The game starts off like a blockbuster action film and the adrenaline rush does not stop. The game takes place across several locales, and through the perspectives of three people-“Soap” MacTavish, Sargeant Paul Jackson, and Captain Price. At the end of the day you are met with a decent, but predictive ending and catchy credit music. But I am not devoting this post to the intricacies of the game play or the relatively thin (yet engaging) story, this post is meant to praise an aspect of the game that caught me by surprise, the graphics.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a graphical beast. While some games only possess a high degree of polish in certain areas-environments, character models, weapon design, etc-COD4 maintains this throughout the entire experience. The game is by no means graphical perfection, but it is cake, very sweet cake that any first-person shooter fan should devour.




The character modeling is exemplary. The character models are impressively well-crafted and detailed. At the end of the Bog, for instance, one soldier in particular is drenched in sweat after an intense battle. Seeing a comrade, whether AI or human, traversing the same struggle as you makes the player seem as though they are the actual character. This small touch makes you feel like you truly accomplished something, a feat some games today can only dream to match.

The environments on the other hand do not truly match up to the standard of the character models. But, then again, this is not an adventure game, so that is to be expected. You can tell Infinity Ward spent their time and energy making sure all the aspects of the battlefield was up to snuff. This is the place where the finer details were of grave importance and it shows. The lighting effects and smoke are excellently done. In fact, the smoke is the most beautiful smoke I have ever seen, period. This is no doubt due to the shot of realism Western developers try to inject their first-person shooters with. But if smoke, or any effect for that matter, can look this good in a video game, I want an overdose of it. It is simply that good.

COD4’s graphical prowess is undeniable. From the realistic water to the sexy smoke, this game screams current-gen. There are FPSs that claim to offer a realistic experience, and then there is Call of Duty 4. Choose COD4, you will be glad you did.