As I recently dove back into the remastered versions of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, I found myself awash in nostalgia, transported back to the countless hours I spent engrossed in their groundbreaking campaigns over a decade ago. Revisiting these classic titles, it’s impossible not to reflect on the seismic impact they had on the gaming landscape and the first-person shooter (FPS) genre as a whole.
Released in 2007, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was a game-changer in every sense of the word. Developed by Infinity Ward, this revolutionary title not only redefined the FPS genre but also left an indelible mark on the gaming industry at large. Its influence can still be felt today, more than 16 years after its initial release.
Prior to Modern Warfare, the FPS genre was dominated by World War II-themed games. Series like Medal of Honor and Battlefield 1942 had found success in this setting, but by 2007, the formula was starting to feel stale and repetitive. Gamers were yearning for something fresh and innovative.
Enter Call of Duty 4. By shifting the series from the well-trodden battlefields of World War II to a contemporary setting, Infinity Ward injected new life into the franchise and the genre.
The game’s gritty, realistic portrayal of modern combat, complete with high-tech weaponry and intense, cinematic set-pieces, was a breath of fresh air.
The origins of this groundbreaking title can be traced back to an unlikely source: acclaimed director Steven Spielberg. While making the war epic Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg was inspired by watching his son play GoldenEye 007 to create a video game that could educate and entertain. The result was Medal of Honor, a series that would lay the groundwork for Call of Duty.
For the third Medal of Honor game, Allied Assault, developer 2015, Inc. was tasked with recreating the scale and intensity of Spielberg’s D-Day landings. To achieve this, the studio made key hires, including Mackey McCandlish, Jason West, and Vince Zampella – the individuals who would go on to form Infinity Ward and create Call of Duty.
Allied Assault introduced the concept of AI squadmates, a departure from the solo infiltration missions of previous Medal of Honor games. This idea of camaraderie, drawn from war films, would become a defining feature of Call of Duty.
As Allied Assault neared completion, tensions at 2015, Inc. reached a breaking point. Unsatisfied with their contract with EA, key members of the team, including Collier, West, and Zampella, left to form their own studio: Infinity Ward. Many of their colleagues, drawn by the promise of a fresh start, followed suit.
Under the guidance of their new publisher, Activision, Infinity Ward set out to create a “Medal of Honor Killer.” The team returned to the familiar setting of World War II, but with a new mandate: “Let’s do all D-Day all the time,” as Jason West put it.
This meant ratcheting up the intensity to unprecedented levels, with guns blazing, paratroopers descending, and explosions reshaping the landscape in real-time. But it was the lessons learned from Allied Assault’s AI squadmates that truly set Call of Duty apart.
When Call of Duty launched in October 2003, it was immediately clear that Infinity Ward had achieved something special. The game’s intense, cinematic campaign and its groundbreaking use of AI squadmates set a new standard for the FPS genre. But Call of Duty’s influence extended far beyond its single-player mode. The game’s multiplayer, with its emphasis on teamwork and its innovative perks system, laid the foundation for the online shooters that would dominate the industry in the years to come.
As Infinity Ward continued to innovate with the modern warfare setting, Activision hedged their bets by having Treyarch, Call of Duty’s second core developer, stay in World War II with titles like Call of Duty 3 (2006) and World at War (2008). “And so Activision hedged their bets by having Treyarch stay in World War 2 and, from their perspective, maybe even save the franchise in case this whole modern thing doesn’t work out,” recalls McCandlish, who by then was working as a design lead on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
But the success of Modern Warfare proved that the shift to a contemporary setting was a masterstroke. The game’s single-player campaign was a masterclass in storytelling and immersion, with missions like “All Ghillied Up” and “Shock and Awe” creating unforgettable, emotionally charged moments. However, it was Modern Warfare’s multiplayer mode that truly cemented its status as a groundbreaking title. Infinity Ward completely rethought the online experience, introducing innovations that would become staples of the genre.
The most significant change was the introduction of a progression system. Instead of choosing from a selection of pre-determined weapons before spawning, Modern Warfare asked players to improve their personal loadouts over time by climbing an XP ladder of increasingly exciting guns. “It may seem obvious now that ‘Oh yeah, you unlock guns,’ but internally that was very divisive,” McCandlish says. “It’s like, ‘No, you can’t do that. You’ve got to earn your guns in shooters.’ Or ‘You’ve got to have fairness of guns.’ You can’t have an unfair advantage at the beginning, but we went with it and it worked.”
Perks were another game-changing addition, providing an RPG-like layer to the multiplayer. These skills aided and improved particular combat approaches, allowing players to tailor their loadouts to specific playstyles. “It’s a really personal journey of unlocking stuff,” McCandlish explains. “And it’s nice because it gets you to play stuff you wouldn’t normally play. It’s I think the designer’s job to encourage the player to get out of their comfort zone a little bit without turning them off from the game.”
