Dunno know about you but we're pretty much done with WWII shooters for the time being. Seen them, played them, got the fatigues.
The latest version of Medal of Honor stuck to its WWII roots and suffered as a result. We'd say the same about Call of Duty, only with this version developers Infinity Ward have dropped the world war setting and brought the action bang up to date.
It seems they jumped ship at just the right time, although this game is going to have to be pretty special to knock Halo 3 off our gaming perch.
They say:
Gamespot: “The quality of the content in the campaign is totally top shelf, and the multiplayer is some of the best around, making this a truly superb package.”
Eurogamer: “This a huge return to form for the Call of Duty series and for war based FPS titles in general.”
IGN: “The single player experience is easily Infinity Ward's best work to date. Calling it intense may be an understatement.”
We say:
CoD4 deserves awards in spades. The first we’d hand out is for the most stunning opening level of the year so far.
As the daftly named ‘Soap’, a recent graduate to the SAS, you’re part of a team that attacks a huge ship while a brutal storm whips up around you. Not only is it visually incredible, but there’s more action packed moments in these fifteen minutes than there are in entire games.
With the story flicking between both the SAS and US Marines, CoD4 plays on our political fears. One minute you’ll be pushing your way through a Middle Eastern setting, the next you’ll be raiding farmhouses crammed to the brim with pesky nuclear weapon clad Ruskies.
You'll feel an attachment to your squad right from the off. Ignore the constant hollers and whoops of the Marines and you’ll hear some first rate voice work that really sets the scene. No dodgy Dick Van Dyke accents here.
Little has changed on the gameplay front. An icon shows where you need to blast your way to next – it seems simple enough but getting there is the hard and thrilling part.
CoD4's big leap forward is with AI. Your squad and the mass of enemies surrounding you are stunningly intelligent, with both firmly eager to keep a grip on life. There’s no casual wandering in front of your aimed weapon here.
One major addition to the series, and the genre as a whole, is the ability to shoot through some of the flimsy cover your enemies will duck behind. Where before a cardboard box seemed to have super strength, here your bullets will pass through unharmed and hit your intended target. This makes a world of difference – less waiting for the baddies to periodically pop their heads up from behind a piece of cover, more head scratching about what you can shoot through.
The excitement levels are off the scale too. Barely a minute goes by without some kind of hectic firefight or stunning piece of combat that simply takes your breath away. Chances are you’ll find yourself panting like a dog once you’ve switched this one off. It’s tiring even to watch, never mind play.
This quality doesn’t last long though, more’s the pity. The single player mode will take you a mere six hours, but we prefer that to it being padded out with hours of dull travelling. While CoD4 only represents a long Sunday afternoon’s gaming, it’s edge of your seat stuff all the way.
While the single player is short, the online multiplayer will devour months of your time. Up to 18 players can play on each of the 16 available maps, with wildly differing modes available to enjoy. As long as you can get some chums on board for a game, some of the objective orientated multiplayer modes are an absolute joy and easily as addictive as Halo 3s online modes. Yep, even as good as that much loved title.
And the looks, oh my the looks. To see CoD4 on a HDTV demonstrates the potential of this round of consoles. There just aren’t enough superlatives in the English language available to describe just how gorgeous this looks.
There’s no real way to end this than simply say, buy it. Buy it now.
Like this? Try these:
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 – PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, PC
Halo 3 – Xbox 360
Quake Wars - PC
FORMAT REVIEWED
Xbox 360
OTHER FORMATS
PS3, PS, /PC
POSTED...
Tue 13 Nov 2007 at 8:33am
