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Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Cover
Developer(s)Infinity Ward
Aspyr (Mac conversion)
Publisher(s)Activision
SeriesCall of Duty
Platform(s)Windows, PlayStation 3,
Xbox 360, Mac OS X
ReleaseWindows, PlayStation 3,
Xbox 360:
NA November 6, 2007[1]
AUS November 7, 2007
EU November 9, 2007[2]
Mac:
May 2008[3]
Genre(s)Modern First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer (Internet/LAN, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network)

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 fourth installment in the Call of Duty video game series (excluding expansions), the first not to be set during World War II, and the first game in the series to be rated Mature in North America. It was announced on April 25, 2007.[5] It was released on November 6, 2007 in North America, on November 7, 2007 in Australia, and on November 9, 2007 in Europe. The game also became available on Steam on November 6, 2007 for pre-purchase and was available to play as of November 12, 2007.[6] A Mac OS X version of the game is scheduled to be released in May 2008.[7]

Overview

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare focuses on the progression of warfare as a contemporary infantry soldier, presenting the player with a vast number of different combat scenarios unseen in previous Call of Duty titles. It strays from the constant assaults, interspersing high-intensity firefights with slower-paced drama and suspenseful clandestine action. The series's move to modern warfare introduces a variety of new weapons and technology to the Call of Duty franchise, including the M203 grenade launcher, M4A1 carbine, the AN/PEQ-2 Target Pointer for use in conjunction with night vision goggles, the MP5SD submachine gun, and the FGM-148 Javelin portable anti-tank guided missile.

The game moves away from the prior three country-specific campaign style; the plot remains cinematic, with storylines interlaced from the perspective of members of the British Special Air Service and United States Marine Corps Force Recon.

Singleplayer

Characters

Player characters

During the single player campaign the player controls these characters from a first-person perspective.

  • Sergeant John "Soap" MacTavish is a member of the 22nd SAS Regiment. The player assumes the role of MacTavish for the majority of the game.
  • Sergeant Paul Jackson is part of the USMC 1st Force Recon deployed to the Middle East. The player assumes Jackson's character during five levels of Act 1.
  • Captain Price is a commanding officer of the 22nd SAS Regiment. The player assumes the role of Price in a flashback.
  • Yasir Al-Fulani is the president of the unnamed Middle Eastern country involved in the game. The player assumes the role of the captive Al-Fulani in the game's opening credit sequence.
  • The player assumes the role of an American thermal imaging TV operator aboard an AC-130 gunship for one level.
  • During the epilogue, the player controls a British SAS counter terrorist operative, infiltrating a hijacked airliner to save a VIP. Although many have cited that the operative is in fact Soap, this remains unconfirmed.

Major allies

Throughout the game, various non-player characters provide support as members of the players team. Because they are vital to the plot, they cannot truly be harmed by enemies during the normal course of the game.

United Kingdom Special Air Service

  • Captain Price is a member of the 22nd SAS Regiment. He leads Soap and his squad (call sign Bravo Six) during the present-day SAS missions. His squad's ultimate goal is to prevent the proliferation of nuclear material gathered from Chernobyl.
  • Gaz is part of the 22nd SAS Regiment and Bravo Six. He accompanies the player on most SAS missions.
  • Captain MacMillan is an SAS scout/sniper and Price's mentor. Fifteen years prior to the events of the game, he commanded the assassination mission of Imran Zakhaev at Prypiat with Price (who was a Lieutenant at the time).

Russian Loyalists

  • Sergeant Kamarov is the leader of a group of Russian loyalist forces. His troops cooperate with SAS operations in Russia at several points in the game, attempting to suppress the Ultranationalists.
  • "Nikolai" is an informant in the Ultra nationalist movement. The intelligence he provides is key to the success of the SAS. At one point in the story his cover is compromised and he is evacuated from Russia to Hamburg by the 22nd SAS Regiment.

United States Marine Corps. Force Recon

  • Lieutenant Vasquez is an officer of the USMC 1st Force Recon and is Jackson's platoon leader. He also leads his squad, call sign Red Dog. He leads the initial assault to capture Khaled Al-Asad.
  • Staff Sergeant Griggs is a member of the USMC 1st Force Recon and is a support gunner in squad Red Dog. He later participates in the joint SAS/USMC operation in the later stages of the game.

