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Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a modern first-person shooter that takes place in the present day. This represented a new direction for the Call of Duty series as previous games had all been set during the era of World War II. It was announced on April 25, 2007 and was originally scheduled for release in October 2007. The game was instead released on the PC, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3 one month later, in November of that year. It was released on the Wii as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Reflex Edition.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received positive reviews from critics and won many awards, including "Best Xbox 360 game" of 2007. It also took home four awards from the 11th Annual Achievement Awards including "Best Overall Game of the year", "Best Console Game Ever of the year", "Best Action Game of the year", and "Outstanding Achievement of Xbox 360 in Online Game Play".

Overview[ | ]

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare introduces a variety of game play styles into a single player campaign format completely new to the Call of Duty series. The game moves away from the standard three country-specific campaign style, and allows the plot to play through a more film-like style plot with interlaced story lines from the perspective of the player as a member of the US 1st Force Recon and a member of the British 22nd SAS Regiment. There is also a variety of cameo-style missions where you play as various other soldiers such as an AC-130 Gunship gunner, or as one part of a two man sniper team behind enemy lines in

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare focuses on the variation of modern warfare as an infantry soldier by allowing the player to control soldiers in a vast amount of different scenarios, straying away from the constant "at eleven" action of previous Call of Duty titles and allowing for both heavy intensity fire fights and slower paced drama styled intensity. The developer, Infinity Ward, provided information about a handful of such levels including one where the player will be the gunner of an AC-130 gunship.

The series' move to modern warfare has also introduced a variety of new modern weapons and technology to be introduced to the Call of Duty franchise. Such showcased weapons and attachments include M203 grenade launchers, IR laser pointers for use in conjunction with night vision goggles, silenced MP5SD sub-machine guns, and the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missile among many others.

Plot[ | ]

A Russian nationalist by the name of Imran Zakhaev is hell bent on returning his homeland to the Soviet times. Zakhaev knows the United States would never allow this to happen, thus he funds a coup in the Middle East and abused slaves, organized by his ally Al-Asad, to draw attention away from Russia. The two men and their allies gain the nickname The Four Horsemen. However, the British and US governments have been monitoring Zakhaev's activities and discover his real intent. The story is told from a perspective of a British 22nd SAS Regiment operative in Russia/Azerbaijan and American 1st Force Recon in the Middle East.

The game also features a flashback mission set 15 years ago in the Chernobyl Zone of Alienation, Pripyat the former home of 50,000 residents, which features a new incarnation of Captian Price from 22nd SAS Regiment, the only character to appear in both of the first two games of the Call of Duty series. He needs to assassinate Zakhaev, but his mission fails because his Captain gets wounded and he has to get him out the Zone of Alienation. Whether this new Price will be confirmed to be a relative of the WWII-era Price remains to be seen. It is also believed that the assassination attempt had left Zakhaev with only one arm!

Multi-player[ | ]

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has been announced to have a new mode called Hardcore Mode. In multi-player, users can choose to play standard game types such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and others, or choose to play them in Hardcore Mode. In Hardcore Mode, damage received and inflicted increases, the heads-up display (HUD, the mini-map, ammo counter, and other on-screen indicators) is removed and friendly fire is enabled.

Game modes[ | ]

  • Team Deathmatch - Use teamwork to kill opposing players and reach score limit or time limit.
  • Mercenary Team Deathmatch - Team Deathmatch with random teams, no parties allowed. Use teamwork to kill enemy players and reach the score limit.
  • Free-for-All - You are against every player on the map even if you and another player play on the S. A. S team or the Marines etc.
  • Domination - There are flags at certain points around the map. All flags start neutral. Teams battle to hold the most flags. Game ends when the score limit is reached.
  • Ground War - Big team games-TDM and Domination.
  • Sabotage  - Similar to Search and Destroy, only the bomb is neutral and there are objectives located in both teams' bases. Each team's goal is to take the bomb and blow up the objective in the enemy's base. The bomb carrier can fire his weapons, but his position will be announced periodically throughout the game. Also, unlike Search and Destroy, players have unlimited respawns as opposed to just one per round, although it is not instantaneous like Team Deathmatch or Free-for-All.
  • Headquarters - A laptop spawns somewhere on the map. Your goal is to capture the laptop for your team. If Team A captures the laptop, they must defend it from being destroyed by Team B. Team A only has one respawn until the laptop is destroyed or the max time limit for the laptop is reached. Team B respawns at set intervals. Team A earns points for every second the laptop is held. To capture/destroy a laptop, you must stand in the area of the laptop. The more players, the faster you destroy it. A new laptop spawns when time limit is reached or the laptop is destroyed.
  • Search and Destroy - There are two teams: attackers and defenders. Attackers try to plant a bomb at one of two bomb sites, and defenders try to defend the bomb sites. If explosives are planted, defenders must defuse them. Players only have one respawn per round. A round is over when all players on one team are killed, or when the bomb explodes or is defused.
  • Team Tactical - Small team based games (3v3), includes Team Deathmatch, Domination, Headquarters, Sabotage, and Search and Destroy.
  • Hardcore Team Deathmatch - Hardcore Team Deathmatch.
  • Hardcore Search and Destroy - Hardcore Search and Destroy. HUD is limited, bullet damage is higher and friendly fire is on.
  • Old School Free-for-all - There are no classes. Weapons are pickups, health is under a gauge form and can be increased with medipacks and jumps are higher.
  • Cage Match - 1v1 Deathmatch
  • Hardcore Headquarters - Headquarters with Hardcore rules. HUD is limited, bullet damage is higher and friendly fire is on.

