Call of Duty 4 - A console mover - GameGirl.com - Girls And Video Games: What More Do You Need?

Call of Duty 4 - A console mover

Feb. 2 10:32 PM by bunnyXablaze

Captain Price you sexy man, you.

It's no suprise to me when I read and hear about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's crazy sucess. Even with the smallest amount of advertising, the beta caused quite a stir between gamers. The extremely high demand when the game first game first came out and the ability to brag about being the only game that has been able to over take Halo3 on XboxLive showed this. I will admit though, when I first played the Call of Duty series it didn't sparked any of my interest -- COD4 reinvented the FPS for me. It's safe to say that the Call of Duty is a series that is consistently changing FPS's and how they are played, and the fourth installment has completely changed what we can expect in a FPS.

Now the "power" of COD4 is it's not limited to the 360, but for the sake of this write up I'm going to focus on the 360 version. Microsoft was quoted a while back that Halo3 was going to help them sell consoles, it did just that -- sold consoles. With Halo3 everyone knew what to expect, it finished a story driven trilogy and served its purpose in the grand scheme of things. As a fellow gamer told me, COD4 carries a sense of realism that Halo3 doesn't. Don't get me wrong, This article isn't here to bash Halo3 -- I'm merely trying to prove a point. I'm not a numbers person so you can't actually hold an debate with me on soley numbers, Halo3 may have sold alot of games and alot of consoles, but the majority of those gamers already owned or planned on owning the console. Real changes are the ones that aren't expected, and COD4's sucess came out of left field.

Call of Duty 4, compared to Microsoft's overly advertised baby stood well above from the online gameplay, graphics and over all gameplay. One thing that has always bothered me about most FPS's is the power ratio of weapons. I felt it was always a battle over the biggest best weapons, in COD4 I was able to always find a weapon I liked and just stick with it. All of that, and COD4 resembles closely what's happening currently in the world. As much as we all want to be the brave macho men saving the hot large breasted women from the evil Zoltar(Designers:The idea for your next game right there), there are just more fans of realism than science fiction. Now off of the cod4vshalo3 -- because that's not what this is about.

I've been selling video games since I was 16 at GameStop and I'm currently the manager of a Hybrid-Gaming RadioShack store. I've seen some huge wins and some horrible flops in the past 3 years. I work in a town with an extremely large military base, and I've seen more 360's leave our stores with the sole purpose of COD4 than I've honestly ever seen with any other game. I ask when they're about to leave if there are any other games they're looking forward to playing, and the answer is always along the lines of "I've been playing COD4 with friends. I'm hooked. That's it." The majority of games typically have a love-hate relationship, COD4 has a solid level of love across the board-- and that's why its' unexpectedly selling consoles. Can we see a Call of Duty 4 Limited Edition Console in the near future?

Even if it isn't actually helping to sell consoles, it's just helping to create a stronger game lineup on the 360. (Gears of War, Bioshock, Oblivion, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, and the new edition? Call of Duty 4.)

EXTRA I'll be on COD4 everyday after 8PM EST this week. gamertag bunnyxablaze

Comments

Awesome article! I totally agree that it is helping to boost console sales at a phenomenal rate at it is still an extremely hot rental at my Blockbuster Store.

Sadly I'd like to be able to say how it did in my Movie Gallery but we closed down right on the release day of Halo 3 so no luck there. But regardless it is a console mover and like I was telling you its because its is a game more people can relate to liek grown adults who arent big gamers but see this and are like awesome I gotta check this game out. Anyways great article keep up the great work :-)

I agree with everything you said, I've read all of your blogs and this is the first I've posted on. Microsoft wanted Halo 3 to sell consoles, it did that. I've never been a fan of the Call of Duty games, mainly because I'm not a fan of "old war games." But Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare changed the way I look at FPS now. I used to love the games where they weren't real, because I always thought that realistic games weren't fun. Call of Duty 4 changed that and I can't wait for Call of Duty 5.

Good article, it just reminds me more of how everyone in my friends list has "Call Of Duty 4" as their activity... plus it's neat that games are finally coming back from that really horrible summer and fall drought that the 07' year had. Hopefully 08 will see some bigger titles to come.

Love the article! yeah i agree COD4 has so much more to offer then halo3 , and there is always something that surprises you that your not expecting

kick ass article, i totally agree. i know a bunch of kids that were crazed halo fans until i showed them COD4.

bunnyxablaze rox my sox!! =P

Great artical I totaly agree about all that,I am looking forward to see a next call of duty in the near future.Once again Great artical :DD e e e

You rock my flip-flop lol.I couldn't find a better person to talk to about games :DD

As a future Airman for the United States Air Force, and having a Lance Corporal Marine friend, for the guys in the military the de facto video game system is the Xbox 360. I know COD4 arrived for both the PS3 and the 360, but there is something about the 360 that appeals to me, and most in the military. Perhaps the fact that a couple of years ago Microsoft was kind enough to let a few GI's try out a beta demo of Halo 3 or maybe its the console itself. Noticed the convex (ps3) and concave (360) design of both the PS3 and Xbox 360? I find the Xbox smaller more practical and fits well in a room of a college student and future airman as myself. The PS3 has this glossy piano-finish look that seems to belong in a living from behind a glass door. I don't know but Halo 3, Mass Effect and games such as America's Army on board exclusively for the Xbox 360 (don't forget the Halo/Army themes, and Air Force themes being offered for free on Xbox Live) Microsoft is definitely appealing for the military messes. Microsoft is American, Sony is Japanese, there is sense of pride owning something by an American company that seems to KNOW and understand the gamers that pick up their controllers. I'm sold!

i've never been a big FPS player (minus Doom when i was kid) but when my non-gaming friends are begging me to pick up this game for my ps3, then you know somethings being done right.

the single player experience is like watching some awesome movies all over again, and the online plays swimmingly even when you running on a bad connection. This is a reason to play FPS games again...for me atleast.

