Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

"One of the deepest shooters of all time."

"One of the absolute best games to grace any platform to date."

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter video game and the first Call of Duty installment to take place in a contemporary setting instead of World War II. It was announced on April 12, 2007 and was released on November 5, 2007. Call of Duty 4 was published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward, and is available on the PC, Macintosh, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3. A Wii version of the game, called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition, was handled by Treyarch, and was released on November 10, 2009 along with Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox/PS3/PC and Modern Warfare: Mobilized for Nintendo DS. The game is followed by a direct sequel, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Gameplay
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare differs from the rest of the Call of Duty series. Previous Call of Duty games have a distinct three country-specific campaign style, while Call of Duty 4 has a more film-like plot with interlaced story lines from the perspectives of Sergeant Paul Jackson of the Marines 1st Force Recon and Sergeant 'Soap' MacTavish of the British 22nd SAS Regiment. There is also a variety of missions where players control other characters, such as an unidentified AC-130H Spectre gunship operator and Lieutenant John Price in a flashback depicting him as a member of a two man sniper team on an assassination mission in Pripyat, Ukraine. The move to modern warfare has introduced a variety of conventional weapons and technologies to the Call of Duty Series, such as the M4A1 assault rifle, Barrett .50 Cal sniper rifle and C4 plastic explosive.

For information on the engine the game runs on, see Infinity Ward Game Engine Mechanics.

Plot
In 2011, a Russian Ultranationalist by the name of Imran Zakhaev is determined to return his homeland to Soviet rule. Zakhaev knows the United States of America would never allow this to happen, thus he funds a coup in the Middle East, organized by his ally Khaled Al-Asad, to draw global attention to the Middle East instead of Russia.

