Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Game of the Year

10 Review to this product

• 

  Levi P. Shand
  May 17th, 2008 on 8:54 am

  Rating

  I’ve played COD4 for a grand total of about 16 full days (384 hours) and still appreciate it very much. Like Halo 3, this is primarily a multiplayer FPS with a sidecar campaign that is well-written, choreographed, and voice-acted. All there is to say about the game has been said, however, on the original game’s forum, so let’s focus on the GOTY Edition’s only added feature: the Map Pack.

  I purchased the map pack the day it dropped and instantly had mixed feelings. Two of the maps, Creek and Killhouse, only tangentially keep with the game’s fiction. Creek is vast, set in an undulating eastern European countryside. Due to the map’s size, most players equip sniper rifles and just pick others off as they make their way through choke points and hence has gained a reputation as a “camper’s paradise”, meaning that players tend to just sit and wait, or “camp”, rather than rush their opponents. Killhouse, on the other hand, is somewhat like Halo 3′s Foundry map in that it is a big generic warehouse within which players navigate generic barriers and structures. It really is supposed to resemble an indoor military training area and can only be accessed online by playing Team Objective games (like Search and Destroy, Sabotage, etc.) or playing private matches with your friends. If you don’t appreciate campers in FPS’s and would prefer not to play a map that feels “outside” the game’s narrative space, you may not enjoy these two maps.

  Chinatown is in a class of its own, and well outside the game’s fiction. It is a remake of an old FPS map and very dark, with convoluted passages through a cluster of themed buildings and various shifts in altitude depending upon which building you’re in. In contrast to Creek, this is a map that favors close-quarters weapons like SMGs and Shotguns, but doesn’t totally exclude LMGs or Assault Rifles. It stands apart from the game proper due to its theme, and if you like getting down and dirty in an urban setting, you might enjoy this map.

  Broadcast is a large map lifted almost pixel-for-pixel from the single-player campaign. It is a television station in a city somewhere in eastern Europe, and affords players the opportunity to battle both indoors (various offices, a recording studio, mainframe room) and out (parking lot, roof, small adjacent buildings). Out of the Map Pack maps it boasts the best “flow”, meaning that time between scuffles is short and that there is easy, obvious passage between areas and floors. Campers and rushers are both satisfied as the indoor action favors machine guns while snipers may pin down marks from accross the parking lot.

  All of that being said, I’m a little disappointed that the GOTY version of the game doesn’t include any visual or technical enhancements like other GOTYs have (thinking of Morrowind and Oblivion here) and only includes a free set of mostly-mediocre maps that will, after time, be free anyway. Also, it doesn’t seem like a sound marketing decision to charge full price for the GOTY Edition when a consumer can purchase the original game (from Amazon) and the maps (from XBL) for $10 less than it costs to buy the GOTY Edition. Questionable…
• 

  Windward Dave
  May 28th, 2008 on 9:34 pm

  Rating

  Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is truly amazing First Person Shooter.

  Pros:
  
  Modern Warfare has the most realistic graphics ever made for a game. It’s very much like being inside a film. It is a visual feast. The sounds of wars are as real as if you are on the battlefield. The bad guys are smart and adjust as the situations change. The game has a great story with more than a few interesting characters. One of the most compelling aspects of the game is the accurate portrayal of the chaos of war. Confusion reigns as the enemy floods forward. What to do, where to go, when to stand and when to charge, are all choices that you make in the fluid situations of combat. The battles are long. The enemies just keep coming. Very, very cool.

  If you are a first timer in the wonderful world FPS’s start out on the Recruit level. If you are an experienced gamer you will find the upper levels more than challenging.

  Multiplayer:
  
  Modern Warfare’s multiplayer is amazing. This is THE best shooting multiplayer experience to be had on line. Many features and new maps add to the addiction. But, if you are a FNG, playing online in multiplayer can be a bit difficult to get the hang of. Be prepared to suffer some humiliation until you get your skill levels up. Hang in there.

