Heed the call of duty

War is futile, but it makes an awesome setting for an action video game. And of all the wars that have been fought in our recorded history, none have been given the Silicon Valley treatment more than World War Two.
Developers have had a love affair with the seemingly unlimited tales of brotherhood, bravery and courage under fire all set in several different theatres of war.
The two major World War Two FPS series have been Medal of Honour and Call of Duty. Ever since gamers had their first taste of a Normandy beach landing in Medal of Honour: Allied Assault, video games have never been the same.
Call of Duty’s multiplayer element has always been a standout feature of World War Two games and none epitomised team combat better than Call of Duty 3 on the Xbox 360.
But Call of Duty has bid farewell to World War Two and instead focussed on the era of modern combat – one highlighted more so by technological advancement than its vast campaigns and hundreds of thousands of troops.
The Call of Duty 4 beta is now available to Xbox 360 gamers to give them a taste of what the final game, due for release on 5 November, will be like.
As one would expect from an American games developer, ‘modern’ combat introduces two new factions.
Instead of Allied forces fighting Nazis, it’s British and American troops fighting terrorists and extremist organisations in a host of Middle East inspired settings.
The beta is purely multiplayer – so you’ll have to wait until November to hear our thoughts on the single-player campaign.
But if the beta is anything to go by, then Call of Duty 4 will be a must-buy addition to any FPS fan’s collection of games.
The standout feature in my opinion is the ability to build a custom class.
While other games, including previous Call of Duty games, require players to select from about five predetermined classes including sniper, general infantry, demolitions and so forth, Call of Duty 4 encapsulates the ‘complete-soldier’ feel of modern armed forces by allowing you to build your own class.
When players start the game they begin with no XP and a lowly recruit rank. As players progress through the game, their rank increases and unlocks features that enhance weaponry and personal skills.
Battlefield 2 had a similar structure but it never felt as rewarding as Call of Duty 4.
In game, the graphics are a step above Call of Duty 3, although the urban setting means the game’s colours are not as vibrant as a WWII shooter.
The controls are superb and are another example of what clever development can achieve with just a standard Xbox 360 controller.
They are smooth, fast, and shooting is accurate thanks to the left trigger, which pulls the sight of the weapon up to your player’s ‘eye’.
The online lobby clearly borrows from Halo, but that’s not such a bad thing. Instead of joining a specific server, players simply take part in the game’s matchmaking option that finds the best quality connection for players to join.
The beta is limited to a handful of maps but the final game promises more variety. Call of Duty 4 is looking promising, and we’re yet to see how good the single player element is.