Munkeh111

User Score
9.7

Presentation - 9.5
Gameplay - 10
Value - 10

The Call of Duty franchise, famously split between several developers, had always been a World War II franchise, and had always been good, but not amazing, and Modern Warfare changed that. Infinity Ward's classic brought the game into the modern era, allowing you to play as the US Marines, and the SAS featuring wars in un-named Middle Eastern countries and Afghanistan and more.

The presentation is great. Character models are very good, and though there is the odd low resolution texture here and there, frame rate is good and everything just looks great. The explosions are especially good, and the sound and effects on screen do make you feel like you are in a warzone.

First person shooters are not really known for their story, but Call of Duty delivers here. It is fantastically told, retaining a first person view throughout, and has you gripped from the very start. There is point half way through the game that is particularly moving as well. The mission briefings are well done, utilising flash graphics to show what you are up against, and certainly serve as a good screen for the loading to take place. Though you spend much of your time playing as the US Marines, it is really the characters of your SAS squad that shine. Captain Price feels like a father, from the first mission as you grab his hand to save your life to the end of the game when.... well it nearly made my cry... It may be very short, but that does not matter, it is fantasticly told story, and does not feel extended for the sake of it.

Frankly, the game controls perfectly. Everything just feels right, and it is a very high paced game so you need to be able to aim quickly and accurately and it does that. The game also includes things like bullet penetration, though cover is not destructable. You also get to play around with airstrikes and night vision, and frankly the game is brilliant to play. Though the game lacks a cover system, it is so fast paced it would not feel right, though it might help in Veteran mode. Another issue is with respawning enemies where you have to cross an invisible line to stop them spawning. This just takes adjusting to, so you cannot just stick back and pick enemies off, you have to move forward, and this just makes the game feel far more intense, and it is utilised much better than in Treyarch's games. The accuracy of grenades is another small gripe, but that is only really a problem on the hardest difficuties.

Though there are no levels where you have to control a tank, there are 2 levels in particular that stand out from the crowd. One mission sets you as a sniper, which is a radical change of pace of the game, and it is done fantastically, capped with a thrilling escape. Another is a level where you take control of a gunship, and this has been labelled as one of the best levels ever, and rightly so. The way that it is presented is perfect, and it is a huge shift from the previous level where you had been fighting for your life, and now you are just killing tangos with ease, it is truly fantastic. These are just 2 examples of the fantastic game design and pacing that Infinity Ward have put in their game, it is truly remarkable how well the short campaign has been done.

The campaign is short, most estimates put it at 5-6 hours, but as I have highlighted above, the pacing is nearly perfect, and it would have suffered if it was artificially stretched out. There is arcade mode where you can rack up points, but that is not where you'll be spending your time, that will be online.

It is near perfectly balanced, but the most important thing is the perks. These allow you to give yourself extra health, more spring time, the now infamous matyrdom and they really add variety to the game. The levelling up system is also fantastic, with each kill giving you XP and new levels giving you new guns. There are also challenges which give you XP, as well as weapon challenges allowing you to add scopes onto your chosen weapon and then skins. Basically, this is the best multiplayer that you will find on PS3, on Killzone 2 can challenge it. It is just incredibly addictive, and the new map pack should help that even more.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a must have game. Even without an internet connection or an interest in online multiplayer, the short campaign is so well done anyone who can stand FPS games should play it. The gameplay is just so good that you won't want to stop playing the multiplayer, which is by far the bset on the PS3. In short, if you have not already bought this game, what are you waiting for?