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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows; it is also scheduled for release for Mac OS X in May 2008. It is the fourth installment of the Call of Duty video game series, excluding expansions. The first game of the series to break away from the World War II setting, it is instead set in modern times. It is also the first game in the series to be rated Mature in North America. The title and game details were announced on April 25, 2007, while it was released worldwide between November 6 2007 and November 9, 2007, and became available on Steam on November 6 2007 for pre-purchase, becoming available to play on November 12 2007.

The story is set in a fictional near-future war between the United States, United Kingdom, and Russian Loyalists against Russian Ultranationalists and Middle Eastern rebels, and features real-world weapons and vehicles. It is told from the perspective of both a United States Marine and a member of the British SAS, and is set in multiple locations, including the Middle East, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Pripyat. Its multiplayer features different game modes and contains a leveling system, which allows the player to unlock additional weapons, weapon attachments, and camouflage schemes as they advance.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received almost universal praise, winning multiple awards at gaming websites, and being complimented on its storyline, visual elements, realism, and quality of its multiplayer.

Gameplay

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare focuses on a fictional war from the perspectives of different people who are involved. The game is different from previous Call of Duty games in that there are fewer firefights, more slower-paced drama, and more clandestine operations. The series' move to modern warfare introduces new weapons and technology to the Call of Duty franchise, including the M203 grenade launcher, M4A1 carbine, the AN/PEQ-2 Target Pointer for use in conjunction with night vision goggles, the MP5SD submachine gun, and the FGM-148 Javelin portable anti-tank guided missile. Whereas previous games in the series placed the player within scenarios in three different countries, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare moves away from this format. The game's plot remains cinematic, with story lines interlaced with the perspective of the British Special Air Service and the United States Marine Corps Force Recon.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer mode in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare allows players to increase their selection of weapons, equipment, and perks as they progress. Perks are features that the player can outfit his character with, such as include additional grenades, increased health and more powerful bullets. Progression and unlocks are governed by Experience Points (XP), which are earned by either killing opponents or completing certain objectives, such as defusing the bomb in the "Sabotage" or "Search and Destroy" game modes. One of the first things unlocked via XP is the character class system, which allows players to create custom infantry classes with different weapons and perks. As well as the accumulated XP, players can also gain immediate short term benefits, such as calling in the UAV reconnaissance scans, air strikes, and attack helicopters by achieving a three-, five-, or seven-enemy kill streak respectively.

Multiplayer gameplay has several different game modes, each with a different objective, therefore requiring different strategies to complete the mission. A common aspect of each mode is that games end when either a team has reached a predefined number of points, or the time limit has run out, thereby selecting the team with the most points as the winning team.

The amount of Experience Points gained varies depending on the type of match the user is playing. When the user gains enough Experience Points, their level increases. The highest attainable level is 55, or the rank of Commander. Upon reaching level 55, the player is rewarded with a Gold Desert Eagle pistol, indicating the player's Commander status. At Level 55, the player cannot gain anymore Experience Points from the game until they unlock Prestige Mode, a feature only available in the console versions of the game. In Prestige mode, the player can trade in their rank, all unlocked weapons and completed challenges, and start over at level 1 in exchange for a special in-game insignia. The player can perform this ten times, with a different insignia awarded each time. This gives the player a total of 605 levels to achieve. Leaderboard statistics, including kills, deaths, and playing time, are not affected by Prestige mode.

Challenges are achievements that players can accomplish by performing tasks such as blowing up cars, jumping from a certain height, or killing enemies while crouching. A player receives Experience Points for accomplishing these tasks. Experience Points allow players to unlock different challenge types and upgrades for their weapons. Players receive Experience Points regardless of whether they win or lose in a game, which allows inexperienced players to gain Points and unlock new weapons and upgrades. Most of the weapons and perks that players can use to outfit their custom class are unlocked as they gain higher ranks.

