I was forced to answer the call....Honest!!! (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360))

Member Name: madmum71

Product:	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360)
Date:	18/02/08 (210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great up to date story, online play and graphics

Disadvantages: none yet

Ok I know I said that after my last game review I would grow up and start finding something more constructive to do while my foot is healing but when my eldest monster bought this game I couldn't resist having a little play, I mean a girl is allowed a little fun isn't she?

As I have mentioned before I really enjoyed Call of Duty 3 and I wasn't too sure how they could improve this series, especially the on-line play. I felt that another game could push the series a bit thin a bit like some sequels to films.
So after playing this now since its release was I left disappointed or did it completely stop my quest for finding something constructive?

THE IDEA BEHIND THE GAME

Ok I knew before I played this game that the makers had finally realized that they had squeezed the last drop out of the WW2 genre and had moved on to a more update subject. Instead of following different people through historic campaigns there is now a very tight and up to date story line, basically instead of hating Germans it's now the Russians and middle east! They are actually called international separatists but you get the idea.

The main characters you play are an S.A.S solider Called Soap! And also an American called Jackson, for me this is a big improvement because at last the makers have included a British regiment and the best at that! You are sent all around the world including Russia, the Middle East and Ukraine there is also a level on a ship in the Bering Sea.
The missions are very tight including rescuing an informant, assassination, defusing bombs, getting nuked, stealth and getting to helicopters for evacuation. All the way the story line is played out like a film, instead of the usual point and shoot that has become a bit boring there is a bit more stealth and tactics which actually gets you thinking. Because of the more modern storyline the game seems deeper, darker and grittier.

It could be straight out of a James Bond film; you have a nutter called Zakheav who wants to revive the old Soviet Union back to the days when Stalin was around but knows that the other countries will not tolerate this. So he plans a diversion in a Middle Eastern country to tie down US forces. The S A S has been tracking Zakheav and tries to convince the US that there is a different reason for the conflict.
As I have already said you are the American Marine and the S.A.S solider, one is looking for Zakheav and the other his main helper a man called Al-asad, both the stories play out together and come together for the ultimate climax.

GAMEPLAY

To start you have an initiation level with the S.A.S, this is where you learn how to use your weapons, and there is also a timed obstacle course that is bloody hard to beat! You are then off to rescue an informant that has been captured, and that's where the whole story starts.

As I have said it does play out like a film and before each level you are told the next mission and shown a satellite graphics map of which part of the world you are off to next. The story telling adds a great sideline to the game and included is a whole level that you can't do anything except look around, I won't give to much away but it does draw you in to the whole story. The graphics, detail and sound are the best I have seen and this adds to the whole experience at times it felt like I was in the cinema! I loved the way the S.A.S soldiers spoke to each other, they are very gobby and at times descriptive but realistic and down to earth, the Americans were more gung ho but again realistic.
The levels are quite intense and full of action; the baddies have suddenly become more intelligent and don't just stand there and wait to get shot they actually come looking for you! The makers have also given the guns a new aspect, you can now shoot through things like some walls, wood and metals making it easier to shoot the enemy but beware you can do this but so can the enemy. The weapons are all modern and up to date there are so many but as usual you can only carry 2 but you do have the pick up other soldiers weapons options if yours runs out of bullets and this also includes the enemies weapons.

When we first got this game I did read some reviews from gamers saying that the actual game is to short and over quickly. To be honest I am not a hard core gamer but I found the game quite hard and that was on the medium difficulty! My boys have made it through the hardest difficulty and it did take them quite a while. When you finish the game you unlock arcade mode and cheats and this adds a whole different aspect on the game. Some of these are quite funny including a level played in sped up Charlie Chaplin style that the boys found hilarious!! Going back through arcade mode does add some longevity to the game and you are also timed and can compare your score to others in the world.

X BOX LIVE

For me this is the best part of this game and the reason why I wanted to play it, Call of Duty 3 was my favourite on line play and I wanted to see how the makers have topped it. And I am please to report top it they have!! There is so much more to the live play of this game to start with the maps are taken from the game and there are 16 different ones, some are great for snipers and some are just grenade and shoot as fast as you can!
The different matches are Team death match, free for all, domination, ground war, headquarters, search and destroy, sabotage and then you have the old school games where all perks and classes are off and you have to pick them up during the match.

You start off as a private and then work your way up to commander, there are 55 different ranks that you can achieve and during every match you earn points, which take you up the ranks. The further up you get you also are able to unlock different objectives and perks, the perks include martyrdom which mean when you die you drop a grenade or last stand which gives you the opportunity to still kill someone with your pistol before you die. You also can unlock create a class which gives you the chance to create your own weapons, perks and grenades you can also name these and there are 5 different create a class in total so you can have a specialist one for different maps.
Then you have the objectives some of them are easy but quite a few of them are quite hard but the more you complete the more points you get and the higher rank you become.

When you get to the highest rank you then have a choice to make you can either go on to prestige mode which means you start back at private but with a different symbol (like the coloured dots on Ciao!) by your rank, this lets everyone know who is playing with you that you are a higher rank, I think there are 10 prestige modes to get to the very top and I think we are on about 6. The only problem with prestige mode is when you go back to the private level you lose all the perks and weapons you have got and have to start all over again, which my boys love but does my head in! I just get used to all my weapons and then I have to start all over again!!!
The actual game play on line is better than COD3 to start with in most of the matches you can't team kill which I know was a big problem in COD3. If you get 3 kills without dying then you get to call in a UAV which means the other team will show up as red dots on a little map on the screen so you know where they are, this only stays on for 30 seconds. Next if you get 5 kills without dying you can call in a airstrike, on COD 3 I never quite got the hang of calling in air strikes but this is much easier you just call up the map see where the most red dots are and put in the airstike. Then if you get 7 kills you get to call in a helicopter which goes around shooting people for you and you get the points, the other team can shoot this down though.

You can also invite your friends into games or play private matches although with the private matches you don't earn points, I have to say the on line play does feel smoother and the respawning in most games is much quicker but on occasions the connection can be a bit dodgy but no where near as bad as COD3. The fact there is so much to the on line side of this game gives it a lot longer play time, so even if you do think the actual story mode game is short this more than makes up for it.
A few bits to mention there is a 16 rating on this game because of some bad language (mainly from the S.A.S!) and some graphic death scenes but to be honest they are not any worse than some war movies. There is also no co-op as in COD3 but that suits me as I could never get the split screen and always ended up looking at the wrong one!

SO WAS IT WORTH THE MONEY?

Like I said my eldest bought this with his birthday money on the day of its release and it cost him £40. I can say that yes it was worth it, the game is still his favourite even now after all the Christmas pressies he got he still keeps going back to this game. Since starting writing this review my foot has got better then ceased up completely so I have had plenty of time to play this game and yes it defiantly stopped me doing anything constructive! I suppose I am now out of the closet and now have to admit to being a 36-year-old child!

Property of madmum71 & lisa8871

Summary: A modern and up to date game better than ever