Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Reviews

• Forget FPS's... this is one of the best games EVER. Period.

  
  By A12RYA1QNP9HOG on 2007-11-07
  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.
  
  

• A GUTSY MOVE BY Activision!

  
  By A74TA8X5YQ7NE on 2007-11-05
  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!
  
  

• Best Call of Duty game so far!

  
  By A30V8ZF05YW5B on 2007-10-29
  I have played a few previous version of Call of Duty, but this one takes the cake. I like the idea of more realistic weapon compared to the old ones. The graphic's and over all gameplay is great.
  
  

• An Incredible Experience

  
  By A22AD8M2SSOFHJ on 2007-11-07
  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.
  
  

• Only the map sizes will have you scratching your head

  
  By A1Y7JKCYPRXPNW on 2007-12-03
  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.
  
  
• The length of a movie for five times the price.
  By A6VI02LR3Z3BW on 2007-12-23
  I have not played any of the Call of Duty series before but picked this up on the advice of a friend. Everyone seems to think this is amazing and PC PowerPlay even gave it 9/10 (though PC mags reviews often mean little). Overall I found the game to be a fairly average offering, and here are my reflections for those considering a purchase.
  
  Stability: Stable, did not experience any crashes whilst playing. Played on Vista 64, Q6600, 4GM RAM, 2x 8800GT in SLI.
  Graphics: For those with powerful systems COD4 is the equivalent of games coming out in late 2004/early 2005. The strength of the graphics are in the textures, but there are limited shadows, lighting effects, or any of the more advanced graphical techniques that we see in more recent titles. The reduced effects means that the game will scale very will on almost any system but as a result looks similar to titles from two years ago. Graphically it reminds me of the second splinter cell game, so that's the comparison and while not up to today's standards they are still reasonable.
  Sound: For the most part actually pretty weak but it serves its purpose. Grenades make the same sound no matter what substance they land on and guns sound very light and unrealistic but nevertheless it is passable for what it is trying to achieve.
  Gameplay: Now this is where I have struggled to get the concept. In most games to move forward you have to complete the objective, kill the bad guys, complete some task etc, and this is true from Half Life 2, FEAR, Crysis, FarCry, Quake etc. In COD4 this is different, in COD4 the objective is to move forward, in fact actually completing any other task is pointless and often counterproductive. You can kill all of the bad guys that you want but they just respawn in an endless supply. The way to eliminate your enemies and to stop them from respawning is to simply move forward. If you move forward then the enemy stops respawning and your team mates (of which you have no control) kill cover. For me this meant that I never felt like I was contributing to the actions of the story, but rather following it along and hence wrecking the immersion factor. If you shoot anyone then you risk being shot, so better not to shoot anyone. There is a sniper level where you have to wait for a helicopter whilst being swarmed by never ending enemies - since it is pointless killing anyone since they respawn what to do? Simply lie down in the ticket booth until the helicopter arrives - and solutions like this are on almost every level. There are some levels that where quite good, namely taking over the gunners position from an AC-130, this reminded me of a youtube video of such an action and was well done, however the shooting component of the game was merely a means to tell a story, but a passive story rather than one that you get the write.
  Length: I played through the single player on Hardened mode and managed to finish the game in about 5 hours. There was little challenge as it is more of an experience rather than something that you have to work for. Multiplayer can extend it a little more but due to the missing Coop play I found multiplayer to be inferior to that of R6V, so unless someone at a LAN party wants to enforce this game there is more fun elsewhere.
  Replayability: Negligible. They provide an arcade mode so that you can replay with cheats and the like but really the whole game is arcade. The more impressive cheat is unlimited ammo but Since you are carrying around 4000 rounds of ammo with two weapons anyway, this seems kinda redundant as I was never in danger of running out of ammo in single player.
  Verdict: I really want to give this a 3/5, but I gave Bioshock a 3/5 and Bioshock is a better game than COD4. Maybe it is just me, but I like to feel that I am actually contributing to the outcome of the game rather than just being taken along for a ride. Hence, I feel like I was being taken along for an overpriced movie presentation.
  