Classes[ | ]

For multi-player, it has been confirmed that Call of Duty 4 will include a class system which has five preset classes with default weapon load outs and perks assigned to them as well as allows users to create five custom classes where the user can customise their weapon load out and three perks to assign to their soldier. The five default classes include Assault, Spec Ops, Light Machine Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper class. Create a class will be unlocked when the user gains enough Experience Points (XP), earned by killing his/her opponent, and becomes a Private (level 4), and will increase rank with more XP earned. XP will also vary depending on the type of match the user is playing. Only three of the classes are available to a first time player; the rest are unlocked as he gains more experience online and gains higher rank. 

Support[ | ]

If a player attains a certain number of kills in a single life, he can gain access to one of three special support items. Although these are one-use only, they are carried over to the player's next life if they are killed before they use it.

  • UAV - The first support item, attained at three kills. When activated, it calls in a UAV recon drone which reveals all enemies on the player's minimap, as well as that of their allies if applicable.
  • Air Strike - The second support item, attained at five kills. When activated, the player designates an area on the map to be bombed. Three fighters/fighter-bombers will then perform an attack run on the designated area, dropping several cluster bombs at the designated area.
  • Helicopter Gunship - The third and final support item, attained at seven kills. When activated, an NPC-controlled helicopter gunship enters the battle and engages enemy forces. Unlike the air strike, the gunship stays in the area for an extended period of time, circling the battlefield and automatically engaging enemies with a chin-mounted machine gun. It is however ineffective against targets sheltered inside buildings. After an entire minute, the gunship leaves the battlefield.

Perks[ | ]

A new introduction in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multi-player are the Perks. Perks are special abilities which allow users to further customize their character to their personal play style. Players are limited to three multi-player perks at a time which can be assigned via Create Slavery rules for a Class.

The different perks, which become available as the user reaches higher ranks are as follows. Perk 1, 2 and 3 are different slots, which means the user can only choose one of each at the same time.

Perk 1[ | ]

  • Special grenades x 3 - 3 special grenades. No smoke. (So only stun or flash grenades.)
  • Bomb Squad - Detect explosives easier
  • C4 x 2 (explosive with remote detonator)
  • Claymore x 2 (trip explosives)
  • RPG-7 x 2 (rocket-propelled grenade launcher)
  • Frag x 3
  • Bandolier - extra ammo for primary and secondary weapon

Perk 1 may be taken by a grenade launcher or grip, if the user chooses to attach it to his primary weapon (assault rifles or shotgun/LMG respectively)

Perk 2[ | ]

  • Stopping power - Increased bullet damage
  • Juggernaut - Increased Health.
  • Sleight of hand - Faster reloading
  • Double tap - Increased rate of fire
  • Overkill - Two primary weapons, no pistol
  • UAV Jammer - Invisible on enemy radar
  • Sonic boom - Bigger explosive range

Perk 3[ | ]

  • Extreme conditioning - Sprint for longer distances
  • Steady aim - Better accuracy while firing from the hip
  • Last stand - Get a last shot at your enemy when killed
  • Martyrdom - Drop a live frag grenade when killed
  • Deep impact - Deeper bullet penetration (shoot through thin surfaces)
  • Iron lungs - Hold breath longer while sniping for steadier aim
  • Dead silence - Less noise when running
  • Eavesdrop - Listen to enemy communication

Maps[ | ]

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare offers a set of multi-player maps with a mix of small and large environments, and urban, rural, industrial and military settings.

