There are few things more satisfying than firing at an enemy and watching him intelligently duck under cover, then blasting it full of lead and seeing him fall out dead. But you’ll need to watch out as the same applies to you, and you’ll come to fear an effective sniper like never before.

Call of Duty 4 happens to be one of the best looking games out right now, which also helps sell the atmosphere of realism. Certainly on consoles, you’ll be hard pressed to find better looking graphics. Everything has a gritty washed-out look and combat environments are detailed and superbly lit. Explosions and fires rage, with subtle smoke and impact effects. War torn streets are covered in concrete, dust and debris, with cars that explode in shards of metal when hit too many times.  Woodland and fields have painstakingly created foliage, which in one of the notable sniper missions, you actually hide in as enemy troops walk past.  Soldiers move, fight and die in convincing ways, down to little details like the frantic shuffling run of soldiers under fire or the painfully crumpling to the ground as their hit. Even the sound is just right, and guns close up and far away sound different, all depending on their calibre. The screams and the chatter of troops in combat, all speaking in their respective languages surround you amid harsh gunfire and explosions.

It’s an amazing but short and intense single player experience that won’t last you anywhere near as long as you’d like, but thankfully COD4’s multiplayer is pretty deep and very, very addictive.  It comes with a party system that lets you jump online with a group of friends and a wealth of playlists of differing maps and modes.

You’re also able to call upon radar sweeps, airstrike and support helicopters if you get kill streaks in the game, which help add to the flavour and tactics of multiplayer.

The various modes and support attacks been combined with a levelling up and in-game achievement system that’ll get you hooked on the multiplayer. There are 55 levels to gain and various rewards to unlock: new weapons, attachments, camouflages, and "perks." These perks are extra abilities that you choose for certain advantages in multiplayer.

Juggernaut gives you extra health, Deep Impact allows for better bullet penetration through materials, Martyr sees you dropping a live grenade when you’re killed and our favourite, Last Stand, lets you draw your sidearm just before you die allowing you to squeeze off a few rounds and take the enemy with you. Other perks let you avoid radar, do more damage or carry more ammo and grenades. There are default classes like "Assault" ,” Demolition” and "Sniper," but the robust Create-a- Class system is the best way to use your upgrades in the game's various multiplayer modes. The Create-a-Class system lets you choose the weapons and perk that fit the situation. And for every weapon, there are challenges that you can complete to unlock further upgrades. It can be tough at first, as you start out with the most basic weapons, and other players who have unlocked cool scopes and other toys can seem to have an advantage over you. Thankfully advancement is fast, and you'll get new guns, better sights, and additional perks fairly quickly. But the joy of using new weapons and that quest for ever better gear will soon see you addicted to the game online.

With amazing presentation, a compelling story and the most addictive multiplayer we’ve seen in ages, Call of Duty 4 is excellent and truly one of the best games of the year. If you’re a fan of first person shooters, COD4 is a must have. The only regret you’ll have playing it is the short length of the single player campaign but you’ll lose yourself in the multiplayer soon enough.

UKMusic.com rating: 4 ½ out of 5

Call of Duty 4 is available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Reviewed by : Sam Bandah