  My current FPS Ranking (of recent shooters that I have played):
  
  1: Crysis
  2: Rainbow Six Vegas
  3: F.E.A.R.
  4: Quake 4
  5: Halflife 2
  6: Bioshock
  7: Call of Duty 4
  
  
• CREAM of the CROP
  By A3NX0YDSVYENCF on 2007-11-06
  Hands down this shooter is the most intense COD to date. If your a fan of the COD series this game will not disappoint at all. Intense, intense, intense to say the least. Good work Infinity Ward.
  
  
• pc gamers beware
  By A2CMCPTV0QX7HN on 2007-11-23
  I am not going to review the action, graphics, or plot of this game. I would like to, but I can't. The reason I can't is because the dvd that this game is published on will not play in my dvd player. In fact, many people own dvd players that will not work with the secret anti-copying voodoo included on the dvd, and if you are one of the owners of these drives, you can't play this game either. In fact you can't read the dvd at all, so you can't even install the game. If you are one of the unfortunate owners of these unsupported dvd drives you may, like me, turn to activision tech support for assistance. Then you will find, as I have, that activision tech support is as usefull as a third shoe. I have been repeatedly told to reboot my computer then run the game to see what happens, this despite the fact that I have explained repeatedly that I can't even read the dvd or install the game. If you have surmised that I have some exotic dvd drive and that I should expect some difficulties, I can assure you my drive is as vanilla as they come. It is a LG manufactured dvd drive that was standard install from Dell on my Dimension computer.
  Being as I purchased this game from Amazon, I was not able to see the various labels on the box, but now that I have received it one label stands out..."This game contains technology intended to prevent copying that may conflict with some disc and virtual drives."
  So, beware pc gamers, just because you have a fast enough processor, and a powerful enough video card, your machine may very well not be able to read the dvd, install or play this game.
  
  
• Disappointing: Falls way short of the mark set by CoD2
  By A24NS0WA26HVNJ on 2007-11-20
  In CoD4 I have found a wonderful game, very similar to the previous FPS hit CoD2 (Call of Duty 2), which I absolutely love. These games have generally solid mission pacing, and throw you for loops by yanking you out of the FPS Playable Character and dropping you behind a machine gun, or cannon, or .50 sniper rifle (very cool). The graphics are phenomenal, and the flashback sniper missions in Chernobyl were really fun.
  
  Yes the scripting can be annoying, but if you want to play through a "make your own war movie" game, you're just going to have to put up with some scripting. At least the CoD teams are really, very, absolutely excellent with scripting. Their pacing is wonderful, and the intensity they can bring to the game is downright astounding.
  
  Unfortunately, I'm done with the good stuff.
  
  Here's my disappointment with CoD4. Outside of an admittedly impressive graphics upgrade, CoD4 offers absolutely nothing new. The single player missions aren't even long enough to make a good expansion pack for CoD2, and at least two of the missions feel like reconstructed mods of CoD2 missions. There are only two really new, really fun missions in the whole game. So I found that, given three to five minutes to be impressed by the blazingly gorgeous graphics and twelve to twenty minutes to complete those two film worthy, heart-pumping, sniping in Chernobyl missions, you have between fifteen and twenty-five minutes of really new stuff in this game.
  
  So, CoD4 essentially plays like a graphically beefed up repeat of CoD2 with a horribly shortened story-line.
  
  CoD4 introduces no legitimate game-play upgrades, and shows little or no attempt at offering even an illusion that the game isn't entirely linear. (I understand the difficulties of having both cinematic scripting and non-linear game-play, but at least try for an illusion. Ok?) The multiplayer upgrade is ridiculous, and arcade-like. I don't see how any long time FPS fan could really support a multi-player game that could potentially bias against a more skilled player in favor of one that just had more time on his hands to level up, but what do I know. I still play the CS titles.
  
  All in all, if you like the multiplayer, who am I to judge. I loved the CoD2 multiplayer, but the new stuff in the CoD4 multiplayer seems kind of juvenille and video-gamey to me. I guess I'm just a little surprised, since I've never seen anything so arcade get such a positive response from the serious FPS PC gaming community.
  
