Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

by Sergio Brinkhuis
previewed on PC
Out with the old, in with the new
There is no doubt that World War II as a battlefield has grown tired in the world of gaming. The Call of Duty series have made their own contribution to that tiredness, albeit a brilliant one. Many of the big World War II franchises are trying to reinvent themselves. Medal of Honor goes Airborne later this year, and Battlefield already skipped 200 years into the future. Call of Duty obviously could not stay behind either and the fourth installment in the popular series will put the player in a modern-day fictional war. This is a big departure for the game but also a necessary one. I for one could not have stomached yet another ‘me too’ World War II shooter (and don’t even get me started on Vietnam ones), and I am sure most of you could not have either. So, today we take a fresh look at a brave game taking its first steps onto an unknown path.
Zakhaev
Developer Infinity Ward chose to rekindle an old war by bringing Mother Russia back to power, or rather, by introducing a character who is attempting to do so. Mister Zakhaev became rich from the high-tech arms trade and feels that Russia has grown weak. He sets out to restore his nation to its former glory, but first he needs a distraction. He helps his Middle-Eastern ally, Al-Assad, to stage a coup in the region, attacking several oil states simultaneously. With all eyes focused on the Middle-East, Zakhaev is free to put his plans for Russia in motion.
Told from the perspective of three different people and set in both the Middle-East and Eastern Europe, there is plenty of scenery for the developers to draw upon. The player will alternate between an American Force Recon Marine, a Russian Spetsnaz and a British SAS operative, each telling a different part of the story.
Equal playing field
Taking the series into the modern age opens up a whole wealth of possibilities for the development team. The military arsenal of both sides is completely up to date with the tools of war that are being used nowadays. Keep in mind though that Call of Duty’s story is fictional and being on the Western side of the conflict does not mean that the enemy is using old-fashioned weaponry, completely outclassed by the stuff you are carrying around. Instead, your enemies will have access to the same high-tech equipment that you have available.
What this means is that you may suddenly find yourself staring at your chest, wondering what that red dot is doing there (Duck!). Grinning to yourself after having donned your Night vision Goggles, thinking you can see your enemy but they can’t see you, isn’t smart either – they can. The fiction doesn’t go so far as to invent weaponry though. Call of Duty 4’s weaponry is advanced but realistic in that its weapons are true-to-life.
Those craving realism in their game will be well served. Infinity Ward goes beyond the ‘One shot, one kill’ system by implementing something much more refined. In Realism Mode, one shot can still kill but it would need to hit you in a place where a bullet would be lethal in real life too. When you get shot in the leg, you will fall down but you will still be able to fight, though obviously with a severe handicap.