Multiplayer

Call of Duty 4 features an incredibly deep class-based multiplayer game, featuring persistent rankings, tons of content to unlock, a party system and an infinitely customizable setup. The game supports up to 18 players in one match, and with 16 maps out of the box, it’ll be a good while before you know them all like the back of your hand.

The beauty about high profile titles is that there’s tons of people playing online - I had no issues finding matches at all. Indeed, Call of Duty 4 has the fastest matchmaking I’ve experienced on Xbox Live yet - I’m talking about being logged in and loading within 10 seconds of hitting “Find Match”.

While you can play on any map from the start, much of the game is locked away until you reach higher levels. You start off with Team Deathmatch and Free for All (Deathmatch) modes, and the choice of Assault, Spec Ops and Heavy Gunner classes - simpler than ordering from a fast food restaurant.

So how does it play? So good. It’s the smoothest multiplayer experience on a console yet, even with 16 or more players. The gorgeous graphics, the fast-paced combat, the high framerate and the tight controls all made the jump to the multiplayer engine - along with some clearly inspired work on the netcode that makes the inevitable match-with-the-host-on-the-other-side-of-the-world far less frustrating than ever before - and the host-on-the-same-ISP-as-you matches damn near flawless.

Within a few sessions you’ll have unlocked the Demolition and Sniper classes, and a variety of objective-based game types. Then Create-a-Class mode allows you to create up to six custom classes, where you can choose a primary weapon, side arm, grenades and “perks” - special abilities to give you the edge in certain combat situations.

The perks make things much more interesting, adding a constant element of the unknown to combat situations. One perk allows you to drop a live grenade when you die, another allows you to take a few final shots with a pistol before you die, and another gives your bullets an increased ability to penetrate solid surfaces - and there’s plenty more - so you never know what’s around the corner.

Kill Cam is another great addition that lets you see your death through the eyes of the enemy who killed you - it’s so often you’re left thinking “Where on earth did that guy come from?” and you get the answer straight away - a great way to learn the maps. You can also see the perks they are using and get some inspiration for a new custom class.

There’s also game type variants like Old School, with increased ragdoll effects and Halo-like jump physics, and Hardcore, which takes away your HUD and increases weapon damage. Then come the challenges - each weapon has Marksman and Expert challenges - requiring you to rack up certain numbers of kills and headshots with the weapon - these give increasing amount of XP and unlock upgrades for the weapon, like a Red Dot sight for accuracy or the APEC Scope for a massive boost in range.

Add a variety of general challenges like launching a UAV twenty times or killing 25 people through walls - then advancing into the ridiculous, like surviving matches without dying - and you have lastability well past 100 hours. Another notable addition is the ability to check your progress through every challenge while waiting for a match to start in the lobby. You can also use Create-a-Class in the lobby, giving you a couple of great ways to make the waiting game suck a little less.

Give it to me straight, doc

In a vast sea of war games, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is without doubt the best yet. It’s nothing revolutionary at all - it simply does what it does flawlessly. A brilliant, immersive single-player experience loses minor points only for a relatively short length - while a remarkably deep multiplayer game surpasses Halo 3 as the most addictive, complete online console game available.

A must-buy title, and a solid contender for Game of the Year.

Score: 97/100

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This entry was posted by Tim Hanlon on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 at 5:41 am and is filed under Xbox 360. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.