  All I can say is that $50 is way more than I am personally willing to pay for an exclusively multiplayer game. Unless you can't wait to get on-line with this game, or unless some really good expansion mods come out to add more to the single-player mode, I can't see that this game is worth more than $30, and can only recommend waiting for a price drop.
  
  
  
• Disappointed
  By A346HXUI5QZ64A on 2007-11-15
  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.
  
  
• The same old game repackaged
  By A2WLDEORTNRY0D on 2007-11-09
  I have to call it as I see it. I really think the team behind the COD franchise needs to be wiped clean and new people need to be brought in.
  
  COD 4 has been modernized. No more WW2. GREAT! I love WW2 games but it was time for a change in COD. That is it. Nothing else is new.
  
  You still cannot shut the music off during game play! ULTRA ANNOYING to many people out there. What is the harm of giving people a choice? NOPE, the ego centric nature of Activision won't allow that. I had to hack the files of COD, COD2 and now I will have to hack the files again to shut the music off.
  
  I have nothing against the music, I just don't like it on. I like the combat sound effects.
  
  Again, the COD game play is nothing but run and gun and it is AGAIN SCRIPTED!!!! Achieve a goal or move your character to a certain spot and events occur. This makes a game so darn predictable that replay value goes down the tubes!
  
  I am not impressed with the graphics either. They seem outdated, stale. There are too many other games out there with nicer details and realistic features. COD 4 is not one of them.
  
  This game is not worth the high price tag they have slapped it with. NO WAY! I recommend you borrow a friend's copy, install it, play it and if you still want to buy it, go for it. It is too soon to tell if the multiplayer will be worthwhile. There were a lot of claims that the COD 2 MP was outstanding and a tremendous success, yet the servers were empty. Hop on a 3 year old UT 2004 server and it is still jamming with action!
  
  No, the COD franchise is at the end. They really need to rebuild from the ground up. There is a ton of potential but it is not here in this release.
  
  
• stupid design flaws drag down a potentially 5-star game
  By A4BA2SSCQ2W56 on 2007-11-14
  first of all, i haven't played the single player yet. i'm sure it's great, but i wanted to jump right in to what i always loved the COD series for - multiplayer. at first, everything seemed to be wonderful about multiplayer, but before long the negatives started to show.
  
  for one thing, these maps are way too small. you will die. you will die A LOT. you will die A LOT as soon as you spawn. yes, you will. you will die, and die, and die. you will die by getting shot through walls (allowed in this game). i died once from being shot through a concrete block - not cool. you will die from helicopters overhead that you can't see. you will die from airplanes appearing instantaneously dropping bombs on you and your teammates (gee, this warfare must be modern for a plane to fly over and pinpoint bomb your location in 1 second). and this will happen many times in one round. these are the negatives you have to live with along with the positives of COD 4.
  
  i have a big problem with that. the thing that always made COD great was you had full control over your fate. if you were skilled enough, you could stay alive forever. COD 2 didn't even have artillery strikes, so you were in full control. here? not so much. especially when you consider.... the GRENADES. my god, the grenades. they never end. everyone gets one grenade, and you can even get 3 with a perk. since they can be cooked now, you won't be able to avoid many of them, and you will have to dodge many more. don't get me wrong - cooked grenades are overall a GOOD thing and far preferable to the retarded uncooked nades of COD 2, but this many grenades on maps this small is a BAD thing. the ability to "throw back" grenades is mostly a crock - since most are cooked, you're almost certain to die trying to do that, so people don't even try it. why didn't the designers think about this??
  
  another weakness - no room for snipers. in past COD games, plenty of people would snipe. in COD 4? hardly anyone, because it's not worth it. it's far too hard to kill anyone with a single-shot sniper rifle - hit them in the chest, and they LIVE! and guess what? since there's no health meter, your shot just did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! hooray! it's far too hard to get a headshot because you have to get a more precise headshot than past COD games, plus sprint is enabled so people just run around.
  
  as if getting constantly naded, bombed and choppered weren't bad enough, there's also stun and flashbang grenades. don't get me wrong - just like shooting through walls, it's very fun to DO TO OTHERS, but not so fun when it happens to you. it's just another element of the game to make you feel like you're getting digitally raped!
  