thumb|300px|right|Introduction to the gameIn the Prologue levels, players take the role of Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish in his initiation into the SAS. The players will meet the members of the SAS squad and go through a basic tutorial of the game play, which includes a basic shooting range and a time trial in a mock cargo ship set up. The player will then proceed on a mission to intercept the real cargo ship in the Bering Strait alongside Captain Price and Gaz (with several other minor SAS characters). In the cargo hold, the SAS team finds a nuclear warhead draped in a flag with Arabic writing. The ship is subsequently attacked by MiG's, with the SAS team barely escaping from the sinking ship. Players then switch roles with President Yasir Al-Fulani of an unnamed Middle Eastern country that borders Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea, as he is executed by Al-Asad. In Act 1, MacTavish, Captain Price and Gaz rescue a Russian informant, code-name "Nikolai". They are supported by Russian Loyalists led by Sgt. Kamarov. While escaping with Nikolai, their helicopter is shot down, and they then flee from Ultranationalist search teams. Later on, the player takes control of the gunner of an AC-130H Spectre gunship that provides fire support for Captain Price and the surviving SAS members. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Sergeant Paul Jackson, Lieutenant Vasquez and Staff Sergeant Griggs fight their way into the countryAl-Fulani was executed in. They first attack a television studio where they believe Al-Asad is broadcasting, but it turns out to be a recording. They then rescue a stranded Abrams tank callsign &quot;War Pig&quot; in a bog under heavy enemy Op For (Opposing Forces) fire. They escort War Pig through a town swarming with OpFor, back to the highway. They are then extracted by a CH-46 Sea Knight. Their efforts culminate in a massive assault upon the capital city. Jackson is assigned to the Mk 19 on the Sea Knight, providing covering fire to ground forces. The squad are then assigned to rescue a stranded advanced team. However, as they pull out, their escort Cobra, callsign "Deadly" is shot down. They rescue the pilot, but a nuclear weapon is detonated, killing Jackson, Vasquez and 30,000 other servicemen. Before Jackson dies, he crawls from the downed Sea Knight and sees a building collapse, then dying from the radiation. Griggs was not present during the detonation. In Act 2, Price's SAS team is tasked with finding and capturing Al-Asad in his safehouse in Azerbaijan. When it is found out that Zakhaev is supplying Al-Asad, Price executes Al-Asad. There is then a flashback mission where Captain MacMillan, a sniper team leader, and Price, then a Lieutenant, are sent in to the first assassination mission issued by the British government since World War II. Their target is Zakhaev, then a rich Ultranationalist and arms dealer. As they crawl through the countryside in ghillie suits, silently sniping enemy patrols or letting them go, they reach an abandoned hotel where they get a clear view of Zakhaev exchanging nuclear rods for weapons. He is shot by Price and was presumed to be dead. But only his arm was lost. Price and MacMillan, who gets his legs injured when a helicopter crashes, then contact an evacuation chopper and escape. Back in the present, the squad evacuates from the town on the Sea Knight "Big Bird", which has Griggs on it. Then, Soap and his SAS team, Griggs' Marine squad and Sgt. Kamarov's Russian Loyalists attempt to capture Victor Zakhaev, Imran Zakhaev's son, for information. However, just when the strike force corners Victor, he commits suicide by shooting himself in the head to avoid capture. In Act 3, MacTavish and the SAS squad, joined by an American sniper team and an American Marine squad, attempt to retake a launch facility recently captured by the Ultranationalists. Price knew Zakhaev was outraged by the death of his son and would threaten to launch ICBMs at the U.S. They first rescueGriggs after he misses the landing zone and is taken hostage by the Ultranationalists. They then knock out the power to the ICBM facility so the Marines can breach the perimeter. Then they meet with the American sniper team, but two ICBMs are launched at the U.S. Eastern seaboard, which could cause 40 million casualties. They attack the compound and enter the facility, and, after retaking it and aborting the launch, MacTavish, Gaz, Price, Griggs, and some other squad members escape in Russian trucks. The Ultranationalists pursue them and an enemy helicopter damages a bridge vital to their escape. The men crash, stranding the squad without support. After a tanker explodes, all of the squad members are incapacitated, except Griggs, and Zakhaev comes to the bridge to observe. Griggs is shot in the head while trying to drag MacTavish to safety and Gaz is executed by Zakhaev. When Zakhaev is on the verge of killing Soap and Price, a Loyalist Mi-28 destroys the Hind and distracts Zakhaev long enough for Price to slide MacTavish his M1911 .45, which MacTavish uses to kill Zakhaev and his guards. Russian Loyalists and Sgt. Kamarov come to aid the men, evacuating MacTavish and attempting to revive Price, who appears to be unconscious, when the medic attempting to resuscitate him becomes frustrated. A television news report is played mentioning the events of the game, but the newscaster dismisses the events as "struggles" and "nuclear missile testing", implying that the real events of the past six days were unknown to the public.

Epilogue
In the Epilogue, a bonus mission titled Mile High Club, can be played. This bonus mission is seemingly unrelated to the plot.

Prologue

 * F.N.G.
 * Crew Expendable
 * The Coup

Act I

 * Blackout
 * Charlie Don't Surf
 * The Bog
 * Hunted
 * Death From Above
 * War Pig
 * Shock and Awe
 * Aftermath

Act II

 * Safehouse
 * All Ghillied Up
 * One Shot, One Kill
 * Heat
 * The Sins of the Father

Act III

 * Ultimatum
 * All In
 * No Fighting In The War Room
 * Game Over

Epilogue

 * Mile High Club

Characters
The game features the following as playable characters: The game features the following as non-playable antagonists: The game features the following as non-playable allied characters:
 * Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, 22nd SAS Regiment
 * Sergeant Paul Jackson, 1st Force Reconnaissance Co., U.S.M.C.
 * Lt. Price, 22nd SAS Regiment
 * An unnamed SAS Soldier ordered to rescue a hostage on a plane (possibly Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, although this is not definite)
 * An unnamed Thermal Imaging TV Operator aboard an AC-130H gunship
 * Yasir Al-Fulani, president of an unknown middle eastern country
 * Khaled Al-Asad, 2nd Horseman
 * Victor Zakhaev, 3rd Horseman
 * Imran Zakhaev, 4th Horseman
 * Gaz, 22nd SAS Regiment
 * Lieutenant Vasquez, 1st Force Reconnaissance Co., U.S.M.C.
 * Staff Sergeant Griggs, 1st Force Reconnaissance Co., U.S.M.C.
 * Sergeant Kamarov, Russian Loyalist
 * Private Lopez
 * Private Gaines
 * Mac
 * Private Griffen
 * Sergeant Wallcroft
 * Private West
 * Private Massey
 * Lieutenant Volker
 * Private Roycewicz
 * Captain Pelayo
 * Keating, Captain Pelayo's gunner
 * Captain MacMillan
 * Anti Air Operator

Trailer
The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare trailer, which showed in-game footage, was released on April 28, 2007. In the background a speech is given in Russian: "Сегодня, одной нацией мы воспрянем перед лицом предательства и оккупации" "Today, as one nation we shall rise before the person of treachery and occupation."

- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Trailer A voice at the end speaks the Russian translation of a quote by Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War: "Всякая война враньё" "Every war is a lie."

- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Trailer "Enemy forces sighted" and "American forces nearby" are also said in Arabic in the trailer.

Multiplayer
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare features a new mode called "Hardcore." In Hardcore mode, health of all players is decreased from 100 to 30, the heads-up display is removed and friendly fire is enabled. Standard game modes such as Free-For-All, Team Deathmatch, and Headquarters are included.

Game Modes

 * Team Deathmatch - Use teamwork to kill enemy players and reach score limit. Players: 6 - 12. Score limit: 750 points. Kill: 10 points.
 * Mercenary Team Deathmatch - Use teamwork to kill opposing players and reach score limit. Teams are randomized. Players: 6 - 12. No parties. Score limit: 750 points. Kill: 10 points.
 * Free-for-All - Every player for him/herself. Players: 6 - 8. Score limit: 125 points. Kill: 5 points.
 * Domination - Flags are placed at certain points round the map. All flags start neutral. Players fight to hold the most flags. The match ends when the time limit or the score limit is reached. Kill: 5 points
 * Ground War- A combination of Domination and Team Deathmatch. The score limit for Team Deathmatch is 1000 points. Players: maximum of 18.
 * Headquarters - A laptop is randomly spawned on the map. Players must capture the laptop by staying near it within a certain amount of time; the more friendly players are near the laptop, the faster the laptop is captured. Players earn points for every 5 seconds the laptop is held. If team captures the laptop, they must defend it from being destroyed by enemy team. The team who captured laptop will not respawn until the laptop is destroyed or the max time limit for the headquarters is reached. Team which should destroy HQ will respawn as usual. The more destroyers there are near the laptop, the faster the laptop will be destroyed. A new laptop spawns when the time limit is reached or the laptop is destroyed. Kill: 5 Points
 * Search and Destroy - This mode plays almost exactly like Counter-Strike's classic bomb planting mode; two teams of players will play as either attackers or defenders. Attackers will try to plant a bomb at one of two bomb sites, and defenders will try to defend the bomb sites. If the explosives are planted, the attackers and defenders switch roles as the attackers must now defend the bombs from the defenders, who will try to disarm the bomb. Players do not respawn. A round is over when all players on one team are killed, or when the bomb successfully detonates or is defused. Team will switch between attackers and defenders 2 rounds into the game. XP is increased 5 times.
 * Sabotage - Similar to Search and Destroy, except that the bomb is neutral. Players must take the bomb and plant it at objectives located in the enemy team's base. The bomb carrier can fire his weapons, but his/her position will be announced periodically throughout the game. Also, unlike Search and Destroy, players will have unlimited respawns as opposed to just one per round. Kill: 10 points
 * Team Tactical - Small team games that play Team Deathmatch, Domination, Headquarters, Sabotage and Search & Destroy. Players: 4 - 6. Score limit: 500 points. Kill: 10 points.
 * Hardcore Team Deathmatch - This is the same as Team Deathmatch, except that player health is lowered, the HUD (Heads-Up-Display) is removed and teammates can be killed by friendly fire.
 * Hardcore Search and Destroy - This is the same as Search and Destroy, except that player health is lowered, the HUD is removed, and teammates can be killed by the player.
 * Old School - This is a Free-for-all mode featuring increased health, higher jumping, unlimited sprint, doubled magazine capacity for all weapons, no class selections (players spawn at random places on the map with a Vz. 61 Skorpion, an M9 pistol, and a fragmentation grenade; new weapons and perks are found throughout the level with pickups.
 * Cage Match - One on one death-matches (Fight to the death). Many people like to use this game to play with their friends, taking turns getting headshots to get the popular red tiger on guns. This is best known as "boosting". Score limit: 50 points. Kill: 5 points.
 * Hardcore Headquarters - Headquarters with lowered health and the HUD is removed.

