Top 52: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (#39)

I know I keep saying I don't like shooters that much. Really, it's true. I don't enjoy them that much, even though this is the fourth one on my list. I even especially despise the glut of World War II shooters but luckily, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is not a WWII shooter despite every other game in the franchise (including the upcoming COD5) are from that era. However, I fell in love with this game as soon as I played it.
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Title: Call of Duty 4
Console: PS3
Release Date: 11/06/07 (US)
Genre: First-Person Shooter
My Ranking: #39

Call of Duty 4 was nearly flawless on every aspect of what makes a shooter popular. The controls were fluid and intuitive, the multiplayer was engaging both online and offline, the single-player campaign was challenging and the graphics were stunning. All in all, COD4 felt like a complete game since every part of it was fun.

I remember picking up the controls very quickly, which is hard to do with shooters on a console. The L1 button zooms, the R1 button fires, the L2 and R2 buttons were grenades, O made your character duck or crawl, square made you reload and X made your character jump. The buttons all seemed to be placed in the right spot, and playing a shooter on a console never felt so good. (We all know that a mouse and keyboard pwns for shooters).

The first thing a friend showed me in COD4 was the first mission inside the battleship. I ran through the level, killing some bad guys, getting shot and all that normal shooter stuff. Then, something completely awesome happened. The boat was hit and was beginning to sink. Your character falls to the ground and the screen starts to get all fuzzy like you're about to pass out. Another officer gets you to your feet and tells you to hurry up. As soon as you start moving, you see that the boat is filling with water and that the boat is tilting to the left. Debris is falling everywhere and you just barely make it off the boat by making a close jump to your helicopter. It was epic.



There were a ton of scenes like that in COD4, all moments that make your jaw drop. I don't want to give away most of these moments but I will say that one of them involves a gigantic nuke. Those who have played the game know about that moment and how awesome it was when you first saw it. Graphically speaking, COD4 was one of the best things I've seen in shooter (though I've never played Crysis, mind you).

A good single-player mode is almost a bonus to me though in a shooter. My love or hatred for a shooter lies within the multiplayer. COD4 did not disappoint in that regard. Taking maps from the single-player campaign, you can play online or offline in COD4. Since the controls are really smooth, the games are really competitive. If you're off by a centimeter, chances are you will die first. And since you don't have an enormous amount of health, quick and accurate shooting will win the day. That, or a really well placed grenade.



I love playing this game with people from PLAY, since each of my friends have different styles that all work very well. Chris will gun you down with a shotgun if he's not planting C4 (bastard); Paul will never miss with the damn M203; And I... will just suck. The weapons are also surprisingly balanced and do make a great difference depending on what situation you are in.

I still actively play this game on PSN. My PSN name is Lavoscloud. If you ever want to play a game with me, just leave me a message and I'll take you on. I'm not spectacular, but I can hold my own against most people. Also, I know Call of Duty 4 is multi-platform but since the version I own is the PS3 one, I'm marking it as a PS3 game for the Top 52 list.
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My Top 52:
#52 --- Star Fox 64 (N64)
#51 --- Kirby's Adventure (NES)
#50 --- Roller Coaster Tycoon (PC)
#49 --- Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)
#48 --- Metroid Prime (GC)
#47 --- Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
#46 --- Bomberman 64 (N64)
#45 --- Guitar Hero II (PS2)
#44 --- Super Street Fighter II (GEN)
#43 --- Pokemon Puzzle League (N64)
#42 --- Soul Calibur II (GC)
#41 --- Gears of War (Xbox 360)*
#40 --- Elite Beat Agents (DS)
#39 --- Call of Duty 4 (PS3)

*- Denotes highest rated game for that console