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When it comes to FPS's, and any other shooter for that matter, you have your current kings, namely: Halo, Rainbow Six (and all of it's "spawns", like GRAW) and Gears of War (still). Throw BioShock in there if you want... whatever. You get the point. Now take from each of those games the best aspects... throw them together, and you have Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Simply put you'll love this game, even if you don't like military or first-person shooters. If you're the type that strictly plays the single-player mode, then I'd rent first, just to be sure it's for you. For me, even the story mode keeps me coming back. This game is a BEAST, and it's a BEAST on every platform it's on 360, PS3 and PC.
Infinity Ward understands FPS's their absence was noticed immediately in Call of Duty 3, which sucked. They're back. This game is a few MINOR elements away from absolute perfection, in my opinion. And you don't get better than perfection.
I'll get the little gripes out of the way:
1. No Co-Op campaign. As frantic as every stage is, coupled with the fact that there's really no point on the game where you're not at least with ONE other player usually more I thought this should be available. It's pretty much standard now in the next-gen FPS's, but surprisingly absent here. Hmmm...
2. The whole 'friendly-fire' thing... I realize that this is realistic, but it's pretty frustrating sometimes moreso here than in a game like Rainbow Six, simply because there's no easily identifiable icon or marker. I don't need THAT level of realism in a game just my opinion. Yes, your recticle is red if it's on an enemy and green for a friendly, but during all of the fighting, that's really hard to see. Coupled with the fact that a lot of the enemies are wearing uniforms pretty similar to YOURS, you may end up accidentally shooting your squad more than you'd care to admit, especially on the Veteran difficulty level.
(That's really it for the 'gripes' the other is more of an personal preference for me. I'd rather have more gameplay modes available in the multiplayer right off the bat, but I can also see how starting off with just the initial two works.
You may notice that I haven't complained about the duration of the story mode... while short, I doubt that any of the other reviewers that are slamming it have "breezed through in a few hours" on any difficulty higher than Sick Infant that's before Rookie, if you're wondering. The story is compelling; there are actual moments where your chest and heart actually POUND tell me the "All Ghillied Up" stage didn't have you holding your breath in real life, I dare you. Other games, while significantly longer, don't always fill their time with substance. A game like BioShock doesn't have an online mode, so it's story HAS to carry it entirely. Halo 3 is longer, sure... but most of it is retracing your steps back through previously played boards. No thank you. Apart from an effective story mode, this game's "bread and butter" is in the online multiplayer. Just like Halo 3. Just like RB6: Vegas. Just like Gears of War. Online play is what will keep this game, and others, being played for years to come.)
...and that's it, folks. Nothing else bad here. AT ALL. Period.
Gameplay the game is phenomenal. Even if the campaign is rather on the short side (took about 6 or so hours playing on Normal Veteran or Hardened will probably double that time, plus some) it is undeniably entertaining. While it may not necessarily be breaking new ground as far as plot, it STILL is far more engaging that Rainbow Six: Vegas's campaign mode, which is great, as well as Gears of War and even the mighty Halo 3. (just my opinion) (A+)
Graphics arguably the best on any console, period. I give it the nod over Gears of War and BioShock this is the best looking game I have ever played, and it runs (with all the chaos going on) at a smooth 60 frames per second is 1080P HD glory. The word gets thrown around alot with these newer systems, but this game is truly Photo-Realistic. The only thing I've seen comparable would be Crysis, another military shooter -and that's (not surprisingly) a PC-only game at the moment. It absolutely does not get any better than COD4. (A++)
Sound as good as anything out now. The musical numbers are all spot-on, and the dialogue and combat chatter is phenomenal. Top notch all the way around no "forced" sounding acting here. This games sounds like it was recorded during actual combat. (A+)
Multiplayer time will tell if it will stand up to the insanely deep Halo Multiplayer mode, or the ridiculously addictive multiplayer modes on GoW or RB6, but even in this early stage COD4 is more than holding it's own. Choose from a preset variety of classes sniper, assault, heavy gunner, etc. and get to killing. Kill enough and eventually unlock the ability to create your OWN class and that's where the fun really gets going. There's a rank structure, but with there being absolutly ZERO offical multiplayer achievements, hopefully this will minimize people's tendency to cheat. (big problem on RB6) Ranking up does have it's privileges, however... different weapons, customizations for those weapons (scopes, skins, etc.) How new players feel about playing months from now when the majority of their combatants have superior equipment remains to be seen... balancing could be an issue there. The way it's set up though, if you're good at FPS's (and you know who you are), you will be alright. There's some work to be done with the team balancing... and I would prefer the ability to choose which maps I play on during ranked matches, but all in all, pretty solid. (A)
