Customer Reviews

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

5 star:		(171)
4 star:		(49)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

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.

WWII had been done to death! Ever since the original CASTLE WOLFENSTEIN-3D every war theater, every front, every battle has been done again and again. True, a number of great games was produced. Yet, some game developers seem unable to stop whipping a dead horse..

ACTIVISION proved it had the guts to break with the mold it had made its CALL OF DUTY franchise a huge success. CoD4 is set in a (fictional) present in which American and British agents are called upon to stop a Russian plutocrat with Soviet-nostalgia and terrorist aspirations.

The weapons are new, the gameplay is inventive, the graphics are realistic, the settings are beautiful - a great game all together!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This game delivers on a whole lot of levels. The graphics are outstanding - even if you find yourself running a slightly long in the tooth PC. My old AGP ATI 9600 card manages to run it just fine on my Intel P4 3.2 system.

This is one of the few games out there that has not only delivered a dynamic and interesting online experience, but has also given those interested in single player action a place to turn.

I had a great time finishing the single player game. There were some fantastic cinematic touches. I will not ruin the experience with any spoilers, but lets just say your in for a hell of a ride.

It took me about 8 leisurely hours to finish the single player. Just MAKE SURE to let the credits run out. Do NOT hit escape to end them. You get a nice little bonus at the end that is wroth the wait.

Now the multi-player experience is also interesting. It takes a unique approach by allowing you to unlock weapons and add-ons. It allows you to combine these weapons and add-ons in just about any way you choose to create your own classes. Very cool.

All of this is persistent. In other words, you don't start from zero each time you go to play online. You have a record that follows you around. So as you get promoted and add new weapons, you keep them both.

So here is where we lose that star. First, the maps are a bit small. You can get some pretty heated battles going on in these confined spaces, but opening up the maps would let a less frenetic play style prevail for those that prefer that kind of experience.
Then there is the mobility issue. It is not a giant deal, but jumping on top of things that you should easily be able too is often impossible. You can fall onto the top of a dumpster, but you cannot jump on top of it. A small issue, but one that feels off.

All in all, a great experience. If you have enjoyed previous COD titles or other modern combat type games, this is for you.

Another cool feature is the level of flexibility afforded to those that would host their own servers.

If your looking for your first game of this type, this is also a great place to start.

I was disappointed with this game and no matter how much I try to like this game I can't.

For a start the game has a real "consoleness" feel to it and no matter how much you try to ignore it you know that this was developed for the lowest common denominator. For example overly large text and icons, etc.

The single player is really short which was a real surprise and shame especially considering the wonderful single player earlier CODs had. You would think that after the success of games like BioShock and the earlier CODs the developers of this game would have realized there is a significant number of people that like a good single player experience, but sadly its obvious that the bulk of the development has gone in to the multiplayer aspect of the game.

While some of the missions are really great (full credit to the people that designed them) and you get to do things like crawl through a field full of enemies as a camouflaged sniper, use a 50 cal sniper rifle, and be on helicopter turrets, there is no Armour or any other ground based vehicle missions except a "car chase" mission where you fire out the back of a truck while trying to get away. A number of the missions feel a lot like you are playing Rainbow Six / Delta Force and not so much like COD because of the real small-unit action clearing out ships and buildings.

Many of the missions are frustrating as you die a lot and have to repeat some parts over, and over, and over about 30 times which gets really annoying. While this was OK in the earlier CODs, I'm really rather tired of this now, especially after playing other FPS where this does not happen so much.

Because the missions are heavily scripted you know that staying in the same spot and shooting at the enemies until the sun goes cold is not going to achieve much and in order to stop more enemies magically replacing those that you just killed you need to move your character up, which you can take advantage of to complete the missions faster.

It is obvious that the developers have tried to stop players from staying in one place for too long because, after a not very long time at all, no matter how far you are away from enemies and at the back behind all the other troops, a grenade magically lands beside you forcing you to move.

I found the concept of modern warfare boring, why would I want to play something that I am sick of seeing on the news every other night? Sure I realize that after 3 CODs the amount of good quality WW2 missions left must be on the decline, but why modern day warfare? why not Vietnam? or the Korean war (if nam is a bit too sensitive)? they could have even done some missions based around the Falklands war.

Instead of the intimate, and mature tone that was taken with the earlier CODs, where the character you play talks about what they are about to do while the mission is loading via a personal log type of thing and in game they and their comrades behave in a civil manner, the mission briefings in this COD are overly flashy, stroke off over the hardware that the US military has, and try to make war cool, and a number of the characters are a very gung-ho when it comes to killing. A further example of this is the inclusion of an Arcade mode in the game where you get points (i.e. "+ 5", "+ 100") show up on the screen when you hit and also when you kill people.

Multi player. After the averageness of the Single Player I figured that the Multiplayer would be better, but again I was disappointed mainly because I can only get 1 server with a ping of under 200 and once again I can't hit other players very well due to the lag issue which means that even though from my point of view after unloading half a clip in to someone and then me dying, I see on the kill cam that from their point of view I did not even get a shot off. Also you die a lot (and I mean a lot) in the COD4 multiplayer because unlike COD2 where you could take a few slugs, crawl somewhere quiet and recover, then get back in to it, you die too easy in this one. The FEAR multiplayer, not the COD2 multiplayer is what it is like.

Graphics. As you can probably tell by now graphics are not a big thing for me. While I do have a pretty good PC and graphics card, I found the graphics were good, but not outstanding. Actually a number of times I felt like I was in the STALKER universe.

To finalize, if you are looking for a really good single player experience with a similar length and feel to the earlier CODs then sadly, like me, I think you will be disappointed.

