Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare releases in New Zealand on November the 4th and if the beta is anything at all to go by, CoD4 is going to be the best game in the franchise to date. Whilst Call of Duty 2 had an awesome online multiplayer presence, Call of Duty 3 just didn’t seem to have the same impact, leaving many fans of the game waiting in anticipation for the release of CoD4.

We speak to the developers of Call of Duty 4 next month (so be sure to check out that interview in the November issue) but to set the record straight from the perspective of the beta release, Call of Duty 4 is going to kick all sorts of major butt when it’s released.

Since this is only a beta and therefore still technically in test-phase, we’ll skip the comparisons between this game and the previous titles and wait for the review code to come our way for that. The focus of this is to talk about the online multiplayer experience. Many of my Xbox 360 gamer buddies will already know how this is shaping up since the beta keys were released to the public some time last week (10.09.07). I’ve had mine for about three weeks now and every time I play it, I am assured of just how kickass it is.

The game allows for you to have parties so you can group up with buddies to play online via Xbox Live. Call of Duty 4 also works on a ranking and player match system which means that you can play both ranked and player matches which gives gamers the variety of playing for rankings or just simply for fun. Ranked games differ to player games because you can actually progress up the ranking system within the game. For every kill you get, you receive points (10 to be exact) that work towards your individual ranking number starting at 1 and progressing to 20 (at the moment, the ranking system is capped at 20 but this may change as the beta continues). You are also given an equal military ranking according to your skill level which progresses with XP points gained in the game. You can obtain points by doing various tasks such as ‘assisting’ in the capture of a specific area in the game if you’re playing the Domination game mode.

The current beta has three different multiplayer maps available, all of which are superbly created and great fun to play on. That coupled with the intricate ‘Class’ system that the game allows you to manipulate, you can practically create your very own type of fighter, choosing from different weapons all the way down to different ‘Perks’ or add-ons in the game that will enhance your capability to kill. There are so many facets to the game play, gamers and fans of the shooter genre in general will find themselves in absolute heaven playing Call of Duty 4.

If you have yet to get your multiplayer beta key for the Xbox 360, I say do not delay. This is some of the best fun on XBL I have had in a while and I highly recommend trying it out. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will also be releasing for PC and PS3 eventually but the beta is currently only available for XBL gamers on the Xbox 360.

Release date is scheduled for November the 4th in New Zealand. You may download keys for the beta for Xbox 360 here:

http://www.xbox.com/en-NZ/games/c/callofduty4modernwarfare/beta.htm