  i'm amazed the creators didn't make BIGGER MAPS, as many servers have up to 15 people per team!!! one map in particular, "shipment," is so tiny it's just absolutely unforgivable.
  
  also - what the hell happened to capture the flag????? now we get "sabotage," which is cool, but quite hard to keep up with what the hell is going on. every 2 seconds someone gets killed and drops the bomb - a voice announcer keeps telling you "they set up the bomb" or "they dropped the bomb" but everything moves so fast, it's impossible to keep up with. that announcer needs to go!!!!!! in addition, the target location changes every time, and you have to keep looking at your map to know where to go - this game totally revolves around following a map. not very fun.
  
  speaking of the map, the radar thing sucks. the idea was that when a player gets 3 kills in a row, they can enable radar which shows their team the enemy's position on the map - this makes it a lot easier to kill because you know where everyone is. this is a pretty good idea, except RADAR IS ALWAYS ENABLED, so how the hell can you call it a "perk"? it's one of those ideas that is good in theory, but bad in execution. how realistic is a war where you know where every enemy is?? not very.
  
  speaking of radar, there is a "hardcore" mode that some servers use that cuts out radar and your map, and your weapons display. however, this is even more frustrating because it doesn't show you what weapons, grenades and special weapon you have. what the hell?? that's not "hardcore" - that's stupid.
  
  anyway COD 4 is overall a wonderful FPS game and one of the best ever created SO FAR... yet still i've played COD 2 just to get away from all its frustrations. i'm sure just like COD 2, they won't make any additional maps, so we're just stuck with the tiny maps, blowing each other to hell all over the place. it's a great game - but it's sad it could have been so much better. the custom designed weapons is a great feature, but unfortunately you can't design weapons while playing a game, and you only get 5 slots. i would have liked an on-the-fly custom weapon design feature.
  
  one more thing - if you like a particular game type, it's hard to find a server that only playes your game type. many servers have a rotation of search and destroy (which i hate) and domination and sabotage (which i like). there's no way to "weed out" these servers in the server browser.
  
  also nightvision is ugly as hell and nobody uses it. i don't know why they included that crap. my final verdict: play COD 4, but stay away from servers with more than around 7 people per team.
  
  
• Good not Great
  By A1A6C5KIOBMQ2P on 2007-12-04
  Decent addition to the COD series, I like the change to modern settings. Single player is classic COD style, thrilling and intense missions. The game is short though and theres not alot of replay value after youve finished it. Graphics looks nice and runs smooth even on a low end system. Overall the game has a nice look and feel to it. Those are all the positives, all the negatives to me show up on the multiplayer side. Two major problems I have are the random respawns and size of the maps. Randomly respawning (constantly) right next to a cluster of enemies is irritating. Its OK the first few times but it starts to get annoying and repetitive. Combine that with the small size of the maps and you get the run and gun style of gameplay which is complete chaos. There is no strategy involved, basically everyone is just blasting away or its a spamfest of grenades and airstrikes. So if you want to jump right into the action then COD4 is for you. But for the rest who have played the original Call of Duty/UO, you might find this title a bit lacking if you are looking for teamwork and balanced maps.
  
  
• unfulfiled potential!
  By A3CRSFF2TRALAX on 2007-12-04
  
  this game could have been so good, call of duty desperatly needed a good title now it was finally out of ww2 (the cod series was stuck in ww2 longer than the actual ww2!!!).
  
  the first thing that struck me are the graphics, they are not any step forward, they are just 'ok' - i suppose the good thing to come out of this though is that it will play well on more pc's.
  
  but the biggest negative point i have about this game is the single player mode.... oh my god its soooo short!!! - this should not have been a full price game, really!!
  
  If like myself you are a fan of first person shooters, i personaly would go for crysis, sure it requires a super amazing pc to play it well, but it looks amazing - and its a lot longer then cod4.
  
  
• COD 4... a very well done FPS...Definite contender for Game of the Year
  By AUX9KZUUB3YCE on 2007-11-26
  COD 4 is a FPS that alternately follows the US Marines and British special forces in the Middle East and in Russia; it then combines these two groups for the final few segments in Russia.
  
