Calling Call of Duty 4 a big sales success is much like calling Hoover Dam a “big power plant”: true statements, but somehow they fail to convey the proper sense of magnitude. CoD 4 dominated the November and December 2007 sales charts, eclipsing other hugely hyped titles like Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero III and Halo 3. For the sake of all those gamers who shelled out cash (or had family or friends shell it out for them) for this title ahead of all the other great games out there at the same time, you would hope that CoD 4 would be something really special. Fortunately, for the most part CoD 4 lives up to the hype and expectations.
Unlike the previous games in the series, CoD 4 is set in modern times and not World War II. The plot is of the “ripped from the headlines” variety, with an anti-American revolutionary taking power in an unidentified Middle Eastern country through a violent coup. The U.S. will not stand for this, and invades the country seeking regime change (to use the current term of art).
You play as three characters during the course of the game, two Americans and one Brit. There are no living legends a la Master Chief in this group, just enlisted troops taking orders like everyone else. This gives the game a much different feel than the “hero”-style shooters out there. You definitely get the sense that you are one man dropped in the middle of chaos, and that venturing too far from your squad (read: other targets for the bad guys) is a terrible idea. This is not a squad-based shooter, in the sense that you have no ability to issue commands to your teammates, but the team dynamic still strongly influences both the gameplay and the nature of the mission objectives.
Unfortunately, while your teammates are useful as AK-47 fodder, they really do not do much to help you progress in the game. The reason for this constitutes my primary criticism about the game: endlessly respawning enemies. Every enemy you or your teammates take out will soon be replaced by another enemy as long as you stay in one place. For that matter, any teammates the enemy takes out will also soon be replaced. This creates an effect much like the shootouts in old movie westerns, where the good guys and bad guys keep firing at each other, with nothing really changing. The game makes you play the way it wants you to play, with little freedom to go outside the defined boundaries of gameplay. Want to pick off enemies from a distance before moving forward? Tough, they will respawn faster than you can kill them. This is especially apparent on Veteran difficulty mode. You can spend all day shooting at enemies camped out in a building, but if you move ten feet forward to the predesignated “next event,” the enemies will suddenly “retreat.” Progressing in the game, especially on Veteran difficulty, becomes a matter of learning where the event triggers are, and moving to them as quickly as possible without getting killed.
That said, the game is still a marvelous experience, especially the first time through, even more so on Normal difficulty (which hides the game’s artifices much better than higher difficulties). The quality of the missions truly stands out. While most are of the “run to a firefight and shoot the enemies” type, these are nonetheless exciting and challenging. The action takes place in two general locales. The American missions take place in the Middle Eastern country, while the British missions principally take place in former southern Soviet republics (for reasons eventually related to the plot, but not immediately apparent at first). The variant levels, though, are the stars of the game. There is a level where you are the gunner on an AC chopper, viewing the action on a black and white monitor. Though this is the easiest level in the game (I cleared it in one try on Veteran), the experience of delivering death from above while the pilot calmly points out targets and makes dry jokes about good shots is unlike any I have ever had in a video game. Another level has you and your commanding officer dressed in “Ghillie” camouflage outfits sneaking through enemy territory, quietly taking out targets on your way to assassinate an enemy leader. The gameplay, combined with the awesome Scottish accent of your CO, makes this very memorable.
A first-person shooter needs a good arsenal, and CoD4 delivers here as well. The weapons feel very different, and there is a solid variety of them. The controller rumbles significantly with each shot you fire, adding to the realism and giving the game a more grounded feel than other, more fantasy-based shooters. Unlike many first-person shooters, your melee attack is both useful and powerful. It is an instant kill if you can get close enough to someone to use it (easier said than done). Like the Halo series, you can only carry two weapons, so choosing wisely is important.
The graphics are simply amazing. While the game may not be pretty given the locales involved (a lot of brown in the color palette), the graphics are nearly photorealistic, especially on an HDTV. The character models have no stray geometry poking out, and animate wonderfully. This is the perfect game to demonstrate the power of next-generation technology to friends.
The game sounds great, too. A good surround-sound system will be put to good use by this game. The voice acting is stellar, and adds significantly to the realism. There is occasionally music in the game, but mostly the sound is gunfire, explosions and shouting from squadmates and enemies. Fortunately, these are very well-done and create the proper atmosphere of chaos and mayhem.
I can’t finish a review like this without giving a warning about the game’s politics. Whether intended or not, the game plays like a neoconservative fantasy. “The terrorists are on the move, and they might have nukes! Only the freedom-loving people of the West can stop them!” In this case, the terrorists indeed have nukes, and actually use them (instead of using them for leverage, which is what happens in the real world). The enemies are given no motivation except love of destruction and hatred of the West. For example, a group of Russian ultranationalists you engage are randomly killing villagers as you arrive on the scene. Why? No explanation is given. A terrorist suspect is tortured by his interrogator, and this actually yields vital information. I’m not saying these elements have not been in other games, but the game’s modern setting really makes these plot devices stand out. I did not factor this into my review score, but I did groan at various points in the game.
Despite the flaws I’ve mentioned, I can give this game my unqualified recommendation. Call of Duty 4 was one of the best games of 2007, and is well worth a purchase.
Graphics: 10/10 – Best of this generation so far.
