Over the years, gamers have played countless first person shooters. The first person shooter is a staple in the action genre, and when done successfully will allow each player to feel even more involved with a game then any other gaming perspective out on the market. No game does this better than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

  Any fan of the Call of Duty franchise will no doubt know that every Call of Duty to date has been based in the World War II era. There isn't anything wrong with that, since every Call of Duty to date is a stellar example of what a first person shooter can be, but how many WWII games can we honestly play without repeating key battles? Luckily, Activision's Infinity Ward has decided to move on from the Nazi slaughter and bring us back into the present with Modern Warfare. This is a refreshing twist to the Call of Duty franchise, one possibly their best addition to date.

  As Modern Warfare's title states, its all about present day war. You'll find yourself playing the perspective as a British SAS operative, and a US Marine. The intermingling stories work well in establishing an all to familiar war with the Middle East, while allowing Infinity Ward to take some liberties and develop an original story with unique events. This makes for game play that feels like its right out of the news reels, with a twist of Hollywood storytelling and bravado. Don't get me wrong, Modern Warfare doesn't glorify war by any means. In fact its quite the opposite. By the end of the game, you'll leave with the experience that war is truly hell...especially if you've been playing on the toughest difficulty setting.

  Call of Duty veterans may feel the shell shock coming from the WWII front, and jumping into a modern battlefield. Although the WWII settings were by no means a piece of cake to beat, Modern Warfare gives a very realistic interpretation on how war has evolved. Weapons are more devastating, bullets can easily penetrate objects and cover that you'd expect a bullet would be able to pass through, enemy A.I. has greatly improved although at times they spawn continuously until you progress deeper into a level, and at times even your surroundings play a role in how a fight will progress. An excellent example of this is one of the earliest missions that takes place on a freighter sailing in violent seas. You'll have to compensate for the strong currents bashing the ship around like a toy if you want to shoot accurately. A small feature, but one that adds a sense of realism that few games have ever come close to capturing. Another key feature to Modern Warfare is your teammates artificial intelligence. Like most Call of Duties, you don't control your allies. Instead they roam freely throughout the battlefield in the direction of your next objective. In previous Call of Duty games, this lead to many of buddies untimely end as that mindlessly ran straight into enemy fire. This is not the case in Modern Warfare. More often than not, your brother's in arms will out perform the player and come to your aid. They are a true depiction of their real life military counterparts, and if we were in direct control of their actions we'd probably just end up getting ourselves killed. Each unplayable character is also unique in personality, which adds another measure of depth that greatly pays off in the overall gaming experience. They'll watch your back, and you'll watch theirs.

  For those of you who don't trust artificial intelligence, and want nothing more than to bring their best friends into the foxhole with them, Modern Warfare also features an excellent multiplayer mode. You can play through the campaign mode, or hook up to the internet for some ranked multiplayer mayhem with countless game modes to choose from. With each victory, you'll earn experience that will allow you to level up and gain new and better perks to help you survive the multiplayer experience. There are countless hours of game play to enjoy with your friends, and I doubt people will get tired of Modern Warfare's multiplayer any time soon.

  Modern Warfare is easily the most advance first person shooter to date. With a stellar single player mode, intense multiplayer, realistic game play, and excellent graphics this is game that truly delivers an unforgettable gaming experience. Whether is for ps3, Xbox 360, or PC any platform you own Modern Warfare is a must for any collection.

Written by: RB

Over and Out

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