  There is not much to dislike in this game. The game has great graphics and runs smooth on a high end system. The game play is intense and visceral; it's hard not to get a gut wrenching feeling in the pit of your stomach when fighting your way through some of these levels. And as a FPS fan, I guess this is all you could ask for in this genre of game.
  
  In the single player version, this is a game of team co-operation (and even more so with every higher degree of difficulty); in fact you'll not get very far if you attempt to just go in with guns blazing. Some planning and patience are real assets for success in this game.
  
  The game has a lot to offer, for instance...
  
  1.)Some intense alley to alley, building to building, street fighting.
  
  2.)A couple of stealth and execute missions.
  
  3.) A couple of vehicle segments (in the air and on the ground), with use of your weapons.
  
  4.)You get to operate any of 3 different gun turrets on a hunter warplane using nighttime infrared vision. (this segment was a great deal of fun)
  
  5.)Many different weapons; several automatic rifles, a RPG launcher, anti-tank weapons, a sniper rifle, explosive charges and an assortment of grenades.
  
  6.)An excellent compass/distance indicator to help guide you in the right direction (it is easy to become disorientated (direction wise) in the heat of battle).
  
  7.)Enemy AI is fairly good; some stand up unprotected, but many do hide and use cover; level of game difficulty has an influence on this.
  
  8.)Unexpected events at the end of some levels, have an impact on levels to come; a nice change from your usual mission endings.
  
  A couple of minor concerns...
  
  1.)There were no player controlled game saves; game saves were automatically generated at specific spots (and some were far enough apart, to make it a real challenge to get to the next one).
  
  2.)If you wish to play the game again (i.e. on a different difficulty setting), then you have to go through the 'training' session again AND the entire opening movie/credits scene (which is tediously long) that begins a new game; I could find no way to skip these segments.
  
  Conclusion:
  COD 4 was a FPS that I really liked and I feel it easily qualifies for consideration for single player Game of the Year*. It has excellent graphics, audio and most importantly, game play. Also, the different types of missions really added a nice variety and balance to the game; you needed to use different combat techniques and skills to get through all levels and eventually finish this game. An all round excellent effort. 5+ Stars.
  
  *Other nominees for single player, 'Game of the Year' would be 'Bioshock' and 'Half-Life 2 episode 2'. Close contenders would be 'Timeshift' and 'STALKER-Chernobyl', followed by a more distant 'Crysis'
  
  
  
• Very addictive, but claustrophobic
  By A3DBFFV7HUXJ4J on 2008-01-20
  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.
  
  
• GET THIS GAME!!!
  By A2F72XEGLA6GPY on 2007-11-07
  If you have any interest at all in military-type shooters like Rainbow 6 & Ghost Recon...GET THIS GAME!! If you loved Battlefield 2 or the classic BF1942 Mod "Desert Combat"...GET THIS GAME!!! Don't hestitate for a second...scroll up, click on the BUY IT NOW button and thank me later.
  
  I picked up the PC version of this game yesterday and have not been able to stop playing it. The graphics and gameplay are incredible and that's just in single player mode. The multiplayer mode is even better. It is everything you wanted in a multiplayer military shooter but didn't know to ask. Trust me when I say...THIS GAME ROCKS!!!
  
  
• Good but not great.
  By A10XWSMQHX3XQ6 on 2007-11-14
  The games graphics are very well done, sounds is excellent, it's non-stop action (which is always fun). Having said that, the game play is (at times) borderline awful/excellent. The problem is that events are scripted to a fault, meaning bad guys infinitely spawn until you move forward and cross the map trigger which makes baddies stop spawning at your location; is that realism? Playing the game on the normal difficulty level was to difficult at certain points during the game, that it took away all the fun. o
  In spite of the things that are wrong with this game, it gets it right in many other place's. The multilayer is awesome, the ballistics and damage models are great. And if you shot someone in the head, they go down, which is how it should be. And while the story (such as it is) doesn't really tie into the game as much as it could; regardless you are taken to many different locations and each level is very well designed. This is a good game, it looks and feels like a run and gun, but just plays with a bit more strategy.
  
