"Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) is a first person shooter (FPS), developed by Infinity Ward. This game is the 4th installment of the Call of Duty series, which sees Infinity Ward break away from the played out World War II setting of the older Call of Duty games and into a modern day scenario.

Graphics and Presentation

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is based in a fictional near future, where a radical leader has staged a coup in the Middle East, and an 'Ultra Nationalist' movement has instigated a civil war in Russia.

Infinity Ward have excelled with the graphics on this title, winning Best Game of the Year Award 2007. I found myself being drawn into the cinematic intensity of Call of Duty 4. From the opening level aboard a rolling, sinking ship, to the final, emotionally satisfying scene of the single player game. One thought kept re-occurring in my mind as I played, thinking that I hadn't seen this kind of detail in a game before, with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare blitzing previous Call of Duty titles on this front.

The environmental detail and thousands of little graphical brush-ups make the game come alive. Moths dance around street lights, shreds of paper and ash float through the air, heat waves roll after every round of rocket fire; the characters and weapons are also fluidly animated and rendered which is quite astounding and gives a really realistic feel to the game, something you can feel that Infinity Ward must have worked really hard upon.

Sound

The sound in this game is just as stunning as the visuals, it is obvious that just as much attention to detail was paid here. Weapon sounds are varied and effective. The sounds of the battlefield are awesome and scarily life-like. Anybody who has played a game similar to this before will know what I'm talking about – hearing a grenade bounce right behind your character always gives me quite a shock and an adrenaline boost.

The soundtrack really helps to raise the emotional pitch of a scene, and once again the voice casting is spot-on; if you've never played the Call of Duty series before, just think something along the lines of Saving Private Ryan all over again. Lastly it's worth mentioning that f you have a good sound set-up, this will increase the gaming experience just that little bit more!

Gameplay

Switching characters between a US Marine and a British SAS Commando, your task is to infiltrate enemy lines making your way to set objectives, but getting to these objectives is never that simple! You'll be conducting full scale assaults, taking out what seems like a never-ending wave of enemy troops along the way. Truthfully, there are plenty of jaw dropping moments where you'll look around the room for someone to whom you can say, "I can't believe that just happened!"

The campaign overall is quite short but makes up for it's shortness with the quality of the missions and the gameplay. But what I haven't touched on and what is Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare's "pièce de résistance" is its online multi-player which is unparalleled and where this title really comes to life! Up to 18 players can get online and get into a game on one of 16 different maps; with many of these levels  taken from portions of the single-player, a healthy mix of different environments is offered, from the ruins of inner city settlements to more rural land.

The multi-player has a ranking system and traits, called perks. You gain points from getting kills, capturing flags and planting bombs. Through ranking up you unlock new weapons, weapon attachments, weapon camouflage, grenades, and more. Eventually you unlock five customisable classes, letting you pick your own main weapon, your sidearm, attachments for both guns, what type of grenades you want to carry and three perks. The Perks are split into three groups to keep things balanced, and as you continue to level up, you'll unlock additional perks. These traits are one of the games forte's and helps to set Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare apart from the pack.

Coupled with the brilliant party system that allows you and your friends to all party up into one lobby... and fight as a team sometimes securing objectives but most of the time slaying the enemy! There is another whole emphasis on team-work in this title, where communication and working together can often mean that toppling your opposition becomes a lot easier.

Closing Comments

Overall if you like first person shooters, you will love this; it's one of those games that always leaves you wanting more. Not much more I can say apart from that this game should be in every Xbox 360 owners' collection.

Also available Modern Warfare 2 PRESTIGE EDITION Xbox 360 at GAMES Basement

Andrew Jolly