#47 - Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

STOP! CEASE! DESIST! DO NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT $200 - THE ALMIGHTY GRYZOR ADMITS TO LIKING A CALL OF DUTY GAME - HELL, HE ADMITS TO LIKING THE SERIES! WHAT A CASUAL GAMING HOMOSEXUAL!

*sigh*

So yeah, Call Of Duty... why did I single out Modern Warfare when these games are supposedly "all the same"? Two reasons, actually.

1. It was a refreshingly excellent shooter when it came out. The first three Call Of Duty games were good, but nothing ultimately special. This one took the first three games and injected them with steroids that somehow don't make your *bleep* and balls shrink. Through that came some amazing scripted events and moments that reminded you of why shooting bad guys is so much fun. Also through that came an online mode that's still very *bleep*ing widely populated (with hackers, but whatever), which keeps the lastability and funfactor high... come on, who doesn't like going into an online match just to kill shit?

2. Unfortunately, it felt like Infinity Ward just got lucky, because subsequent games just floundered about. Modern Warfare 2 is a buggy, unbalanced mess when it comes to multiplayer and the campaign just tried too hard to be cool and edgy, which made for a rather mediocre and generally unenjoyable game, and same for Modern Warfare 3. On the flipside, it's as if Infinity Ward aren't quite good teachers - World At War wasn't bad, but it was disappointing after Modern Warfare, not to mention that the scripted events and whatnot just didn't have that much bite on their own. Black Ops, I did enjoy a lot, but just not as much as I did the first Modern Warfare.

There you have it. In general, Call Of Duty is just dumb fun. I mean, there are cohesive storylines to be found, but so what? Things blow up and you shoot the bad guys up. That's actually the general idea of most shooters, and while Modern Warfare could be seen as the game that changed gaming for the worst, I'd like to think that Modern Warfare has plenty of ideas that, if utilized properly, could create some very *bleep*ing fantastic shooters. While I think something like System Shock or Bioshock got the story down, I think Modern Warfare got the fun down to a tee with some genuinely memorable moments that people still talk about to this day. The later games will probably be forgotten over the years, but not this one. Never. Not until the day the world blows up.

And yet it's only #47. I guess what I said is a bit of an exaggeration. It's changed gaming for the worst over time, but I still have hope that it can change gaming for the best. In fact, that's why it's only #47 - because of the declining quality of games since this game's release; because of the watering down of otherwise complex, subtle and stealthy games; because it was too successful for its own good; because... of many things, really. Let's keep one thing in mind - this list isn't a list of best games; it's favorites, and my reasons for liking games can and will go beyond the quality of a game; it can also be influenced by anything the game does, period.

Summary - A pretty good shooter that's maybe a bit too influential, and not quite in a good way, either.
Rating - 8/10

call of duty modern warfare playstation 3 gaming related xbox 360 pc