  Bottom line: If you are looking for a new shooter and just can't wait then buy this game! If you aren't sure if you'd like this game and or haven't enjoyed the rest of the Call of Duty series then wait until the price drops to $29.99.
  
  
• Don't buy unless you are already a hardcore FPS gamer
  By A814JEC5BOMGL on 2007-12-05
  1) Single Player - fun, but only 3 hrs of gaming
  2) Coop - No Coop (lies), only you vs who ever you have over (no bots!)
  3) Online -
  a. Don't even bother unless you already have > 500-800 hrs in FPS
  b. Server does a really bad job leveling teams
  c. Players with long kill streaks get additional resources which tend to make blow outs out of already lopsided matches.
  
  They clearly don't care about getting a new fan base. If you are an existing fan of the series then yes. Other wise don't buy this game. I hate this game and really wish I could get my money back!
  
  
• Won't install on Vista.
  By A32JGNK1JNUSST on 2007-11-09
  I have a new Vista PC that is 2 weeks old, and this game just hangs during install. I searched for 2 days for a fix with no luck.
  
  Had to return.
  
  
• Bad disc
  By A16A6632DBEIK2 on 2007-11-10
  Installed and played the demo only because the disc I got from Amazon gave nothing but read errors on 2 computers and a total of 3 different CD ROM drives. The 1305 read error turns out to be very common and is apparently due to a bad disc. I was unable to install the game. It is a hassle to ship back and it takes forever to get a refund.
  
  From what I saw in the demo:
  
  Good:
  Graphics and effects are pretty good
  Immersive game play
  It feels like you really work with your squad
  Not WWII for a change
  
  Bad:
  -Very very linear and overly scripted game play, I am 50 feet from my target but I have to take a 2 mile detour because my strong SAS soldier can't jump a 3 foot fence? Come onnnnnnnnn. Half Life 2 was scripted but they did a much better job of not making it seem ridiculous.
  - switching characters makes it hard to 'get into it'
  
  
  
• Best Game Period.
  By A32A1FZNWSBW7G on 2007-11-12
  Infinity Ward's Previous COD Games focused on WW2. Well COD4 takes place in modern times with modern weapons and the results are amazing. First the graphics in this game are so good that you just want to look around but the constant action really does not let you take in the scenery too long. With Ferocious Firefights , Grenades And vehicles exploding your senses are tricked into believing your actually in this Battle. This game plays out more like a movie than a game. Most items in this game take damage and can play a vital role how you fight. If enemies are near a car you can shoot it to blow it up acting as a weapon itself. The Story is intense switching Back and forth from Russia to the middle east in a cohesive story plot that is all too familiar with todays greatest fears.
  A russian nuke fell into the hands of terrorists. Needless to say this is as Dire as it gets. This game take you on various missions from you bombing from above, sniping, assasinations, and tank killing never letting the game get boring in just First person mode. The missions are also more open and less linear. You still have to accomplish certain goals but the order you do them and how you get there seems very open as many of the missions are outdoors and there are no closed in corridors like in the past Games. This game is a must have for anyone who enjoy FPS Gaming. The only negative is SP is only around 6 hours long , but the best 6 hours you'll ever spend .
  
  
• good learning tool
  By A1UWNII9AWMZKG on 2007-11-13
  COD4 is a good combat simulator,you will learn how to stay low,and kill the terrorists,this is just what America needs,a tool that will condition our children how to prepare for our childrens,childrens war.
  
  
  
• Singleplayer Shines, but Multiplayer Bores
  By A2VLF9FE68LFX6 on 2008-01-02
  COD4 fans are not gonna like me one bit after this.
  
  COD4 is the best singleplayer-mode combat action I have ever seen in a game. But since all you're doing is basically participating in a militarized episode of "24", it comes off as very unoriginal. And it's aggravatingly short - if you're good, you can walk through singleplayer in 5 hours. A HUGE letdown is that you are led by the nose with zero wiggle room every step of the way through this game - "linear" doesn't even begin to describe it.
  
