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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare pc Game Reviews
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Critic Score
Metascore: 92 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.8 out of 10
based on 40 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 572 votes
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Rate this game

As Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's single player campaign unfolds, the player is introduced to new gameplay at every turn – one moment you are fast-roping from your Black Hawk helicopter after storming into the war zone with an armada of choppers, the next you are a sniper, under concealment, in a Ghillie suit miles behind enemy lines, the next you are engaging hostiles from an AC-130 gunship thousands of feet above the battlefield. Mixed with explosive action, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare also delivers special effects, including use of depth of field, rim-lighting, character self-shadowing, real time post-processing, texture streaming as well as physics-enabled effects. Infinity Ward deployed a dedicated team from the start to deliver a new level of depth to multiplayer. Building on the hit "Call of Duty 2" online experience, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's new multiplayer provides the community an addictive and accessible experience to gamers of all levels. [Activision]

PUBLISHER: Activision
DEVELOPER: Infinity Ward
GENRE(S): First-Person Shooter
PLAYERS: 32
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: November 5, 2007

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Game Informer
Start to finish, online or off, Call of Duty 4 is solid gold. Some might decry the single-player’s short length or that it’s more of the same, but its amazing quality and the Arcade mode...more than make up for it. Infinity Ward has delivered on every front, and there is no question in my mind that this is the best action shooter that I have ever played.
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100
GameSpy
While the single-player campaign is outstanding in its own right, Call of Duty 4 contains one of the most addictive multiplayer modes we've ever played in a shooter.
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100
PGNx Media
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare shows that you don’t have to revolutionize a series to invigorate it. The move to modern warfare has enabled Infinity Ward to deliver the most frantic, chaotic shooter ever.
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100
Gaming Age
Unless you absolutely have to have control over your teammates in the single player campaign, Call of Duty 4 really does have it all. It's epic, very difficult at higher levels and offers stunning visuals. Online, the ranking system is just as, if not more addictive than Halo 3's, and custom classes and abilities add another layer to each match.
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98
Game Almighty
Every objective feels fresh, and enjoyably chaotic, because more than anything, Modern Warfare illustrates the constant state of FUBAR that war often is.
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96
IC-Games
For once a title has exceeded our expectations and some. It all goes without saying that if you want the best Call of Duty experience to date look no further than the forth in the illustrious series, it’s quite simply a corker.
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96
Cheat Code Central
An intense gaming experience from start to finish. The story is conveyed much better than the average FPS, the gameplay is varied enough to stay fresh, the graphics and sound both deliver, and the multiplayer is addictive.
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96
GamingExcellence
As far as first-person shooters go, this is one of the best on the market, and is something anyone that’s sure to interest anyone who has dabbled in the genre.
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96
Gamers' Temple
Come for the engrossing single player campaign, stay for the addicting multiplayer.
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96
Worth Playing
With the possible exception of Crysis, CoD4 is the best-looking online shooter ever made, and fans of online shooters will absolutely adore this release.
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96
Game Over Online
Seldom do games combine top notch single player and multiplayer experiences, but truly Call of Duty 4 has done just that.
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95
GamerNode
Call of Duty 4 offers an excellent gaming package with a thrilling campaign and addicting multiplayer action. It contains everything you would want in a FPS, and the game doesn't lack any polish, either.
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95
Armchair Empire
All in all, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was one of the best FPS games that I’ve played in the last 5 years and hope that the designers can be enticed into additional single player campaigns or a quick release of the next game if not.
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95
GameZone
A completely intense thrill-ride from start to finish, Call of Duty 4 grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go.
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95
2404.org
It's easily the best single-player campaign in the series.
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94
IGN
Though the single-player lacks length, the multiplayer should keep you invested in COD4 for the long winter. This is a truly fantastic multiplayer offering that's as deep as any other online game available.
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94
GameTrailers
It’s absolutely relentless in its assault on the senses and never lets up until the last trigger has been squeezed. The multiplayer is even better, with the perks and weapon upgrades acting as a balance to the lack of vehicles.
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94
Game Chronicles
Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat is easily the best game in the history of the franchise, at least from a technical standpoint. I didn’t find it nearly as immersive or personally rewarding as I did the previous WWII games where I actually came away having learned something, but that is the risk you take when you abandon history and delve into fiction.
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93
Computer Games Online RO
