"Crysis? What's that?"

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise, and I must say, is the best one yet. From personal experience, Call of Duty 4 will get you immersed in a true war-like world with nukes, explosions, lasers, and lots of gunfire. The story will get you involved in this game emotionally as well, as main characters die around you.

Story: 10/10
This is another Call of Duty game, but in modern times and in a completely fictional storyline and plot. The plot and story takes place in modern times, with Zakhaev, a Russian rebel and Nationalist, and Al-Asad, a cruel leader of Middle Eastern Forces and an ally of Zakhaev allying to rule the world as a nuclear power. You, as the player, will play as U.S. Marine Jackson and as S.A.S. operative 'Soap.' You will also be able to play as Captain Price 15 years ago when he was just a Lieutenant. You job is to get rid of Zakhaev and Al-Asad and put an end to their reign on terror. The story works and plays like a movie, and is extremely well thought of with the ending being pretty melancholy.

Gameplay and Controls: 9/10
The gameplay is exactly the same as other Call of Duty games, but what do you expect out of another Call of Duty game? The controls are almost the same, too, and even beginners will find no trouble figuring out the controls as the game immediately sends you into a Tutorial course. You will once again play as several soldiers in a war against terror, but with modern weaponry. The Single Player Campaign can be finished within 10 hours, but is still well worth the experience. The shortness of the campaign is somewhat of a letdown, though. The new weapons work nicely, with even better and more intelligent A.I.. A great difference in Call of Duty 4 from past games is that Multiplayer introduces the use of perks and strategies, along with several bonuses such as Airstrikes for killing 10 people in a row. The player will also be able to customize their own weapon as they begin killing more and more people. Another bonus is the use of Flashbang, Smoke, and Stun Grenades, along with being able to throw back enemy thrown Frag Grenades. Lots of guns (30+) help make this game truly remarkable.

Graphics and Sounds: 9/10
The graphics are some of the... most $%@#ing amazing ever! Sure they may be a little lower than Crysis, but heck, the graphics look great, and the game is amazingly optimized. What most people don't realize is that this game was made with DirectX 9.c and it's graphics are not based on DirectX 10. Explosions, gunfire, and even rocket trails and grass all look awesome and realistic. Shadows and lighting are nicely done, and even the soldier models look great. The sounds are also realistic, albeit sometimes a little mono-toned with some sounds that seem to be just recycled from Call of Duty 2.

Replayability: 10/10
A truly astounding Multiplayer experience, along with hidden surprises in the forms of Enemy Intel in the single player campaign will keep you playing for a long time to come. The Enemy Intel are just Laptops found on levels in the single player campaign that you can use to unlock ingame cheats for single player. And for hardcore fans, playing the game again on a higher difficulty setting such as Veteran will be tough.

Overall: 9/10
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a revolutionary game, with a lot of awards and amazing gameplay and graphics. This is the type of game that all gamers, no matter if they have a PC or a console, will love and love to play. Different difficulty settings and hidden surprises will keep you coming back.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/07

Game Release: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (US, 11/05/07)