Just as the FPS genre was slowly grinding to a halt and many of the major video game franchises scored mediocre ratings COD4 popped-up. COD3 was a decent game that was, just as its predecessor, was set in the WWII era. It scored mediocre ratings in the media and forced Infinity Wards to rethink their strategy. The outcome of this change in strategy is COD4. The game is nearly perfect; and there is little to be said about the flaws. If there is anything that needs to be pointed out then it is that the game is rather short - roughly 12 hrs of gameplay - and offers little scouting and free-roaming. Having said that, the SP campaign is fantastic - the story is both immersive and enjoyable. The story takes place in various places on the globe - in the past and in real time - and tells a story of Marine soldiers in the Middle-East and SAS soldiers in Russia.
Your Goal as the player is to prevent a lunatic from causing global havoc. Sounds pretty standrd - but the story contains numerous twists and turns, where the player needs to eliminate targets in ordet establish who is the key player in the dangerous game. I will spare you the detailes - the game is so well thought through that almost anything classifies as a spoiler.
In terms of technicalities - the game is an astonishing piece of art. Manny have claimed that the game is graphically superior to Crysis and Gears of War. That might be a matter of taste - but, either way, the game amazingly crisp and the runs perfectly smoothly. The game engine is truly impressive - allowing for bullets to penetrate material, realistic lighting, detailed environments and particle effects. This combined with a great art style makes COD4 one of the crispest games ever. The game is nothing short of beautiful.
The sound, the voice acting, and music are all fantastic. The game features a great number of custom music tracks, great voice acting, and sounds that bring life to the characters and shed light on the world of COD4. The sounds of the guns, one aspect that is highly important in FPS games, is very rewarding and adequat to the type of gun that is used.
The multiplayer portion of the game is probably what it will be remembered for. The game rewards the player with XP points that are earned during the multiplayer sessions. As the XP points pile up you earn ranks and level-up. The leveling system allows the player to upgrade weapons - by adding scopes, sights, changing the pattern on the weapon, adding a granade launcher etc. Moreover, as the player evolves by leveling-up, he/she unlocks new weapons and skills - called perks. The latter range from the ability to carry a larger quantity of frag granades and rocket launchers to improved aim, penetration power, superior health etc. Each player has 3 perks to chose from. The maximum level is 55 - which unlocks additional stuff for the hardcore gamers. The game features all the classical modes - CTF, DM, TDM etc. but has a number of its unique modes too.
All in all, this is one of the best FPS games ever made and a game that managed to push the genre forward.