Call of Duty 4 is a undoubtedly an important mark in the history of this genre and it will take something special in the future to compete with the powerful impression it makes on every player that comes into contact with it.
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93
Jolt Online Gaming UK
To experience it is to experience a conflicting mixture of belief and disbelief: belief at the immersive scenarios, rich detail and convincing acting, and disbelief at the jaw-dropping set pieces and hammer-to-the-head storytelling.
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93
YouGamers
Call of Duty 4 is a great online shooter, and welcome competition to both Counter-Strike: Source and Battlefield 2. The single player campaign is everything you can expect from a Call of Duty game and then some.
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92
GamingTrend
While some developers develop for the console platforms and then hand off their PC port to other people, Infinity Ward holds onto their PC roots by handling this title personally. The result is a PC version that is as solid as its console counterparts, and we the gamer reap the benefits no matter which platform we choose.
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92
Gamer 2.0
It’s the best Call of Duty game so far and hopefully will spark other developers to follow suit by breaking out of the redundant World War II genre. It doesn’t matter what platform you get Call of Duty 4, all that matters is it deserves a spot in any action fan’s collection.
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92
ActionTrip
While many other games try for a Hollywood block-buster feel, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare pulls it off like no one else ever has and does so in great fashion.
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91
GameStar
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare may be relatively short with just six to seven hours playing time, but thanks to the brilliant staging those hours are the most impressive ones we've experienced with any action game yet.
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91
PC Gamer
Call of Duty 4 is an exciting shooter package that represents the best of last-generation gameplay. [Jan 2008, p.70]
90
PC PowerPlay
It shows how a development team can tackle a new era with the techniques they’ve refined over the years, and rather than lose what made the originals so great, actually improve. [Jan 2008, p.47]
90
PC Format
A brilliant reinvention that may stick to First Person Shooter convention, but applies cutting-edge production values. [Jan 2008, p.58]
90
Gamers Europe
Call of Duty 4 is stunning. It has some of the best set pieces I have ever seen and gunplay that’s only rivaled by Crysis. A wealth of multiplayer options and an amusing arcade mode make this an almost flawless package.
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90
FiringSquad
If Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare had a longer single player campaign our score would have been even higher. As it stands Infinity Ward's latest game still is worth the money to buy and experience for yourself.
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90
Gaming Nexus
Call of Duty 4 is a complete package that does everything well. From the intense single player campaign to the fun multiplayer options, the game's got it all.
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90
Thunderbolt
The intense and difficult experience should be played by anyone who enjoys a good story. Even with an anemic singleplayer offering, the full game is worth a purchase for the multiplayer experience.
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90
GameSpot
The single-player campaign is over in a flash, but the high quality of that campaign and its terrific multiplayer options make Call of Duty 4 a fantastic package.
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90
VideoGamer
CoD4 has all the terrorist activity you'd want, evil leaders, dramatic encounters and plenty of stunning scripted moments that will make your jaw hit the floor.
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90
GameDaily
With superb graphics, excellent characters and superb multiplayer options, there's very little that Modern Warfare doesn't deliver.
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89
PC Zone UK
Call of Duty 4 is just like every other Call of Duty game, but in a radically different setting, and with an ounce of clever-dust sprinkled on top.
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87
Pelit (Finland)
Moving the series to the present day was the right move but the structure of the single player game should also have been updated. Barging from one invincible checkpoint to the next throughout the whole campaign just isn’t good enough anymore. Still the 5 hours it takes to finish the game are intense and fun. The multiplayer part is a whole ‘nother ballgame. It’s fast and furious and the new weapons and skills that you’ll unlock by increasing your rank keep you addicted. [Dec 2007]
85
PC Gamer UK
A beautifully crafted first-person shooter, but without a compelling context. How much does that matter? To me, a little. Not a lot, but it nags. [Dec 2007, p.73]
84
My Gamer
Call of Duty 4 is a solid game that is easy to get into, but has enough content that most gamers will be able to find a lasting appeal for several months in the multiplayer arenas.
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80
1UP
Infinity Ward has mastered a formula of its own making for both single- and multiplayer combat; Call of Duty 4 is louder, better looking, and more chaotic than ever. But it's certainly a formula, one that becomes more transparent with each version.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 572 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ultimate d00mbringer gave it a10:
Anybody who says anything negative about this game simply doesn't like FPS games, period. If they did, they wouldn't be whining like little girls about what they don't like. Most likely they didn't buy the game, they played it on someone else's machine and got their ass whooped and ran home crying.

dan m gave it a10:
The most kickass shooter ever made, PERIOD. This game is fucking perfect. It is so welcoming to skilled tactics and character design it blows my mind. Definitely a must get for any experienced FPS player. Not only is the multi-player unbelievable, the single player mode actually MAKES YOU BETTER at online gameplay. I beat it on veteran, and i subsequently went on to kick every ass that ever played this game. If you are good enough, you can practically become unkillable.