Minor allies

Much like the major allies, these characters cannot be hurt. Several characters, however, can die once their primary function is completed.

  • Sgt. Wallcroft and Cpl. Griffin are SAS operatives in the 22nd SAS Regiment. They appear in the missions, F.N.G. and Crew Expendable.
  • Big Bird is the call sign of a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter present in several SAS missions in the game, picking up and dropping off members of the 22nd SAS Regiment.
  • Outlaw Two-Five is the call sign of a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter attached to the USMC; picking up and dropping off members of the USMC 1st Force Recon.
  • Cpt. 'Deadly' Pelayo is a female AH-1 Super Cobra pilot from the USMC ACE. She is assigned to provide close fire support for Lt. Vasquez's platoon.
  • Gryphon Two-Seven is the call sign of a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter that evacuates Bravo Six in the mission, Heat.
  • Mosin 2-5 is the call sign of a Mil Mi-28 Havoc helicopter working with Loyalist elements of the Russian Armed Forces. It's pilots are assigned to provide close fire support for the joint Loyalist-SAS raid in the mission, Safe house.
  • Falcon One is the call sign of a Harrier flight assigned to provide close air support for the extraction of Bravo Six. They are directed by the player in the mission, Heat.
  • Pvt. West is a Force Recon Marine, present in The Bog mission. He is the squad's Javelin operator, and is promptly killed while in possession of it. This allows the player to use it to destroy the nearby enemy armor threatening his squad.
  • Pvt. Roycewicz is a Force Recon Marine. He is present in The Bog mission, where he is attacked by an enemy in hand to hand combat. The player has the option of watching the fight and letting the attacker kill Roycewicz, or saving Roycewicz's life which gives players an achievement in the Xbox 360 version.
  • Mac is an SAS operative in the 22nd SAS Regiment. He is present in the F.N.G. mission in an obstacle course, and communicates with Soap's squad during Heat.
  • Sgt. Arem is an SAS operative in the 22nd SAS Regiment. He is one of the player's squad mates in the mission Heat.
  • Unidentified SAS Counter-terrorist operatives are present on the epilogue mission, Mile High Club. When subtitles are on, it is noted that the Counter-terrorist agents do not go by regular names, but code names.

Enemies

  • Khaled Al-Asad is one of the antagonists of the game and is searched for through most in the game. He is the commander of the revolutionary forces in the Middle East and an ally of Imran Zakhaev.
  • Imran Zakhaev is the leader of the Russian Ultra nationalist party and the main antagonist of the game. He seeks revenge for the "fall from glory" his people suffered to the Cold War and its aftermath. He lost his right arm in a failed assassination attempt by an SAS sniper team 15 years before the events of the game. Captain Price was the junior member of the team that tried to kill Zakhaev.
  • Victor Zakhaev is the son of Imran Zakhaev and a priority figure in the Ultra nationalist party. He escorts Yasir Al-Fulani to his execution. He is later pursued by US and British forces.

Plot

File:Cod4 captain price.jpg
"Soap" meeting Captain Price in the prologue, during mission training.

The story is told from the perspectives of British 22nd Special Air Service Regiment operative Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, operating under Captain Price throughout Caucasus and south Russian parts of East European Plain, and USMC 1st Force Recon Sergeant Paul Jackson in the Middle East. Though the locations visited by the SAS are specified, the Middle Eastern country the USMC invades is unknown. The game also features a mission set 15 years ago in Pripyat, Ukraine, an abandoned city within the Chernobyl Zone of Alienation, as recalled by then Lieutenant Price from the 22nd SAS Regiment.

Prologue

The game begins with Sgt. McTavish fresh out of selection preparing for a ship infiltration mission under the command of Captain Price. Intelligence provided by the informant "Nikolai" leads the SAS to the shipment of a Russian nuclear device destined for the Middle East. The weapons and CQB training (functioning as the player's introductory stage) is preparation for the 22nd's next mission: infiltrating a Russian cargo ship in the Bering Sea to secure the shipment. After killing off the crew and guards on board, the SAS team secures the device. Hostile forces bomb the ship, forcing the team to escape only with evidence of their find.

Act 1

A Russian Ultranationalist 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. He funds a coup d'etat in the Middle East organized by his ally Khaled Al-Asad, beginning with the televised execution of the President Yasir Al-Fulani, to draw attention away from Russia. The British and U.S. governments discover the plot while monitoring Zakhaev's recent activities, and quickly initiate a police-action to stop the uprisings in both regions.