  Yeah, great graphics, but Crysis stomps all over it. In fairness, COD4 gets human movement down much better than Crysis, and is equally as important as graphics.
  
  Sadly, and very surprisingly, and despite all the hype, (you're gonna be shocked that I even say this) multiplayer is where this game really falls on it's face. You're never fighting in any other way than running around on foot with a rifle inside of claustrophobic, "sardine can" maps. If multiplayer was half as cool as the singleplayer maps, modes of combat and sheer capabilities, it'd be worth it. But the vast majority of what you see and experience in singleplayer is nowhere to be found in multiplayer.
  
  As beautiful as it is for a DX9 game, this game is just COD2 with a graphics mod. Sorry, Infinity Ward, but you guys need to acknowledge that players like to operate vehicles and aircraft, and need maps big enough to actually use them. Faked, "called in" air strikes is beyond lame. Even lamer is that you have to earn X number of kills before you can call said fake air strike in. And what's the point of the sniper class (or rifle scopes for that matter) when the maps are so tiny that every one of the bad guys is close enough to take out with a grenade?
  
  I stress that what is in the game is phenomenally well done and it looks great (and even gets human movement down better than Crysis) - but what really screws multiplayer up in this game is the sheer volume of elements that are missing due to embarrassingly and inexcusably tiny little maps.
  
  I don't care if everyone on the planet was playing this game and I was the only one who wasn't - COD4 is as every bit the brainless, boring, "run-n-gun" jousting match that COD2 was, and I ain't falling for it.
  
  4 stars for brilliant singleplayer.
  
  
• ALMOST Flawless
  By ATAX4DRVWR8NE on 2008-01-23
  This review focuses on the multiplayer aspect of the game. We all know the single player is amazing, pulls you in, and should be turned into a movie--but is just too short!
  
  So on to the multiplayer:
  
  The multiplayer part of this game is great. It keeps you interested with a quick way to rank up. Unlike Battlefield 2, where it took months sometimes to advance to the next rank and unlock items, this game keeps you interested with new challenges, ranks, weapons, weapons upgrades and even camo for your weapons. I still have not unlocked everything in Battlefield 2, nor will I ever because I don't have enough time to contribute weeks or months simply to unlock one weapon in a computer game!
  
  With COD: MW, however, things are constantly unlocking and new challenges are always keeping you interested. It makes for a fun experience that doesn't get boring.
  
  The creators also nailed the melee attack. Too often, this is squandered in games with a lame attack that almost never gets its target or is ineffective, think COD1 and Battlefield 2. In COD:MW, however, melee is an effective form of attack, where the player's character actually lunges forward a bit to reach his/her victim, making it easier to knife another person's online character.
  
  Furthermore, with the ability to have custom classes, there is the chance for some real interesting game play that can change depending on which class the player chooses. By mixing and matching perks with weapons, the player really has the ability to develop exactly the kind of class he/she wants without being tied down to one of only four choices.
  
  I do have one grip. It was time to include the ability to actually control the weapons on the chopper when you get enough kills to call one in during a multiplayer game. It could have been limited by when you were shot down, or when it was time for the chopper to "leave for refueling," thereby ending the air support.
  
  Or perhaps, they could have worked in an ability to call in a C-130 that you would be able to operate for say 30 seconds before it had to "leave for refueling." In order to keep the player from just spamming the entire map, they could have put in negative points for every friendly killed during a C-130 strike, keeping the time limit way down, and allowing for only short bursts of shots.
  
  The airstrikes are frustrating because the maps are relatively small, so by the time you call one in, the enemy has moved away. Although the airstrike present the opportunity to get a large number of kills very quickly, they usually get wasted. After all, nothing is worse than getting that 5-kill streak and then seeing absolutely no points pop up after calling in an airstrike!
  
  The automated chopper is equally frustrating because often times it simply fires rockets into random areas where no enemies are located, or flies around to portions of the map that are unoccupied.
  
  Nevertheless, calling in the right airstrike or the chopper at the perfect time is always great fun. It could have been better, but it's pretty awesome that that is probably the weakest part of the multiplayer of COD:MW!
  
  Great game.
  
