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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It is the eighth installment in the Call of Duty video game series (including expansions), the first not to be set during World War II, and the first to be rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB. It was announced on April 25, 2007. It was released on November 6, 2007 in North America, and in Australia on November 7, 2007. It has also been released on November 9, 2007 in Europe. The game also became available on Steam on November 6, 2007 for pre-purchase and is available to play as of November 12, 2007.

Gameplay

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare introduces a variety of game play styles into the single player campaign completely new to the Call of Duty series. The game moves away from the standard three country-specific campaign style, and allows the plot to play through more like a film style plot with interlaced story lines from the perspective of the player as Paul Jackson, a member of the United States Marine Corps 1st Force Recon and Soap MacTavish, a member of the British 22 SAS Regiment. There is also a variety of cameo-style missions where you play as various other soldiers such as an AC-130 Spectre Gunship gunner, or as one part of a two-man sniper team behind enemy lines in a flashback-style mission.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare focuses on the variation of modern warfare as an infantry soldier by allowing the player to control soldiers in a vast number of different scenarios, straying away from the constant "at eleven" action of previous Call of Duty titles and allowing for both heavy intensity fire fights and slower paced drama styled intensity. The series' move to modern warfare has also introduced a variety of new modern weapons and technology to be introduced to the Call of Duty franchise. Such showcased weapons and attachments include M203 grenade launchers, and the AN/PEQ-2 Target Pointer for use in conjunction with night vision goggles, silenced MP5SD submachine guns, and the FGM-148 Javelin portable anti-tank guided missile among many others.

Plot

The story is told from a perspective of a British 22 Special Air Service Regiment operative in Russia and an American 1st Force Recon operative in the Middle East. The game also features a flashback mission set 15 years ago in the Chernobyl Zone of Alienation (Prypiat), which features a younger incarnation of Captain Price from 22 SAS Regiment, the only character to appear in both of the first two games of the Call of Duty series.

The Russian ultranationalist, a man by the name of Imran Zakhaev, is set on returning his homeland to the times of the Soviet Union by revolting against the current government and seizing a nuclear weapons stockpile. Zakhaev has the support of several rogue divisions of the Russian army, but he knows the United States would never allow this to happen and so funds a coup in the Middle East, organized by his ally Kahled Al-Asad, to draw attention away from Russia. Zakhaev, Al-Asad, and their seconds-in-command, one of which is Zakhaev's son, soon become known as The Four Horsemen. The British and U.S. governments discover the plot while monitoring Zakhaev's recent activities, and quickly initiate a police-action to quell the uprisings in both regions. During the conflict, a Russian nuclear weapon is unexpectedly detonated by Al-Asad's forces in the capital city of the Middle Eastern region, catching a large portion of the invading Marine forces in the blast radius. Jackson, delayed from escaping the blast radius due to the last minute rescue of a downed Cobra pilot, is aboard one of the helicopters caught in the blast radius. Although Jackson initially survives the crash of his Sea Knight helicopter, he later succumbs to his injuries and dies. Al-Asad, however, escaped to one of his strongholds in Azerbaijan, but is later executed by Captain Price when he and his SAS squad learn that Zakhaev supplied Al-Asad with the bomb.

It is at this point, when Price hears the name 'Zakhaev', that the game enters the flashback portion. The flashback, told from the perspective of Price, tells the story of an infiltration mission into the Chernobyl Zone of Alienation (Prypiat) to assassinate a Russian ultranationalist. Price, then a Lieutenant with the SAS, is paired up with Captain MacMillan to carry out the assignment. Together, they sneak past several guard stations as well as tank and infantry patrols in order to reach their shooting spot. Once in position at the top of a hotel, MacMillan acts as spotter for Price. The target, identified as Imran Zakhaev, is shot by Price's .50 caliber Barrett M82 sniper rifle. MacMillan is able to confirm the target as hit and losing his left arm before Zakhaev's forces track the shot and began to pursue them across the Zone of Alienation. During the chase, a pursuit helicopter is shot down and crashes, injuring MacMillan. Price is then forced to carry Captain MacMillan for the remainder of the mission, setting him down at various points to clear rooms or to fight off squads of soldiers with MacMillan's assistance. The pair finally reach the extraction point and engage the Russian forces in a stand-off while the rescue helicopter approaches. After fending off several waves of soldiers, the helicopter finally arrives and Price and MacMillan are able to escape.