Andrew M gave it a10:
This game is amazing, despite what the moron under me spews on about with circular logic in poor English ("An integrated wallhack. To be honest, this does the gameplay more bad than good, simply because it only does bad and no good at all." - SJT-Ruler* Great! Glad you could back up your own reasoning and not sound like an unreliable failure as a reviewer.) Anywho, this game deserves a 9, but due to his stupidity I bumped it up a notch. Its single player is short and didn't really captivate me enough for a second run through after my first. That's fine, though, as I've come across less than a handful of singleplayer games in mygaming run that have felt rewarding at the finish. The multiplayer, however, is a gift from Infinity Ward to the soul (MY soul, at least). With so much depth and so many weapons/playstyles/gametypes to choose from, it has quenched my online thirst for owning n00bs (such as this idiot below me) since release day. A definite must have for anyone considering themselves a pc gamer, casual or otherwise.

SJT-Ruler * gave it a0:
So, since I played CoD1, it's expansion and CoD2, I did want to know how CoD4 was like. At first, I have to inform you that I was disappointed about Call of Duty 2, the story made even less sense and it was the same basic gameplay. It was still fun, but it had no new gameplay whatsoever. So, then came CoD4. To begin with, I don't give anything about the setting, if it's WW2 or Modern, I don't care. As long as the game is fine, the setting is fine. So, singleplayer. It's what we all have been used to by now, it's just CoD2. With respawning enemies and, this time different weapons. It's the same thing, go to objective this, objective that, just beat all the respawning enemies and we love you. That's what the game tells you in singleplayer. The graphics, poor. I remember gameplay trailers from Call of Duty 3, that game had an overdosis of lightning. Everything was glowing, everything. Just, really annoying. CoD4 took this to the next level and made this glow EVEN WORSE. At first, you may think that this looks great, but walk up to random people or walls. You will notice that the textures are just extremely low resolution textures, even Call of Duty (1) looks better than that! They simply used light effects to distract the player from the poor textures. Not to mention, this game itself is a bit poor and suspicious, an American anti-terrorism shooter in the age of the war against Iraq? Yes, you see where I'm going with this. Anyway, multiplayer. Just boring. Just singleplayer, but then with perks and rankings. We've never seen rankings in a game before, have we? Also, there is basically ONE new thing about the gameplay. An integrated wallhack. To be honest, this does the gameplay much more bad than good, simply because it only does bad and no good at all. You can shoot through walls, if you are a gamer you know this is hell for everyone. The noobs will enjoy it, real gamers don't. In the end, CoD4 equals CoD2, but now it also got rankings and an integrated wallhack. POOR EFFORT! People that buy this, are just so stupid. It's basically CoD2 in a different setting, even a mod for CoD2 would've been more enjoyable. And you ALL have been tricked in buying it. Well, Activision, IW, too bad. This game is the biggest failure in the history of gaming in a long time!

Brian M. gave it a10:
Best FPS I've played. Single player is a great thrill ride all the way through. The ability to customize multi player allows for server types for everyone from run and gun lovers to a hardcore tactical experience where one bullet is usually death.

Gordon M. gave it a10:
While not exhibiting the same level of "immersion" as the other of its series, COD 4 is still an excellent game, at least in singleplayer. The bots, dispite what many say, are NOT infinite (if you don't have the patience to sit out the bots and acutally kill them all before rushing foward, you can go back to Halo), and they are far easier to kill with the sights. Proof of this would become evident if critics had bothered playing on "Veteran" rather than sobbing about a lack of realism - most of the bots use sights, and amazingly, they are far more accurate while doing so. Linear gameplay isn't necessarily a bad thing, and those trumpeting its problems really ought to go and design a game without linear gameplay and yet a good story and wide appeal. Half Life 2 was linear, Crysis Warhead was more or less linear, Doom and F.E.A.R were linear, and yet people insist on instantly branding a product "linear" when they haven't even enough experience to say that it's a negative! COD4 was linear, but that only fits in with the previous COD and COD 2, which were both linear, and anyone expecting non-linear gameplay COD 4 should have perhaps bought Barbie Horse Adventures instead.

Jusitin E. gave it a1:
Not what I had expected. Short, refurbished campign, amazingly smaller maps, lopsided teams for mp, takes "run and gun" to the next level. Its just a refurbished call of duty 2 with disguiased maps, weps, and levels. Not what i had hoped

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