The five default classes are Assault, Special Ops, Heavy Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper. Only three of the default classes are available to new players; the remaining are unlocked as the player gains Experience Points (XP) and higher ranks online. A feature called "Create-a-class" is unlocked at level 4, which allows players to name and save five custom classes for quick access in multiplayer matches. Players in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare also have access to weapons among assault rifles, pistols, submachine guns, light machine guns, shotguns, and sniper rifles. As the player progresses through experience levels, they unlock more weapons. When a user achieves a certain number of kills for individual weapons, they unlock upgrades to those weapons and gain Experience Points. Such upgrades include red dot sights, silencers, under barrel grenade launchers, Grips, and ACOG scopes. Surface refinishes or "skins" can also be earned through head shot kills.

On the date of April 3, 2008, it released its first map pack for the Xbox 360 including the stages "Killhouse", "Creek", "Chinatown", and "Broadcast".

Synopsis

Characters

During the single-player campaign the player controls several different characters from a first-person perspective. Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, a member of the 22nd SAS Regiment, is the first person that the player controls. The player assumes the role of MacTavish for the majority of the game. Sergeant Paul Jackson is part of the USMC 1st Force Recon deployed to the Middle East, and the player assumes Jackson's character during five levels of Act 1. Captain/Lieutenant Price is an officer of the 22nd SAS Regiment who is playable in a flashback. Yasir Al-Fulani is the president of the unnamed Middle Eastern country involved in the game, and he is playable only in the game's opening credit sequence. The player also assumes the role of an American thermal imaging TV operator aboard an AC-130 gunship for one level, as well as a British SAS counter terrorist operative infiltrating a hijacked airliner to save a VIP in the epilogue level.

There are three non-playable enemy characters who feature prominently in the story: Khaled Al-Asad, the commander of the revolutionary forces in the Middle East and an ally of Imran Zakhaev; Victor Zakhaev, the son of Imran Zakhaev and a priority figure in the Ultra nationalist party; and Imran Zakhaev, the leader of the Russian Ultranationalist party and the main antagonist of the game.

Plot

The game begins with British 22nd Special Air Service Regiment Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, Captain Price, Gaz, and a small group of other SAS members infiltrating a cargo ship in the Bering Sea. After confirming the presence of a nuclear device onboard the ship, the team evacuates the ship with the cargo manifest, which proves there are ties between a Russian nationalist group and a faction in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, a Russian Ultranationalist by the name of Imran Zakhaev is set on returning his homeland to the times of the Soviet Union by revolting against the current government and seizing a nuclear weapons stockpile. Zakhaev funds a coup d'état in the Middle East organized by his ally Khaled Al-Asad, beginning with the televised execution of the President Yasir Al-Fulani to draw attention away from Russia. The British and American governments discover the plot while monitoring Zakhaev's recent activities, and initiate a police action to stop the uprisings in both regions. After President Al-Fulani is executed, the 22nd SAS is deployed to rescue their compromised informant who is held in an Ultranationalist camp in Russia, with help from Russian Loyalist forces led by Sergeant Kamarov. Before they can reach the base in Hamburg, the squad is shot down over Central Russia, and must get to a nearby landing zone for evacuation. An AC-130 gunship is dispatched to provide fire support for the team until they are evacuated.

Lt. Vasquez's USMC platoon successfully pushes Al-Asad's forces back to his capital city. During what appears to be the final stages of the conflict, a Russian nuclear weapon is unexpectedly detonated, leveling the city and annihilating most United States Marine forces in the area. USMC 1st Force Recon Sergeant Paul Jackson and Lieutenant Vasquez, delayed from escaping the blast radius due to the last minute rescue of a downed AH-1 SuperCobra pilot, are aboard one of the helicopters caught in the blast radius. Jackson initially survives the crash of his CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter; however, he dies soon thereafter.

It is revealed that Al-Asad had fled the country prior to the United States-led invasion. The informant "Nikolai" directs the 22nd SAS to one of Al-Asad's safe houses in Azerbaijan. After interrogating Al-Asad and learning Zakhaev had supplied the nuclear bomb, Captain Price executes Al-Asad. Price then recalls his mission to eliminate Zakhaev in Prypiat, Ukraine. Price, who was a lieutenant with the SAS, was paired up with Captain MacMillan to carry out the assignment. Together, they infiltrated the city and once in position at the top of an abandoned hotel, witnessed Zakhaev engage in an arms deal, using the opportunity to assassinate him. Zakhaev survived, however, losing only his left arm. The Ultranationalist forces tracked the shot and pursued the snipers across the Zone of Alienation. During the chase, MacMillan is injured and Price is forced to carry him the rest of the way, both narrowly being extracted from the evacuation zone.

