Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Preview

If there's one thing capable of infuriating gamers, it's having to experience yet another title set against a World War II backdrop - hence, adding the subtitle "Modern Warfare" to the fourth installment in the critically acclaimed shooter series Call of Duty, was a good choice. Nowadays, some people tend to discard video games at the mere mention of WW II. Who can blame them? After all, more than two decades worth of WWII themed strategies, shooters, horror-themed action games and even RPGs, is enough to make anybody jaded. Publishers have seriously exhausted this particular setting and, thankfully, Call of Duty 4 has moved beyond that.

Now the choppers are having all the fun!

Relax guys, the arcade is this way.

Activision and Infinity Ward centered the new CoD game on a modern-day type of conflict. The important thing to point out is that the war conveyed through the game is fictional. At the same time, of course, Infinity Ward vouched to make the game as close to the real thing as possible, both in the sense of weapons and equipment, as well as the atmosphere in general. Modern warfare is, understandably, at the very heart of Call of Duty 4. To verify the game's authenticity in this matter, the crew at Infinity Ward was able to confer with modern battlefield veterans whose recent experiences include serving in Iraq. Mind you, the new game doesn't take place in Iraq.

At the center of the plot lies one Zakhaev, a Russian ultranationalist who, inspired by his idol Stalin, would like nothing more than to bring back the glorious days of the great Soviet Union (ah, every true villain has a bit of Stalin in him). After triggering a civil war in the Mother Land, Zakhaev comes up with a plan to lure US forces into an ambush, fully realizing that foreign world powers wouldn't be able to resist intervening. Luckily, British intelligence had been watching Zakhaev closely and, thanks to reliable Russian sources, they successfully discovered his true purpose behind the whole conflict.

The single-player follows the paths of two separate characters (though it was also revealed that players will get to experience the game from the perspective of other characters as well). Anyhow, one part of the storyline sees you venturing forth as a British SAS commando, while the second portion takes you into the very heart of the Middle Eastern conflict, allowing you to undergo the single-player campaign as a US Marine. Both stories will intertwine later on and, as we understand it, this is to be the very thread tying the whole plot together.

Essentially, things have changed a bit when it comes to storytelling. In earlier CoD games, given the historically accurate backdrop, players had a decent idea of what they were supposed to do and who they were fighting against. Now, everything is fictional, which requires more elaborate explanations as to villains and other crucial characters.

The game itself takes players on a series of intense missions, on the Black Sea, in Northern Azerbaijan and through many other locations. No matter where you are though, it's going to be an action-packed ride, so true-hearted CoD players will feel right at home. On the surface, things will seem familiar; however, once you get deeper into the game, plenty of new elements come into focus. For starters, your character now packs high-tech gear, along with a variety of powerful modern-day weapons. Soldiers carry automatic rifles, night-vision goggles, powerful grenade launchers, Javelin anti-tank missiles and other cool new additions.

More than that, in some missions you'll be acting as a gunner aboard an AC-130 Spectre gunship, providing fire support for other troops. Yeah, I know all that sounds like standard CoD stuff. That's why the team at Infinity Ward is doing its best to improve the gameplay and make it exciting for gamers as much as possible. On a number of occasions, it was said that Call of Duty 4 was inspired by the well-known TV-series 24. The game sort of follows in the series' footsteps, in terms of ambiance and suspense, which means the gameplay is constantly shifting and there are surprises waiting around every corner.

Interestingly enough, the game won't be all about intense action and non-stop battles. Infinity opted to "hit the brakes" on the action to a certain degree, by adding an occasional stealth mission, which, according to their words, involves just as much suspense as the usual action-packed sequences. But, even action sequences are being described as a challenge and there will be a variety of different situations as you progress. For example, some missions take place during nighttime, at which point players are obliged to use black-and-white night-vision. Since it is impossible to tell friend from foe, players must check their targets, which will surely be a challenge when things really start to heat up. Incidentally, friendly fire can mean game over, so you'll definitely need to check your aim.