Sound: 8/10 – Great voice acting and sound effects.
Story: 7/10 – Too much flag-waving, but still engrossing.
Gameplay: 9/10 – I hate the respawning enemies, but the shooting and mission quality is unsurpassed.
Overall: 9/10
Unlike the previous games in the series, CoD 4 is set in modern times and not World War II. The plot is of the “ripped from the headlines” variety, with an anti-American revolutionary taking power in an unidentified Middle Eastern country through a violent coup. The U.S. will not stand for this, and invades the country seeking regime change (to use the current term of art).
You play as three characters during the course of the game, two Americans and one Brit. There are no living legends a la Master Chief in this group, just enlisted troops taking orders like everyone else. This gives the game a much different feel than the “hero”-style shooters out there. You definitely get the sense that you are one man dropped in the middle of chaos, and that venturing too far from your squad (read: other targets for the bad guys) is a terrible idea. This is not a squad-based shooter, in the sense that you have no ability to issue commands to your teammates, but the team dynamic still strongly influences both the gameplay and the nature of the mission objectives.
Unfortunately, while your teammates are useful as AK-47 fodder, they really do not do much to help you progress in the game. The reason for this constitutes my primary criticism about the game: endlessly respawning enemies. Every enemy you or your teammates take out will soon be replaced by another enemy as long as you stay in one place. For that matter, any teammates the enemy takes out will also soon be replaced. This creates an effect much like the shootouts in old movie westerns, where the good guys and bad guys keep firing at each other, with nothing really changing. The game makes you play the way it wants you to play, with little freedom to go outside the defined boundaries of gameplay. Want to pick off enemies from a distance before moving forward? Tough, they will respawn faster than you can kill them. This is especially apparent on Veteran difficulty mode. You can spend all day shooting at enemies camped out in a building, but if you move ten feet forward to the predesignated “next event,” the enemies will suddenly “retreat.” Progressing in the game, especially on Veteran difficulty, becomes a matter of learning where the event triggers are, and moving to them as quickly as possible without getting killed.
That said, the game is still a marvelous experience, especially the first time through, even more so on Normal difficulty (which hides the game’s artifices much better than higher difficulties). The quality of the missions truly stands out. While most are of the “run to a firefight and shoot the enemies” type, these are nonetheless exciting and challenging. The action takes place in two general locales. The American missions take place in the Middle Eastern country, while the British missions principally take place in former southern Soviet republics (for reasons eventually related to the plot, but not immediately apparent at first). The variant levels, though, are the stars of the game. There is a level where you are the gunner on an AC chopper, viewing the action on a black and white monitor. Though this is the easiest level in the game (I cleared it in one try on Veteran), the experience of delivering death from above while the pilot calmly points out targets and makes dry jokes about good shots is unlike any I have ever had in a video game. Another level has you and your commanding officer dressed in “Ghillie” camouflage outfits sneaking through enemy territory, quietly taking out targets on your way to assassinate an enemy leader. The gameplay, combined with the awesome Scottish accent of your CO, makes this very memorable.A first-person shooter needs a good arsenal, and CoD4 delivers here as well. The weapons feel very different, and there is a solid variety of them. The controller rumbles significantly with each shot you fire, adding to the realism and giving the game a more grounded feel than other, more fantasy-based shooters. Unlike many first-person shooters, your melee attack is both useful and powerful. It is an instant kill if you can get close enough to someone to use it (easier said than done). Like the Halo series, you can only carry two weapons, so choosing wisely is important.
The graphics are simply amazing. While the game may not be pretty given the locales involved (a lot of brown in the color palette), the graphics are nearly photorealistic, especially on an HDTV. The character models have no stray geometry poking out, and animate wonderfully. This is the perfect game to demonstrate the power of next-generation technology to friends.
The game sounds great, too. A good surround-sound system will be put to good use by this game. The voice acting is stellar, and adds significantly to the realism. There is occasionally music in the game, but mostly the sound is gunfire, explosions and shouting from squadmates and enemies. Fortunately, these are very well-done and create the proper atmosphere of chaos and mayhem.
I can’t finish a review like this without giving a warning about the game’s politics. Whether intended or not, the game plays like a neoconservative fantasy. “The terrorists are on the move, and they might have nukes! Only the freedom-loving people of the West can stop them!” In this case, the terrorists indeed have nukes, and actually use them (instead of using them for leverage, which is what happens in the real world). The enemies are given no motivation except love of destruction and hatred of the West. For example, a group of Russian ultranationalists you engage are randomly killing villagers as you arrive on the scene. Why? No explanation is given. A terrorist suspect is tortured by his interrogator, and this actually yields vital information. I’m not saying these elements have not been in other games, but the game’s modern setting really makes these plot devices stand out. I did not factor this into my review score, but I did groan at various points in the game.
Despite the flaws I’ve mentioned, I can give this game my unqualified recommendation. Call of Duty 4 was one of the best games of 2007, and is well worth a purchase.
Graphics: 10/10 – Best of this generation so far.
Sound: 8/10 – Great voice acting and sound effects.
Story: 7/10 – Too much flag-waving, but still engrossing.
Gameplay: 9/10 – I hate the respawning enemies, but the shooting and mission quality is unsurpassed.
Overall: 9/10
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