Maps
There are currently 20 multiplayer maps in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare:


 * Ambush - Large desert town. It is split in two by a destroyed American convoy.
 * Backlot - Medium sized construction site and town.
 * Bloc - Large Ukrainian apartment block very close to Chernobyl.
 * Broadcast - Fairly large television broadcast center. (Part of the Variety Map Pack)
 * Bog - Small desert bog. Features a destroyed M1 Abrams.
 * Chinatown (Carentan) - Large Town. Windows/buildings everywhere. (Part of the Variety Map Pack)
 * Countdown - Open launch pad. Huge sight lines and dangerous maneuvering.
 * Crash - Downed Sea Knight in a desert town.
 * Creek - Big map of the great outdoors around a creek. (Part of the Variety Map Pack)
 * Crossfire - Small desert town. Intense interior fighting and strong firefights.
 * District - Large urban town with a market in the middle.
 * Downpour - Big rainy Russian farm.
 * Killhouse - Small SAS training facility. (Part of the Variety Map Pack)
 * Overgrown - Large overgrown rural Russian area.
 * Pipeline - Russian train-yard. Large map with a mix of close to medium combat.
 * Shipment - Tiny Russian shipyard. Fast paced action with no hiding.
 * Showdown - Small desert arena.
 * Strike - Large urban desert town.
 * Vacant - Deserted Russian office. Intense interior fighting.
 * Wet Work - Medium-large cargo ship.
 * Winter Crash - Crash at night with snow and a Christmas tree in the middle of the map (Only when multiplayer upgraded to 1.4 version) (Christmas time special) (PC only).

Class customization
For multiplayer, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare includes a class system which has five preset classes with default weapon load outs and perks assigned to them as well as allowing users to create five custom classes where the user can customize their weapon load out and three perks to assign to their character. The five default classes include Assault, Spec Ops, Light Machine Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper class. Create a class is unlocked when the user gains enough Experience Points (XP) to become a Lance Corporal (level 4), earned by killing opponents. XP will also vary depending on the type of match the user is playing. Only three of the classes are available to a first time player; Demolitions and Sniper are unlocked as he/she gains more experience online and gains higher rank. The class system is different in offline multiplayer (split-screen on the consoles), where players instead pick from a set of 10 classes pre-made by Infinity Ward, two for each weapon type and each with a specific purpose demonstrated by its name. For example, there is a "Close Quarters" class with a P90 and Red Dot Sight, or a "Survivalist" class with an M60E4 and a Desert Eagle. Some classes are less useful due to the nature of offline games, for example the "Ghost" class (an MP5 with a Silencer and stealth perks) is not so useful due to the split-screen view allowing players to know where the others are anyway, or the "Point-man" and "Defender" classes (W1200 and M1014 respectively) due to the rarity of surprise close quarters encounters. The highest level is 55, which unlocks Prestige Mode in console versions. Players will be able to save and name custom classes for quick access in multiplayer matches. Most of the new weapons and perks are unlocked as through increasing experience ranks, but there are also a separate number of challenges associated with each weapon that will subsequently open up new add-on gear as they are completed.

Ranks
Unlike previous Call of Duty games (with the exception of Call of Duty: United Offensive, Call of Duty: Big Red One and Call of Duty 3), Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has a ranking system, which works on XP. The player gains XP by completing and winning matches, killing opponents and completing challenges. There are many ranks in Call of Duty 4, which roughly follow the US Marine Corps ranks, however there are a few exceptions. There are 55 ranks in total, each with its own insignia but when a player activates prestige mode; the insignia is the same for the whole of that prestige.

For more information on ranks and what is unlocked as the player goes through them, click here.

Perks
Another introduction in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the Perks system. Perks are special abilities which allow users to further customize their character to their personal play style. Each class can only have three different perks within three specific tiers.

