There have been many highly anticipated games this year, but none more so than Call of Duty 4, as anyone who has played the multiplayer beta will tell you. The Call of Duty series has always been reasonably popular but with the history of war market flooded as it is with games, Infinity Ward have decided to take a new direction and set this latest game in the series in modern times, so Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was born.

The game starts off with you doing some mock training, first off you shoot at some targets and then run through a training course which teaches you how to aim quickly and throw flash grenades, the game then recommends which difficulty setting you should use based on how efficiently you get through the training. One of the great things about this is part of the game is that you can go through the training as often as you like before moving on to the main missions.

The games missions see you trying to stop Mid Eastern terrorists from destroying the world with stolen nuclear missiles, each mission continues through the story until it’s conclusion with you taking the perspective of various members of the British S.A.S and U.S Marines. The way some of the story is shown in the game is incredibly dramatic and although the cutscenes sometimes go at a slow pace, you will not want to miss a minute of it.

The great thing about Call of Duty 4 is that it is incredibly easy to get used to the controls, for attacking the enemy you have your grenades, a fire button and a melee attack, which incidentally is quite handy for warding off the guard dogs which seem to be attracted to your throat. To survive in this game it is essential that you use the tools at your disposal, going gung-ho through levels will just get you killed, therefore you must use your guns sight to take out enemies and also use any cover nearby for dodging their bullets.  

As you progress through the story you are helped on your way by the commands of your superior, you also have a target on your compass (bottom right of the screen) which shows you the way to your objective, occasionally you will be asked to carry out tasks such as planting explosives or rescuing a colleague and this is done by pressing the button highlighted on the screen, using this method you are also able to throw grenades back at the enemy although in this case the RB button is used.

The enemies in Call of Duty 4 are incredibly intelligent and come in huge numbers, they will not just stand waiting for you to shoot them, they will try to flank you, throw grenades, use RB’s from rooftops and set the dogs on you, so it’s good that you have your squadmates to back you up and it’s great credit to Infinity Ward that they tell YOU what to do, so realistic are they in the decisions that they make that you would swear someone is sitting next to you with another controller, without your squadmates intelligence you would get nowhere, they really are essential to your success.

Working through the missions is very enjoyable, while they can be quite short and often guide you through, they are also varied and present you with different challenges. One of my favorites missions in the game is called “All Ghilled Up”, here you need to get through the whole mission without being seen, this is done by using your stealth and to some extent your snipers rifle, it is great fun and is topped off when you get to snip at a gunship pilot to take the helicopter down, before trying to fight your way through the hordes of enemies who are trying to stop your escape. Another mission I enjoyed was “The Bog” where you use your nightvision goggles while storming a building, the effects as everything turns green really is a sight to behold.

The great thing about this game is that it has the graphics and sound to backup the solid gameplay, although there are a few flaws, for example, at one point a solider got stuck in a wall after I killed him and occasionally the framerate dips, however these are very rare occurrences and in general the environments are solid, as is the lighting and animation.  The sound is also impressive, allies shout, enemies curse, grenades clink as they fall at your feet and the ominous sound of a dog coming towards you sends shivers down your spine. You will certainly not be disappointed by the presentation as technically this is one of the best First Person Shooters you will ever have seen.

There has been talk of the length of the game, on regular difficulty it will take you 5-6 hours, however the higher the difficulty level the longer it will take you, the great thing is that once you complete the game you will unlock the Arcade Mode which then allows you to replay the campaign or individual levels with arcade rules, this is a good idea and adds so much more to the lasting appeal of the game. 

Should you complete the single player campaign a few times and need a new challenge then perhaps the best part of the game still awaits you, there have been many great games which take advantage of Xbox Live but Call of Duty 4 beats them all. The multiplayer mode is brilliant and this is all down to the sense of achievement you get each time you get a kill, Infinity Ward have introduced a promotion system, meaning that every time you kill you receive experience, so should you gain enough points you will then gain a new rank, this really is quite an addictive system and will have you going back for more time and again.  

The icing on the cake in the Call of Duty 4 multiplayer mode is the class types which have been introduced, whatever class you choose be it heavy gunner, sniper, etc.., will determine what weapons and abilities you start with, although they are all very well balanced. If you don’t take a shine to any of the classes available then once you gain a few ranks you can create your own class with the weapons available and as you gain more experience the more options and equipment you will receive.

The multiplayer mode also introduces perks in the form of weapons such as a undermounted grenade launcher or abilities like Deep Penetration (which makes it easier to kill enemies through walls), though these are just a few examples of the very wide choice which enables you to customize your character.

Further features which add to the experience come when Performing well in the field, for example get three kills without dying and you will earn the ability to launch a tracker which displays (albeit briefly) your enemies location, killing five sees you call an airstrike and killing seven means you can bring in an attack chopper, this is all very useful should your team be losing the battle.

Call of Duty 4 offers 16 maps and thirteen different modes of play, each with up to 18 players, impressively even in a full game lag is very rare making the experience a smooth running one. The maps are fairly decent in size and quite varied but they don’t feel so big that you are wandering around for what seems like an eternity looking for someone to shoot at. The game modes also offer great variety from your standard and team deathmatchs to things like Sabotage where you need to plant a bomb in the enemies base and then keep them from disarming it before the time runs out.

Anyone who invests in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will experience one of the best looking and playing mutilplayer games there is and with one of the best (if not a little brief) single player modes also thrown in for your money you can’t really go wrong, If war is this much fun who needs world peace.