Video Game

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare box art
Developer(s) Infinity Ward Aspyr (Mac conversion)
Publisher(s) Activision
Series Call of Duty
Engine Proprietary
Native resolution 600p (Console versions)
Version 1.7 (as of June 28, 2008)
Platform(s) PlayStation 3,Nintendo DS, Windows,
Xbox 360, Mac OS X
Release date November 6, 2007
AUS November 7, 2007
EU November 9, 2007
Mac
Q3 2008
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer (Internet/LAN, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live)
Rating(s) BBFC: 15
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+
PEGI: 16+
Media Blu-ray Disc, DVD-DL, Download


Input methods Gamepad, keyboard and mouse

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the PlayStation 3, Windows, and the Xbox 360. It is scheduled for release for Mac OS X in the third quarter of 2008.^[1] It is the fourth installment of the Call of Duty video game series, excluding expansion packs. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous games in the series and is instead set in modern times. The game is the first in the series to be rated Mature in North America. The title and game details were announced on April 25, 2007,^[6] and the game was released worldwide between November 6, 2007 and November 9, 2007. It became available on Steam on November 6, 2007 for pre-purchase, and was available to play on November 12, 2007.^[7] The game was in development for two years. It uses a proprietary game engine, and includes features that include true world-dynamic lightning, HDR lighting effects, dynamics shadows, and depth of field.^[8]

The story is centered around a fictional near-future conflict involving the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia, who are fighting against Russian ultranationalists in civil war torn Russia, and rebels that have staged a coup d'état in a small Middle Eastern country. It is told from the perspectives of a United States Marine and a member of the British SAS, and is set in multiple locations, including the Middle East, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Prypiat, Ukraine. The multiplayer portion of the game features various game modes, and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons, weapon attachments, and camouflage schemes as they advance.^[9]

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received considerable praise and has won numerous awards from gaming websites, including IGN's "Best Xbox 360 Game".^[10][11] It was the top-selling game worldwide for 2007, reaching over seven million copies as of January 2008.

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Characters:

During the single-player campaign, the player controls several characters from a first-person perspective. The player assumes the role of MacTavish for most of the game, starting with his enrollment in 22 SAS.^[16] Sergeant Paul Jackson is part of the USMC 1st Force Recon deployed to the Middle East, and the player controls Jackson's character during five levels of Act 1. Captain/Lieutenant Price is an officer of 22 SAS who is playable in a flashback. Price is voiced by actor Billy Murray most famous for playing Don Beech in The Bill. Yasir Al-Fulani is the president of the unnamed Middle Eastern country mentioned in the game, and is playable only in the game's opening credit sequence before he is executed. The player assumes the role of an American thermal-imaging TV operator aboard an AC-130 gunship during one level, and a British SAS counter-terrorist operative infiltrating a hijacked airliner to save a VIP in the epilogue level.^[19][17][16]

There are several non-playable characters (NPC) who feature prominently in the story. Captain Price (in his NPC capacity) and his right-hand man, Gaz, serve as mentors to MacTavish. Jackson's USMC platoon is led by Lieutenant Vasquez and Staff Sergeant Griggs; Griggs later accompanies MacTavish in Russia. Sergeant Kamarov leads the Russian Loyalists that ally with the SAS and USMC forces. Captain Macmillan is Price's (then a lieutenant) mentor and commanding officer during the flashback to the assassination attempt on Zakhaev. The villains in the story are Imran Zakhaev, the leader of the Russian Ultranationalist party and the main antagonist of the game; Khaled Al-Asad, the commander of the revolutionary forces in the Middle East and an ally of Imran Zakhaev; and Victor Zakhaev, the son of Imran Zakhaev and a priority figure in the Ultranationalist party.

Awards

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare received awards from various game sites and gaming authorities. Both GameSpot and GameTrailers gave it the Best Graphics of E3 2007 award, and the Best PlayStation 3 Game of 2007 award.^[40][42][43] It gained high praise from both video game magazine GamePro and GameSpy, having been named the Best Overall Game of 2007 by the former,^[44] and Game of the Year by the latter.^{[48][49][50][51]} Game Critics also named the game "Best Action Game".^[39] From other authorities such as IGN and X-play, and the Spike Video Game Awards, the game won awards for areas such as Best Sound Design, Best Shooter of 2007, and Best Military Game. From the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare won Console Game of the Year, Action game of the Year, and Overall Game of the Year.