The most refreshing FPS game ever in my opinion. Call of Duty 4 reminded me that in FPS games your not the hero.
Call of Duty has come a long way from it's original PC title. Back then Medal of Honor dominated the market for WW2 FPS titles, but Call of Duty was something different. You actually felt part of a squad, you felt like you meant nothing, and I loved every second of it.
So, with the fourth installment of Call of Duty they finally decided to drop the World War Two act. Obviously some gaming ultra-conservatives will merely shun this game, but the new approach seems to be working. The World War Two series has been swamped by games, Medal of Honor, Wolfenstein (with a sci-fi edge), Call of Duty, Brothers in Arms and countless RTS games. So a wise decision (personal opinion again) to change to a modern scenario. And what is more chaotic then modern warfare?
The Call of Duty series is all about feeling part of war. The impact of the first one, as explained before, was amazing. But I felt that after numerous games trying to copy that feeling COD lost its edge. Now with modern warfare, its faster, more deadly, more hectic, battlefields aren't numbered, there is no blueprints for battle, the game takes a toll on your health.
Try and understand. The game has you placed as a soldier, and you can watch your team-mates die, they get shot through a door. Now replay that again and they don't die. See how these things change? Its all about whats going to happen next. One of the best things of COD4 is the cover. With other games you could hide behind a book and not be damaged. However COD4 has you wondering whether those bullet holes were from your side or the enemies. Or simply shoot an enemy through the door and open it to stare at a corpse.
Not realistic enough? Try running out of a sinking ship after being knocked over by constant movement, with the ship sinking at an angle. Or try walking around a nuclear holocaust, only to end up dying anyway? These little parts make you FEEL part of the game. You forget about everything else, and just focus on the game.
The multiplayer is amazing as well. Not only does in incorporate everything above, but it also adds a new element. With other online games such as Halo or Gears of War, your character differs. Little things such as snipers dont appear on radar, heavy weaponary cuts through cover quicker etc. All of these , plus the leveling up to acquire new game levels makes the multiplayer the main reason for the game. Forget Warhawk, this game is everything you could want online.
Now the only problem with the game is that it seems shorter then most modern games are. its approximately (at hardest level) 8-10 hours worth of play. Trust me, play it on atleast normal difficulty otherwise the game will be over in 4 hours.
So, amazingly COD have done it again. This game has won me over again, and has turned the FPS genre on its head. Well done Activison. Nice to see a game that focuses on British military more than the US. That also makes it a rare and fine breed of game.