The game has the best feel and gunplay I’ve ever experienced, I think on either PC or console. I still can’t believe how much I enjoy playing the game with a controller. The last time I was this addicted to a game was Counter-Strike: Source upon its release. The Call of Duty series has been revered for its transcendent gunplay since its inception, but bringing the game into a modern setting has created a monster. The 360 version has been the best-selling game for the four months since its release. Its streak will no doubt be stopped by the 360 version of Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 this month, but I don’t see it dropping off the top spot on XBL activity anytime soon. I’ve heard anecdotes of people in R6:V2 games saying that they’re just gonna go back to COD4. Halo 3 will most likely eventually take the crown back, at least in that lull before Gears of War 2 hits.

With four new maps coming out this week, COD4 is going to be on top for a while. Shamefully, this map pack will make me break my DLC rule. $10 for four maps, and I’m going to shell out because Infinity Ward owns me. But since I’m not going to be playing any other FPSs, I might as well get the full COD4 experience.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Call of Duty 4
2 Halo 3
3 Guitar Hero III
4 Gears of War
5 Rock Band
6 Madden NFL 08
7 Assassin’s Creed
8 Mass Effect
9 FIFA 08
10 Forza Motorsport 2

THE KING IS DEAD. LONG LIVE THE KING.

Infinity Ward took Bungie and its massive franchise head-on, and won. Yes, Halo 3 has outsold it, and will hold on to that lead forever — but Call of Duty 4 instantaneously blows away anyone that plays it. I’ve heard some people rip on the single-player campaign, but even these people admit that the online multiplayer is absolutely incredible. I meant to write up a blog post a while ago — and I started to — but never finished it. There’s no point now. Everyone knows the awesomeness of COD4. The perks system adds a whole new level of strategy to FPS multiplayer, and the leveling up system has to be the most addictive of any FPS as a result. And the graphics (at 60 fps no less!) are freaking great, with the phenomenal sound only completing the experience.

Conversely, Halo 3 is stuck in its 2001 mode. Well, it’s more like Halo 2 HD on steroids, because I actually loved the original Halo. On the other hand, there wasn’t any competition on consoles last generation. Now, between Rainbow Six Vegas, COD4, Gears of War, and Bioshock on the same console, Halo 3 seems downright archaic. The multiplayer is filled with options and features, but they don’t make up for the slow-as-shit, boring gameplay. I do enjoy Rocket Race, though. And the single-player = YAWN.

CALL OF DUTY 4

Now, I’m going to go back on my word and verdict by saying that I’ve decided against buying Rock Band for the foreseeable future after playing it at Best Buy. The guitar parts on expert weren’t challenging at all for a Guitar Hero veteran like myself, and the drums were a joke. This was because there was no bass pedal included in the kiosk. I know that with the bass pedal it’s going to be 5x harder, but I couldn’t help feeling bored by the game. As a result, my hype meter has fallen dramatically. With GH3, I have my rhythm game fix for a few months. The online aspect of GH3 just adds so much replayability to the game, even if the majority of Live players are absolutely insane and pick “Through the Fire and the Flames” way too much. I might just split the cost for Rock Band with Justin if he’s up for it around Christmas time. Either that, or just buy the drum-only SKU when it’s released early next year. There’s not enough room in my humble abode for so many faux instruments.

I’ve been helplessly addicted to a couple of XBLA games. I got a quadrillion points in Every Extend Extra Extreme unlimited mode and haven’t played much since then. Timed mode and online are the only modes worth playing in that game. Even then, there’s not really much to it. Setting off the explosion before your shield runs out and on beat is the entire game. “Revenge” mode is even more broken. It takes a special development team to come out with two worthless games in one. I just became entranced the first time I played it, which led to the 1,000,000,000,000,000 points.

The other XBLA game that I’ve been playing incessantly is Puzzle Quest. It’s a puzzle-RPG hybrid that is incredibly addictive. It has the basic mechanics of Bejeweled – you have a rectangular playing field, and you match up gems in rows of 3 or more – only now you have spells and leveling up to deal with. The only catch is that after playing the game for a while (probably 20-25 hours), I still don’t think I’m close to completing it. While it’s a fun game, such a simple system can’t sustain such a long quest. But I’m going to end up finishing it and maxing out my character’s level at 50 just for the achievements. Damn it.

I also just finished playing some Halo 3. I did fairly well, too. Too bad that once I buy Call of Duty 4 in three days nothing else matters. Circuit City is offering a free copy of Call of Duty 3 with the purchase of COD4. I can’t wait to sell that piece of shit. In addition, Circuit City is also selling Virtua Fighter 5 for only $39.99. I really was gonna ask for that for Christmas, but I can’t pass that up. Burger King is also offering a coupon for a $10 Gift Card with a purchase of a game $39.99, so I’m going to take advantage of that too. Here’s the coupon. You have install some bullshit coupon printer, but whatever. For the record, these deals are seemingly only for the 360 versions of each game. Sorry PS3 owners.

Man, I love my 360. Between all these games, I’m gonna be set for a while. I might just sell my copy of Rainbow Six: Vegas. Poor guy never even got a chance to shine.