For the past month and a half the gaming community has been chomping at the bit to get a look at anything that has to do with Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare.

This past week we got the chance to do just that when Infinity Ward opened up their Beta for COD4 to a select group of people in the press, as well as some lucky members of the CharlieOscarDelta.com community.

Here is what we saw and what we thought about the game that a lot of people are calling the Halo Killer.

The Call of Duty 4 Beta is only a touch of what you’ll see in the final version of the game when it’s released on Monday November 5th, but what you are able to see is going to make your mouth water for more of the tasty goodness.

Graphics

If you are looking for a crisp clear brightly colored game look the other way, because that is not what you are going to find in Call of Duty 4.

The graphics in the game are extremely gritty to give the gamer a feel of being in a real warzone. Everything looks drab and washed out, in a good way; it makes you feel like you are actually immersed into a modern day warzone.

All the buildings are broken and cracked so they look like they will fall over in the slightest breeze, with the help of an M16A4 bullet, or when the next chopper hovers over the top of them waiting to pick off the unsuspecting enemy.

The foliage is really where this game shines. It has to if you are going to be able to pull off being a sniper and wearing a ghillie suit.

Many times in game we would be running along trying to make it to a point of entry or cross a road without getting our heads taken off, only to be sniped down by someone camouflaged to the nines and hiding in the bushes.

All in all the graphics definitely compliment the game play and game style very well. Don’t be surprised though if you have to squint at your screen to spot an enemy on the other side of the map, they blend in that well.

Levels

There are three levels that you can play in the Call of Duty 4 Beta and each one gives you a little taste of what you can expect in the final release of the game: Overgrown, Crash, and Vacant.

OverGrown – A large map with lots of places for snipers and ghillie suits to hide. This map has everything from lush vegetation, broken buildings, back entrances, and high ground for good vantage points / lines of fire.

Crash – Reminiscent of the movie Black Hawk Down this map is a broken city with a large courtyard in the middle complete with a blown up Helicopter that you can use as cover. Be prepared for a challenge as there are plenty of places for the opposing team to set up home base and take you down.

Players will have to be on guard as they make their way down the broken streets and alleys as the enemy could be around any corner waiting on the perfect opportunity to take you down.

Vacant – This disserted warehouse is the perfect place to test out your skills in all the game types. There are numerous places to hide and different ways to out flank your opponent as you battle it out on this dark dank environment.

This map is an assault class players dream. Players are going to need to use their heads on this board more so than the rest as you are never safe from an enemy coming up and sticking a knife in your back.

Controls

The control scheme is very similar to that of Call of Duty 2 with a few subtle differences. So subtle in fact that if you have played a lot of COD 2 you shouldn’t have much of a problem picking up the controls for 4 in a short amount of time.

Most of the buttons are set up in the same place as they were in 2 with a few new additions. When sniping you can hold your breath with the left thumb stick as you could before, but when you aren’t scoped in this is the sprint button. Players can now sprint across open areas for short distances in order to help them better avoid getting gunned down when they click or hold down the left thumb stick.

The other addition is one that involves your kill streaks and you some of your perks, but we’ll get to those in a little bit. Let’s just say that one click of the button can cause a lot of damage to the other team and put a smile on your face as you watch the destruction.

All in all the controls have a smooth and familiar feel to them and you won’t be disappointed in how your movements flow from your fingers the screen.

Game types

There are four game types in the beta, and they all have their own areas of appeal. Here they are: Free for all, Team Death Match, Search and Destroy, Domination.

Free for All – Exactly what it sounds like. Players pick a load out and head out onto the battle field and try to prove they are the best of the best, (in that particular game).

Team Death Match – The tried and true staple for all shooters is back in COD 4 and it is just as much fun, if not more so, then it has ever been. Be prepared to feel like you are surrounded and constantly feel like you need to check your six as you battle it out in teams of up to six vs. six.

Search and Destroy – A new spin on the old version of Search and destroy from COD 2 in which one, player, from the attacking team, must pick up the bomb at the beginning of the match and then move towards the A or B objective, with the help of his or her team, where they must plant the bomb. After the bomb is planted the attacking team must then defend that area for 30 seconds.

If the defending team kills all of the attacking team’s members or defuses the bomb they win, if the bomb goes off then the attacking team wins. Each game is first to 4 wins and you only have one life so be careful when you stick your head around a corner.

Domination – This game type is a lot like Call of Duty 3’s war. There are three areas on the map, (A, B, C), which players must capture and hold for points. The more areas you hold the more points you will acquire and the quicker the round will be over.

Sounds easy right? Well it’s not. Each team ideally has six players each so you have to spread yourself out in order to attack or defend each territory making it easier for the attacking team to put all their effort into capture the area you are defending.

This game type is that will take the tactical side of what has been a more of a run and gun series to a new level of strategy and teamwork. So if you like to work and as a team and develop different strategies this will be the game type for you and your friends.

Create a Class

Taking a page from the Rainbow six series and other more tactical shooters Call of Duty 4 has added a new customizable option to its game play. The newest option allows players to create your own player class and customize your load out to compliment your own playing style.

Each player has five customizable slots to set up for different maps or game types. If you don’t want to spend the time setting up the custom classes, which we highly recommend you do, then you can choose from standard setup ala Call of Duty 2 with set weapons, grenades, and other goodies

The possibilities are endless for any type of play style.

Weapons and Special Grenades – Players will have the choice of a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and a special grenade.