  • Ambush - Large desert town. Two small sewers and a road in the open centre area with a few damaged vehicles.
  • Backlot - Medium desert town under construction, with 2 mounted machine guns.
  • Bloc - Large Russian apartment block area surrounding a courtyard with a statue.
  • Bog - Open desert bog. A few buildings and a large open bog.
  • Broadcast - Medium Desert TV Station. Large Building and Open Parking lot.(Variety Map Pack)
  • Chinatown - Large SF Town based on Carentan from COD 2. Many Shops and Buildings. 2 mounted machine guns.(Variety Map Pack)
  • Countdown - Open missile launch pad area. Huge sight lines, but lots of cover opportunities.
  • Crash - Medium desert town with a square with a crashed chopper.
  • Creek - Medium Open Russian Village with a tunnel and abandoned buildings.(Variety Map Pack)
  • Crossfire - Small desert town. Z-shaped road with buildings on each side.
  • District - Large desert town with lots of small streets and a market.
  • Downpour - Big rainy Russian farm area, with 2 mounted machine guns.
  • Killhouse - Medium SAS Training Warehouse. Little hiding and tactical manoeuvring.(Variety Map Pack)
  • Overgrown - Large overgrown rural Russian area, with a big trench in the middle. Two mounted machine guns.
  • Pipeline - Russian train yard with a few large storehouse buildings and some narrow underground maintenance corridors. Features 1 mounted machine gun.
  • Shipment - Tiny Russian shipyard with a few containers and very little cover.
  • Showdown - Small desert arena. A small town market with galleries surrounding it.
  • Strike - Large desert map featuring long narrow roads and buildings to defend in.
  • Vacant - Deserted Russian office building with a small outdoors area.
  • Wet Work - Medium-large cargo ship. A maze of containers on the deck, a platform in the middle and one 'bridge' on each end.

Mods[ | ]

There are many mods for the game. Many of these mods include Freeze Tag, Capture the Flag, Zombie, and Obscurity. The most popular of the mods are Obscurity and Zombie.

  • Obscurity - The Obscurity mod is basically like the Predator movies. The "Obscurity", or OBS for short, are the predators. The marines are pitted against their invisible enemies. The only way to detect you invisible foe is to look for the distortion that they make when they move. The "OBS" have special perks that allow them to swap places with the marine he/she is aiming at. You can also pull the person to you for an easy kill. An "OBS" has the ability to "tag" a player, and see a puff of smoke that indicates where the enemy is. If you're within a certain distance from the person you can "Possess" the person and trick the enemy into thinking you're a friendly. In this mod instead of the usual 3 perks to choose from you get 4 perks. The 4 perk contains; "Lasers"-Which act like C4 except when you throw one another one activates the laser on the opposite side. When and obscurity walks through the laser it emits a sound alerting you to the Obscurities presence. "Incendiary Grenades"-burst into flame when thrown and can be used for easy detection. "Medic"- allows you to heal teammates that have been hit by an Obscurity. "Hustle"- You move faster in a group. Game modes for this mod include; V.I.P, Elimination, and armoury.

Trailer[ | ]

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer showing some game footage was released on April 28, 2007. In the background you can hear a speech given in Russian: Сегодня, одной нацией мы воспрянем перед лицом предательства и оккупации, which translates as "Today, one nation we shall rise before the person of treachery and occupation." Additionally, a final voice at the end speaks the Russian translation of a quote by Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War: "Every war is a lie" (Всякая война враньё). Also, in Arabic, (شاهدت قوات العدو) one hears the statements "Enemy Forces Sighted" and "American Forces Nearby".

Trivia[ | ]

Port[ | ]

In November 10, 2009, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was ported to the Wii with all of the features that made this a best selling game, with the PC-exclusive aiming mode. The game was called Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare- Reflex Edition as a slogan since the aiming and precision of the game depends to your own reflexes and movements with the Wii remote.

A notable difference exists between Call of Duty: World at War adaptation to Wii and this one, Call of Duty: World at War had only half the content and multi-player, while Call of Duty Modern Warfare: Reflex has full content for single-player and multi-player except for 2 missing modes, visually the game looks smooth and equally compared to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Graphics and Gameplay was improved as well, as online network multi-player, most of the multi-player tests resulted in a Minimum lag.

External Links[ | ]

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