Back in the present, the British SAS squads in Russia attempt to capture Zakhaev's son to learn of his father's whereabouts, but he shoots himself at the last second. This incurs Zakhaev's wrath, and he launches two ICBMs in desperation at the American East Coast. A joint strike force of the SAS and the USMC breaches the missile launch center, and is able to abort the missile impacts. During their escape, Zakhaev and his troops intercept them, and begin executing any survivors of the initial strike. Griggs is killed trying to pull the player to safety and Gaz is executed by Zakhaeav. They are on the verge of executing the player, but are distracted by the arrival of a loyalist helicopter. At this moment, a heavily wounded Captain Price slides his pistol to the player. Upon shooting Zakhaev and his guards, the Russian Loyalist reinforcements arrive, but the player is the only comfirmed survivor of the escape, although the end cutscene fails to show if Price is dead or alive, leaving it open to the player to guess. After the final cutscene, a short news message plays, mentioning "nuclear missile tests" in Central Russia and some "leadership struggles" between the Russian government the ultranationalist party, and then reports on the failed attempt to locate a Russian cargo ship lost at sea (that the SAS infiltrated in the Prologue), which may indicate that the police actions in Russia were conducted in secret, away from public knowledge. After the credits roll the player is also given the chance to play through an airplane hostage-situation epilogue mission, Mile High Club.

Characters

Playable

• Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish - 22 SAS Regiment (present)
• Sergeant Paul Jackson - United States Marine Corps 1st Force Recon (present)
• Lieutenant Price - 22 SAS Regiment (15 years ago)
• Unnamed Gunner - Thermal Imaging TV operator on an AC-130 Gunship (present)
• Al-Fulani - Deposed President of an unknown Middle Eastern country, played from POV only (present)

Non-Playable Characters

• Captain MacMillan - 22 SAS Regiment (15 years ago)-M21 Supressed/USP .45
• Captain Price - 22 SAS Regiment, MacTavish's commanding officer (incarnation of original model from CoD 1 and 2)-M4A1 Grenadier
• Gaz - 22 SAS Regiment, MacTavish's section mate-G36C
• Nikolai - Captain Price's Russian informant-AK74-su
• Sergeant Kamarov - Russian loyalist ("Good Russians") leader, SAS ally-AK-47
• Lieutenant Vasquez - USMC 1st Force Recon, Jackson's platoon leader, Rifleman
• Staff Sergeant Griggs - USMC 1st Force Recon, Jackson's squad's support gunner

The Four Horsemen

'The Four Horsemen' is the term used by developer Infinity Ward to refer to the antagonists of the plot, although only three of them are named and have any apparent plot significance.

• Imran Zakhaev - Russian Ultranationalist party leader
• Kahled Al-Asad - Zakhaev's ally in the Middle East
• Victor Zakhaev - Zakhaev's son (in game his name appears as "V. Zakhaev", but full name is mentioned in the official strategy guide)

Multiplayer

The multiplayer mode in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare includes a class system which has five preset classes with default weapon load outs and perks assigned to them, as well as allows users to create five custom classes where the user can customize their weapon load out and three perks to assign to their soldier. The five default classes include Assault, Special Ops, Light Machine Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper. Only two of the default classes are available to a first time player; the rest are unlocked as the player gains more experience online and gains higher rank. Create-a-class can be unlocked at level 4; players can name and save their own custom classes for quick access in multiplayer matches.

