On the Subject of Call of Duty 4

Bar Rafaeli

I played the demo, I was impressed by what they had achieved visually with a relatively limited engine, I was unsurprised by the linear design which is common to the previous installments, I thought it was pretty good fun and bought the full game on Steam.
And the full game is exceptionally good. Yes, it's linear. No, the engine can't hold a candle to Crysis. It is, however, really good fun and it's linear because that's the only way you can deliver a compelling storyline and offer a sequence of genuinely exciting set pieces. That sort of game-play in wartime FPS games really dates back to the Omaha Beach landing stage in the original Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Lots of enemies, lots of bullets and missiles flying around, lots of shouting and explosions. Great stuff.
It's no army simulation, but it is engaging, adrenaline-pumping action. And for a "limited" engine it often looks stunning. The rim lighting they seem to have added to the characters (especially at nighttime) is slightly questionable, but the depth of field is nicely implemented and adds enormously to the experience of crawling through grass or sniping. And without the mammoth performance hit that post-processing adds to Crysis.
There are some genuinely thrilling stages. My favourites include the whole Chernobyl sequence which is rendered in desaturated tones and provides a beautifully-designed and haunting environment of abandoned buildings and wild dogs. It also features a proper stealth section at the start which includes possibly the most nerve-wracking moment in the game as you lie in the grass hoping you're not about to be stepped on, run over or simply spotted by an oncoming patrol of soldiers and vehicles.
I was also impressed by how the Great British SAS get all the good stuff, while the marines are slightly relegated to cannon fodder, although Marine character Jackson's death (yeah, spoiler, whatever) is both surprising and poignantly handled. In fact the way the story unfolds and before you know it you find yourself immersed in trying to achieve the character's goals is what impressed me the most.
The ending is great - hugely cinematic and rewarding even if it does come a little bit too soon. But then that's a common complaint these days and "wanting more" is not much of a criticism.
It's great to have relatively low expectations and then have a truly memorable gaming experience. CoD4 is light-years ahead of it's predecessors and a much more involving game than Crysis with it's Aliens-by-numbers storyline and old-school big boss ending.
I have no opinion on the multiplayer aspects of the game because I have no intention of trying it. I wanted a fun, straightforward single-player shooter and in the end I got a lot more for my money. That's good enough for me.