Returning to the present, the Ultranationalists launch a counterattack against the 22nd SAS. The group briefly slows the advance before they are extracted by American forces led by Staff Sergeant Griggs, who escaped the nuclear blast in the Middle East. After escaping, a joint operation, comprised of the 22nd SAS Regiment, a Force Recon unit led by Staff Sergeant Griggs, and Russian Loyalists led by Sgt. Kamarov, is undertaken to stop Zakhaev. They attempt to capture his son to learn of his whereabouts, but this mission ends in failure when Zakhaev's son commits suicide after being cornered.

Imran Zakhaev becomes enraged after the loss of his son, and launches two SS-27 Topol M ballistic missiles with MIRV warheads in desperation at the East Coast of the United States. The joint force breaches the missile launch center and is able to deactivate the missiles before they reach their target. During their escape, an enemy Mi-24 helicopter destroys the bridge they are attempting to cross, leaving them trapped. Zakhaev's troops arrive soon after, and begin engaging the remaining members of the strike force. A wrecked gas tanker on the bridge explodes, incapacitating everyone except Griggs. Griggs is then shot in the neck while trying to pull Soap to safety. Then Zakhaev himself arrives, accompanied by two soldiers. Gaz is shot in the head by Zakhaev. Zakhaev is on the verge of killing Soap, but is distracted by the arrival of a Russian Loyalist Mi-28 helicopter. At this moment, a heavily wounded Captain Price slides his pistol to Soap, who then kills Zakhaev and his guards. As MacTavish is airlifted from the battleground, a Russian Loyalist medic is seen desperately attempting to resuscitate Price. After these events, news reports mention "nuclear missile tests" in Central Russia, "leadership struggles" arising in the Ultra nationalist party, and the failed attempt to locate a Russian cargo ship lost in the Bering Strait (presumably the cargo ship the 22nd SAS had invaded), implying that the recent police actions in Russia were conducted in secret, and were not public knowledge.

Development

Game engine

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare runs on a proprietary engine, and has features such as true world-dynamic lighting, HDR lighting effects, dynamic shadows and depth of field. "Bullet Penetration" is calculated by the engine, taking into account things such as surface type and entity thickness. Certain objects, such as cars, and some buildings are destructible. This makes distinguishing cover from concealment important, as the meager protection provided by things such as wooden fences and thin walls does not fully shield players from harm as it does in many other games released during the same time period. Bullet speed and stopping power are decreased after penetrating an object according to calculations made based on the thickness and surface type of the object. The game also makes use of a dynamic physics engine, which was not implemented in previous Call of Duty titles for Windows. Death animations are a combination of pre-set animations and ragdoll physics. All console versions of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare run at a consistent 60 fps.

Audio

The music for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was composed by British composer Stephen Barton (best known for contributing additional music to films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams). Gregson-Williams also composed some additional music for the game, as well as the main theme. There are a few selected music tracks from the soundtrack available on Infinity Ward's "7 Days of Modern Warfare" website, with additional tracks available at Barton's own web site.

Marketing

On April 27, 2007, the day before the release of the official trailer, Infinity Ward released a website called "Charlie Oscar Delta" to give users information on the game. Charlie Oscar Delta features a ranking system where users can do Missions to build up their rank to compete for prizes. Charlie Oscar Delta is derived from the NATO phonetic alphabet and the initials of Call of Duty (CoD).

The first Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer featuring game footage was released on April 28, 2007. During E3 a trailer featuring actual gameplay footage was released.

On August 30, 2007 an Xbox 360 exclusive Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare public beta test was announced. The beta test was designed to test the servers, find glitches, and help balance out the weapons. It was originally only for residents of the United States of America but later was available to numerous other countries. The beta concluded on September 30, 2007.

