Game Stooge

REVIEW: Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360)

• Scribbled on November 9th, 2007 by Sublimenumber7
• Filed in Microsoft Xbox 360, Reviews, Shooter

For some of us, Christmas arrived on November 6^th this year. That is the sunny morning that I picked up my copy of Call of Duty 4, which had gotten almost as much good press as Halo 3 this year. I had been lucky enough to get in on the beta during the summer, and was left wanting more. Much more. But could this game deliver what we all were expecting? I remembered last year’s Call of Duty 3, and my disappointment with that. It was a decent game, but it didn’t live up to what I envisioned in my head. Would this year be the same, or would Infinity Ward pull out the magic rabbit?

It pulled it out, all right, then the rabbit proceeded to kick some serious ass. This is hands down the best military shooter I have ever played. If the action doesn’t make you sweat, if the sounds of the battle carnage don’t make your teeth rattle, if you finish a mission and don’t need some oxygen and a cold drink, then you sir, are officially deceased.

First, lets just say the game looks ridiculously amazing. From the lighting, to the soldier’s uniforms, to the buttery smooth frame rate, this is a beautiful looking game. The level of visual detail in everything is incredible, and everything from the mist above the streams to the vehicle explosions is very well done.

The sound is awesome, and if you don’t have a surround sound system yet, then you are doing yourself an injustice if you don’t smash the old piggy bank pronto. The battle sounds are simply overwhelming; soldiers shouting, guns shooting, explosions everywhere, jets and helicopters streaking by overhead, bombs going off in the distance, all in the same instant. Just like in a real battle, your ears will probably bleed a little listening to this game.

Good looking and great sounding aside, it’s the actual game play and story that make this title rock. I like how after sending you through a test range, the game suggests a level for you based on your skill. You can still pick your own level, but it takes some of the guess work out of it for you. Immediately after testing, you get thrown into a mission, which has you storming a cargo ship. I was impressed with the level of realism, since the ship rolls from side to side in the rough seas, making it tougher to aim correctly. The intensity of the game starts here, and never lets up. This mission is crazy, and only after you complete it do the beginning credits start to roll. You know you are in for a ride when the game is this good before it even officially begins.

The campaign story will definitely keep you coming back for more, but it’s the multiplayer that will still have you going next year. The maps are nicely laid out, with a lot of roofs and balconies to shoot from, and a ton of cover on the ground. There are a lot of game types also, although you will start out with only team deathmatch and deathmatch available, everything else unlocking as you rank up.

The perks, although I was skeptical at first, really do make a difference in your style of playing, and all of the weapons can be upgraded as your rank progresses. The challenges are a nice touch also; they break up the online mayhem nicely, allowing you to get experience points other ways than just the standard number of kills.

From what I’ve seen so far, the only way this game could be more realistic is if soldier’s actual limbs would smash through your tv screen and hit you, but really, who wants to clean that crap up? This game is a true successor to Call of Duty 2, and I for one will not be leaving my couch for a good long while.