Weapons
Players have a choice of a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and a special grenade.


 * Primary weapon - Players can choose between assault rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns, shotguns, or sniper rifles. There are two to seven choices in each weapon type. After a player has picked a weapon, the player can also pick attachments and camouflage with which to modify the weapon.
 * Secondary weapon - Players using the Overkill perk can choose a second primary weapon without the camouflage. Call of Duty 4 Guns.png
 * Sidearm - These are pistols. Pistols can only be chosen if Overkill isn't being used.
 * Special grenades - There are three types of special grenades: flash, stun, and smoke.

Attachments

 * Grenade Launcher - This attachment launches highly accurate grenades which explode on impact. Ammunition is limited to two grenades, may not be restocked, and is not shared with conventional hand-held grenades. This attachment is only for assault rifles and replaces Perk 1.
 * Grip - Reduces recoil for shotguns and LMGs. This attachment replaces Perk 1.
 * Red Dot Sight - Replaces iron sights with precision reflex sight.
 * ACOG Scope - Replaces iron sights with a low magnification scope.
 * Silencer - When the player fires a silenced weapon, their position is no longer revealed on the minimap. Also reduces noise from firing, muzzle flash, and damage over range.
 * Holographic Sight - Single player only
 * AN/PEQ-2A - Single player only

Only one attachment can be used at a time. The game also includes customization of the weapons with camouflage. Woodland and desert as default options, and Digital, blue tiger, and red tiger after reaching 25, 75, and 150 headshots respectively. After getting red tiger camouflage with all guns in a class, the player unlocks a Golden camouflage for a weapon in that class. All of the attachments, and in some cases grenade launchers, are mounted on Picatinny rails used on the real guns. It is interesting to note that all of the Picatinny rails on the guns are not accurate to the real life standard. Some, if not most of these rails could not mount anything because of their abnormal shape.

Golden Guns
 * Assault Rifle: AK-47
 * Submachine Gun: Mini Uzi
 * Light Machine Gun: M60E4
 * Shotgun: M1014
 * Sniper Rifle: Dragunov
 * Handgun: Desert Eagle (when the player gets to rank 55 on any prestige)

Killstreak Rewards
There are three killstreak rewards a player can attain throughout playing multiplayer: Radar, Airstrike, and Helicopter.


 * Radar - Requires three consecutive kills without dying. This modifier allows the player to see exactly where the opposing team's players are on the map unless they have UAV Jammer for perk 2. UAV also activates the (otherwise invisible) minimap in hardcore matches. May help get the next two kills, especially with a mounted machine gun.
 * Airstrike - Requires five consecutive kills without dying. This modifier allows the player to call in a cluster bomb strike on the target of their choice. The player chooses the target by clicking on it in the map. The fighter jets, which fly overhead, will drop three cluster bombs, over a period of about 7 seconds. Enemies killed by an airstrike will, of course, count towards the user's kill count, which may grant the two additional kills needed to earn helicopter support. It is recommended to wait until a teammate calls in a UAV, so the player will be able to place an airstrike where a cluster of enemies are that may not be seen without a UAV active.
 * Helicopter - Requires seven consecutive kills without dying. This modifier allows the player to call for helicopter support. The helicopter circles the map, firing at opposing team members whenever they come into view, and will leave after about 2 minutes if not destroyed by enemy gunfire. NOTE: Helicopter kills, like grenade launcher kills, will count toward the players total kill count in game, but will not contribute to the kill/headshot count for the gun he/she is currently using.

There can only be one airstrike and one helicopter airborne at a time.

Once earned, air support can be used instantly, or reserved for use later in the game, even after the player that earned them dies. However, if a player with available airstrike or helicopter support modifier dies and then gets three consecutive kills, he will retain his air support, and not get UAV recon.

Patches
The patch released in March 2008 for Xbox 360 and PS3 fixed certain issues pertaining to the accuracy of the ACOG scope, certain small gameplay bugs and also introduced the host migration feature. However the host migration process has been heavily criticized outside of North America due to a biased QoS procedure. In essence, North American players are often chosen over players from other countries as the host due to a superior ping. This lack of foresight by Infinity Ward has resulted in the monopolization of hosting by North American players and consequently severely hampered the online experience for players outside of North America. On March 4, 2008, Infinity Ward promised to fix this issue, but it remains unresolved.

