Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

The best online shooter out. on January 07, 2008

They say war is hell. Infinity Ward's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare takes you to the very depths of Hades. The long-awaited COD4, IW's follow-up to the excellent Call of Duty 2, is a jarring, intense, and gripping take on war in the new millennia. The enemies are smarter, the weapons are deadlier, and the grenades all too plentiful. COD4 will shake loose your fillings and have you begging for more.

Infinity Ward was born out of the success of retelling some of the greatest battles in World War II. The company has become synonymous with the virtual beach at Normandy. So it was quite a gamble to break from the comfort zone of Nazi-occupied Europe and leap into present day. The gamble paid off. Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, and every other military-based shooter has been put on notice. There is a new standard to judge this sub-genre and it is Call of Duty 4.

Multiplayer begins with a handful of pre-made classes, COD4 quickly opens up once you reach level 4. At this point, you can create your own class. As you gain levels, you'll earn access to new weapons, scopes, and perks. On top of this, you'll find dozens of challenges for each weapon, which open up further augmentation options. There are also more generic challenges, such as killing two people while in the air and scoring a certain number of headshots. All of this creates a robust challenge system that encourages gamers to keep COD4 in their system so they can continue to plug away online. It's like Pokemon with bloodsplatter -- gotta earn 'em all.

Perks are a nifty element that can make or break some players. Some perks give you new explosive options, such as an undermounted grenade launcher (AKA The N00b Tube), C4, or claymores. Most, though, enhance your skills. Deep Penetration allows your bullets to maintain more velocity through objects, making it easier to kill enemies through walls; UAV Jammer makes you invisible on radar when an enemy launches a satellite; Martyrdom lets you drop a grenade when you die so you can (hopefully) take your enemy with you. The various perks add interesting wrinkles to multiplayer and give gamers a sense of ownership of their character. Rather than just being a virtual meat sack, your created class has your own personal touch to it.