I never saw this one coming...
I wasn't expecting much out of this one honestly. I never felt like the CoD series did very well beyond the first game in the series back on the PC, so when they announced this one I kind of shrugged it off. That's probably why I was so surprised to get my hands on it.
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on it before the hype explosion so your getting a hype-free review of CoD from me. It's hard to find the cons in this game. Almost everything about it is top notch.
The sound, as is always the case with CoD games, is great. Every explosion and gunshot sounds beautiful (especially in stereo), and it plays just as well.
The visuals do impress at a steady 60fps, but I think the texturing in some of the online maps is a bit bland, most likely to keep the frame rate smooth. This however, is a minor complaint at best.
The single campaign is short, but very fulfilling. I noticed in a lot of the magazine and online reviews that people seemed to think that the length of the campaign was a negative thing. By the end of it I had had just enough of the experience to feel like it was a solid length, so that wasn't a negative thing for me.
The online multi player experience is, in my opinion, the best XBL has to offer yet, and the first online gaming experience to keep me on a console. It won this PC snob over.
The unlock ables are great, the pacing of the leveling system is steady, and the maps are large enough to have a lot of fun in.
The only other thing I can think of to mention is that the controls are REALLY solid. I don't know if a FPS has had control this tight on a console yet in my opinion.
In short, do yourselves a favor and play this game. Try to see past the hype and just enjoy it for what it is. A damn good game.