Downloadable Content
On April 4, 2008, Infinity Ward released the Variety Map Pack on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. This package was subsequently released in the PlayStation Network Store. It includes four maps:
 * Broadcast
 * Creek
 * Chinatown
 * Killhouse

It costs 800 MS points from the LIVE Marketplace and originally cost $9.99 or £6.99 from the PlayStation Network. The PC version of the map pack is included for free (thanks to sponsoring by NVidia) in the 1.6 patch. PS3 & Xbox360 users in some markets are able to download the pack for free upon entering a code supplied with some 2008 game discs, in a limited offer which celebrates Call of Duty 4 receiving a "Game Of The Year" award. The PC version included one more exclusive map, called "Winter Crash", which was quite the same with the original "Crash" map except the fact that in airstrikes the bombs were gifts-presents and that in the background the player could hear Christmas songs, bells ringing and Santa Claus laughing.

Retail editions
The game was released as a Standard Version and a Collector's Edition. The Collector's Edition contains the standard retail game and a DVD containing a 167 minute documentary film entitled "Great SAS Missions," which consists of archive footage of the SAS in action and accounts from former SAS members. The DVD contains a "making of" feature and a level walkthrough by the developers. Also included is a limited edition poster and an exclusive hardcover art-book featuring never-before-seen concept, development, and final in-game artwork. These elements were packaged in a larger cardboard version of the standard retail box. The Collector's Edition was originally only available in the U.S., but was later released in other countries.

Call of Duty 4 was released for several consoles and Windows in North America on November 6, 2007, in Australia on November 7, 2007, and in Europe on November 9, 2007. The Mac OS X version of the game was developed by Aspyr and released on September 26, 2008. It was rated 15 by the BBFC, M for Mature by the ESRB, MA 15+ by the Office of Film and Literature Classification in Australia, 16+ by the PEGI, and 18 by the USK.

It was later released in a Game of the Year edition, which included a code to download the Variety Map Pack for Xbox 360 and PS3. The maps were already installed on the PC version.

Wii version
See Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition.