If however you are after yet another modern FPS to play online, don't really care about any single player, and think war is cool, then you will probably find that this game is pretty good.

First, the positives: This game features absolutely movie-quality graphics and life-like realism. It just can't get any more realistic and addictive than this. Clear your calendar, because this is the heroin of games: once you start playing you will find it very difficult to stop in the beginning, especially on multiplayer. However, I think the game has inherent drawbacks that make it not very "deep", in the sense that developing great skill is not necessary or even rewarded.

The prime issue is that, probably due to the graphic demands, you are constantly playing on maps just larger than a shoebox. If you are the type who just can't get enough of shooting your opponents at point blank range in the face with a shotgun, congratulations, welcome to heaven. Unfortunately, if you are more interested in group or clan strategy or using sniper tactics, I have bad news: the quarters are just too tight.

The maps are so small that many players just wildly huck their grenades at the start of action in multiplayer in a random direction and get multiple kills. They even have a name for it: "grenade (nade) spamming".

The problem is made worse by many servers having "no friendly fire". It detracts from the skill and realism of the game if you can just wildly throw grenades in every direction, followed by a blind spray of automatic weapons fire, secure in the knowledge that hitting your own teammates won't count, and with the tiny map, you are sure to kill several enemies before one of your opponents gets equally lucky.

If you compare this game with Battlefield 2142, you see the differences. The graphics of COD4 make BF2142 look like a cartoon, but you can play BF2142 for years and not get bored, because the maps are large and reward skill in hunting your opponents. The "spray and pray" technique is not so successful on BF2142. I wish someone would combine the graphics and "you are there" cinematic quality of COD4 and the gameplay and balance of BF2142 for the ultimate first person shooter game.

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.

Some games are guaranteed to be great. At one point, I believed this about anything with the Tom Clancy logo on it, until Ubisoft bought that franchise and turned them into arcade shooters wit ridiculous graphic requirements. Call of Duty however is a pc franchise which delivers and remembers what makes this kind of game fun in the first place - brutal, immersive combat, realistic graphics, explosive sound effects and an interesting storyline.

The last COD for the pc was the brilliant COD 2 in 2005. COD 2 changed the rules somewhat from its predecessor, as it had no health kits and limited saves. COD 4 follows this pattern but deviates from the previous games in one very important way - you are now a modern soldier of the US Marine Corps or British SAS instead of a World War 2 infantry grunt. Obviously, returning to the modern day gives you many more weapons options which did not exist in the 1940s, such as rpgs and AK47s. You even get, a few times, the Javelin, a great anti-tank weapon.

COD 4 switches back and forth, at least early on, between the perspective of a US Marine (whose platoon is trying to find an atomic bomb) and a British SAS operative (whose team is tracking down those who financed and arranged the bomb delivery). In one important deviation, your character flashes back to the early 90s on a covert assassination mission in Chernobyl, shortly after the nuclear meltdown there.

The gameplay is pretty tight, and there are few dull or slow moments. COD is all all business shooter, and you won't waste a lot of time looking for keys or solving puzzles. The one stealth mission is engrossing and very well presented.

One important contribution which the COD series has made to the shooter genre is the concept of swapping weapons. In the COD series, you can carry just two weapons at any time (not counting grenades of course), but you can swap any of these weapons for those which you find from friend or foe along the way. This makes for interesting gameplay. You might want to grab say a powerul machine gun to hose down a lot of enemies at once, or you can find a sniper rifle and pick them off from a distance. Or you can find an RPG and blast the whole lot of them. COD usually allows you a few different paths through the most difficult sections but they take time to figure out.

There are a some annoying logjams. In a few tough places, enemies will respawn endlessly until you reach a certain invisible checkpoint after which they will quickly all run away or refuse to follow. In one such area, I kept sitting there picking off enemies until I was almost out of ammo, at which point I realized that I had to move. But, this feature also keeps you moving forward. You cannot camp out in the game, ever.

I guess my favorite level of the game was the stealth mission in Chernobyl. You are a young SAS sniper in a ghillie suit, avoiding Russian soldiers on the way to snipe a rogue arms dealer who is sellling a stolen nuclear device. Your commander is with you to give you advice. The end of the mission is a fantastic set piece battle in an abandoned amusement park. Another great mission lets you call in airstrikes as you and your men race to the extraction zone after a failed mission later in the game.

This is a game which alls shooter fans will love. I recommend it highly.

I am a gamer but I have a narrow preference for the type of games I play, mainly Star Trek and MOHAA and COD4 LOL. I thought there was a problem with my new 8800 GS video card because I couldn't stay up with the other players in online play. But I realized that my eye and hand coordination had to catch up with the graphics of this game,and when they did, after playing for several hours, I felt great when I had a triple scoring spree and was promoted to corporal :-) This game delivers what all games should, challenge, outstanding graphics, and a sense of truth, in the case of war games, that in real life people do die for freedom. and we have many heros both sung and unsung--Wow!

Marv

I am a fan of 1st person shooters, particularly realistic modern warfare games. Best 1st person shooters before this one, to me, were BF2 and GR (the first series). I loved Ghost Recon particularly because of the way gameplay felt, one shot killed you must of the times, you could injure different parts of your body, etc. This game feels a lot like Ghost Recon, specially when played in Hardcore *GR the first series* (they messed up GR with GRAW), and the graphics are absolutely amazing. It lacks the "injury"part and like other COD you heal if u stay away from bullets for a sec (which I dont like), Maps are awsome, although small (I wish they would have made them bigger). If you like 1st person shooters, this is a must have!.

omg the AC-130 gunner mission was awesome! The rest was also except the timed, carry your bud, sneak around mission. well it was fun i just always hate those! :)