Primary Weapon – Players can choose from Assault Rifles, Sub Machine Guns, Light Machine Guns, Shotguns, or Sniper Rifles. There are five to seven choices in each area to choose from so you shouldn’t have any problem finding something you like.

After you pick your weapon you can also pick attachments that will help you get the enemy in your sites a little faster or help you aim a little straighter.

An example of this is the red dot site which puts a red dot, not a laser, on wherever you are aiming to help you get a better feel for where your bullets are going to end up.

Side Arm – Just like most other shooters you are allowed to take a pistol out with you onto the battlefield. There are four to choose from and they each have their pros and cons, but we’ll let you figure that out for yourself.

If you want to be sneaky you can hook up a silencer to the end of your pistol in order to get that stealth shot to the back of your head on your unsuspecting buddy.

Special Grenades – There are three types of special grenades. An upgrade from the older Call of Duty games where you only had smoke grenades. The three types are: Flash Grenade, Stun Grenade, and Smoke.

Each grenade serves a different purpose and can be helpful or deadly its own way. So choose carefully you don’t want to bring a smoke grenades to a room breaching party.

Perks - These are special abilities that let each player further customize your load to compliment your game play style. You are limited to three perks for each one of your customizable class slots.

Here is what you have to work with and get ready to put your thinking cap on because there are a lot of options:

Category 1 Perks:

• Bomb Squad - Ability to seek out enemy explosives
• C4 x 2 - Remote detonation explosive
• Claymore x 2 - Trip activated explosive mine
• RPG-7 x 2 - Rocket Launcher with 2 rockets
• Special Grenades x 3 - 3 special grenades. No smoke

Category 2 Perks:

• Juggernaut - Increased health
• Sleight of Hand - Faster reloading
• Sonic Boom - Higher explosive weapon damage
• Stopping Power - Increased bullet damage
• UAV Jammer - Undetectable on enemy radar

Category 3 Perks:

• Deep Impact - Deeper bullet penetration
• Extreme Conditioning - Sprint for longer distances
• Last Stand - Pull out your pistol before dying
• Martyrdom - Drop a live grenade when killed
• Steady Aim - Increased hip-fire accuracy
• Dead Silence - Movements make less noise

Modifiers

Ever wanted to call in an airstrike, find out exactly where the enemy is located or have a badass helicopter crew slice through the opposition? Well now is your chance and all you have to do is string together some kill, without dying, to be able to hook up your team with a little extra help to win the war.

This is where the D-Pad comes into play as all of your modifiers can be enabled by hitting right on the D-Pad after they have been activated. Also if you are in middle of launching a modifier and fall to your death don’t worry you can still use that option after you re-spawn, so all your efforts weren’t in vain.

3 Kill Modifier – UAV – The UAV enables you to see exactly where the opposing team is located so that you can advance on their position and take them down in which ever fashion you see fit.

5 Kill Modifier – AirStrike – Death from above is what this modifier is bringing to the battle field if you correctly determine where the enemy is or will be on your handy map that pops up to help you send in your planes anywhere on the map.

Friendly fire is turned off for the Beta so don’t worry about blowing up your own team, but you might want to practice letting your team know when you are about to launch one, because once friendly fire is enabled a lot of people could be really pissed off or happy depending on your aim.

7 Kill Modifier – Helicopter Support – This option lets you call in support from above that hangs around for a little while and can help you rack up some serious kills in a hurry.

The Helicopter hangs out above the map firing at the enemy whenever they come into view, and will do so until it is taken out. So when you see an enemy copter fly onto the screen you better run and hide or get someone with an RPG to take that thing out, or you’ll be in for a world of hurt.

Leader boards – Call of Duty 4 has added leader boards to its repertoire where you can track your final score for each match, how many wins and losses you’ve accrued kills and deaths, and also how well you can keep your sites on the target in the accuracy section.

Party System – I’m sure this will be fixed in the final version, but as of right now you can only have six people in your party if you want to get into a game. Add a seventh person and you lose all your options to start a match. Other than that the system is very promising and a little reminiscent of the Halo 2 & 3 party system.

Could it be that someone actually listened to the gamers and followed in the footsteps of Bungie to create a party and matchmaking system that actually works. Well we’ll just have to see when the final version hits shelves.

Pros

Great potential for a Match Making system that works, fast and furious game play, realistic battlefield action that is very immersive, the weapons seem to be on point there really isn’t anything that is super overpowered or underpowered except maybe the sniper, more options than you can shake a stick at and this is only the beta, the perks add a whole new level to the game, and the new melee is awesome (you whip out a knife).

Cons

In a couple of the games when the action was building to a crescendo with explosions going on all over the screen the game froze and everyone on my FL had to re-boot. With some much going on, on the battlefield will this be the rule more so than the exception, only time will tell.

The sniper is a bit like the old sniper in COD 2 and I can see a lot of people getting upset with the overuse of this gun, especially with the addition of the ghillie suit which makes sniper very hard to detect.

The party system has the potential to be great, but as it stands right now is a little jacked up and need some tweaking. We’re not sure if the developers set it up this way for the Beta or if it is something that can be adjusted in time for the final release. Right now it’s a pain getting together with a group of more than six friends.

The Conclusion

This game has the potential to be one of the best games of the year. The game play is fast and furious, the visuals are beautiful, and the customization will add to the longevity of the games life.

Will it be the Halo killer I doubt it, but it will give the folks at Bungie a run for their money.

So if you have the chance to play the Beta do so, you won’t regret it in the least. If you can’t get your hands on the code you need to reserve your copy for rental or buying as soon as possible, because this is one that’s going to be hard to find come November 5.

9/10