Soon after President Al-Fulani is executed, 22nd SAS is deployed to rescue their compromised informant, held in an Ultra nationalist camp in Russia, with help from Russian Loyalist forces led by Sergeant Kamarov. Before they can reach base, the squad is shot down over Central Russia, and must get to a nearby landing zone for evacuation. An AC-130 gunship is dispatched to provide fire support for the team until they are evacuated.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Paul Jackson and USMC 1st Force Recon attempt to capture Al-Asad in a raid, but they are unsuccessful. Lt. Vasquez's platoon is then tasked with rescuing a stranded M1 Abrams tank. The USMC pushes Al-Asad's forces back to the capital city, where Al-Asad is broadcasting from a television station. During what appears to be the final stages of the conflict, a Russian nuclear weapon is unexpectedly detonated, leveling most of the capital and annihilating most U.S. Marine forces in the area. Jackson and Lieutenant Vasquez, delayed from escaping the blast radius due to the last minute rescue of a downed AH-1 Super Cobra pilot, are aboard one of the helicopters caught in the blast radius. Although Jackson initially survives the crash of his CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter, he soon succumbs to his wounds and radiation poisoning and dies.

Act 2

Al-Asad had escaped prior to the US invasion. "Nikolai" directs 22nd SAS to one of Al-Asad's safe houses in Azerbaijan. They find Al-Asad, tie him to a chair, beat and interrogate him, and after learning that Zakhaev gave him the bomb, Al-Asad is killed by Captain Price. It is at this point that Price recalls his mission to eliminate Zakhaev in Prypiat, Ukraine. Price, then a lieutenant with the SAS, was paired up with Captain MacMillan to carry out the assignment. Together, they infiltrated the city past several guard stations as well as tank and infantry patrols in order to reach their post using their Ghillie suits. Once in position at the top of an abandoned hotel, they witness Zakhaev engage in an arms deal, using the opportunity to assassinate him. Zakhaev survived, however, losing only his left arm. The Ultra nationalist forces tracked the shot and pursued the snipers across the Zone of Alienation. During the chase, a pursuit helicopter was shot down by Price and crashed, injuring MacMillan and forcing Price to carry him the rest of the way. The pair engaged the Ultra nationalists in a stand-off at a nearby amusement park until their eventual extraction.

Back in the present, the Ultra nationalists launch a counter-attack to claim Al-Asad's body. The 22nd SAS organizes a defense, using antipersonnel mines to slow the assault, before they can be extracted by U.S. forces led by Staff Sergeant Griggs, who safely escaped the nuclear blast in the Middle East. After escaping from Azerbaijan, a joint operation (comprised of the 22nd SAS, a Force Recon unit led by Staff Sergeant Griggs, and Russian Loyalists led by Kamarov) is undertaken to stop Zakhaev. They attempt to capture his son to learn of his whereabouts but this mission ends in failure; Zakhaev's son commits suicide when finally cornered.

Act 3

The loss of his son incurs Imran Zakhaev's wrath, and he launches two SS-27 Topol M ballistic missiles with MIRV warheads in desperation at the East Coast of the United States. The joint force breaches the missile launch center, and is able to deactivate the missiles over the Atlantic Ocean. During their escape, an enemy MI-24 helicopter destroys the bridge they are attempting to cross, leaving them trapped. Zakhaev's troops arrive soon after, and begin engaging the remaining members of the strike force. A wrecked gas tanker on the bridge explodes, incapacitating everyone except Griggs. Zakhaev himself arrives, accompanied by two soldiers. Griggs is shot in the neck while trying to pull Soap to safety; Gaz is executed by Zakhaev. Zhakaev is on the verge of killing Soap, but is distracted by the arrival of a Russian Loyalist Mi-28 helicopter. At this moment, a heavily wounded Captain Price slides his pistol to Soap, who then uses the pistol to kill Zakhaev and his guards. As MacTavish is airlifted from the battleground, a Russian Loyalist medic is seen desperately attempting to resuscitate Price. Soap is the only confirmed survivor of the operation.

News reports mention "nuclear missile tests" in Central Russia, "leadership struggles" arising in the Ultra nationalist party, and the failed attempt to locate a Russian cargo ship lost in the Bering Straight (presumably the cargo ship the 22nd SAS invades in the mission 'Crew Expendable'), implying that the recent police-actions in Russia were conducted in secret, and were not public knowledge.

