Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	10
Sound:	10
FunFactor:	10
PlasmaFactor:	10
Overall:	9.8

Call of Duty 4 Review
December 31, 1969 The ground rumbles as an air strike wreaks havoc on your position. Your screen goes red and your breathing becomes heavier. You regain your bearings and see an enemy enter the building across the map from you. You have two choices:  you can call in your helicopter or you can pull out your sniper rifle and take care of the piece of his head that is exposed. Just as you are about to pull the trigger you find yourself looking through your killer's eyes. This style of fast paced action is exactly what one would come to expect from the Call of Duty series, but this time around it's the little things that make this a great game.  Duck and Cover

Call of Duty 4's multiplayer gameplay allows gamers to complete challenges, gain rank, and acquire new weapons. The addition of the ability to call in air strikes, helicopters, and radar makes this title shine even more and adds a new element that will cause opponents to duck and cover. Call of Duty 4 is a title that is almost exclusively multiplayer due to its extremely short single player campaign mode.

Call of Duty 4 allows gamers to achieve the rank of a Five Star-General in online matches. Obtaining this rank is a task and can be done but may take a player some time to achieve. With each rank you either gain a weapon or perk (which allows you to further customize your own weapon layout). Call of Duty 4 allows players to customize up to five classes and each class you make can play any type of role you choose. The weapon layout you choose can be everything from a sniper to close combat support. Whatever weapons you choose you are allowed to supplement them each with various perks.

Each perk adds an extra edge to various characteristics of combat. For example, if you decide that you want to create a sniper class you can give yourself the "iron lungs" perk which allows you to hold your breath longer for a more accurate sniper shot. Other perks will provide you with an extra edge if you decide you want to do close combat support. Some of the other perks allow you to run for longer or to have your bullets penetrate deeper through surfaces. The perks you choose compliment the gun you choose or the style of combat that you prefer. If you do well in the game and achieve a three, five, or seven kill streak you can further enhance the game.

The ability to call in a UAV drone, air strike, or helicopter on an enemy position is an interesting addition to the already superb gameplay. If you are playing a game of sabotage, which involves the bombing of a target, you can call in an air strike and kill any enemy units that may be attempting to plant the bomb on your target. The air strike allows you to effectively take out any players that did not run into a building for cover from your plane's carpet bombing run. The same can be said for the helicopter attack that you can call in that circles the map and fires on enemy soldiers that are in the open. 

The multiplayer aspect of this game is amazing, but many consider a console game's multiplayer as only a supplement to its single player campaign. However, this is not the case in CoD4. Instead the single player campaign, although it is extremely well designed, is extremely short and is used more as training for playing online. This almost forces gamers who purchase Call of Duty 4 to play it on Xbox Live.

Work of Art

The graphics in Call of Duty 4 can only be described as amazing. Every graphical aspect of this game has been tweaked and takes great advantage of the Xbox 360's hardware. Everything, including bullet holes in the wall, was constructed with great detail. Many times graphics engines are prejudiced toward grass, but in Call of Duty 4 the grass is highly detailed and allows players to hide in it and look as though they are part of the environment. Although this may seem like a very simple feature, it has a great impact on the gameplay.
Incoming!

The sound in Call of Duty 4 appears to have been given just as much attention as its graphics. Everything in the game has its own unique sound and allows gamers to be further pulled into the game. The sound itself ties into the gameplay just as much as the graphics and warns players of an impending airstrike or an opponent coming up behind you. Once again Infinity Ward has used something that is sometimes overlooked to further enhance the gameplay experience.

Replayable Fun

This title does a great job of providing countless hours of fun for gamers. Although the single player campaign is very short, it still provides you with a fun experience. This, in conjunction with the ranks, perks, and custom classes of multiplayer mode, gives you a title that ensures that the money you spent will be well worth it.  Just don't expect to play the single player campaign for more than seven hours.

Xbox Live

The thing about this title that really shines is its multiplayer. This title is an absolute blast to play online and offers gamers something that a lot of other first person shooters for the Xbox 360 don't have and that is a wide range of weaponry. With CoD4 you can choose just about any type of weapon that you want to use and have it suit your gameplay style. This was a huge selling point considering I have always hated having to find weapons lying around on a map. Not only can you choose what weapon you want but you can give yourself special perks that allow you to further customize the game to suit your favorite way of fighting in a first person shooter.

Conclusion

Call of Duty 4 is one title that truly lived up to its prerelease hype. Everything about this game ties into its excellent gameplay. Infinity Ward has done what many other first person shooters do not. They actually immerse the gamer through sound, visuals and gameplay. Call of Duty 4 provides gamers with an option on how they want to play the game. If you are looking for a title to purchase for your Xbox 360 then this is it.

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Gameplay: 9 Graphics: 10 Sound: 10 Value: 10 PlasmaFactor: 10

By: Ryan Lodata, Managing Editor