Your squad has just dropped into a Mid-East war zone and things started going south with enemy RPGs stationed on a second-floor balcony. You’ve got to destroy those AA guns now, Marine!

Low crawl your way behind cover, engaging multiple targets on the way or you will be in a world of hurt! Those aren’t flowers the local militia is throwing at you!

With a story torn from today’s headlines and straightforward high-action game-play that’ll pump your adrenal gland, Call of Duty 4 strikes a balance between methodical tactics and good old-fashioned first-person shoot ‘em ups.

CoD4 has a richly detailed story involving civil war in a Mid-East Republic and some missing Soviet ordnance True to the Call of Duty franchise, you’ll split time playing different soldiers. In this game you’ll play as an American Marine named Jackson and a British SAS soldier named Soap.

It’s fourth installment is a complete departure from the franchises formula of World War II shooters and all I can say is it’s about time.

Call of Duty had an interesting Saving Private Ryan feel. But after CoD2 then CoD3, not to mention the CoD clones like Medal of Honor and Brothers in Arms, I felt like I needed another World War II shoot-‘em-up like I needed a shot through the steel pot from a K98 Mauser. A trip through what has become Tom Clancy territory was a welcomed change.

But Clancy comparisons end at the storyline. Game-play weighs a lot less in favor of Clancy -tyle squad tactics and feels more like the Doom-style shooters of the past. I appreciate CoD4 didn’t try to imitate Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 or Ghost Recon; but the game takes place in a world familiar to his games and fiction novels. 

Graphically ,the game is exemplary of today’s technology. The graphics are what Slashdot calls "a benchmark for first-person shooters." The visuals in game are so stunning you’ll find yourself taking time to relish the character animations, movements and expressions but there are also wide, detailed environments to enjoy. Paper and debris blows through the streets as palm trees sway in the breeze. The game is a spectacle to behold and runs effortlessly on the Xbox 360.

I know that Halo3 has been the most anticipated game of the century. But high-quality unexpected hits like CoD4 may make you forget to finish the fight.

Tags: Cell Phones

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 at 12:25 pm and is filed under Gaming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.