Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Even in what promises to be one of the biggest holiday seasons for the video-game industry in many years (if not ever), Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is shaping up to be one of those titles that could stand in a tier above the rest. The game not only presents a new direction for the franchise, but also offers up some of the best firefights in the series’ history, as well as some fantastic graphics and ambiance. The game’s attention to detail, ease of play, and robust online features could very well make it the best entry to the series so far.

GameZone was on hand to play the CoD 4’s multiplayer beta, and while some features had been scaled down a bit (the level cap was set to 11 and several unlockables were thus unavailable), the online portion was fantastic and incredibly addicting. CoD 4 could very well be some of the most fun you’ll have playing an online shooter this year.

The multiplayer mode Call of Duty 4 begins with you selecting a game mode that you’d like the play, with Free-for-All, Team Deathmatch, Tactical and Objective modes available. The lobby system is very easy to get into and find the right match that you’d like to play. After that you simply choose your class and you’re good to go.

The beta included three different maps from the game’s full blown online component. The three maps are pretty varied and give a good outlook on what the final game will offer. They are Vacant, which is a bombed-out office complex with plenty of narrow corridors, Crash, a middle-eastern town with many buildings, and Overgrown, a Russian town with plenty of buildings and a bridge separating two sections.

At first, it can be easy to get obliterated in the multiplayer mode. The starting classes actually feel a bit weak, but once you begin gaining levels and you unlock the create-a-class mode, you get into the real meat of what Call of Duty 4’s online portion is all about.

The create-a-class allows you to invent a brand new soldier from scratch. You get to add your input to all elements of the class, from your starting weapons and attachments to what kind of camouflage your soldier will have on the battlefield. However, the most important factor in your character creation is the perks that you can give your character.

Perks allow you to give your character bonus abilities before they go into combat. These abilities give you stronger ammo, added health or even the abilities to shoot through walls. Probably the coolest perk is the Last Stand, which lets gives you one last chance to take down the person who killed you with your sidearm before you die, which is great for getting in that extra bunch of points.

The more proficient you are on the battlefield, the more experience points you’ll accumulate. Experience points can be used to level your character and rank them up. However, this does more than let everyone know what a badass your character is. As you level, you’ll unlock more perks for your special class. You can get more weapon attachments like scopes and laser sights by completing weapon challenges. Weapon challenges have you earning a certain amount of kills or headshots with one weapon, which in turn allows you to pimp out that weapon with all kinds of great upgrades.

The combat in CoD 4 is as intense as any battle you’ll play in a multiplayer shooter, and it’s not without its rewards. Killing streaks will net you some extra abilities on the battlefield. For example, three kills will net you a UAV; five kills will let you call an airstrike; and seven kills gets you a helicopter to mow down enemies with support fire.

CoD 4’s multiplayer element is already some of the most fun I’ve had with an online FPS in a long while. The public beta is now in effect, so anyone who can must download it and try it out for themselves. Otherwise, keep a look out for CoD 4 this November, as it will surely be one of the best 360 shooters this holiday season.