Call of Duty is one of the best games available on the 360.
Infinity Ward has finished with the World War II era and has finally embraced a modern twist. The game brings the superb gameplay of past Call of Duty games and throws in a crazy blend of more technologically advanced weaponry and a new refined story to match-- and it works extremely well.
Call of Duty 4 has one of the most interesting singe-player campaigns in a FPS. The single-player will put you in the shoes of a British S.A.S soldier and a American Marine, each with their own story where shocking events will arise along with some seriously jaw-dropping moments. The campaign will leave you out of breadth from the very start to the very end--no matter how short it may be. The campaign is frustratingly short for such an excellent story, most gamers accustomed to FPS will be able to compete the campaign in around five hours on the easier difficulty. Needless to say, the action and gameplay make the short campaign a very enjoyable experience.
The gameplay in Call of Duty 4 is very much like previous Call of Duty games. You have a compass at the bottom left of the screen with objectives marked and you must make your way to these objectives with your AI controlled comrades. Something Call of Duty 4 does very well is your interactivity with your team, each man has their own personality and will offer tactical information on enemy positions and help you in completing your objectives. Your objectives will take you deep into enemy territory in the Middle-East repelling rebel ambushes and to the cold of Russia partaking in Special Ops missions. Even though the campaign is painstakingly short, you'll not want the experience to end there.
However the excellent multiplayer certainly makes up for the lack of singleplayer action. Up to 18 players can get into a match on one of 16 equally different maps varying for a more sniper-friendly landscape to wild grenade pounding and manic shooting maps. There are also six game maps to choose from. There is the familiar team death match and free-for-all deathmatch, also the more objective orientated maps like headquarters. Call of Duty 4 also gives players the choice to tackle more hardcore modes like disabling the HUD but making weapons more powerful-- if you dare to try these modes.
The multiplayer adds more tactical abilities for the skilled players among you. For three kills you will be granted UAV support which will highlight all enemy position on your HUD, for 5 kills you will receive an airstrike on any position on the map, and finally if you reach a seven kill streak without dying you will receive helicopter support for a period of time. This helicopter is AI controlled but will circle the map shooting down any enemies it comes into contact with, though enemies can shoot it down but it will take a fair beating before it does. All these add a little more variety to online play and gives you some rewards for owning the battlefield.
Playing the multiplayer does not go without rewards. Every time you get a kill, capture an objective, call in air support and completing challenges gives you experience which will help you to rise up the military ranks in multiplayer. Ranking up will unlock various weapons and challenges to complete which will help you gain a lot of XP points to go toward ranking up.
The class feature on Call of Duty 4 is also very interesting. Each class has their own pros and cons, much like the classes in Call of Duty 3. However Infinity Ward have evolved this and added perks to these classes which offer some variety to them. As you rank up you will have the ability to create your own class. This allows you to pick your primary weapon, your sidearm, weapon attachments, what grenades you carry and 3 perks. The perks are split into 3 categories to which you can choose and you can unlock more perks as you rank higher. This system gives some variety to the game as no player rarely has the exact same character and offers a wide variety to create a class which suits your style of play.
The perks system is very customisable. Perk number 1 is orientated around explosives, letting you choose from RPGs, claymores and even more frag or flashbang grenades. The other perks are more miscellaneous, but never-the-less important. They include cool things like increased ammunition, the ability to hold your breadth longer when sniping and dropping a live grenades as you die. The different perks vary for what ever tactics you choose to opt for but is great fun mixing and matching between each perk.
Not only does Call of Duty 4 have an exciting singleplayer and multiplayer, but it also has top class graphics. Levels are beautifully rendered, especially those in the Middle-East and effects such as explosions and smoke are superbly crafted to near perfection. Even the multiplayer maps are stunning and full of life-- or what was left of it. The sound value of Call of Duty 4 is also top-notch. Guns sound crisp and realistically terrifying, explosions are also equally scary and you really feel like you're in the middle of a battle, fighting for your life. The voice acting is great too from the humorous banter of your squad in the cutscenes to the serious cries of communication during gameplay.
Call of Duty 4 is an excellent FPS with a superb, but speedy singleplayer campaign, however the multiplayer is where the heart of the game is. It offers plenty of choice and is a lot of fun to play from exciting modes and maps which will keep you entertained for a very long time to come.