  The Arcade Mode is an great additional (and mostly overlooked) feature. Here you play to rank yourself in the Modern Warfare universe across the planet. Allso, very cool.

  HIGH replay value. A whole lot of bang (pun intended) for your buck.

  Cons:
  
  Not many. The game is fairly short. The Veteran level is insanely difficult. The cheats available to the PC are not available on the 360. That’s it.

  You will not be disappointed. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is great fun and an the most amazing gaming experience to date. Plus, it doesn’t have the mindless violence of any of the Grand Theft Auto series.

  PS: The low star reviews are by young spoilers. They like “their game” best and feel it their “duty” to “shoot down” any other game that the gaming community thinks more of than “theirs.” C of D 4 didn’t get to be the 2007 Game of the Year (beating Halo 3, Assassin’s Creed, BioShock and a host of others) by being anything less that near gaming perfection. As a grey gamer (been playing shooters for decades), I can say without hesitation that C of D 4 ranks 1st in it’s class and takes a backseat to none.
  
• 

  Benjamin D. Thompson
  June 4th, 2008 on 8:11 pm

  Rating

  I purchased a Xbox 360 with the intent of buying Halo 3 the first day it came out. I purchased and played Halo 3 for about 6 months and a friend introduced me to COD 4. Call of Duty 4 online is the most motivating game I have played because of all the challenges and the fact that once you get to the peak level, instead of, like halo 3, not moving from that level, you make a choice and have the opportunity to do it all over again with higher ranking and more bonus offers. I would highly recommend this game to anyone looking for an online game, and would recommend that anyone about to throw something at a breakable object by playing halo 3, should try and play this spectacular game.
• 

  C. Stander
  October 29th, 2008 on 3:15 pm

  Rating

  This is by far the best FPS game I have played. The campaign was awesome and the multiplayer mode is the best I have played. The game is a very addicting and is a must have game for the 360.
• 

  R. McGriff
  May 21st, 2009 on 6:45 pm

  Rating

  I love this game! the story mode gave a good reason to. The different types of guns having attachments such as silencers red dots, and grenade launchers at the same time! so i finished the campaign on veteran, hardened and etc, which was great because its the only game i’ve ever played to offer a real challenge that wasn’t impossible like World at War ending levels on Veteran. The multiplayer is 100% awesomeness as you have a variety of maps to test your sniper skills or to test your ability to use an Uzi. I would say this is the game that everyone will have to have. and with Modern Warfare 2: Siberia coming out in November i’ve pre-ordered, because I know it’ll be another great buy by Inifinity Ward. 6/5
• 

  banzairun
  June 3rd, 2009 on 5:53 am

  Rating

  This is the best first person shooter ever made (so far.. until the sequel comes out). If you have an X-Box 360, PS3, or capable PC and you don’t have this game yet, you should go ahead and pay for the overnight delivery. Have you been living in a cave or something?

  Oh and uh… it’s really violent. So uhh.. buy it for your kids to show them how dangerous and evil war can be. Let them play too, though – it’s the only way they’ll really understand, after all. Teach your children well… head-shots, no misses.
• 

  Patty G.
  July 4th, 2009 on 7:56 am

  Rating

  The game is truly one of the best out there. The single player story, although short, is engrossing, but the reason you buy this game is for the multiplayer.

  The problem, however, came with Amazon’s frequently shifting prices. I bought this game, and the following day, they reduced the price by almost 25%. Had I bought the game from an instore re-tailer, I could have returned it and re-bought it at the new price. Not possible with Amazon, and unlike their policy for reserving new games, they do not have a lowest-price guarantee.

  As well, the only problem with the Game of the Year edition is that it no longer contains a token for the free map download. This is not limited to Amazon though, you can blame the makers of the game for that.
• 

  William
  July 13th, 2009 on 9:46 am

  Rating

  This is probably one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, and it’s definatly the best out of the cod collection.

