Jason: If the ability to stress ones computer rig is a measuring stick then CoD4 is up there graphically. But it isn’t all eye candy and bells and whistles here. There is a lot of substance to go with the style. First impressions while playing were definitely of the positive note. I was quickly impressed with the ability of my A.I. squad mates to keep me posted on what was going around us and giving on point commands. They are very intelligent and they can actually shoot, (unlike all those games where your squad lets you do all the killing). In fact a couple times I found myself trying to push ahead of the pack just to snag a few kills before they did. They are employees of the month at their job, that is for sure.


Per the earlier standards of other CoD games, Modern Warfare excels in the realism department. From the way you move, to the way you carry your weapons, the shells falling to the ground, accurate sounds of explosions and bullets; Call of Duty 4 is right on the money. Shooting on the run without your iron sights up? Better hope you get lucky. Your accuracy faces a big drop off in anything by very close quarters if you aren’t using the iron sights. All these little things add up to a bundle of realism that even Santa Claus could enjoy.

How about you Thomas, what grabs a hold of you in this game?

Thomas: Thanks to my slow college internet, my Steam download of Call of Duty 4: Modern warfare did not finish until well into the evening. Though I suppose that does not matter, because I didn't sleep that night. I started playing the game at about 1AM and was done at 7, at which point I noticed it was light outside and that my fluids class was going to start soon. First I was verbally assaulted by a foul-mouthed Briton. Next, I was looking for a nuclear device on a tanker ship infested with bad guys. Before I knew it, I was reliving the excitement of the infamous AC-130 Spectre gunship footage from the war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Oh, and then I died in a nuclear explosion. Oh and then before that I was launching grenades from a helicopter.


The depth of gameplay in CoD4 is simply amazing. Infinity Ward seems to have taken a page out of the Battlefield playbook and incorporated some absolutely amazing and dynamic experiences in Call of Duty 4. The story was also pretty enthralling, especially considering how the present situation in the middle-east makes it all too realistic. Despite my overall applaud of the gameplay, I have two major complaints. First, the ability to drop and pick up different weapon classes is very cool, but it is difficult to use these weapons as tactically as you might desire, because the same position-based progress is still present in this latest version of CoD. This can be tremendously frustrating when you are just sitting back as a sniper, picking people off and ignoring that nagging British chump. Also, the game was over as quickly as it began. Granted, I had a great time playing, but I don't know if $50.00 is worth it for a run-through time of about 6.5 hours. For comparison, Bioshock also costs $50.00, and that was genuinely 17 hours of gameplay.

Then again, Bioshock doesn't have multiplayer. I haven't had a chance to get online to get my frag on just yet, but I hear you have, Jason?