I’ll admit it: I’m addicted to online gaming. There’s something tremendously attractive and satisfying about digitally maiming or killing the twelve year old punk who is incessantly mocking you over the headset that I just can’t seem to get my fill. Despite the fact that I am typically being slaughtered by pre-teen video game junkies, I keep coming back for more in the hopes that one day I will lay waste to all of my team’s opponents in succinct fashion, vindicating all of my previous failures.

Unfortunately for me, I am terrible at first person shooters and quite often am killed far more often than I kill the opposing team members. So, you would think that it gets old being emasculated by gaming nerds who live in their parent’s basements well into their thirties and pre-pubescent boys whose screeching voices make you want to hang yourself from the controller cord that is no longer there (maybe THAT is why all of the controllers are wireless now…), yet somehow it doesn’t and I sign online for another thrashing.

Most recently I have been putting in some serious man-hours with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on XBox Live. The realism of the game coupled with the fact that there are modern situations/maps and weapons make for a most enjoyable experience where you forget that you’re on the sofa and become totally immersed in the Middle Eastern city or the former USSR states north of Iran. While the single player campaign mode is excellent fun and a good training ground, the online community is really the heart and soul of the game. The AI of the campaign mode enemies is fabulous, but there’s still nothing like squaring off against real people.

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Great online features such as the ability to create custom characters utilizing unlockable weapons, upgrades and special abilities fosters the desire to keep button-smashing so you can get that next “perk” or complete the next “challenge.” The ranking system, in which your character continues to unlock weapons and abilities as your rank increases (which is accomplished by earning XP points from killing and wounding enemies as well as completing “challenges”), also keeps your attention because you yearn for the P90 sub machine gun or the .50 caliber sniper rifle which will undoubtedly make all the difference in your gaming prowess. So far, I have found that no matter what weapon is in my hands, someone knows how to use theirs better.

With all of that said, Call of Duty 4 is a must-own if you have an XBox 360 and XBox Live. The drawbacks are few, but one I would like to mention is the lack of cooperative campaign mode. Otherwise, the game is near-flawless. From the realistic sounds, gorgeous and interactive environments, to the intuitive controls you will be immensely satisfied, unless this genre of game is unappealing to you.

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