Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

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.

We've played both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions extensively and have had zero crashes, little to no lag or stuttering, or any other kind of technical issues. The online experience is a testament to IW's high standards of production.

It's so good that it ruins you for other games. Once you've played it you'll be spoiled, expecting everything to be as stylish, immersive and balls-out brilliant as Modern Warfare. Whether you're creeping through a forest at twilight, slotting unsuspecting militia with silenced weapons or pounding war-torn streets as all hell breaks loose around you, it's an experience that never dips below astonishing. [Dec 2007, p.82]

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare shows that you don’t have to revolutionize a series to invigorate it.

With CoD4, developer Infinity Ward throws you into real-world situations, but places the focus on fictional bad guys. [Holiday 2007, p.70]

The singleplayer campaign or the multiplayer options alone would make this essential. But the two together bode for months of enjoyment. [Dec 2007, p.119]

It marries technology with control and keeps giving for weeks if not months after you first pick up the controller. It delivers a powerful single-player experience and an almost impossibly tense, utterly addictive online component and when the two are brought together... well, you're looking at your Game of the Year right here.

The single-player campaign is shorter than other games of its kind — I stomped through it in about 8 hours. But it was so action-packed, I didn’t feel cheated at 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.

A brilliantly crafted single player story coupled with the finest multiplayer action since Warhawk represents astounding value for money.

CoD4 is the best in a long and storied franchise. This is next-gen gaming in every sense of the phrase. This is an excellent game.

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.

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.

Modern Combat is just about as perfect a game as you can get. It falls short of total perfection only because it really doesn’t evolve the FPS genre in any significant way – not that I know what that might be, but I’d know it if I saw it.

Seldom do games combine top notch single player and multiplayer experiences, but truly Call of Duty 4 has done just that.

With proven mechanics, brilliant visuals and sound, a satisfying campaign, and robust multiplayer, COD4 is one of the best FPS packages of the year -- no small feat, considering the competition.

A serious contender for Game of the Year with it's exceptional single player experience and solid multiplayer backbone.

Even with a disappointingly short campaign CoD 4 is a must own for fans of the genre, I know it seems like there have been a million FPS game released in the last three months, but this is yet again another must have. The highly addictive online mode is the first game that I could see knocking Halo 3 off its pedestal as well as becoming a staple for future online games.

The natural evolution of Infinity Ward’s franchise is the best action game of the year, thanks to all the tension and cinematic feel of the single player campaign, alongside one of the most addictive multiplayer experiences on consoles. Highly recommended, even if you’re not an FPS fan. [Dec 2007]

Call of Duty 4 is the whole package – both a spectacular single-player campaign and one of the best multiplayer modes I’ve ever encountered in a FPS. It’s got some of the best graphics ever to appear in a videogame, some of the best sound and voice acting, wonderful controls, and plenty of variety to keep the interest up and adrenaline flowing.

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.

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.

Bottom-line, Call of Duty 4 delivers. It is the very pinnacle of first-person shooters. Unlike another mega-popular first person shooter franchise, Call of Duty 4 keeps the redundancy and repetition to a bare minimum through the single-player campaign.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is first and foremost an experience, an experience of real combat presented with the cinematic qualities of top Hollywood films.

A triumph of set-piece design, special effects and impeccable FPS action. Mindblowing. [Christmas 2007, p.56]

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.

Quite simply, this is the best war shooter of the year. [Christmas 2007, p.64]

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.

I’m sure that it took a lot of convincing to get Activision to sign off on moving to a modern setting instead of the wildly successful World War II model that has performed so well since the game’s inception, but it has paid off in spades.

Add to that the experience and reward system, 16 maps out of the box, and the party system, and COD4 delivers a knockout one-two single and multiplayer shooter punch. [Holiday 2007, p.71]

The long and short of it is that COD4 is both short and long: short in its refreshing single-player campaign, long in its deep multiplayer value. That the shortcomings of each should be the strong points of the other averts disaster on both fronts.

COD4 grips the imagination and finds a way to impact the player's emotions. And though we've seen a ton of games on similar subject matter, COD4 distinguishes itself with a washed-out gritty look and profound attention to detail. That same level of detail carries over to the online campaigns, which are just as vast and in-depth as anything found in the single player missions. From beginning to end--especially the end--COD4 is an amazing immersive experience.

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.

Although a new setting, Call of Duty 4 is everything we've come to love about the series and continues its tradition of stunning visuals and thrilling gameplay. The single-player is short but the Arcade game mode and brilliant online multiplayer combine to create one of the games of the year.

It's a big-budget, beautifully crafted slice of next-gen promise kept; on many levels it's one of the best first person shooters released in a year of strong rivals, and perhaps even the best PlayStation 3 game released so far.

Visually, kinetically and intuitively, however, Modern Warfare is relentlessly exciting and an overwhelming triumph. [Christmas 2007, p.88]

One of the most polished FPS titles I've ever played, it does not redefine the genre but simply shows others how it should be done. An immersive storyline captures the imagination but falls down by being too short.

Intense, gorgeous and with a well-plotted original story, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare should be atop everyone's list of first-person shooters this year.

It's a title that has brought the series into the modern day in every sense and is bound to have a dramatic effect on the next generation of console skirmishes. In videogame terms CoD 4 really does rewrite the old book on war.

Edge of your seat intensity, realistic weapons and campaigns make this one of the best first-person shooters of the decade.

It's no revolution, but astounding twists and creative set pieces prove it's a quality purchase. [Issue#160, p.76]

With great graphics, a good story, and wonderful sound Call of Duty 4 is a solid game for any shooter fan.