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.