Killstreaks were also a major innovation, rewarding players for scoring multiple kills without dying. These powerful bonuses, ranging from UAVs to airstrikes to attack helicopters, added a new layer of strategy and excitement to matches.
“The interesting choice going from Call of Duty 2 to 4 is that we finally gave up on the idea that we were making a better version of Counter-Strike,” admits McCandlish. “We said, ‘You know what, our players just want to play Team Deathmatch. Is there anything we could do to make Team Deathmatch something we want to play too?'”
The create-a-class system allowed players to customize their loadouts, choosing from a variety of weapons, attachments, and perks to suit their playstyle. The introduction of killstreaks, which rewarded players for racking up consecutive kills with powerful bonuses like airstrikes and helicopter support, added a new layer of strategy and excitement to the proceedings.
Modern Warfare’s multiplayer maps, which ranged from the claustrophobic chaos of “Shipment” to the wide-open spaces of “Overgrown,” were meticulously designed to accommodate a variety of playstyles and encourage tactical thinking. The game’s fast-paced, addictive gameplay loop kept players coming back for more, fostering a thriving online community. The combination of progression, perks, and killstreaks created an addictive multiplayer loop that kept players coming back for more. It was a formula that would prove enduringly successful, shaping the multiplayer landscape for years to come.
The impact of Modern Warfare was immediate and profound. By January 2008, just two months after its release, the game had sold over 7 million copies. Despite launching against the much-anticipated Halo 3, Modern Warfare was the number-one played game on Xbox Live by the start of the new year.
More importantly, Modern Warfare had a profound impact on popular culture. Its intense, cinematic depiction of modern warfare resonated with players and sparked discussions about the nature of conflict in the 21st century.
The game’s multiplayer mode became a social phenomenon, with players from all walks of life coming together to compete and cooperate online.
The success of Modern Warfare paved the way for a sequel, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, released in 2009. Building upon the foundation of its predecessor, MW2 upped the ante in every way possible.
The single-player campaign was a globe-trotting affair, taking players from the snow-capped peaks of Kazakhstan to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Missions like “Cliffhanger,” which features a daring infiltration of a Russian airbase, and “Whiskey Hotel,” a frantic defense of the White House, showcased the game’s cinematic flair and attention to detail.
But it was the multiplayer mode that once again stole the show. Modern Warfare 2 introduced new features like customizable killstreaks, allowing players to tailor their rewards to their playstyle. The game also expanded the create-a-class system, offering even more weapons, attachments, and perks to choose from.
Maps like “Rust,” a compact arena set atop an oil derrick, and “Terminal,” a sprawling airport complex, became instant classics, offering a perfect balance of close-quarters combat and long-range sniping.
Like its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2 was a massive commercial and critical success. It broke sales records and cemented Call of Duty’s status as a cultural phenomenon.
The influence of the Modern Warfare series can still be seen in the FPS genre today. Its success spawned numerous sequels and imitators, each seeking to capture the same magic that made these games so special.
The series has since become a cultural juggernaut, with each new installment generating massive hype and breaking sales records. The competitive multiplayer scene that Modern Warfare helped to popularize has evolved into a full-fledged esport, with professional teams and players competing for millions of dollars in prize money.
But perhaps the most enduring legacy of the Modern Warfare games is the way they redefined what an FPS could be. By combining gripping single-player campaigns with addictive, innovative multiplayer, these titles set a new standard for the genre. They showed that an FPS could be more than just a mindless shooter; it could be a cinematic, emotionally resonant experience that brought players together in ways never before thought possible.
As I replayed the remastered versions of these classic games, I was struck by how well they hold up today. The graphics may have been given a facelift, but the core gameplay remains as engrossing as ever. The campaigns still deliver thrills and chills, while the multiplayer modes continue to offer endless hours of competitive fun.
But more than that, replaying these games reminded me of the profound impact they had on me as a gamer and on the industry as a whole. They were more than just games; they were cultural touchstones, shared experiences that brought people together and sparked conversations.
The Modern Warfare series transformed the FPS genre and gaming industry. These games redefined what a first-person shooter could be, setting a new standard for cinematic storytelling, multiplayer innovation, and cultural impact.
As I look back on the countless hours I spent playing these games, both then and now, I’m filled with a sense of nostalgia and gratitude. Nostalgia for the memories these games helped create, and gratitude for the way they pushed the medium forward, opening up new possibilities for what video games could achieve.
Let’s raise a toast to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2. Thank you for the innovative and unforgettable gaming experiences. Your legacy will live on, inspiring new generations of gamers and shaping the future of the medium. And for those of us who were there from the beginning, replaying these classics will always be a nostalgic trip down memory lane, back to a time when a video game changed everything.