Experience Points (XP) are earned by either killing opponents or completing certain objectives, such as defusing the bomb in Sabatoge. The amount of XP gained varies depending on the type of match the user is playing. When the user gains enough Experience Points their rank/level increases. The highest attainable level is 55, which unlocks Prestige mode (which is only available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game). In Prestige mode, the player can trade in their rank and start over at level 1, in exchange for a special in-game insignia by their name. The player can trade in their rank and start over at level 1 up to ten times, with the prestige insignia changing each time, effectively giving the player 605 total ranks to achieve.

Most of the new weapons and perks that players can use to outfit their custom class are unlocked as they gain higher ranks, but there are also a separate number of challenges associated with each weapon that subsequently open up new add-on gear as players complete them. These unlocks, such as camoflage or attachments for the weapon are unlocked after attaining a certain number of kills or headshots. Completing these challenges also gives the player XP.

Game modes

• Free-for-All - Every man for himself.
• Team Deathmatch - Use teamwork to kill opposing players and reach score limit.
• Team Objective - Domination and Search & Destroy. Capture flags in Domination, with respawning. Destroy and defend objectives in Search & Destroy, no respawning.
• Team Tactical - Small team Deathmatch and Search & Destroy.
• Search and Destroy - Much like Counter-Strike's bomb planting mode, there are two teams: attackers and defenders. Attackers try to plant a bomb at one of two bomb sites, and defenders try to defend the bomb sites. If explosives are planted, defenders must defuse them. Players only have one respawn per round. A round is over when all players on one team are killed, or when the bomb explodes or is defused.
• Headquarters - A laptop spawns somewhere on the map. Your goal is to capture the laptop for your team. If Team A captures the laptop, they must defend it from being destroyed by Team B. Team A only has one respawn until the laptop is destroyed or the max time limit for the laptop is reached. Team B respawns at set intervals. Team A earns points for every second the laptop is held. To capture/destroy a laptop, you must stand in the area of the laptop. The more players, the faster you destroy it. A new laptop spawns when time limit is reached or the laptop is destroyed.
• Domination - There are flags at certain points around the map. All flags start neutral. Teams battle to hold the most flags. Game ends when the time limit is reached, or the score limit is reached.
• Sabotage - Similar to Search and Destroy, only the bomb is neutral and there are objectives located in both teams' bases. Each team's goal is to take the bomb and blow up the objective in the enemy's base. The bomb carrier can fire his weapons, but his position will be announced periodically throughout the game. Also, unlike Search and Destroy, players have unlimited respawns as opposed to just one per round, although it is not instantaneous like Team Deathmatch or Free-for-All.
• Team Hardcore - Hardcore Team Deathmatch and Search and Destroy. Limited HUD, extra bullet damage, friendly fire on.
• Old School - Old School TDM and FFA. No classes. Weapons are pickups, health is increased, and jumps are higher.
• Oldcore - Old School pick-ups and jumping. Hardcore limited HUD and extra bullet damage. TDM.
• Ground War - Big team games-TDM and Domination.

Game Engine

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare runs on a proprietary engine, and has features such as true world-dynamic lighting, HDR lighting effects, dynamic shadows and depth-of-field. "Bullet Penetration" is calculated by the engine, taking into account things such as surface type and entity thickness. Certain objects, such as cars, and some buildings are destructible. This makes distinguishing cover from concealment important, as meager protection such as wooden fences, thin walls and such no longer provide sufficient protection. The bullet's speed and stopping power is decreased after penetrating an object, and this decrease is calculated realistically depending on the thickness and surface of the object penetrated. The game also makes use of a physics engine, which was not implemented in previous Call of Duty titles for the PC. Death Animations are a combination of pre-set animations and ragdoll physics. Some mistook the game's graphics to be DirectX 10 based, but it is stated that the graphics use DirectX 9.

