Modern Warfare 4 feels like Call of Duty firing on all cylinders

Modern Warfare 4 is the Call of Duty the author has been waiting to play this generation. Freed from PS4 and Xbox One support, the game shows a new fluidity in movement, weightier weapon handling and denser visual and audio detail from the first kill to the last.

Jack O'Hara, co-studio head and game director, says older hardware was beginning to constrain innovation and that dropping last-gen support allowed the team to focus on new ideas. Infinity Ward has tuned combat so there’s a closer alignment between bullet trajectory, weapon motion and operator stance — summed up in the mantra, "Every shot should tell the truth." Target visibility, bloom and depth of field have been refined, and weapons make micro-adjustments when you peek corners.

Recoil patterns and damage profiles feel familiar, but the time-to-kill has been dialled so long-range fights require more precision; multiplayer design lead Jacky Reynolds says the TTK is slightly longer at further ranges.

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