Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Don't believe the hype"

Call of Duty 4 is a game that throws you into the action has some massive set pieces and gives you some solid shooting mechanics.
Having had time to reflect on the hype of this game and it does fail to deliver on that hype, only just.

First of all the games places you in the shoes of a SAS recruit Soap McTavish and US Marine Paul Jackson. During your time you are tasked with missions throughout the Middle East and Eastern Europe to bring down a terrorist organisation that has got their hands on Nuclear Weapons and have even managed to take over a missile base.

First of all CoD4 does nothing in its actual gameplay mechanics that hasn't been done before. You are limited to an assault weapon, a side arm and your trusty knife. Stages are mostly linear, basically it will be all get through corridor A to point B, defend while you wait for evacuation. There are a few twists to this, such as the stealth mission where you need to hide in grass and avoid enemies at all cost. This particular mission and several other sections are suitably impressive as well as being tense. You also get your on rails shooting sections, which is pretty cliché in shooters, despite this it manages to change the game up and avoids the rut that most shooters find themselves stuck in.

The story is serviceable as it does what it intends, getting you from A to B, as mentioned above, and is actually very strong, for a shooter. It does have some more open environments, which give you the impression that you are free to approach your objective how you see fit, in reality there isn't really too much option as the game often funnels you ways that it wants you to take but the fact that you barely notice is half the battle won.

Where it really shines is in the characters and along with them the voice acting. There is not a single line delivered hat isn't excellent. It all helps to draw you in, make you feel like you are fighting for your life. Dare I say it that this is one of the few shooters that you actually you care about what happens to not only yourself, but to your squad mates as well, this is an extremely unusual thing for a shooter to do.

The sound design is excellent, music always fits the tone, gun noises and explosions are intense all in all the sound is to be commended. The sound actually goes a long way to making the weapons feel weighty and effective.

The weapons all feel right somehow, they sound meaty, as mentioned above but they all so have stopping power and follow most normal conventions, for example head shots are always one shot kills.

It has aged a little in terms of its graphics it doesn't look as sharp as some of its contemporaries. It's not to say it is terribly bad looking it just a little dated, which isn't bad for a 2 year old game. The environments tend to be a little bland, grey abound in the Eastern European locations, which does fit for ex-soviet locations, and yellows abound in middle eastern locations.


Where Modern Warfare truly excels is in the set pieces. Some playable, some not. Highlights are found in almost every stage, with a special mention going to one of the most intense final scenes in the history of gaming. To say to much about them would give away plot point but they can really get your heart racing and they manage to elevate what could have been a mediocre shooter to something special.

While I freely admit that online gaming is not my thing, something has to be said about quality multiplayer that is on offer, every kill and assist is awarded challenges are abundant which gives you incentives to try different weapons and tactics. It is so finely balanced that you do not feel that there is any disadvantage to selecting any class or weapon. There a swath of modes here that you will be able to find a favourite regardless of your preference.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a strange beast. It has had so much love from all quarters but in reality it doesn't do all that much that hasn't been done before. It is more story driven to be sure and the quality of set pieces is second to none. It's a game that has been over hyped for what it is, but that being said it is still an outstanding game. Ultimately you should own this game.