At E3 2007, the world caught its first glimpse of Infinity Ward’s new shooter. Call of Duty was already a huge success, but after three games set during World War II, both the studio and Call of Duty fans were ready for something new. Everyone hoped for greatness, but as the Ferris-Wheel of Pripyat, Ukraine appeared on-screen at the E3 stage, nobody quite expected the tour-de-force that Infinity Ward would soon unleash upon the world.
Twelve years on since its launch, Call of Duty 4 remains one of the best cinematic shooters ever made. Its campaign is a non-stop barrage of iconic Call of Duty moments, from its dramatic opening Cargo-Ship raid, to the heart-stopping tension of sneaking through the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in the incredible “All-Ghillied Up,” arguably the most celebrated individual mission of any Call of Duty campaign.
But Call of Duty 4 also offered an experience that wasn’t afraid to deal with pertinent themes of war. Inspired both by contemporary Middle-Eastern conflicts, and real-life Spec-ops missions, Its story sees an S.A.S team led by Captain John Price embark upon on a clandestine mission to retrieve intel on the nuclear capability of Middle-Eastern dictator Khaled Al-Asaad. At the same time, a force of U.S. Marines spearheads a large-scale operation to capture the military despot. It also didn’t pull any punches, as seen when Al-Asaad detonates a nuclear device, killing many of the Marines, including the game’s second playable character, Sergeant Paul Jackson.
It wasn’t only the single-player which broke the mould. Modern Warfare’s multiplayer acted as the foundation upon which all future Call of Duty games would base themselves. Prior to Modern Warfare, Call of Duty’s multiplayer matches were straightforward, round-based gunfights. But Modern Warfare built into its multiplayer a sense of progression and achievement. Its upgrade and killstreaks systems enabled players to earn rewards both within individual matches (such as calling in an airstrike onto the map) and unlock new weapons and abilities across the course of their Call of Duty career. The multiplayer also introduced some of Call of Duty’s most distinctive and treasured maps, such as Crash and Overgrown.
Modern Warfare turned Call of Duty from a successful WWII shooter into the biggest FPS in the world. It also made the sequel to one of the most hotly anticipated games of all time. Fortunately, it did not disappoint. Not only did Modern Warfare 2 succeed in upping the stakes over the original - featuring blistering snowmobile chases, tooth-and-nail gunfights in a Brazilian Favela, and an eerie battle through Washington D.C in the midst of a blackout - it also took the game story in an intriguing direction.
After a terrorist attack by Vladimir Makarov sparks a war between Russia and the United States, Captain Price and ‘Soap’ MacTavish’s discover the conflict was orchestrated by an American General, forcing them to go rogue. Price and Soap succeed in eliminating the general, although the war between the U.S. and Russia continues, while Price and John ‘Soap’ MacTavish become disavowed for their unsanctioned killing. Modern Warfare 2 also introduced one of fan’s favourite characters, Simon “Ghost” Riley, who conceals his physical identity behind a mask.
Modern Warfare 2 expanded upon the multiplayer foundations laid by the original, introducing even more powerful killstreaks, such as the game-ending Tactical Nuke, and “deathstreaks,” which gave struggling players a boon to help them get back on trap. Perhaps most notably, Modern Warfare 2 introduced “Spec Ops Mode”, a unique two-player cooperative mode where players could work together on a series of bespoke missions.
After Modern Warfare 2 took the series to new heights, Modern Warfare 3 brought the story to a close. Its campaign includes some of the most ambitious set-pieces in the series’ history, such as a huge battle through the streets of Paris, and an assault on an enormous Siberian Diamond Mine. It also saw Captain Price finally exact revenge on the terrorist Vladimir Makarov, albeit at the cost of Soap MacTavish’s life. Meanwhile, the multiplayer brought with it an overhaul of the Killstreaks system, and an expansion of Spec Ops, including a new Survival mode.
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When it was released in December 2011, Modern Warfare 3 marked the biggest entertainment launch ever at the time. The series has come a long way since those early glimpses of the Pripyat skyline in the Spring of 2007. Now, after an eight-year hiatus, Captain Price is on the cusp of a whole new mission, one that will redefine the series all over again.