  
• Works on Imac with Bootcamp
  By A2OZVAUV6X51JP on 2007-11-07
  Booted this up on my new Imac with bootcamp (Windows XP). Runs Great! Played multiplayer with the PC boys...
  
  
• Best First Person Shooter Ever...!!!!!
  By A2VF3EF4QDSNJU on 2007-11-07
  Amazing game, incredible realism, perfectly flowing gameplay, feels like you're there in the game at some points. The only downside is that it is too short, but games this good always are; (good thing there is free online multiplayer). There needs to be an expansion set out asap! Definitely worth buying
  
  
• Call of Duty 4 Is Destined To Be A Classic!
  By A1VCJKQUUDV6SL on 2007-11-08
  Call of Duty 4 is by far one of the best games to come out this year for any console or PC platform. The game is even better than any action movie that has come out to local movie theaters this year. The game is just slightly better than Halo 3 which up to this time was one of my favorite games to come out this year. Now my review is based on the single player portion of the game only.
  
  There is no comparison between Call of Duty 4 and Medal of Honor: Airborne as far as which is a better game to play. Medal of Honor: Airborne has just six missions to play through and that's it. I am not making that up. Medal of Honor: Airborne takes place during World War II with American Airborne soldiers fighting the Axis throughout Europe during the war. The first four missions in Medal of Honor: Airborne are very realistic. The last two missions are like made up fantasy missions where you are fighting Super Nazi Soldiers that take forever to kill. Call of Duty 4 is a ten times better game to play than Medal of Honor: Airborne.
  
  I could tell from the very first minute that I started to play Call of Duty 4 just how great a game it was going to be. The graphics in the game are just simply amazing. They are by far the best graphics I have ever seen in any game except for Crysis. Crysis is the game to beat as far as graphics go.
  
  The very first mission in the game takes place on a Russian freighter out in the middle of the ocean where you play the role of a British soldier fighting Russian terrorists aboard ship at night in stormy weather. Just to look at the water come up against the ship is amazing. I just had to stop to look at the huge ocean waves hitting the sides of the ship. I couldn't believe how real the ocean waves look hitting the sides of the ship.
  
  In another mission, I play the role of an American Marine fighting terrorists in the middle of a Middle Eastern city. My character, along with some fellow American Marine soldiers, are supporting an American tank going through the middle of this city. Well an enemy tank approachs us and the American tank you are supporting fires a round from the tank's main gun at the enemy tank. The enemy tank gets hit and explodes and the turret on the enemy tank flies off into the air. It was one best looking explosions I have ever seen in a game.
  
  In another mission in Russia you are again playing the role of the British soldier. An enemy helicopter follows you around at night with a big searchlight trying to find you and some fellow British soldiers. Why you are trying to avoid being detected by the enemy helicopter, you get attacked by some enemy German Shepherd dogs that are the most realistic dogs I have ever seen in a game. The dogs look very real.
  
  Call of Duty 4 reminds me a lot of what is going on today with the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan today. The game makes me proud of our American soldiers who are serving over in Iraq and Afghanistan today. You learn to appreciate more our men and women in uniform and all the sacifices they are making today for our freedoms. This game should definitely be added to your collection.
  
  
  
  
• Knock Out!
  By AULNAEFQWE37K on 2007-11-08
  After playing COD 4, I still think the Original Battlefield 2 is still by far the best FPS game out there. Why? Because of the many vehicles you can control. That ultimately made it better instead of just land combat. However, I would strongly recommend this game to everyone. It's definately a "must play." Go get yours today! For those Battlefield 2 fans out there, come back for more action. The other expansions are crap. Stick w/ the original.
  
  
• Another nice FPS for PC finally
  By A36TIUBA09K2PF on 2007-11-28
  Everybody said COD4 is a nice game, so I decided try it. Yes, It is a nice FPS game for PC finally. Graphic is good, gameplay is fun, surprising story, upexpected ending. Overall it is a very nice game for PC again. The only thing I recommended is a different story ending. COD4 worth a play. Try it !
  
  

• Crysis
• Medal of Honor Airborne
• The Orange Box
• BioShock
• World In Conflict