So far, Call of Duty games have been synonymous with WWII, but not this installment. Talk about a make-over, COD4 is far better than any other Call of Duty out to date. Get ready to turn your living room into a battle field. This new storyline features elements that are strikingly familiar to our current state of affairs— terrorists. Leaving behind the Japanese, Italians, and Germans fighting for world power, COD4 gives us terrorist who have stolen a nuclear bomb. It is a good thing you are a highly trained Marine ready to kick some butt, or the world might be in trouble.

In COD4, you actually have computer AI teammates with some great strategies of their own, the best so far for the Xbox 360. Your teammates sweep areas and usually take out enemies before you even get a chance, but do not think this puts the player at an advantage. In most cases, you are up against a multitude of guys, so your team support helps out quite often. The enemies’ AI has also been improved which makes the game more of a challenge.

Many people have commented on the fact that this game can be completed in roughly seven or so hours. Now, think about this: would you rather play an all right game (Let us say a ‘c’ game) for twenty hours or a great game (call this an ‘a’ game) for seven hours? I beat COD4 in about seven hours on normal mode, but if I were to play it on hard mode, then it would surely take me longer than that; so, it really depends on what level you play it on as to how long it will take to complete the storymode game..

WARNING: the multiplayer mode for COD4 is highly addictive!! What makes players rush to sign in X-Box Live to play this installment online is the achievements element of the game (objectives in the missions). After completing certain achievements, new items are at your disposal: new weapons, weapon attachments, and other nice perks. Unlike most other online games where players earn points for achievements, with COD4 you earn items for your completed tasks. Some of the attachments you can unlock are silencers, scopes, grenade launchers, and gun camouflage. And do not forget the multiplayer perks; they give you a slight advantage on the battle field. Here are some of the most worthy to mention: stopping power which increases bullet damage; juggernaut which increases health; martyrdom which drops a grenade when you die; lastly, deep impact which gives you deeper bullet penetration. At the login screen, you are able choose a class or make your own; this is where you will choose what perks, weapons, and weapon attachments you want to use.

Another addition to online mode is the ability to unlock your radar, call in air strikes, and get helicopter support. Here is how it works: to unlock your radar you must get three kills in a row; to call in an air strike requires five kills in a row; to unlock helicopter support you must get pull-off seven in a row. Once you unlock your radar, the radar for the rest of your team is unlocked, truly making it a team effort. After you accumulate enough kills to call in an air strike, press right on the directional pad; this will bring up a map and allow you to pin-point your attack. When you unlock helicopter support, press right on the directional pad, step back, and watch as your help delivers a serious ‘message’: don’t mess with us —BOOM.

There are a total of sixteen online maps and various matches to select; some matches have to be unlocked by completing achievements. The online gameplay is perfect; everything works and flows very well—no complaints. Also, the audio is the best I have heard so far in a war game: the guns sound amazingly real; the explosions make you want to jump out of your skin; every aspect is covered with what sounds like real life combat in a natural environment. The graphics and attention to detail also add a great deal to making this the possibly the best shooter of 2007. Sorry Halo 3 fans.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare gets an A+

Jeremy Hohman is the writer, producer and host of GameBytes a 30 minute weekly game news and review show. To see Jeremy’s latest pod cast or to rent & play the game reviewed simply go to; http://www.gnfgames.com