By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune

"Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare"
Reviewed for: Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
Also available for: PC
From: Infinity Ward/Activision
ESRB Rating: Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, strong language)

MCT "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare," for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and also available for PC; from: Infinity Ward/Activision; ESRB Rating: Mature (blood and gore, intense violence, strong language).

Another year, another "Call of Duty."

On a few levels, that's all you need to hear, for reasons both good and bad. After handing the reigns to another developer for "Call of Duty 3," Infinity Ward is back in the driver's seat for the sequel, and its fingerprints are all over "Modern Warfare."

That's mostly good news, because no one makes a war game quite like these guys do. But the downfalls of "Call of Duty 2" _ a poor cover system, meathead enemy A.I. and some blatant instances of enemies continually respawning after you kill one off _ return unscathed in "Warfare," and they're less forgivable two years later. It's hard to formulate an intelligent attack plan when killing an enemy soldier just prompts a new one to appear in his place.

This rather grievous offense would be unforgivable if the things "Warfare" does do differently weren't so awe-inspiring.

No longer constricted by the events of World War II, Infinity Ward steps into the present day and delivers a knockout of a story that players will experience from multiple perspectives. Without spoiling anything, firefights take place in some ingeniously designed locales, and the storytelling is leagues beyond the between-mission filler we typically get in war games. Frustrating as "Warfare's" gameplay can sometimes be, it's impossible to not keep fighting all the way through the exhilarating final sequence.

(It doesn't hurt that the whole thing is awfully easy on the eyes. War never looked so good.)

Groundbreaking though the single-player experience may be, "Warfare's" true value likely will reveal itself on the multiplayer side. It's also where the franchise sees the most growth.

Infinity Ward has taken the usual multiplayer modes and infused them with a leveling system that rewards you with new weapons and gear as you accrue experience in the field. This is problematic for latecomers and causal players, who are overmatched to begin with and will find themselves increasingly overpowered as more dedicated players rack up experience and better weapons. "Warfare's" flawed matchmaking system doesn't prevent rookies and veterans from occasionally mixing it up, either.

The upside, of course, is that you have a reason to play beyond the simple joy of playing (which should kick in fully once Infinity Ward fully irons out some nagging server issues on both platforms). Victory alone is nice, but victory and a cool new set of armor definitely is better.