Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is experiencing a great film. And great films - like great some games - never appear linear; their finite stories belie the seemingly expansive possibilities of their genre. The reality is, of course, that the action of an FPS offers only a limited number of scenarios. However, done well, these scenarios offer both the serious and the casual gamer well-crafted slices of unreal action. Not least because the army down-plays the getting-shot-aspect of real life.



As I stopped gaming between 2003 and 2008, I didn’t play the original Call of Duty games, so this was my entry into the series. To be honest, as an RTS fan, I didn’t fancy playing FPS. However, I had read so many wonderful reviews for this game, that I thought I had to try it.

My first impression was that the graphics were immense. No glitching, smooth frame-rate and glorious textures. The first level was cinematic. Rushing from the sinking ship, fearing I had unshot my leap (having a childhood of failing pixel-perfect platform jump) I openly applauded the game when the game was toying with my expectations. All to a continually epic cinematic score.

Having played through all but one of the Call of Duty games, I began to realise the variety of gameplay offered. The ability to shoot through walls is particularly brilliant. While not akin to the scene in Robocop where you calculate the angles to cut down a criminal, it does allow you splash the cover of a cautious enemy with bullets with some success. Fortunately (as far as I’m concerned) the AI rarely, if ever, shoots you back through walls. I should add that I’m atrocious in the multiplayer mode; I can stalk and find opposing players. But no matter how long I shoot them for, they don’t go down. No BOOM HEADSHOT! for me.

One aspect of gameplay that works extremely well is the switching from soldier to vehicle combat. For example, after rendezvousing a POW across the countryside (a particularly tricky mission that requires well-picked path through encamped enemies), you zoom into an invulnerable attack helicopter that serves to mow the masses of enemies converging on the patrol. Having struggled through the previous mission (dying more than three times in the same place - normally a cardinal sin for a TeacherGamer) it was gloriously satisfying to finish the enemy off with massively overpowered weapons.

The best aspect of console gaming that I’m happy with is the autosave function. Taking the choice of saving out of the hands of the player turns the game into a series of (occasionally) claustrophobic mini-missions. For me this is perfect evening gaming - I can play five minutes of the game and get a little further.

To stand any chance of getting some kind of skill at the game, you need to purchase a decent mouse. Mine glows purple and blue, and cost me under £20 in a sale. It also got me through a level where I storm a TV station without dying once. It is in this sense of immersion, of completing a mission without seeing the ketchup of blood splashed over the eyes, that the game really excels.

Call of Duty is a gaming phenomenon that helps bring gaming increasingly into the mainstream focus of hobby culture. As a teacher, almost all my tutees use it as a social networking tool. Even if you dislike the genre, this is a game to experience (as part of your linear progression through gaming history.)