Reception
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Trivia

 * This was the first game in the series not to take place in WWII and the first game in the Call of Duty series where the enemies are Russian.
 * This is also the first Call of Duty game where the player uses a knife as a melee weapon.
 * Like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, there are no openly controllable vehicles in adversarial multiplayer modes.
 * Contrary to popular belief, civilians do make an appearance or at least have a role in Call of Duty 4 and also make an appearance in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. An old man is interrogated by Ultranationalist guards in Hunted and Azerbaijani villagers are mentioned as being massacred in Safehouse. The player can also see them hiding in dumpsters and being executed in The Coup, and civilian corpses are found in some of the rooms in Mile High Club.
 * Due to its titile, "Modern Wafare", many fans believed that the game's plot was going to take place during the ongoing War of Terrorism.
 * All of the televisions in each level can be turned on and off by pressing the respective "Use" button (X, Square, or F).
 * Cpt. Price, a British character in Call of Duty and Call of Duty 2, is often mistaken for returning in Call of Duty 4. If he did so, he would be at least 88 years old at the time of combat (provided that he was 20 in 1943 and CoD4 takes place in 2011). A different Price appears, who is sometimes thought to be the original Price's grandson. No evidence supports this. It may also be that Price is a recurring character, and his appearance is a metagame anachronism.
 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the first Call of Duty game to be rated "M" by the ESRB for blood and gore, intense violence, and strong language. The second one to be rated "M" was Call of Duty: World at War, and the third was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The fourth one is Call of Duty: Black Ops because in the more recent trailers, it lists the game as rated "M" for the same reasons as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
 * According to Major Nelson's Blog, on January 14, 2008, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare surpassed Halo 3 as the most played game on Xbox LIVE. One week later, Halo 3 was #1 once again, and the two games have been fighting for number one ever since. For the PlayStation Network, it was the top played game of 2008, beating launch title Resistance: Fall of Man.
 * The reason that all of Call Of Duty's protagonists are never shown in full form, is because the makers of Call Of Duty (Infinity Ward) have said that players can imagine what the characters look like, and can choose whatever background they are from.
 * While not explicitly stated in game, it is implied Call of Duty 4 takes place in early to mid 2011. Proof of this can be found in the opening cutscene of "All Ghillied Up", where Price references Chernobyl and how terrorists use its nuclear fuel even a decade after the disaster. Chernobyl happened in 1986, and thus All Ghillied Up is set in 1996, 10 years after. The mission takes place 15 years prior to the main storyline, thus 2011. However, it has also been argued that the game actually takes place in 2010. Unused code for "All Ghillied Up" (which is included in the mod tools) states that the mission actually takes place in 1995. While some think it takes place in 1992, as 2007 was the games release date.
 * This is the only Call of Duty game in which all of the players squad leaders (Lt. Vasquez and Captain Price) are Commissioned Officers.
 * Sergeants (Kamarov) seem to have an abnormally high level of military authority. This was also true of the original Call of Duty where a Sergeant is often found in command of two or more Lieutenants. (Andy McNab has explained that in "The (SAS) Regiment" Officers only do a three-year tour, not sufficient time to pick up the SAS tactical wisdom: so when in combat the "Senior Troop" (NCO) informally assumes tactical command)
 * Although never named, settings for the middle eastern missions of Act I include the Makkah and Riyadh provinces of Saudi Arabia and the Al Basrah government of Iraq. These locations were never explicitly stated to the player because of the real-life "War On Terror". Leftover code from the cut SP missions "Descent", "Designated Marksman" and "That's No Sandstorm" explicitly state that the location of the missions are centered around Riyadh, and in the case of "That's No Sandstorm", the Saudi-Oman border.
 * Remnants of cut SP missions and MP maps can be found in the game's source files. One SP mission would include using a camera to photograph the remains of Al-Asad and the remains of several dead officers' faces. Another SP mission - similar to "All Ghillied Up" in terms of stealth - would include the use of a parabolic microphone to eavesdrop on sentries and gather Intel. Cut MP maps include a map of a mansion, a map of a jail cell block, and a map of a Middle Eastern slum. The Variety Map Pack also would have included the maps Invasion and Favela from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but were cut for unknown reasons, but probably time constraints or their focus on the sequel.
 * The manual for the Xbox 360 version incorrectly states that the "use" button is (B) when it is actually (X).
 * Call of Duty 4 does not feature a grenade throwing practice or a true obstacle course. Although they are not required, they are still available when going over to Captain Price.
 * There was going to be a training course, complete with a grenade throwing session and an obstacle course. It was cut from the game. It is still available for download on the PC.
 * Call of Duty 4 was rated number 14 in Game Informer ' s Top 200 Games of All Time.
 * This is the first game in the Call of Duty series that doesn't say what type of weapon specialist a character is when the aiming reticule is pointed at them.
 * Behind the main menu, the player can see Infinity Ward's logo and 3 under it. This is obviously referring to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare to be Infinity Ward's third installment in the Call of Duty series.
 * The Marine missions resemble the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq back in 2004 as the buildings all seem to look like Fallujin Homes and the Marines fought most of the Main Battles, just like the Marines had.
 * Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was banned in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for cruelty and violence against Islamic soldiers.
 * While not in every game, a Cpt. Price has been in every Call of Duty that Infinity Ward has made.
 * The Ultranationalists in the game have the same pain and death sounds as the Germans in Call of Duty 2.
 * Note that in the last mission of every act, the playable character or someone who was heavily involved in the storyline dies. In The Coup, Al-Fulani is executed by Al-Asad. In Aftermath, Jackson dies of his wounds and/or radiation poisoning due to a nuclear blast and helicopter crash. In The Sins of the Father, Victor Zakhaev commits suicide. Lastly, in Game Over, Griggs, Gaz, and Imran Zakhaev are shot to death.
 * Originally the multiplayer featured only Marines and OpFor and was similar to Call of Duty 2 multiplayer.
 * On early stages, announcer would congratulate player with promotion or completing challenge.
 * As seen on early multiplayer videos, United States Marine Corps and SAS had more real-life-like icons.