Replay Value extremely high, even with a relatively short campaign. All of the achievements for the game come from the Campaign mode, yet over half of them require you to beat the game on one of the two harder difficulty levels. (not recommended for first-timers frustration WILL ensue... as well as bullets, grenades and dog bites) Hell, even the TRAINING MODULE is fun and gets replay Halo can't say that. This game is ridiculous. Even as varied as multiplayer is by nature, the Prestige Mode adds a new level to it. Make it all the way to Level 55, then you have "a tough decision" to make... (A+)
Overall Dangerously Good. I give it an A+, or a solid 9.9998 out of 10 (I stand by the fact that a co-op campaign would render a potential Call of Duty 5 pointless) This is one of the best games ever. After playing the Beta earlier this year, I proclaimed that this could be a sleeper for Game of the Year, while everyone else was obviously sold on Halo... maybe a few for BioShock. This has them both, hands down. The only surprising part is how convincingly better this game is than the other GOTY frontrunners. All other FPS's (particularly military FPS's) need to take notice this is BY FAR the best ever. (Note to Tom Clancy and the folks at UbiSoft: you have work to do for that next Rainbow Six. The bar is WAY up there now... don't disappoint)
A definite must own, especially for online players this is the best for this year. No not Halo Call of Duty 4. Period. The only thing I see that could pull people away from this even for a moment would potentially be Grand Theft Auto 4.
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From the moment you turn this game on you are swept into a reality that is all to similiar to what is going on in today's world. The storyline is something you have probably heard before on the news. Out of control regimes in the MidEast and potential anarchy in the old Soviet Union. The two factors make for a very intense game. I don't even know if game is an appropriate title for something so realistic. Your mission is to stop a rogue government from getting their hands on nuclear weapons. Obviously a big challenge for anyone.
If you have played previous Call of Duty games you know the quality that goes into the gameplay. Never overly to difficult for a first timer. Much of the combat is very similiar to previous COD games. The objectives are always short enough to keep the player involved. What sets this Call of Duty game apart from it's previous incarnations is the amount of realism that has gone into it. The graphics and sound are so real that you could almost think your watching a movie....Actually more real than a movie. The only thing that may be lacking in this games single player missions is the lack of co-op play and the overall shortness of the game. Most will have it completed under six hours. Of course you can always give it a try and a more difficult setting.
The online multiplayer is amazing. To say the least I didn't expect it to be this intense. From the moment you start an online challenge you are thrusted into battle. The game seems to keep the online working in such a way that it seems incredibly realistic. What I also enjoy about the online is that it allows you to rank up rather quickly but you must have enough skill to be an asset on the battlefield. Online there are numerous different missions that keep the game extremely fun and fresh. Although you won't have access to these challenges until you prove your abilities. What also keeps it fresh is the ability to gear your soldier differently as you advance thru the online. This game will definatley have people playing for many, many months.
If you enjoy shooter games and most importantly like realistic war sims then this game is for you. The graphics are amazing, the environments almost look too real, and the sound sets this game apart from others that have flooded the field. If you ever wanted to have an idea of many of the challenges that today's soldiers have to deal with then you need Call of Duty 4. This may possibly be the game of the year.
Buy Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Now
Call of Duty 4 is a really fun game with extremely intense battle sequences. The downfall is that you can only play in single player mode unless you want to do/are set up for online play.
In single player Campaign mode, you're a first person shooter (soldier) on the frontlines, and primarily you're playing two separate, interlacing missions as two different characters. You also play a cool, flashback side story as a sniper in a ghillie suit (camouflage clothing). But mostly you play in current times with a team of characters that are truly your band of AI brothers; the help you might get from your team is based on the difficulty setting you've chosen.
You arrive in boot camp just like in Call of Duty 3, and you get a brief tutorial on how to maneuver around, shoot your weapon & throw grenades (you'll be using smoke, stun and explosive). Then you're immediately strewn into various battles.
