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Like birthdays or lacklustre Doctor Who Christmas episodes, we get a new Call of Duty title every year, like clockwork. But let's be honest: they won't ever be as good as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
Released back in 2007 for the PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac and - heck - even Wii and DS, it was a stunning creation from the team over at Infinity Ward. One of three Call of Duty development teams, the Los Angeles programmers were responsible for some of the best - including all three Modern Warfare titles and Call of Duty: Ghosts. And hey: they happen to be making the 2016 Call of Duty too.
But we say: stop that. Our plea to Infinity Ward this year is to ditch the brand new Call of Duty game... and instead bring back the classic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. There are so many other games getting an HD remastering for Xbox One and PS4, now it's time to tackle one of the most innovative games in history. And here are the five reasons why:
1. A modern, ground-breaking setting
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare arrived at a time when it could liberate the FPS players. They were stuck between all the World War II shooters and Halo. Although there were some great games out there, there was very little variety. Until Modern Warfare, that is.
It took players to areas such as the favelas of Brazil, a nuclear bomb facility in Nevada, an LA skate park and even the streets of Paris - all of which were rendered with a gritty realism, making for a very visceral experience for players. That's across the single-player campaign and the multiplayer maps too.
Although Call of Duty: Ghosts came close to capturing the same sense of realism as the original Modern Warfare, none have quite managed to deliver the sombre realisation of war in the same way.
2. A believable storyline
For a lot of games and media out there at the time, Russia represented the stereotypical big bad wolf. However, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare bucked that trend, instead having you fighting a powerful movement known as the Ultranationalist Party that is trying to overthrow the Russian Federation.
The British SAS teams up with the Russians to foil the Ultranationalists' plot. There was a nuclear weapon involved, a chap named Khaled al-Asad in the Middle East and more.
It all came together to create one of the most engaging and cinematic single-player campaigns ever seen in an FPS. The dramatic events made for quite the emotional storyline, even if it was slightly overshadowed by the game's innovative and premium multiplayer mode.
3. "All Ghillied Up" is one the best missions in FPS history
Of all the single-player campaign in Modern Warfare, there was always one mission that stood out for us. We still class 'All Ghillied Up' as one of the best missions in FPS history.
You play as Captain Price during one of his flashbacks, where you're a Lieutenant under the command of Captain MacMillan. In camouflage ghillie suits, the pair must make their way to a hotel vantage point and wait for their target - Imran Zakhaev, the primary antagonist in the game.
From the moment Captain MacMillan rises out of the grass like a ghost, to the moment you take off Zakhaev's arm, 'All Ghillied Up' was a mission so full of tension and drama that you always played it on the edge of your seat.
It was truly a masterpiece of game design.
4. It defined online shooters
There are very few recent FPS multiplayer titles that don't riff off the ideas that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare established. This was the game that first introduced Perks, Killstreaks, Prestige and class customisation for instance. These are all features that are aped by the majority of online shooters released since 2007.
And that's because not only did Modern Warfare invent these gameplay features, it also made sure that it implemented them in the right way. Killstreaks were limited, meaning that there was more emphasis on the actual firefights, better balancing and a skewed noob-to-pro ratio.
Weapon and customisation options were restricted too, meaning that you spent more time in the field than fiddling about in the loadout screen. In other words: a perfect balance.
5. ...And 'Prestige' made you keep coming back
Addiction comes in so many forms nowadays, but Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was another level for our gaming appetite entirely.
There aren't many games that see players reach a level cap... and then willingly choose to start over again, taking us back to square one. That was 'Prestige' though, and all you really got was a star next to your name. But, boy did we love it.
In fact, we loved that star so much that we got all 10 versions of it.
We don't know what that speaks more to, though - the amount of free time we had in 2007, or how flawless a game Modern Warfare was that we just couldn't get enough of it. Either way, wouldn't it be useful to have a remastered HD version for current-gen consoles - you know, just to make absolutely sure?
