Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter video game and the first Call of Duty installment to break away from its World War II setting, and set in the modern world. It was announced on April 12, 2007 and was released on November 5, 2007. Call of Duty 4 was published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward, and is available on Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, and the PlayStation 3. A Wii version of the game, called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition, was
ported by Treyarch, and was released on November 10, 2009 along with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox 360/PS3/PC and Modern Warfare: Mobilized for Nintendo DS. The game is followed by two direct sequels, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare differs from previous installments of the Call of Duty series. Previous Call of Duty games have a distinct three country-specific campaign style, while Call of Duty 4 has a more film-like plot with interlaced story lines from the perspectives of Sgt. Paul Jackson of the Marines 1st Force Recon and Sgt. 'Soap' MacTavish of the British 22nd SAS
Regiment. There is also a variety of missions where players control
other characters, such as an unidentified AC-130U Spectre gunship
operator and Lieutenant John Price in a flashback assassination mission set in Pripyat, Ukraine. The move to modern warfare has introduced a variety of conventional weapons and technologies to the Call of Duty series, such as assault rifles, night vision, .50 caliber sniper rifles, and C4 plastic explosives.