Pre-Release Marketing

Charlie Oscar Delta

On April 27, 2007, the day before the release of the official trailer, Infinity Ward released the website charlieoscardelta.com to give users information on the game. Charlie Oscar Delta features a ranking system where users can do Missions to build up their rank to possibly win prizes. Charlie Oscar Delta is derived from the NATO phonetic alphabet and the initials of Call Of Duty (COD).

Trailer

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer showed some game footage was released on April 28, 2007. In the background you can hear a speech given in Russian: Сегодня, одной нацией мы воспрянем перед лицом предательства и оккупации, which translates as "Today, one nation we shall rise before the person of treachery and occupation." Additionally, a final voice at the end speaks the Russian translation of a quote by Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War: "Every war is a lie" (Всякая война враньё). Also, in Arabic, one hears the statements "Enemy Forces Sighted" and "American Forces Nearby."

Public Beta

On August 30, 2007 an Xbox 360 exclusive Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare public beta test was announced. The beta test was designed to test the servers, find glitches, and help balance out the weapons. It was originally only for residents of the United States of America but later was available to numerous other countries. The beta concluded on September 30, 2007.

Demo

A single-player demo for the PC was released on October 11, 2007 as a Yahoo! exclusive download. It was released on various major sites the same day. The demo includes one level: "The Bog" which showcases the advanced night vision used in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. No multiplayer was included in the demo.

Reception

Call of Duty 4 has received highly positive reviews. Official PlayStation Magazine Australia gave the game a perfect 10 out of 10. Official Xbox Magazine (US) also gave it a perfect 10/10, citing a "multiplayer quality, quantity, and depth that rivals Halo's" and a "campaign that never lets up," with the only flaw being that there are a few frustratingly tough areas on higher difficulties. Game Informer gave Call of Duty 4 a perfect 10/10 on the 360, PS3, and PC in both the bottom line and second opinion. IGN has given Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare a score of 9.4 for all three of its platforms. Gametrailers.com has also given Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare a 9.4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare holds an official score of 9.0 on GameSpot, with the only major flaw being a short single player campaign. X-Play also gave the game 5 stars out of 5, commenting that "while it may not have revolutionized the genre, it comes damn close to perfecting it."

Currently, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 holds an aggregate score of 96% on Gamerankings, while the PC version holds a score of 94%.

Music and soundtrack

The musical theme of COD4:MW was composed by noted composer Harry Gregson-Williams, with the rest of the music by British composer Stephen Barton (who writes additional music for most of HGW's films). Additionally, a soundtrack album for the game featuring the music of Stephen Barton will be released shortly.

References

1. "Activision Rocks German Games Convention". {{cite web}}: Text "date" ignored (help)
2. http://www.mcvuk.com/news/28393/Tony-Hawks-and-COD4-dated
3. http://www.codhq.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12
4. http://planetcallofduty.gamespy.com/fullstory.php?id=144470
5. "Call of Duty 4 To Be Revealed This Saturday". Shacknews.
6. http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=game&AppId=7940
7. Game Head video
8. http://www.codhq.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=12
9. "Welcome to Charlie Oscar Delta!". Retrieved 2007-10-15.
10. http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/call-of-duty-4/call-of-duty-4-demo/533701
11. http://gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/4ED18827-FC45-45FD-97FA-11D0B142008A.htm
12. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27308.html
13. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/callofduty4modernwarfare/review.html?tag=tabs;reviews
14. http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1664/Call_of_Duty_4_Modern_Warfare.html
15. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/939212.asp?q=Call%20of%20Duty%204
16. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/939217.asp?q=Call%20of%20Duty%204

External links

• Call of Duty website - Call of Duty franchise website
• Charlie Oscar Delta - Official Call of Duty 4 website
• Official Infinity Ward Community Forums
• Call of Duty 4 review at RewiredMind

• 2007 video games
• Call of Duty series
• PlayStation 3 games
• Windows games
• Xbox 360 games
• Terrorism in fiction