Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Rating: M for Mature
Genre: FPS
Players: 1 and Online
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360

It’s the end of an era; no longer will Call of Duty be synonymous with the old school wars of the past.  Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a complete ‘180’ from the previous three installments, rather than looking to the past, Call of Duty will focus on modern wars.  This shift to modern wars, will take the level of detail and fantastic mechanics to wars that take place all over the world.  Despite the major change of setting, the game will still play like every other traditional Call of Duty game.

The screen shots show amazing levels of detail in the battlefields, character models and guns.  Dust particles can be seen floating in the air, the time can be read from the watches of the soldiers, and the lighting of the map changes as the sun rises and sets.  The detail enhancements also work its way into the destruction; damage to the environment, including cars and walls, however, large scale destruction cannot occur.  The characters have been doted over, being given self shadowing and can even sweat.  The game runs in 60 FPS (Frames Per Second), which makes the hectic warfare that goes on around you, look astounding. Bombs going off, bullets screaming past your ears, shrapnel whizzing everywhere, shouting and screaming -- all of this happening while you struggle to accomplish your mission objectives.  The game won’t consist entirely of linear ‘shoot-em-ups’ as in the other Call of Duty’s; there are defense missions, however, they are far larger this time around.  There are also more tactical possibilities built into the level. Vince Zampella, Infinity Ward’s Chief Creative Officer says, "We've really squeezed a lot out of the hardware, and it looks 10 times better than Call of Duty 2. And I think Call of Duty 2 looks great."

A rare glimpse at CoD4

Call of Duty isn’t about the evil axis powers anymore.  The threat in Modern Warfare consists of four evil men, referred to as ‘The Four Horsemen’, who intimidate the world.  The game occurs all over the world, including Russia and the Eastern Bloc, as well as, the Middle East.  The story has two protagonists: a British SAS commando who is involved with the Russian storyline and the American Marine who is involved in the Middle East conflict.  The game also, consists of new stories and characters, allowing exciting ways of presenting the storyline between all the action.
 
While the single player will be amazing, the multiplayer will have additional new features.  Create-A-Class will allow custom soldiers to be created, with different unlocked weapons and equipment.  Soldiers are also given special abilities, and unique moves that allow soldiers to get in one last shot after they’re killed, or to be able to run for longer than others. This will make the multiplayer games more unique and less likely to become stale and monotonous. Only one or two abilities can be assigned at a time. so there is a level of strategy to choosing which abilities fit with the strength of the player. The game has a team system and the kill cam has returned.  There are different modes of play, including Deathmatch, capture the flag, and search and destroy.  And mixed in with these modes, are special objectives that will unlock more of the game.

Modern Warfare will have all authentic modern day weapons, no futuristic or unrealistic guns or equipment was created.  The fighting in the game will be far faster paced, as the weapons of today are more accurate and more deadly than World War II weapons.  There are also gadgets including night vision goggles and infrared goggles.  An interesting weapon is the Javelin, an anti tank weapon, which has lock-on capabilities and automatically aims for the tanks’ weak spot.

Overall, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare looks like it could be one of the best games released this year with innovative gameplay not seen in shooters; such as, the abilities system and breathtaking graphics, and some good old fashion Call of Duty action.