Epilogue

British SAS counter-terrorists attempt to remedy a hostage situation aboard a jetliner. After a swift gun fight through the passenger decks, the terrorists are neutralized and the VIP is rescued. The team jumps off the plane with the hostage before it explodes in mid-air. It is unknown how, if at all, this mission ties into the campaign.

Multiplayer

File:Cod4 create a class.jpg
As a player advances in rank, more options such as new classes and weapons become available.

The multiplayer mode in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare includes a character class system that allows players to create custom infantry classes with numerous weapons and perks (special equipment or abilities) to assign to their soldier.

The player can call in UAV reconnaissance scans, air strikes, and attack helicopters by achieving a three-, five-, or seven-enemy kill streak, respectively.

The five default classes include Assault, Special Ops, Heavy Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper. Only three 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 up to five 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 "Sabotage" or "Search and Destroy" game modes. 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, or the rank of Commander. Upon reaching level 55 the player is rewarded with a Gold Desert Eagle pistol, indicating his Commander status.

Most of the new weapons and perks that players can use to outfit their custom class are unlocked as they gain higher ranks. There are also a number of challenges associated with each weapon that subsequently open up new weapon attachments as players complete them; these include improved weapon sights, camouflage patterns, and magnification scopes. These benefits are unlocked after attaining a certain number of kills or head shots. Completing these challenges also gives the player XP.

Prestige Mode

At Level 55, the player cannot gain any more XP from the game until they unlock Prestige Mode, a feature only available in the console versions of the game. In Prestige mode, the player can trade in their rank, all unlocked weapons and completed challenges and start over at level 1, in exchange for a special in-game insignia by their name. The player can then rank up and trade in their rank with Prestige mode again, up to ten times,[8] with a different insignia awarded each time. This effectively gives the player 605 total ranks to achieve.[9] Leaderboard stats (kills, deaths, playing time, etc.) are not affected by Prestige mode.

Game modes

Capturing a flag in Domination mode.
  • Team Deathmatch - Use teamwork to kill opposing players and reach a predefined score limit or until the time limit runs out.
  • Mercenary Team Deathmatch - Same as Team Deathmatch, except that people who are currently using the party system aren't allowed to join with the match, players must play with random people.
  • Free-for-All - Every player for him/herself regardless of nominal "faction" alliance.
  • Domination - Flags are placed in strategic 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.
  • Search and Destroy - There are two teams: attackers and defenders. Attackers try to plant a suitcase bomb at one of two bomb sites, and defenders try to defend the bomb sites. If the explosives are planted, the defenders must defuse them. In this game mode, players do not respawn if they die. The attackers win if they destroy either of the two bomb targets or if they eliminate the entire opposing team. The defenders win if time runs out, if they defuse the bomb after it has been planted, or if they eliminate the entire attacking team before the attackers have planted the bomb. This is similar to the defuse gamemode in Counter-Strike.
  • Headquarters - A laptop spawns somewhere on the map. The players' goal is to capture the laptop for your team. If one team captures the laptop, they must defend it from being re-captured (and therefore destroyed) by the opposing team. The team that has captured the laptop does not respawn, whereas the team that is attempting to re-capture it respawns normally. For every 5 seconds a laptop remains under a team's control, that team scores 5 points. To capture/destroy a laptop, the player must stand in a defined area near the laptop (usually one must stand in the same room it is in). If multiple players from the same team are within this area, the laptop is captured more quickly. A new laptop spawns after the old one has been re-captured or when the team holding the laptop does so for a preset amount of time, whichever comes first. The first team to capture the laptop has the advantage, for the new HQ always appears closer and easier to access to the dominating team. This can however be neutralized to an extent by spreading out to where the laptop may spawn next, preventing the enemy (who just caught it) from spawning right by it.
  • Sabotage - Similar to Search and Destroy, a neutral suitcase bomb is placed in the center of the map, both teams rush to capture the bomb and plant it on the enemy's objective. 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.
  • Hardcore Team Deathmatch and Hardcore Search and Destroy - These modes are identical to their normal versions, except that the player's HUD is limited (for example, the crosshair is removed), bullet damage is higher and friendly fire is on.
  • Old School Free-for-all - There are no classes. Weapons are pickups, health is under a gauge form and can be increased with medipacks, and jumps are higher. This mode emulates traditional multiplayer FPSes like Quake and Unreal Tournament, and to a degree, previous versions of Call of Duty.
  • Oldcore- A fusion between Old school and Team Hardcore Deathmatch. Weapons and perks are pickups, there are no classes, but HUD is limited, friendly fire is on and bullet damage is higher. Team Deathmatch and Free-for-All can be played in this mode.[10]