The maximum rank for the beta was initially level 16, which was increased to level 25 towards the end of the beta. Three multiplayer maps were available for play: Crash, Vacant, and Overgrown.

A single-player demo for the PC was released on October 11, 2007 as a Yahoo! exclusive download. It was released on various major sites the same day, and is now available for free download. It is approximately 1.37 GB. The demo includes one level, "The Bog", which showcases the advanced night vision (and associated graphics capabilities) used in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Retail versions

The game was released in a Standard Version and a Collector's Edition. The Collector's Edition contains the standard retail game along with a DVD containing a film / documentary (168 mins run-time) entitled "Great SAS Missions" which consists of archive footage of the SAS in action, along with interviews and accounts from former SAS members. The DVD also contains A 'Making of' Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare featurette and a level walkthrough by the developers. Also included is a limited edition Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare poster and an exclusive hardcover art-book featuring never-before-seen concept, development and final in-game artwork. These elements were packaged in a larger cardboard version of the standard retail box that had approximately three times the depth of a normal DVD case. The Collector's Edition was originally announced only for the United States, but was later extended to other countries.

Reception

Call of Duty 4 has received favorable reviews from video game publications.

The Xbox 360 version received an average score of 94% based on 72 reviews on the review aggregator Game Rankings, and an average score of 94 out of 100 based on 69 reviews on Metacritic, while the PS3 version received an average score of 94% based on 43 reviews on Game Rankings, and an average score of 94 out of 100 based on 43 reviews on Metacritic.

The Windows version also was given favor from critics, receiving an average score of 93% based on 39 reviews on Game Rankings, and an average score of 92 out of 100 based on 37 reviews on Metacritic.

The gameplay has been cited by reviewers to bring the genre to "a new level of immersion and intensity that we had never seen before." Official Xbox Magazine called it a "multiplayer quality, quantity, and depth that rivals Halo's" and a "campaign that never lets up," with the only flaw being a few frustratingly tough areas on higher difficulties. GameSpot gave a favorable review for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, saying that the "high quality of that campaign and its terrific multiplayer options make Call of Duty 4 a fantastic package", and mentioned that the "single-player campaign is over in a flash" as the only major flaw. X-Play commented that "while it may not have revolutionized the genre, it comes damn close to perfecting it." GamingShogun called it "an 'interactive movie' that pulls you into its story and takes you on an adrenaline-filled roller coaster ride until it's finished." GamePro claims that "the amazingly deep multiplayer rivals Halo 3's in terms of reach and scope."

The game's story has received a considerable amount of acclaim from reviewers. GamePro notes that "the intense single-player campaign offers up an action packed experience that features a tremendously compelling narrative; there are moments in the game that will send chills down your spine."

Awards

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received a number of awards from various game sites and gaming authorities.

Both GameSpot and GameTrailers gave it the Best Graphics of E3 2007 award, and the Best PlayStation 3 Game of 2007 award. It gained high praise from both video game magazine GamePro and GameSpy, having been named the Best Overall Game of 2007 by the former, and Game of the Year by the latter. Game Critics also named the game "Best Action Game". From other authorities such as IGN and X-play, and the Spike Video Game Awards, the game won various other awards for areas such as Best Sound Design, Best Shooter of 2007, and Best Military Game. Lastly, from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare won Console Game of the Year, Action game of the Year, and Overall Game of the Year.

Criticism

A lot of criticism has risen recently mainly due to perks in online multiplayer such as Juggernaut and Martydom, but some criticism has also arisen from the latest patch on the Xbox 360, which selects the closest player to the United States servers. This is problematic for players not situated in United States as latency to the United States is sometimes high for countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. Australian players specifically have started to complain in the official Infinity Ward forums for those reasons.

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External links

• Call of Duty website - Call of Duty franchise website
• Charlie Oscar Delta - Official Call of Duty 4 website

• 2007 video games
• AIAS Game of the Year winners
• Call of Duty series
• First-person shooters
• Interactive Achievement Award winners
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