You fight your way through some intense chapters. The weapons are much more sophisticated than the ones in WWII era CoD3. It's the present in CoD4, and you're mostly shooting whichever modern-day weapon you happen to have picked up (mostly from dead soldiers on the ground) along your objective route. Your objectives that guide you along are updated regularly as you complete each task throughout each chapter. And some of those tasks are brutal.
Perhaps the best feature of the campaign mode is the frequent checkpoints. I think I remember even reaching new checkpoints without firing a single shot in CoD4. Contrarily, in Resistance: Fall Of Man, sometimes I'd be playing for like 20 minutes only to get killed and respawn back before what seemed to take an eternity to complete. Not an issue in CoD4.
There are some areas where the AI won't let you clear an area of enemies no matter how hard or well you fight; the AI will keep sending enemies at you until you get to a checkpoint. That was a bit confusing until the realization dawned on me that my AI brothers and me were just not going to take down everyone in some areas.
No matter which chapter you're in you are mostly using your primary weapon (some kind of machine gun) that on some models has an effective grenade launcher attached. You'll also need to engage in some exhilarating hand to hand combat (with dogs!), you'll need to guide air support, attach and arm explosives to enemy stuff, use night-vision goggles, and man other stationary weapons. There was no driving necessary in CoD4 (unlike CoD3).
All of the chapters are really fun. Some of the chapters are really difficult, and some like I said earlier feel like I did nothing in order to succeed. I think that the easy chapters are designed more to challenge you to correctly navigate yourself and your team to the correct objective, but that doesn't require a lot of effort if you just follow the on-screen compass.
On-line play is a different world. No AI brothers here...just your fellow gamers. You'd better have your FPS skills honed if you think that you'll beat some of the CoD4 online players. Man, I stink so bad I'm getting meleed to death by these guys before I even fire a shot. But online play is truly addicting. The more you play, the higher you rank allowing you to unlock more (fine tuned) weapons....Just wait 'til I get my hands on some of those, all you online vets!
So all in all Call of Duty 4 is major fun, but like I said earlier, the biggest drawback to this awesome game is that multiplayer mode is only available with online play. (No story co-op...not even on-line). Co-op worked terrific in Resistance: Fall of Man....Why I wonder couldn't it for Call of Duty 4? Hence, that is the only reason why I've deducted a star from the overall rating, but by no means do I suggest that anyone with a PS3 miss out on this super-fun game.
Add it to your cart, soldier!
Read Best Reviews of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Here
Just a quick review, been playing for two days.
1. great story
2. best graphics yet
3. great audio track
4. responsive controls
5. first game that reminded me of "playing army" when I was a little kid
6. online is a lot of fun
Want Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Discount?
First of all, this is a fanTAStic game overall with outstanding realism. As a licensed gun dealer, former law enforcement officer, and former US Army infantry, I can verify that this is as real as it gets. Five Stars for game play, realism, sound effects, ballistics, etc., etc.
The only problem for me was the complete lack of any documentation, gaming guide, manual, etc. I'm admittedly a newbie to PS3 gaming. This is my first, and I am handicapped by not being born with a PS3 controller in my little hands. It takes a lot of practice to move and shoot with the required fluid and instinctive motion (not in real life, but with a PS3 controller). I could find no game information on the DVD, in the packaging, or on the Activision or Infinity Ward web sites, something I think is inexcusable.
Thank heaven there are game sites that have great information, but mostly directed to strategy and cheats. What a newbie like me needs is basic information about the game and what to do in general.
To the rescue is the BradyGames Official Strategy Guide. It provides invaluable information to a new player like me and great strategy and intel info that can lead to bonus features, a great advabtage to even the hard core gamers. The strategies and some intel info are available for free on some of the web sites, but it's nice to have a hard copy to pick up while the game is paused to figure out what the heck is going on. A great value for about $15 but something the publisher should have provided with the DVD.
I've read that some players were disappointed in how short the game is. That may be true for a dedicated and experienced gamer, but for me it took over two months of playing an hour a day to complete the game, so if you're not a full time gamer, the program should prove to be quite entertaining and quite a challenge, even at the Recruit level. At the rate I've been going it will be years before I can play at the Vetran level, so a great value for $59.
