Call of Duty 4 for PC, a review by Mattc0m
Gameplay
[rating:10/10]
Some say it’s hard to describe the gameplay of Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat. Not really, it actually controls very similar… to every other Call of Duty game! But how similar is it to Battlefield 2? Or Counter-Strike Source? It’s not! If you want to know how it plays, play Call of Duty, that’s what it’s like. Some people out there…
Call of Duty does what few other games manage to do… create an appealing single-player and multi-player game. Normally, a developer will pick one or the other. Not Infinity Ward, however. They’re shooting to create a top-notch single-player and multi-player shooter, and they’re shooting for the top. And they get damn close.
The campaign hasn’t changed from other Call of Duty games. It’s completely on rails, the action is very scripted, and sometimes it can feel repetitive. But if you don’t get annoyed by that, you’ll completely love the campaign. The action is always in your face, the presentation is incredibly cinematic, and there never seems to be a dull moment. The level design is also very well done, and keeps the action flowing along very smoothly. The environments look stunning, and are diverse enough so you keep going over new ground every new level.
Multiplayer is also stellar. Again, the level design works very well, and creates some very fun matches. A reward system is always unlocking new features for your character and classes. You get access to create a custom class, new perks, new weapon unlocks, new challenges, new weapon skins, and more. The perk system allows you to select a combination of three perks, along with your weapons and grenade type. Put this all together with weapon upgrade, and you can create some very unique and interesting player classes. This system is incredibly well done, and it’s very rewarding to go through the reward system.
One of my favorite pieces of the game is its weaponry. It’s got a great, diverse lineup of weapons, and all of them are great. Few games can make simply shooting a gun seem quite as realistic as Call of Duty 4. The reloading, firing, and all the animations and sounds surrounding the weaponry is spot on, and it really helps the game.
Enemy and ally intelligence acts very intelligent. Most importantly is they act realistically. You’ll remain immersed in the campaign. The AI won’t be too advanced in it’s flanking or cover maneuvers, but they’re good enough to give you a real challenge.
Opinion
[rating:8/10]
While I really enjoyed the single-player campaign, and it offered a good storyline, it lacked two things that are important to me. First, it was a bit short. It probably lasted a bit over ten hours, which by itself is fairly short. But I also enjoy making my own choices and decisions, and exploring new open areas. In the campaign, things are just too restrictive for my liking. I really wish they could open up the area to do battle on, while still maintaining the cinematic quality. Right now that may be too much wishful thinking, but I think that in this day and age that’s a realistic goal.
Multiplayer runs very well, and adds quite a lot of replay value. You’ve got lots of different maps and game types, enough to keep you discovering new tactics and strategies for the maps for quite some time. It offers up quite a challenge, especially when you add in the customization factor. You can customize so much with your weapons, upgrades, perks, grenades, and more. This allows you to keep changing things up and having a good time with the multiplayer again and again. It works incredibly well, and it’s one of my favorite multiplayer games.
My only complaint on the multiplayer is the PC version seems to prefer the 24 player servers or more, which contains far too much “spam.” The better servers 12 to 16 players, often are harder to find, and empty quickly after a single unbalanced round. It would be nice to have some Live-type functionality, especially for those wanting to hop in and play a round quickly.
Technical
[rating:9/10]
The game offers a very solid engine, and it doesn’t feel bloated at all. It offers high resolution visuals, a slew of shader and other graphic effects, and overall the game just looks fantastic. The single best feature is the animations, which are more smooth and fluid than any other shooter I’ve played to date. The attention to detail really helps the game a lot, and it makes it feel realistic. It definitely works well. The one downside in multiplayer is the shift between low and high polygon models is sometimes too obvious in multiplayer, but it’s not too noteworthy.
The sound and music are all fantastic. The quality here is definitely in line with the top notch development. The ambient sound effects, echoing of gunfire, and various other sounds all mix well into the battle. It sounds chaotic, yet realistic. It definitely contributes to the cinematic quality of the single-player and multi-player campaign.
[rating:overall/10]
You’ve got a fantastic game here, and one that you can see yourself playing for months, if not years, to come. The multi-player is stand out, offering loads of customizations for your character, and tons of game modes and maps to play on. While the campaign may not have a lot of replay value, nor is it particularly memorable, it does pack in a lot of great moments. A lot of great shooters have come out recently, and Call of Duty 4 manages to keep up with all the expectations – if not exceeded them. If a furious, fast paced action shooter based around modern combat with an unprecedented amount of polish and an authentic feel all sounds good to you, you need to buy this game. This is one of the top games this holiday season.
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