  My only problem with buying a new copy of cod 4 game of the year edition from amazon is that eventhough I purchased this game new, it didn’t come with the requisite code for the map pack.

  Other than that particular disappointment, the game’s still pretty b.a.
• 

  Charles R. Geter
  August 4th, 2009 on 3:55 pm

  Rating

  This game is an amazing thrill ride. If you have the urge to play a first-person shooter that echoes a modern day version of Saving Private Ryan, then this game is for you. The single player is great. The controls are responsive, and the frames per second are liquid smooth. Furthermore, this game has an intense and relevant story, which, though it does not get in the way of the action, still gives you enough impetus to keep playing. The most unique moments of the single player missions feature you as a defenseless character (e.g. an Arabian president, or a soldier who is a victim of an atomic bomb attack). In these parts you don’t shoot any guns; all you do is watch the story unfold first-hand. It’s great as an experience, and the intensity of the rest of the missions will have you on the edge of your seat.

  In Call of Duty 4 you don’t play as only one character; most of the time you will switch between an American Marine and the S.A.S. (British version of Navy Seals) member “Soap” McTavish. For brief spells you play as other characters too. Although I have not completed the single-player game, most of the experience I have had has been excellent. The guns are mostly fun to use, particularly the super-powered weapons (like rocket launchers) that you control for brief stints. The realism is stunning. Cars explode, and grenades thrown by the enemy can be returned. Sniping is more “arcade style”, but still an enjoyable part of the game. My one complaint is that there are a few parts of the game where enemies keep running at you from the same place, and the game turns into some sort of target practice arcade. There are a few parts like this in the missions I have played, however they are not frequent, so the game is still enjoyable. Your character occasionally experiences scripted moments, such as when you almost miss a jump into a helicopter while escaping from a sinking ship. These little touches add to the suspense, and are enjoyable to watch even after the 5th time through a mission. Overall, the single player is a blast for FPS fans.

  If the single-player gets you hooked, the multiplayer will have you coming back. The mode of choice is Team Deathmatch, where Marines/SAS and Spetsnatz/Terrorists duke it out for supremacy. What makes the multiplayer unique is the class-based system. You can choose between five preset classes, such as demolition expert, special ops, assault, heavy weapons, and sniper. You always have a sidearm, and each class has its own perks, such as more health, steady aim, sprint for longer distances, etc. This is just the beginning. As you gain experience you can create your own classes, and find the perfect combination for your style. You unlock more perks, such as the ability to drop grenades after you die, or to be invisible on enemy radar. In addition to Team Deathmatch, there are also regular Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Headquarters and Search and Destroy modes. Each mode offers something unique. As your character gains experience, he levels up, which adds another element of interest. The multiplayer part of CoD 4 is a great experience, especially if you play with friends. The intensity is ramped up from single-player, which keeps the replay value high.

  In all, this game is a fabulous experience both online and offline. The graphics are amazing, but the gameplay keeps things fresh for a long time. I’ve been playing on and off for months, and it still holds my interest. One last thought: The mature rating is justified; this is an intense game. I would not let anyone under 17 play this. Compared to games like Gears of War, the violence is much less gory. There is less cursing/crude language too. Infinity Ward decided (wisely) to go for realism without being over the top in the violence and language category. Overall, any mature gamer who likes first-person shooters should check out this game! It’s an incredible action experience that’s not to be missed.
• 

  Javier Miranda
  November 19th, 2009 on 10:51 am

  Rating

  Call of Duty Modern Warfare is undoubtedly one of the best first-person shooter games out for Xbox 360. For the single-player minded among us (such as myself), the campaign features a dynamic and unpredictable story arc that really feels as though it could be an excerpt from the life of a real SAS soldier or Marine. The weapons are very well modeled and very detailed and the gameplay is just as challenging as other games in the series, without being impossibly difficult. Multiplayer is also an interesting and fun experience and gives the game a great extension on an already great amount of replay value. This is definitely a great game to buy for anyone who owns an Xbox 360 (or other console) and is interested in first-person shooters.