We've got another Friday afternoon preview for you all. If first person shooters are more your thing then how about some Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Richie Young checks out a pre-release build of Infinity Ward's upcoming title. Cautiously anticipated by many, as it's the Call of Duty series' first venture away from the World War II setting. Read on for all the details.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Friday 31 Aug 2007, Preview by Riche Young
My god. The trailers, the hype, the graphics... it's not surprising that Modern Warfare already has everyone salivating. But of course hype is hype and the sceptical-gamer in all of us comes out when something is as seemingly beautiful and lifelike as Call of Duty 4 is proving to be, edges closer toward release.
Impressively, Activision and developers Infinity Ward have not yet placed a foot wrong after the game first surfaced earlier this year. They've been meticulous in how they've released information and it looks like, more importantly, they've been even more meticulous in the development itself. Having now gone hands on with the Xbox 360 preview build of the game, I can confirm that their track record is still very much intact.
Now, I'm going to try and relay all the minute bits 'n' pieces from my session with the game. I played Modern Warfare a week ago now, and intentionally waited until now to write this little preview up to give it all a chance to sink in. As you'd expect, Modern Warfare for the most part, is still being kept very much under wraps so it was just a couple of levels that Activision decided to treat us to...
And how has it sink in after a week? Well I can assure you I'm still buzzing by it.
And what's more, I'll give you a little shock-horror revelation before we move on: I'm not even usually that fussed when it comes to first-person shooters. At all. I appreciate shooters as much as the next guy, but generally speaking, they just don't do it for me. Shoot me down... but Halo hasn't ever really done it for me. Ever! As groundbreaking, genius, entertaining or brilliant as Bungie's baby may well be, I've always found it a bit bland. Modern Warfare? I'm not saying it's going to be better but it's definitely got me more excited about its November 7 release than Halo ever has.
Here's why I've become so damn enamoured: it's just bloody realistic. That's all it comes down to. Story-wise it's not really that authentic (because - understandably - Activision is being cautious and politically safe) but gameplay wise, it really has captured the intensity of a wartime firefight. Having not served in the military before, I'm not about to start pretending like I have but my partner-in-crime Ben Mckelvey (who can be found elsewhere on this site) has spent time shooting some of the real weapons that Modern Warfare's are based on. He concurs, and says the guns and recoil targeting in the game is virtually identical. With over two months still to go, Modern Warfare's graphics and audio are superb. It's easy to lose yourself in the game, because based on what we played, it easily convinces you that you're in the thick of a real war; and that's no easy situation to digitally re-create.
The plot itself sounds a bit so-so, but that's typical of most war games with a 'modern setting'. Throughout the game you alternate between playing as either a British SAS soldier or an elite soldier from the US Forces. A Russian ultra-nationalist, named Zakhaev, is keen to restore his country to its former glories of being an world force with most of his parts of the story based in 'eastern Europe'. In the meantime, his offsider in the Middle East named Alasad, is helping out by diverting the world's attention to himself; hence both the British and US involvement (it's the British SAS vs Zakhaev and the US Forces vs Alasad).
First up was a level called Cargoship which opens with you riding in a chopper over dark 'n' wild seas, before you drop down to board the ship. Playing as a British SAS soldier, your job is to infiltrate the ship with your troops, complete the objectives and get out of there. All pretty straightforward stuff and normal videogame fare. But it's the detail where it stands out. Shooting, targeting, level set-ups... they all get a resounding endorsement but hey, most games these days do usually get stuff like that right. It was when the ship started sinking that things got really interesting, though and why this level is so memorable. With panic setting in, the main objective is to just run from inside the bowels of the ship (where by this stage water is starting to tear the metal away and pour inside while windows around you shatter) and you have to escape, trying to keep your perspective as the water and gravity (the ship is tilting) knocks you around. Sure, simply chasing your troops in a mad panic and running for survival may not sound like much fun but it's definitely one of the coolest levels seen in a first-person shooter.
Relatively-speaking the second level played, called the Bog, was more standard and set in a basic 'Middle East' setting and showing less environmental innovation than Cargoship. That said, once the action fired up, Modern Warfare again came into its own. It was all about securing areas, moving through the and capturing areas within the town and then finally taking out some vehicles on a bridge to clear the way for support helicopters to come in blast the bejeezus out of a building housing the enemy. Pretty demanding stuff. For those who just want a game that showcases intense firefights and heavy artillery, this level is certain to please. All the weapons are said to be based on real weapons, and if that's true than some of the hi-tech weapons already in existence are truly frightening. All up, this level was a fantastic showcase of phenomenal action and it's certain to have anyone playing it on edge.
From today, Germany's Leipzig Games Convention will be full swing and there's little doubt that Activision will reveal even more of Modern Warfare. We hear that more news on the game's multiplayer levels is set to be revealed. Having seen just two levels so far, we wait with bated breath for more and keep our fingers crossed that Modern Warfare keeps on keepin' on.
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