Wouldn't any great game count as a console mover? If people will buy a Wii just to play Wii Sports wouldn't the same logic apply to Call of Duty 4 for the 360 or PS3?

62961,63162,63381

hmm, I'll have to give you a game. I'll message you on live tomorrow, and I'll happily give you a game.

word of warning:as a new zealander, my connection sucks. if I'm red barred in a game I quit because it's unplayable.

Anyhoo, cod4 reminds me of halo 2. I could play halo 2 for hours and not get bored. halo 3, I play a game and I'm then bored right away. anyone else find this?
I'm not trying to start a cod4 vs halo 3 war either, I'm just stating my opinion, which does not in anyway reflect the opinion of the bloggers on this site, IDG entertainment or any of it's affiliates.

lol, my a** is now completely covered :D

I was watching my buddies play COD4 today. My friend got his console just for COD4. So I figure it's selling a lot of consoles, which is good news to Microsoft and other game developers. The more systems out there, the better chance developers will push new games for it.

I just look forward to the next few years, I think a lot of great games will be coming.

yeah like grand theft auto 4 and halo wars. call of duty 5 I'm dubious about becuase I hated cod3, and it's being made by those people, and it's set in world war 2.
why not make it in world war 3?

it hasn't happened (yet! *dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!) so game developers can go nuts with the story! give us a good story, more weapons, challenges, perks, levels, heck, give us custom game options to rival halo's, a way to store film clips, and something better than forge, and I'd be stoked. :)

~thunda

Great article! Lots of copies of Call of Duty 4 are sold because of how real it may be, or not. But that seems to be the general consensus at my local Gamestop.

Not all games count as console movers. I say that word with a very strong backing that it is infact, selling consoles SOLEY on being that game.

Your example with the Wii doesn't apply. People buy the Wii for future games -- and Wii Sports just comes with it.

There are very few true "console movers"

62961,63162,63381

I'd have to agree with you on this one. Though i thought cod3 was horrible, they really brought the series together with this one. Even this weekend while sitting in my friends dorm, i had 5 or 7 people come by all the time asking if they could play cod4. I think that helps prove your point

That's normally how people get hooked. When they "just wanna play for a few minutes" and by that time? COD4 has them in it's grasp.

Good artical and so true about halo 3. i bought it beat it and haven't picked it up since...tho i might have to try Grifball mod.

But yeah COD4 i just plain and simple..badass.

anyway again great artical

very true
maybe if more games were like COD4 then the xbox would sell better.

i totally agree with you "bunny" i think a lot fps gamers enjoy a more realistic take to their games, (there i commented)

I agree with all that has been said. Call of Duty 4 to me is the best game on 360 as of now. I am pretty good at both Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 but when i first put in cod i was like wtf this shit is fun as hell.... after 4 weeks of not playing halo 3 i decided to go back.. played 1 match n was like fuck this n put back in cod lol... i also noticed that all the gamers on my friends list transferred to COD and stopped playing Halo 3 as much.....

I think COD4 became a console mover after it was released than rather before.. because when it came out in the first people played it.. they ranted on how good it was and let their friends play.. then their friends went out n bought the 360.. where on the other hand Halo 3 served as a console mover at the 360 launch date because people bought it for Halo 3..

I think that Wii Sports would apply as a console mover because people will buy a Wii just so they can play all the Wii Sports games. The last time I worked at Best Buy while the Wii was just coming out people bought the thing with no other games and all the controllers they can get just to play one of the mini games. Too bad the best game on that console so far is Wii Sports.

62961,63162,63381

I was in a rush to buy CoD4 and when i got it never took it outta the plastic wrap lol....tbh it is still not opened yet
:O , it's not thats it's a badd game but i was soo busy playing everything else i never got around to it heh. We needs more gals like bunny online if their were i'd be more inclined to play on live more :D

I sent you a message on live bunny. hope I put in the right gt...

anyway, like someone said up above, every so often I'll play halo 3, think "this sucks" and go back to cod4.
I think it'll be good if cod5 sucks, becuase infinity ward can make cod6 and make it rock, since people wont have expectations.

well I already have you on my friend list but barely see you on live, check out the MKDR clan on GP forums..those guys play COD4 everyday. now regarding the tittle I just love the black hawk dawn feel the game has.

Strongly agree. I didn't like the COD series atall, really, until COD4. It has, as you've stated, completely redefined the meaning of the genre FPS. The dynamics of the game are quite simply brilliant, every other FPS in my collection has paled in comparison to this fantastically designed game.

I've always liked the Call of Duty series, but this is the first one I actually bought. For me, though Bioshock is still at a much higher level than this game. I'm not saying it's bad; it's amazing, but from someone who is studying video games in college, Bioshock is more advanced. As for the Halo arguments, I always ignore those. This game should never even be in the same sentence as Halo.

Because there was no multiplayer in Bioshock it's really hard to compare the two games. Or I would have. BioShock is one of the top 5 next gen games out right now.