If you've experienced the barrage of ads for Infinity Ward's newest shooter, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare,"" you've already heard the most important concept to remember - ""Wars change. Soldiers don't."" The game moves the series from the familiar World War II into modern day military combat. However, the essence of the game remains intact.
This essence - the terrifying yet cinematic experience of being stuck in the trenches, pinned down by enemy gunfire with your fellow soldiers - is supported by the graphics engine that Infinity Ward stunned audiences with in 2005 when ""Call of Duty 2"" launched with the Xbox 360. The problem, of course, is that was two years ago - the question is whether an aging engine can run with the big dogs like ""Halo 3"" and ""Gears of War.""
The answer is a resounding ""sort of."" The lighting and ambient effects like heat wavering off a muzzle flare have been improved to match upgraded technology on the battlefield. However, some aspects of the engine - the lack of animation in foliage, the lower texture detail on buildings and other larger surfaces - show the engine's age. The game makes up for the engine's shortcomings with some beautiful architecture and a rock-solid frame rate, which should keep most players perfectly content.
The game play is solid, with tight controls and very authentic weaponry. At first, the modern weapons feel a little overpowered, but as the game progresses and the enemies get more numerous, a balance emerges that keeps you from putting the controller down. The experience carries over into the already award-winning multiplayer on Xbox Live, which plays like a dream and is a blast for those who can't stand to end the warfare in the campaign.
We've seen real strides in artificial intelligence this year with games like ""Bioshock"" and ""Halo 3"" raising the bar for ""COD 4