Console Only[11]

  • Ground War - Big team games -Team Deathmatch and Domination.
  • Mercenary Team Deathmatch - Team Deathmatch with random teams, no parties allowed. Use teamwork to kill enemy players and reach the score limit.
  • Team Tactical - Small team based games (3v3), includes Team Deathmatch, Domination, Headquarters, Sabotage, and Search and Destroy.
  • Cage Match - 1v1 deathmatch.

Weapons

Players in Call of Duty have access to a variety of weapons in several different categories such as assault rifles, pistols, submachine guns, light machine guns, shotguns, and sniper rifles. As the player progresses through experience levels, they unlock more weapons. In addition, when a user gets a certain number of kills for individual weapons they unlock certain upgrades to those weapons. Such upgrades include red dot sights, silencers, under barrel grenade launchers, Grips, and ACOG scopes. Surface refinishes or "skins" can also be earned through head shot kills.[12]

Challenges

Challenges are achievements that the player can accomplish by performing certain tasks such as blowing up cars in a level, jumping from a certain height, or killing enemies while crouching. A player receives XP (Experience) for accomplishing these tasks. Ranking up allows players to unlock different challenge types and upgrades for their weapons. Players still get XP even if they (or their team) lose, allowing them to still rank up.

By completing all optional challenges for the primary weapon's class (MP5, P90 and all other available submachine guns), the player unlocks gold camouflage for a certain weapon in that class. Though the gold variants do not differ in performance, they remain highly sought after for their rarity and visual appeal.[13][14][15]

Patches

On December 19, 2007, Infinity Ward released a patch for the Windows version of the game to upgrade to version 1.4. The patch improves mod support and the server browser, fixes bullet accuracy, adds a Christmas-themed version of the multiplayer map Crash, and fixes ban lists on servers. In the connect screen, Mods will be identified as "Mod: [mod name]" and the patch fixes an issue where the map loading screen would reload several times after connecting to a modded server. The mod.ff file was modified to allow easier adding of game modes, and the patch fixed an issue with http redirect downloads.[16]

Patches have also been announced for console versions of the game, the release date of these patches is not yet known. However, on December 18th, 2007, game modes were unexpectedly revised for the XBOX 360 (Team Objective was removed, Cage Match has been revised to standard play style, and Team Hardcore was split, and "Mercenary Team Deathmatch", an all new game mode, was added, etc). On January 9th, 2008 the same changes were made to the PS3 version.

Downloadable Content

On February 4, 2008, Activision sent out a press release stating that new multiplayer maps would be made available to the Playstation Network and the Xbox Live Marketplace in Spring. No further details were provided.[17][18]

Game engine

File:Cod4 game engine.jpg
An example of the lighting, shadows, and weather effects in the game's single-player mode.

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 from as wooden fences, thin walls, and such does not fully shield players from harm like it does in other games released around the same time. Bullet speed and stopping power are 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 dynamic physics engine, which was not implemented in previous Call of Duty titles for Windows. Death animations are a combination of pre-set animations and ragdoll physics. Some mistook the game's graphics to be DirectX 10 based[citation needed], but it is stated that the graphics use DirectX 9. All console versions of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare run at a consistent 60 fps.[19]

Pre-release marketing

Charlie Oscar Delta

On April 27, 2007,[20] the day before the release of the official trailer, Infinity Ward released the website www.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).

Trailers

The first Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer featuring 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, as one nation, we shall rise in face of treachery and occupation." One hears the statements "Enemy Forces Sighted" and "American Forces Nearby", spoken in Arabic. A final voice at the end speaks the Russian translation of a quote by Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War: "Всякая война враньё" (Every war is a lie).

