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One shot, one kill
Anyone who was raised on red-blooded military thrillers like The Peacemaker, Air Force One, or The Rock has itched for a game to really put them in the action. That game is finally here, and it's called Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
COD4 moves at a blistering pace, like Counter-Strike on crack. Whereas Rainbow Six strives for something resembling realism (or at least used to), COD4 goes for balls to the wall speed. From the near-constant (I only spotted one moment of serious slowdown throughout the whole campaign) 60-frames per second to the sheer chaos that erupts all around you (some of the Middle Eastern city battles are just INSANE) this game's campaign is intense to an almost uncomfortable level. It's truly spectacular how far this game pushes your adrenal envelope. Sure, there are a lot of scripted events that you have little control, but there are enough of them where your actions can make a difference (and possibly earn you some points) that they never feel quite as predictable as they were in COD2.
Multiplayer is even more chaotic. The learning curve here is sharp and steep. Be prepared to die quickly, die often, and die out of the blue. Still, the maps are pretty good, the servers are even better, and I've yet to see any slowdown or lag online. If anything, the online play is a bit too fast, and could do to be a bit more like Counter-Strike was back in the old days. Still, it's addicting and flawlessly programmed, so there's really not much more to ask for. Casual players will find the initial selection of weapons and sights to be a bit frustrating, especially when you're playing against people with already upgraded weapons. Still, after about an hour you begin to unlock the goodies, and from there on it's happy hunting.
The game's visuals are also top-notch. The environmental details and effects are a bit more basic than some other titles out there (the backgrounds here won't give Gears Of War a run for its money), but the character models, animations, and lighting are all second to none. Running through the game, the environments reminded me of an upgraded Half-Life 2 SOURCE engine game (which is definitely not bad at all), but the characters move in such a lifelike manner and have some exquisite details from the texture of their uniforms to their facial hair that the overall effect is extremely impressive. And did I mention it runs at 60-fps? For a console game, that's FAST.
Superb visuals and sound (including a theme by composer Harry Gregson-Williams, of Spy Game, The Rock, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty, and Kingdom Of Heaven fame), a slick narrative, outstanding friendly and enemy AI, and the most freaking intense single-player experience probably ever make COD4 a must. There are some serious "oh $H!T" moments in this game's solo mode that have to be seen to be believed, and the online multiplayer offers real long-term value. The only things COD4 lacks are a co-op campaign option, and a diaper for when you, well, you know.
Bungie, take note. THIS is how a single-player campaign is done!
[Saturday, January 03, 2009]
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Price...
This is an amazing game in every aspect! But I know that your getting pretty sick of the PRICES. Yes, the games start out at $60, fine. But after being on the market for so long they hardly ever go DOWN in PRICE!!! Even Halo3 which has been out for what, a year and half, is still $60!!???? Do you see something wrong here. But the worst part is even when a new version comes out, WAW, THIS GAME IS STILL $60!!
THEY REALLY GOTTA LOWER THE PRICES AFTER A WHILE....
[Tuesday, December 30, 2008]
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