Have You Answered the Call?

For the past three installments, the Call of Duty series has languished in the oft-trodden World War II era of gaming, allowing gamers to relive the “last great war” time and again. This month, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare hit store shelves rededining not only the series, but the first-person shooter genre as well.

At first glance, you’ll notice that the graphics in this game are phenomenal. This is easily the most photo-realistic gaming experience you’re likely to find anytime soon. Locations ranging from the Middle East to Russia are rendered with amazing detail, making the game’s most explosive, bullet-riddled moments downright visceral.

The single-player campaign, while short, offers a wide variety of mission types that should keep most players revisiting them long after the credits have rolled. Playing as both a British SAS officer and a US Marine, you’ll take to the ground as well as the skies to protect the world from a terrorist threat. It’s a brief, pulse-pounding and sometimes shocking roller-coaster of a game.

But a lot of you came just for the multiplayer, didn’t you? Well, CoD 4 doesn’t disappoint in that department either. Mixing traditional CoD mechanics with an RPG-like upgrading system, you’ll constantly feel rewarded, unlocking new gear and abilities as you "level up." Those looking for your standard “run-and-gun” gameplay may find themselves at the wrong end of a sniper scope more often than not. Halo 3 players steer clear. This ain’t a twitch shooter.

While I was skeptical at first—seeing as how we seem to be in the midst of a shooter glut on Xbox 360—Call of Duty 4 is one of the best FPS games on the system, Heed the call, buy the game.