It is not secret that Infinity Ward wanted to take the Call of Duty franchise in a direction that strayed from the familiar confines of World War II. After all, through three main releases and a couple of others (like Big Red One, Finest Hour and United Offensive), the franchise still had stories to tell but that WWII space was a little crowded.

So Infinity Ward went modern with the series and while CoD3 was a triumph of intensity and eye candy, it is easily eclipsed by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

CoD4 tracks a couple of converging storylines centering around a run-away terrorist group in the Middle East. The story begins with a new addition to the SAS (U.K. special forces) by the name of Soap MacTavish. MacTavish and his team are sent to board a freighter at sea, during a storm, which is purportedly carrying a nuclear device. They find the device all right, but inbound bogeys (MiGs) put an end to plans other than securing the manifest and hustling for the helicopter. Of course, the task is made all the harder by the fact that the ship has been hit with some rockets and is listing heavily en route to its watery grave.

Get through that mission and you are treated to a cut scene in which the Middle East group, led by Al-Asad, executes the leader of the country and seizes – or seemingly seizes – power. Back to the SAS boys and a rescue mission in Russia for the informant that told them about the nuclear device, Nikolai. He is being held in a camp and while there are those who would rather see you not get to Nikolai, this is a mission that decoys players into thinking the game might be a bit easy.

In actuality, this is the calm before the storm. Nikolai asks if the U.S. Marines are going after Al-Asad and when told yes, says it is a big mistake.

Cut to an insurgence by the U.S. Marines. You step into the combat boots of Sgt. Paul Jackson. The goal is to move across a hostile city to the television studio where Al-Asad is broadcasting. It is fairly intense up to the television studio, but once there, you are about to have your adrenalin juiced to the max. The television studio is a nightmare. Enemies are everywhere and you have to circumnavigate the main studio floor to get to the stairs, eliminating all targets, and then move up to the main broadcast room.

The back-to-back Marine levels are intensive combat, showing Infinity Ward’s combat model, mechanics and scope to its fullest. It also, unfortunately, shows a few flaws in the AI. Some of the ally AI is spot on, with nearby allies picking up and throwing back live grenades. But some of it is off target. You may hear your C.O. yell to follow him, but in actuality, they won’t move unless you lead the way. No, you can’t cower in the back and snipe, but have to lead the charge through the enemies to the door that leads to the foyer and then it will be opened. Mission updates preclude charging onward, giving the game a sense of realism.

Checkpoints reached act as save points and should you die, you pick up at the last checkpoint, rather than having to repeat the entire level.

Of course, Al-Asad is not in the studio. The broadcast is on a tape looping. It was interesting to note that you could put a bullet into one television monitor and blow it out, but another one nearby seemed impervious to bullets. From that point, the mission ups the ante, but having you navigate through a series of buildings, picking up a javelin (land-based missile, surface-to-air-to-surface) to knock out a couple of enemy tanks. Discard the night vision for this one. The explosions when the missile hits the tanks are truly a bit of graphical magic.

In due course, you will be securing a site from being overrun, and then setting beacons to call in support to clear out enemy gun nests in buildings. Infinity Ward has basically taken off the kids’ gloves and throws the game into your face. You move, you toss grenades, you reload, all on the run. Camp and you are setting yourself up to die.

But if you think that this is the upper end of the missions, think again. At each level Infinity Ward seems to be trying to raise the ante, making the game more intense, while weaving seemingly loosely related story lines into a more powerful plot point. From working as a sniper, to riding shotgun in an aerial assault, CoD4 is a thrill ride that will challenge even the more hardcore gamers.

The game’s interface is excellent, and while it has been updated marginally, everything you need is within easy reach. The UI learning curve is tiny, whereas surviving is a definite challenge.

When it comes to the sound, the radio crackle can be overwhelmed by the combat sounds, but don’t worry, you will have it repeated several times until you do what you are being ordered to do.

Graphically, though, CoD4 is stunning. Vibrant would be one word used to describe the scenes, even the destroyed city. Tracers flashing through the night add another bit of eye candy. Explosions look amazing; snipe an enemy and you will know when you have scored the hit with the small splash of blood. Put on the night-vision goggles to work in the dark. Enemies won’t see you,  even though you seem to be close enough to smell … or dance.

The multiplayer adds another amazing dimension to the game. There are the usual assortment of modes, as well as classes that are unlocked the more you play and perks that become available. IF has taken the game and created a rankings system. You start out as a buck private and as you earn experience points during the multiplayer sessions, you unlock classes and can even progress to the point where you can create your own customized class, name it and use it in the multiplayer setting.

Getting kills in a game has its rewards as well. You can unlock a radar that will who enemy positions, or be able to call in air strikes. Perks will enable you to buff up your soldier, earning such attributes as being able to recover sufficiently from a killing shot to wipe out your pistol and shoot back at the player that put you down. You can even get the ability to shoot through substantial walls.

Multiplayer will really add to the longevity of this game.

Call of Duty 4 does have a few moments where it doesn’t feel right, but for the most part, this is a game that is a dynamic evolving experience that grabs players by the throat and immerses them in the scenarios in a seemingly effortless manner. You will be drawn into the story, whether running the gauntlet as MacTavish or wondering how you are going to survive the onslaught of AK-47 toting fanaticism in the Middle East.

Infinity Ward, and Activision, has moved the Call of Duty franchise up into the modern era and embraced the next-gen console in a manner that will definitely please fans of the first-person shooter genre and CoD series.

Gameplay: 9.6
With each level, with each reveal of the plot, you begin to see a game that was finely crafted and tells an involving, evolving story. The gameplay mechanics are familiar and that is a good thing because there is so much going on in this game that fumbling with the controls would ruin it.

Graphics: 9.7
The nuances are phenomenal and the game consistently runs at a smooth framerate. The animations are also first rate.

Sound: 9.5
Infinity Ward knows how integral sound is to the gaming experience. It has proved that with previous iterations of this title. CoD4 is no exception. The sound is vital to the experience and really pulls you into the game and story.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 9.5
Infinity Ward strayed from the safe confines of the franchise’s established WW II element and ventured into new territory. The results are nothing short of superb.

Multiplayer: 9.3
The modes may be familiar but new life has been injected with the create-a-class system as well as the in-game bonuses and perk system.   

Overall: 9.6
CoD4 is the best in a long and storied franchise. This is next-gen gaming in every sense of the phrase. This is an excellent game.