During E3 a trailer featuring actual gameplay footage was released. Starting in Prypiat, Chernobyl's Zone of Alienation, the voice of an SAS operative (MacMillan) is heard saying: "50,000 people used to live here, now it's a ghost town…" The voice then changes to Zakhaev's monologue in which he states: "Our so called leaders prostituted us to the West, destroyed our culture, our economies, our honor…" It then changes to Middle East, depicting a combat sequence. In the background, a woman's voice reading the news is heard saying: "…US Marines, stationed on high alert, were given the order to invade the small…" (apparently the country in which Al-Asad has organized the coup). It shows an execution of several civilians from the perspective of a driving car. It then cuts back to Zakhaev's monologue: "just as they lay waste to our country, we shall lay waste to theirs.", and shows buildings being destroyed as a result of a nuclear detonation. Then it cuts to an unknown person saying "You think this will stop the bloodshed?" and then an ICBM launch is shown, and a voice in Russian finishes, "Вы все всё равно скоро сдохнете", which translates as "You will all soon die anyway."

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.

Max rank for the beta was initially level 21, which was increased to level 25 towards the end of the beta. Three multiplayer maps were available for play: Crash, Vacant, and Overgrown.[21]

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, and is now available for free download. It is approximately 1.37GB. The demo includes one level, "The Bog", which showcases the advanced night vision (and associated graphics capabilities) used in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.[22]


Reception

Call of Duty 4 has received highly positive reviews. Official PlayStation Magazine U.K gave the game a perfect 10 out of 10.[23] 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 PS3, PC, and 360 in both the bottom line and second opinion.[24] 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.[25] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare holds a score of 9.0 on GameSpot, with the only major flaw being a short single player campaign.[26] 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."[27] GamingShogun gave Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare a 9.5 out of 10 and called it "an 'interactive movie' that pulls you into it's story and takes you on an adrenaline-filled roller coaster ride until it's finished."[28]

Currently, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 holds an aggregate score of 94.3% on Gamerankings, while the PC version holds a score of 93.2%.[29][30]

Awards

E3 2007

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare won "Best Action game" from Gamecritics for the E3 2007 awards. Gamespot gave the game "Best Graphics" and "Best Shooter". Gametrailers gave it "Best Graphics" and "Best PS3 Game" awards, and nominated the game for "Best First Person Shooter" and "Best Trailer".[31][32][33] Gamepro awarded it "Best Overall Game of the Year."[34]

Post E3

Call of Duty 4 won many "Best of 2007" awards. Among them are IGN's for "Best Xbox 360 Game" and "Best Shooter of 2007",[35][36][37] GameSpy's for PS3, Xbox 360, PS3 and Overall "Game of the Year",[38][39][40][41] GameSpot's for Best Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 Game and Game of the Year,[42][43] X-Play's for Best Shooter and Best Sound Design[44] and the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards for "Best Shooter" and "Best Military Game".[45]

Music and soundtrack

The music for COD4:MW was composed by British composer Stephen Barton (best known for contributing additional music to films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams). Gregson-Williams also composed some additional music for COD4:MW, as well as the main theme. There are a few selected music tracks from the soundtrack available on Infinity Ward's 7 Days of Modern Warfare website, with additional tracks available at Barton's own web site, www.after-light.com.

References

  1. ^ "activision Convention". {{cite web}}: Text "date" ignored (help)
  2. ^ http://www.mcvuk.com/news/28393/Tony-Hawks-and-COD4-dated
  3. ^ http://www.aspyr.com/software/news/88/194
  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. ^ http://www.macworld.com/article/131578/2008/01/cod4.html
  8. ^ http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/4861/fprestigesme629895jz6.jpg
  9. ^ Game Head video
  10. ^ http://www.cbwgaming.com/index.php?pg=games&action=view&id=45
  11. ^ http://www.cbwgaming.com/index.php?pg=games&action=view&id=45
  12. ^ http://www.cbwgaming.com/index.php?pg=games&action=view&id=48
  13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmLDHHg8wbg&feature=related
  14. ^ http://www.depl0y.com/cod-4-mw-unlock-list
  15. ^ http://www.cbwgaming.com/index.php?pg=games&action=view&id=41
  16. ^ http://www.infinityward.com/modernwarfare/patch/
  17. ^ "New Call of Duty 4 DLC to release this Spring". 2008-02-04. Retrieved 2008-02-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "New Call of Duty 4 DLC to release this Spring". 2008-02-04. Retrieved 2008-02-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/796/796451p2.html
  20. ^ "Welcome to Charlie Oscar Delta!". Retrieved 2007-10-15.
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