The Video Gamé Exposé
Perhaps one of the more recent first-person-shooters (FPS) to be released is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The game came out about the same time as Halo 3 but sales for what people are now calling COD outshone the successful franchise that is Halo. Now the best selling shooter of all time, COD has a massive following. Call of Duty 5 took us back from modern warfare to the days of WWII where you can brandish a dinky M1 Garand. The M1 is a famous gun that would only be consider “dinky” when compared to the .50 caliber sniper rifle or the Desert Eagle. COD4 was so successful that many faithful fans have still remained behind, through the release of a new game, to continue its reign as leading FPS. The only game anticipated to overthrow this award winning game is what I have deemed COD4.2. Activision, COD’s publisher, just released the trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Seeing COD5 flop they went back to what they did best.
COD4 has several key qualities that make it an outstanding success. The first is the graphic display. It is the first thing you notice when you play a game. If it looks like a 5-year-old drew it, then it’ll play like a 5-year-old made it. The box says, “The most realistic game we’ve seen in years,” and it’s right. With the exception of Final Fantasy, which is in a completely different genre of games, there isn’t a game that can compete graphically.
Second, is the game play. Sure it has its faults. My roommate will be the first to say how loud I curse when I die, but its pro’s outweigh its con’s. There is both hardcore and normal play depending on your preferences. There are king of the hill, search and destroy, or old school game types. This game was crafted to fit every player. The online ranking system gives you something to keep playing towards even after you’ve reached the highest level (referred to as a 55 gold cross) as very few people have golden weapons. Only by achieving every weapon challenge can one gain access to the famed golden camouflage.
That’s just the multiplayer. The campaign mode is exhilarating as the players travel through the Middle East and into the Russian Bloc. The storyline is fascinating and gives people an idea of what it looks like over in Iraq. The portrayal of loss and success shows the daily ups and downs of a soldier’s life.
Currently this is the best FPS on the market. If you want a “good buy” this is it. I’ve gotten days of playtime, and I’m not a hardcore gamer. I don’t see another game dethroning COD4 until maybe COD4.2… and even then it will be a challenge for Activision to outdo themselves.